Sports Memorabilia Appraisal

[LonghornCDR]

Anyone have experience with this?  I've got a few items that my wife keeps bugging me to get appraised and insured.  I'm not so sure that it would be worth it.  Not planning to sell the stuff ever.  Most of it was passed down to me from my Grandparents.  Just a quick perusal of E-Bay shows that none of them are "jackpot" pieces, but a couple of them could be worth a few hundred bucks. 

The biggest ticket items:
- Hardcover copy of "The Mick" autographed by Mickey Mantle
- 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle card in Excellent condition
- Hardcover copy of "It Ain't Over" autographed by Yogi Berra
- Hardcover copy of "Throwing Heat" autographed by Nolan Ryan
- My personal favorite is a baseball from the 2004 season autographed by Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman.   

[Arky Vaughan]

Anyone have experience with this?  I've got a few items that my wife keeps bugging me to get appraised and insured.  I'm not so sure that it would be worth it.  Not planning to sell the stuff ever.  Most of it was passed down to me from my Grandparents.  Just a quick perusal of E-Bay shows that none of them are "jackpot" pieces, but a couple of them could be worth a few hundred bucks. 

The biggest ticket items:
- Hardcover copy of "The Mick" autographed by Mickey Mantle
- 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle card in Excellent condition
- Hardcover copy of "It Ain't Over" autographed by Yogi Berra
- Hardcover copy of "Throwing Heat" autographed by Nolan Ryan
- My personal favorite is a baseball from the 2004 season autographed by Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman.   

Other than the Mantle card, I'm not sure you've even got a few hundred dollars worth of stuff there. You'd be crazy to spend any money on an appraisal.

[LonghornCDR]

Other than the Mantle card, I'm not sure you've even got a few hundred dollars worth of stuff there. You'd be crazy to spend any money on an appraisal.

That's what I figured.  I'm just holding out hope that someday the ball will have the Astros only three HOFers, Berkman being the very long shot at this point.

[Ron Brand]

I think as long as you document what you have (photos, written description) and have that as proof, any loss you may incur would be covered by your homeowner's policy at whatever replacement rate you have paid for. Appraisal for those items would be an unnecessary expense, I think.

ETA: You're definitely scaring me into documenting all my shit junk crap collections of stuff.

[HudsonHawk]

Anyone have experience with this?  I've got a few items that my wife keeps bugging me to get appraised and insured.  I'm not so sure that it would be worth it.  Not planning to sell the stuff ever.  Most of it was passed down to me from my Grandparents.  Just a quick perusal of E-Bay shows that none of them are "jackpot" pieces, but a couple of them could be worth a few hundred bucks. 

The biggest ticket items:
- Hardcover copy of "The Mick" autographed by Mickey Mantle
- 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle card in Excellent condition
- Hardcover copy of "It Ain't Over" autographed by Yogi Berra
- Hardcover copy of "Throwing Heat" autographed by Nolan Ryan
- My personal favorite is a baseball from the 2004 season autographed by Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman.   

Not an expert, but the Mantle card is probably worth about $150.  Everything else combined is worth about $100.  Baseball memorabilia has taken a major hit in the last 2 years, worth approximately a third of what it was in 2007.  I'm not sure how much an appraisal would cost, but you never know.  I'm not sure it's worth insuring something for $150, but that's a personal decision.

[Limey]

I think as long as you document what you have (photos, written description) and have that as proof, any loss you may incur would be covered by your homeowner's policy at whatever replacement rate you have paid for. Appraisal for those items would be an unnecessary expense, I think.

ETA: You're definitely scaring me into documenting all my shit junk crap collections of stuff.

[Zzzzzzzzz] Don't overlook the fact that, while your Homeowners covers such things: (1) it may not recognise the true value of memorabilia without an appraisal, and (b) coverage is subject to your excess, which is probably at least 1% of your home value.   If your home burns to the ground, you're limited (typically) to 60% of the house value for contents, regardless of the value of the contents, so you may not be reimbursed for the true worth of high-value collector's items.

A Personal Effects policy will cover scheduled items such as jewelry and memorabilia - including whilst away from your home (whereas your Homeowners usually only covers an amount up to 10% of your house value when removed from the premises) - at a low cost and with a much more sensible excess.  By way of example, $10,000 of "personal effects" will cost you ~$100/year to insure. [/Zzzzzzzzzz]

[BizidyDizidy]

[fact] People who sell insurance always think you need more insurance [/fact]

[Limey]

[fact] People who sell insurance always think you need more insurance [/fact]

FTR, I sell insurance, but have frequently advised clients not to buy insurance and have encouraged clients to set up their own captive insurance companies in order to self-insure.  You make more money out of long-term clients than you do out of one year's commission.

