Jeter and the Yankees

I came across this article in Beckett (get over it), and I am showing it off here because it is one of the most true price guide lines they have come out with in recent memory. From working in a sports memorabilia store, and being a Yankee fan in general I have become very familiar with the going rate for items like these. While I don’t buy any of them, they value is quite accurate if you ask me, or probably any other Yankees fan.

The part of the page that I found most interesting is that the price of some items is determined by the season it was used in. Honestly, how would a consumer know the difference anyway? Game used jersey cards could very well be jerseys that were pulled out of a Modells, but we take the companies word for it. It’s like Tommy’s father said in Tommy Boy, “a guarantee is only as good as the man who writes it,” or something like that. The point is, if you trust the card companies and Steiner (rip off artists) then you’re golden. Would I pay $2,000 for a smelly cleat? No. Even if it were worn by Jeter? Nope. I have my own worn shoes here, thanks.

While I do own one signed bat, I got it a long time ago as a gift before the prices on this stuff went through the roof. Has anyone ever paid an extreme amount of money for a Yankee collectible like this? I had the opportunity to buy my seats from the old Stadium but since I only sat in them once, I saw no point. I always sat in RF and my seats were technically in LF, so those seats really meant nothing to me for the price they were asking.

Considering what Albert supposedly charges Upper Deck per autograph it really makes me wonder what the value of his items are considered to be by Beckett, or retailers in the St. Louis area.

(Image borrowed from the August 2009 issue of Beckett Baseball)