It’s a thought that’s crossed the mind of every sports memorabilia collector at one point or another—is this autograph legit? Unless you get it directly from the player, you have to take someone else’s word for it that the autograph is real. Or that the jersey is really “game worn,” and some guy online didn’t just go for a run around the block while wearing it.

This is actually a major problem in the memorabilia industry, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Replicating a signature can be extremely lucrative for fraudsters. And unfortunately, many people do end up with sports memorabilia of questionable authenticity.  Luckily, there are sites that sell authentic memorabilia that you can actually trust. Here are just a few that you might want to try.

Sportsmemorabilia.com

The selection here is huge and the supply seems endless—which seemed a little suspect to some people when the site first began. But the supply is due to their relationships with many different memorabilia companies. Today, they offer an authenticity guarantee, and you’re almost certain to find something that you’ve been looking for.

Fanatics Authentic

Fanatics is another trusted resource for those who want to make sure they’re getting the real deal. You’ll find game used memorabilia and signed items from all of your favorite teams. They have everything from NASCAR memorabilia to autographed hockey pucks, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding an item to add to your collection.

TRISTAR

As one of the most trusted names in sports memorabilia, TRISTAR should be one of your go-to sources. Every year they organize more than 300 signing events with many household names, and that close relationship with the signers means that they have some of the most sought-after and well-verified memorabilia on the market. Their online store is great, but you may want to check out one of their in-person signings, as well.

Upper Deck

For the avid card collector, there’s no better place to go than Upper Deck. They have categories for basketball, baseball, hockey, football, golf, and Michael Jordan. Yes, he gets his own category. But it isn’t just trading cards. They have plenty of other memorabilia that you might be keen to check out, too. You can also shop by price range if you’ve got a budget that you’re sticking to.  

Hunt Auctions

If you’re looking for high quality vintage memorabilia, then you should definitely check out Hunt Auctions. They’ve been making the highest quality memorabilia available to bidders for over 24 years, and you’ll have the chance to bid on some extremely rare finds. They have both live and internet/phone auctions available, so even those from out of state can participate in many auctions.

You probably spend plenty of time and effort both collecting, and protecting, your sports memorabilia. So make sure that you’re getting it from a reputable dealer when you start searching online. And when you’ve finally got that item you’ve spent months or years looking for, make sure you’re keeping it safe and displaying it proudly with a BallQube case!