Example:  I had one client who used to buy commercial insurance down to $125,000, because they were state regulated and this was required.  Every year their renewal was a clusterfuck.  We took over the broker's role, got them to fund the dormant captive they already had so as to increase their commercial market attachment point to $1mm, while the captive issued a compliant policy to the operating companies with the $125,000 excess.

Now that company self-insures the first $50mm of every claim, and has saved a shit-ton of money over time.

[Ron Brand]

[Zzzzzzzzz] Don't overlook the fact that, while your Homeowners covers such things: (1) it may not recognise the true value of memorabilia without an appraisal, and (b) coverage is subject to your excess, which is probably at least 1% of your home value.   If your home burns to the ground, you're limited (typically) to 60% of the house value for contents, regardless of the value of the contents, so you may not be reimbursed for the true worth of high-value collector's items.

A Personal Effects policy will cover scheduled items such as jewelry and memorabilia - including whilst away from your home (whereas your Homeowners usually only covers an amount up to 10% of your house value when removed from the premises) - at a low cost and with a much more sensible excess.  By way of example, $10,000 of "personal effects" will cost you ~$100/year to insure. [/Zzzzzzzzzz]

All true. I meant that for his level of items, he'd probably be ok with his homeowner's policy. If you've got a lot of art hanging around, or a case full of autographed first editions, or multiple storage bins of vintage baseball cards, you want something more and a personal effects rider or policy is the way to go. Either way, documentation is critical.

[HudsonHawk]

[fact] People who sell insurance always think you need more insurance [/fact]

Also, they often think paying $100/year to insure a $200 item gives you "peace of mind".

[Lurch]

Also, they often think paying $100/year to insure a $200 item gives you "peace of mind".

It does for 729 days.

[Limey]

Also, they often think paying $100/year to insure a $200 item gives you "peace of mind".

Nope.  But insuring your (ex) wife's engagement and weddings rings, plus your 40th birthday watch as you wear them will late-night carousing in Housotn, for less than $75 a year, does give one peace of mind.

[Astroholic]

Nope.  But insuring your (ex) wife's engagement and weddings rings, plus your 40th birthday watch as you wear them will late-night carousing in Housotn, for less than $75 a year, does give one peace of mind.

you wear your ex's wedding ring.  You british guys are sick.

[Limey]

you wear your ex's wedding ring. 

...as a cock-piercing.

You british guys are sick.

See above.

[Ron Brand]

Dammit, now I have to wash my screen.

[Astroholic]

...as a cock-piercing.

Fucking A

[HudsonHawk]

Nope.  But insuring your (ex) wife's engagement and weddings rings, plus your 40th birthday watch as you wear them will late-night carousing in Housotn, for less than $75 a year, does give one peace of mind.

Of course.  But we're talking about $200 worth of baseball autographs, not $20,000 in jewelry.

[Astroholic]

not $20,000 in jewelry.

G Damn, I hate to ask this but how big is your pecker?

[HudsonHawk]

G Damn, I hate to ask this but how big is your pecker?

I thought you'd never ask...

I think you can rack up $20,000 in wife jewelry and expensive 40-year watches pretty easily.  Doesn't seem like that much.

[Bench]

I think you can rack up $20,000 in wife jewelry and expensive 40-year watches pretty easily.  Doesn't seem like that much.

$20,000 just about covers the engagement ring.  Don't even get me started on her monocle.

[Astroholic]

$20,000 just about covers the engagement ring.  Don't even get me started on her monocle.

damn business must be good.

[HudsonHawk]

$20,000 just about covers the engagement ring.  Don't even get me started on her monocle.

Whoever came up with that 3-month salary rule was high.

[Bench]

Whoever came up with that 3-month salary rule was high.

High-maintenance, at the very least.

[Limey]

FTR, I never said that I was sporting $20k of jewelry. 

[hostros7]

Diamond engagement rings weren't standard practice until the mid-1930s.  We really got fucked by the (wo)man on that one.  More precisely, by marketing geniuses.

[chuck]

$20,000 just about covers the engagement ring.  Don't even get me started on her monocle.

It's the gold teeth what get me every time.

[Guinness]

$20,000 just about covers the engagement ring.  Don't even get me started on her monocle.

Not being a person of the divorced persuasion, I'm not so sure of rules.  If one uses one's ex-wife's engagement ring as a cock ring, where does one put the ex-wife's monocle?

[sporadic]

Not being a person of the divorced persuasion, I'm not so sure of rules.  If one uses one's ex-wife's engagement ring as a cock ring, where does one put the ex-wife's monocle?

On another chick in attempt to get her to polish the ring.

[Ebby Calvin]

So the question is, if Limey's using his ex's engagement ring as a cock ring, exactly how thick were her fingers?
Nevermind, I don't want to know.

[Bench]

Not being a person of the divorced persuasion, I'm not so sure of rules.  If one uses one's ex-wife's engagement ring as a cock ring, where does one put the ex-wife's monocle?

That might depend on the language in your divorce insurance policy.