Collecting baseball cards is an American pastime just like the game itself, but sports memorabilia has expanded well beyond cards and has become a big business. The market for genuine vintage memorabilia has changed dramatically over the last few decades. From a market that consisted of a very limited supply of genuine articles, it is now flooded with tens of thousands of vintage items (including bats, balls, jerseys, helmets, pictures, magazines, posters, lithographs, autographs, record albums, and other items), many of which are simply counterfeit.
Fake Sports Memorabilia
A father bought a jersey for his son that turned out to be a fake. Watch to learn more about sports memorabilia scams.
Baseball has generated a memorabilia business worth millions, but sometimes it’s difficult to spot a fake. Watch to learn more.
Protect Yourself From Sports Memorabilia Fraud
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Don't trust a signature
Don’t trust the authenticity of an item based on a photograph of the athlete signing. Many times these images are stolen or stock photography, rather than an actual photo of the player signing the collectible.
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Compare prices
Compare prices of similar signed memorabilia to avoid buying forgeries. If an autograph is valuable and being sold at an extreme discount, it’s likely that the item is fake.
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Research the seller
As with any other business transaction, check out the person you are dealing with.
Have You Witnessed This Scam?
If you’ve been affected by a sports memorabilia fraud and the U.S. Mail® has been used in any way, we want to help. Please report the crime.
Report Now