Did you hear about the five hotel workers that stole goods from hotel rooms of the England soccer team? While they may have wanted World Cup souvenirs, it cost them $800 in fines and three years in prison. They stole World Cup soccer shirts, a medal and even player underwear! There’s no need for such nonsense, because you can find official FIFA World Cup souvenirs everywhere, (some are sanctioned and some aren’t).

Just like any other kinds of sports memorabilia, you want the real FIFA-sanctioned souvenirs, but native South Africa wares didn’t really dominate too many of the souvenirs made for the 2010 World Cup. If you visited Africa anytime before the World Cup, you might have seen carved wooden figurines, made by African craftsmen, but the ones that are FIFA-sanctioned wooden soccer players were actually made in Indonesia! It was too difficult to find that many artisans willing to go through the sanctioning process in Africa, but the different team outfits were painted on by artisans in Africa, at least.

When you are searching for authentic World Cup African-made artifacts, there are few that can be found for this reason, but if you are a soccer fan, you can find many FIFA World Cup sports memorabilia choices. There are soccer jerseys, hoodies, collector glass sets, key lanyards, soccer shorts and all kinds of other fan apparel, so you are sure to find something to add to your sports memorabilia. If you haven’t gotten your FIFA World Cup souvenirs, it’s not too late and you can find them quite easily on the Internet, probably along with some more interesting trivia stories about them!

You can purchase authentic Yankee Stadium “freeze-dried grass” sod for a nickel under a hundred dollars. It is a little desktop display that could be used for a paperweight, but it is a plug of the turf in a preserved state, inside a cube that sits on a pedestal. When you are searching for stadium souvenirs, sod seems to be a popular item, but so does an authentic brick from Yankee Stadium Ceremonial Monument Park that is displayed in a handsome display case, marked with an attractive plague that states it is a “Yankee Stadium Artifact”. You will get a Yankees-Steiner Letter of Authenticity for the price of $180, but there is a limited supply of any of these types of stadium souvenirs.

Keep in mind you need a Letter of Authenticity from the Yankees organization, for it to be considered true and authentic, however. There were likely some people that got away with a few pieces of the stadium, before the security got tighter, but if you are collecting stadium souvenirs, you will want the authentic stadium souvenirs that are offered. This is especially true if you are mounting an effort to start a collection that will be worth something, someday. It might take a little bit of time to see much appreciation, but there will always be an interest in certain stadium souvenirs.

Of course, any sports memorabilia and stadium souvenirs should have COAs, like we always say, and it is almost mandatory on any collectible sports souvenirs, even the balls you catch at the ballpark. Parts of stadiums that are closing might appeal to you, but there are all kinds of things you can collect, when it comes to vintage sports souvenirs. It’s not too late to own a piece of Yankee Stadium because I just saw all of these things on the Internet the other day!

So, how do you know whether you are buying the real thing or whether an autographed sports item is phony? Fake sports memorabilia still shows up all the time because it is almost impossible to keep up with who’s selling it. Certificates of Authenticity, also known as COAs, are the best way to be fairly certain your sports memorabilia is authentic. Many dealers now trade in sports memorabilia that only includes numbered, tamper-proof and holograph-sealed COAs for this reason.

If you can get notarized letters from the athletes to authenticate their signatures-that’s even better! Many of the large sports memorabilia dealers maintain a database that shows exactly what they sold, so autographed sports memorabilia from these dealers will include holographic authenticity certificates, which are the best protection.

Did you know that if you catch a ball at the game, it still needs to be authenticated, if you ever hope to sell it or make it worth anything in your collection? This is especially important if you are a collector because almost all collectors will now steer clear of anything that doesn’t come with a COA that is holograph-sealed.

There are too many chances of finding counterfeit sports memorabilia on the market, but some dealers in sports memorabilia will give you an “authenticity guaranteed” sale. What this means is the dealer will issue a full refund, if it is ever discovered that a sports memorabilia item is fraudulent and the item will come with a Certificate of Authenticity that bears the tamper-proof holographic seal. Many of the reputable sports memorabilia sources will understand your reasons for concern if you ask for this, so don’t be lax in requiring the holographic COA on all of the sports memorabilia you purchase!

They say you really can’t have emotional attachment to your sports memorabilia, if you are in it for the money. There are many collectors that buy a good investment because of the nostalgia value.  If you buy from your heart and assume it won’t go up in value, it might be considered nostalgic, but you might be able to cash in and gain a big profit, unless you fall in love with the item! Here’s the way I look at that, though- the emotional value of something striking to you might be worth money to others for the same reason.

You always have to think about supply and demand laws and something that involves a big name sports hero will increase in value, eventually. The other thing to keep in mind is that less than 20 percent of a collector’s collection will be worth the big money and the rest might not mean that much to anybody, but the collector.

Be sure you are dealing with reputable buyers and sellers, because you are dealing in a market that is not as sophisticated as fine art. For this reason, the prices of the most popular sports memorabilia can fluctuate and anytime there is a championship or death involved, the value will go up on certain items. On the other hand, you never know if anybody will appreciate your collection of sports memorabilia the same way you do.

Your collection will be the most valuable to those that appreciate sports the same way you do and this applies to your heirs. If you have particularly valuable items in your sports memorabilia collection, be sure to point it out in writing. There are some heirs that might not have the same appreciation for sports and unknowingly sell it for far less than market value, amounting to substantial losses. On the other hand, if you happen to be one of the lucky buyers that find such a deal, you will be on your way to making a profit in this interesting hobby!