Autographs. They are great collectibles, and at prices to suit every budget, but expect to pay more for greats of the game and deceased players.
Footballs, baseballs, jerseys, hockey sticks & pucks, basketballs, 8x10's, cut signatures, the list goes on and on.
The FBI did an investigation several years ago into autographs & memorabilia, and the results made collectors very upset. The FBI concluded that up to 70% of the material was fake. Jaws dropped everywhere but some good came out of it, as professional authentication services arose. The top three of such services are PSA/DNA, Upper Deck Authenticated, and GAI (Global Authentication, Inc.). If you want to buy an autographed item, I would highly recommend one of these services. Their Certificates of Authenticity are top-notch and usually come with a specific number and/or Hologram.
Personal horror story: When I was doing card shows in Southern California years ago, a new one popped up in Orange County. It was a monthly show and was held in a huge warehouse-type building. The show promoter had the first six tables the people saw as they walked into the show. It was his show, so I guess he had the right. Anyway, after I set up my table, I noticed that there were some autographed items for sale at the promoter's tables. They were cheap, came with a COA, and I figured that I could make a profit by reselling them at future shows. So over the next few months I did sell the autographed items at a good profit at several other shows. But then I read in the paper that the Orange County promoter that I bought the items from was indicted on fraud charges, that his cousin Louie was in the back room signing baseballs as 'Ted Williams' and other greats. I was sick about it but there wasn't much I could do. So my advice to everyone that's interested in autographed items is to go with a legit company.
Have fun out there, but be careful...
