whats the best way to find the value of sports memorabilia?

Answer 1

Auction it. You can look up the "value" on numerous websites and collectibles books, like Beckett, but in the end they do not mean a thing (with the exception of evaluating an item for insurnance purposes). These sources are mostly dealing with averages, and those change very rapidly and are affected by location and availabilty. All that really matters is how much a real person is willing to pay for your item at the time you want to sell it. A book can say it is worth $1,000, but that does not mean a thing if someone out there doesn't want it badly enough to shell out that kind of dough. That said, if someone wants it badly enough, you can get MORE than its supposed "value." So I recommend auctioning your stuff. If you have no intention of parting with it, though, then in the end it really doesn't even matter.