by Jodi "PunkLit" McClure
Collectors love to imagine a magical scenario where they can go back in time and buy some incredibly rare piece of memorabilia. Baseball card enthusiasts might seek out an original Honus Wagner card. Football fans might purchase an original team jersey or a banner. Star Wars fans would ransack toy stores, buying out Luke Skywalker figures, mint and still in the box. And then, all these collectors would do something extremely important with those items, but I'll get to that in a minute.
Collectors love to imagine a magical scenario where they can go back in time and buy some incredibly rare piece of memorabilia. Baseball card enthusiasts might seek out an original Honus Wagner card. Football fans might purchase an original team jersey or a banner. Star Wars fans would ransack toy stores, buying out Luke Skywalker figures, mint and still in the box. And then, all these collectors would do something extremely important with those items, but I'll get to that in a minute.
First, let's jump forward in time instead.
It's 2054, and a gray-haired man is sitting in a rocking
chair outside his nursing home. Between his stiff, gnarled fingers, he clutches
the gilded edges of a framed poster. To his side, his great grandchild stares
through the glass in wonder. "It was signed by Reginald," the child
says, his voice filled with the kind of reverence we reserve for uttering names
like Ruth and DiMaggio.
"I got that a week before he announced his retirement."
The old man smiles at the memory. "It's worth half a million now, and I'm
giving it to you."
Lucky kid.
Some people buy collectibles as an investment while
others buy them for the pleasure of displaying them in their homes. Their
value is based purely on what someone else is willing to pay for them, but
generally, the rarer and more sought after the item is, the more it is worth. So
what makes me think eSports memorabilia will grow in value? Let's take a look
at some facts:
1. eSports' popularity is growing at a fantastic rate, and
the more fans there are, the more demand there will be for fan items. When
eSports explodes into the mainstream, demand for certain items (like early
signed posters) will multiply tenfold. Also, the more popular pros become, the
less interactive they can be with their fans, which will further limit supply.
2. Right now, teams are small and there's not many of them. Rosters
frequently change and evolve, making many team-signed items extremely unique.
Seasons and splits further break up items (Like...Is it signed by the S3 Dignitas or the S4 Dignitas?) Because of player turnovers, oddities
like a TSM poster showing Xpecial - but
signed by Gleeb - are exactly the kinds of things that collectors love.
3. People wanting memorabilia of the most popular players
will look to acquire their signatures on anything they can get. Players signed
a TON of stuff the past four years, between the LCS, tournaments, conventions
and personal appearances, so fans will believe these items to be obtainable and
actively seek them out. Just like in other sports, a collector might want items
from different points in a player's career. Perhaps a rookie card or a
stand-out year.
4. We already know the demographic that follows eSports has
money to burn, and they are highly passionate about their teams. When eSports
hits the mainstream, they're exactly the kind of guys who'll spend big bucks on
these items JUST to have something to show
off to their friends. It's not enough to tell all these new fans that you've
been a long time CLG supporter. You've got to prove your devotion.
5. Sports memorabilia is the Number One most commonly traded
collectible.
The most important factor, though, is that human fault will
be in play, and it's the reason certain items will become ridiculously
valuable. Yes, players signed tons of stuff. But what will the average person
do with that stuff? They'll take that poster home and stick it up on the wall
in their computer room with a push pin
in each corner. And that poster will sit up there for years. Slowly, the paper
will grow brittle and crack. Perhaps one corner will tear. The poster will be
exposed to dust, smoke, and moisture, and over time it will yellow slightly. It
may become creased. It may be folded. It may...eventually...be stowed away in a
box and eaten up by mildew. Only a sparse few of those posters will be put in a
frame under glass. And those are the ones that will be truly worth the big
bucks.
That Honus Wagner card our collectors went back in time for?
That football jersey and the Star Wars figures? They're gonna treat those with
kid gloves, ensuring that they are kept in immaculate condition until the
future comes. They'll be framed or kept in dust free mylar bags, and they will
never see a push pin or a damp basement.
So take care of your eSports memorabilia if you're lucky
enough to get it. Time and interest will do the rest. Even now you can do a
search on ebay and find people selling signed posters and other eSports items,
which is a very good indicator that the interest is already there. Keep it in
mint condition for a few dozen years and who knows...maybe someday you'll be
that wealthy gray-haired old man!
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