Once the preserve of the rich and well heeled, sports memorabilia collecting has soared over recent years, as access to rare pieces has become more widely available. Going back in time it was more a case of stumbling over an old trophy, a football shirt, or a medal in your grandparent’s loft. You’d see them turning up on programmes like Antiques Roadshow; dusty old mementos going for thousands. These days the process is more prosaic. Modern sports stars frequently attend signing sessions, bringing their signed items to the masses through a myriad of online auctions and specialist retailers. The market for signed cricket memorabilia is hot, but what should you focus on and what are the real collectibles of the future?
Quality will always out, so if you focus on that then it’s half the battle. This means that the most valuable pieces are signed by the biggest teams and players, or linked to a particular match, tournament, or trophy. They will also be in excellent condition. Items related to the biggest names in cricket such as Don Bradman, Brain Lara, Ian Botham, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sir Viv Richards go for high sums. The most expensive item of cricket memorabilia is a Baggy Green Cap owned by Sir Donald Bradman himself from the 1948 ‘Invincibles’ Ashes tour, which sold for an estimated $400,000! Second is former Indian Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s match played cricket bat from the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The bat was used to rack up the winning runs in the match and sold at auction for $225,000 at a charity auction in London. Third is a Shane Waren’s ‘Ball of the Century’ Ball, used to bowl out Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series. It sold for $68,000 at an auction in London in 2000.
L to R – Modern Collectibles – Signed Virat Kohli shirt, Signed England Shirt, Shane Warne signed ball & Signed Rohit Sharma Cricket Bat, from the sports memorabilia website Fima Stella©
Looking further back in time, 1925 to be exact, a cricket bat belonging to Sir Jack Hobbs sold at auction for $26,400 in 2012. Hobbs is one of the original cricketing gentleman heroes, and anything related to him goes for high sums. Then there is ‘God Of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar’s final test match jersey which sold for $21,000 in 2013.
Such is the allure of rare cricket memorabilia, that Rohan Pate, a cricket fanatic from India has dedicated a whole museum to rare collectibles in Pune, Maharashtra state in the Deccan plateau in Western India. The 5000 sq. ft ‘Blades of Glory’ museum has more than 2,000 items on display! His aim? To collect rare artefacts from the world’s greatest cricketers – and there’s the rub!
Filtering all of this information down, it’s easy to deduce what to buy! Acquire the rarest items owned or signed by the biggest names of the game at the best prices. These are the items that will not only retain their value but increase over the coming years. So what should you be collecting now? Signed shirts and bats go for the highest sums, so looking at the modern game, a signed Virat Kohli shirt can be picked up for around £2,500 and a bat for under £2,000. Kohli is a hero in India and one of the most well-known cricketers in the world. He led the Indian team right up to 2024, superseded by Rohit Sharma, whose shirts go for as little as £800. If Sharma continues to shine then these are a good pick-up. A signed Sharma bat can be bought for a similar sum. Again, this could be turn out to be a sound investment.
If your preference is closer to home then signed England Cricket Shirts can be bought for around £1250, and Ben Stokes cricket bats for around the £450 mark. It’s all about availability hence the higher prices for the Indian legends.
As a rule of thumb, buy what you like. It’s no good buying a Sharma shirt if you have no interest in Indian Cricket, so if you have a favourite player, county, or international team, then collect that. There’s simply no point buying something that you are not passionate about unless you are simply going to buy and flip it. Which brings us on to the last point. Look after your cricket memorabilia! Many items come ready-framed, which gives the best protection against dust and sunlight. No one wants to buy a faded autograph!
