"What Should I Buy For...": A Sports Memorabilia Gift Guide

 By Dee Dee Smith

Sports collectibles make wonderful gifts for everyone and for every occasion.  These gifts are special, unique and will be cherished forever. 

 Why give sports memorabilia as a gift?

• Can encourage a child to begin collecting as a hobby.
• Good investment/profit potential.
• Give a collectible as a birthday or anniversary gift and add to that collection each year.   
• Commemorate a special date to a sporting event or venue with a collectible gift.  
• Sports collectibles cover a wide array of sports including baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, boxing, wrestling and race car driving.

 Gift Ideas For The Woman In Your Life

Increasingly more and more women are becoming involved in sports.  This includes playing sports as well as becoming committed fans.  Sports memorabilia/collectibles make great gifts for any fan, or athlete.  Here are some suggestions:

• Memorabilia from the WNBA is really, really hot.  One great gift for a new or experienced female collector is a signed Diana Taurasi official WNBA basketball.
• More special gifts for ladies include:  an autographed Mia Hamm jersey or a Billie Jean King vs. Chris Evert signed photograph. 

Gift Ideas For The Man In Your Life

Most men are sports fanatics so how can you go wrong with one of these gift ideas?  

• You couldn’t afford tickets to the Super Bowl, but you can give him a “little piece” of the event.   Choose from a Super Bowl Stadium photo, Super Bowl Champion coins or an Eli Manning signed Super Bowl XLII game football.
• If your husband is an avid golfer, you can wow him with team golf balls, or collectibles from his favorite golf player or golfing event. 

Gift Ideas For Teen Girls

With the birth of the WNBA and the popularity of female athletes like Venus and Serena Williams, it’s no wonder young girls are loving sports.  Following are some gift suggestions for the young woman in your life:  

• Give the special young girl in your life a framed 8x10 Photo of Serena Williams at the 2007 Australian Open.
• How about Danica Patrick memorabilia, a young and extremely popular female race car driver. 
• Team apparel is very popular amongst teens today  Choose from a collection of tank tops, hats and caps, jerseys or hooded sweatshirts. 

Gift Ideas For Teen Boys 

The teen years are a great time to start collecting.  Consider some of these ideas:

• Bobble heads have over the years become very sought after collectibles.  Help the teen boy in your life get started in collecting with a bobble head of their favorite player.  
• Giving memorabilia from World Wrestling Entertainment, such as the X-Pac signed wrestling action photo, is a sure winner with teen boys.  
• Another great gift for teen boys is an NFL youth replica jersey.  The jersey is an exact replica of your teen’s favorite team.  The jersey also features the name/number of your chosen player.

 Gift Ideas For Babies/Young Children

Make your child a “little sports fan” with one of these gift ideas:

•  A wooden rocking chair from your favorite sports team.  These are absolutely by far the cutest and most memorable gifts for children.  
• Other really cute gifts include team baby blankets, baby bibs, etc.

Wedding and Anniversary Gift Ideas

Don’t want to give a common wedding or anniversary gift?  Consider one of these ideas:

• If the couple met in college, give them stadium chairs or a blanket or throw from their favorite college team.  
• Sports memorabilia can be a compliment to almost any home décor.  Choose a photograph, photomint or shadowbox for the recreation room or home office.
• Give a collectible each year for an anniversary  For example, give memorabilia from each World Series, NBA Final or Indy 500. 

Sports memorabilia and collectibles also makes great gifts for bosses, teachers, coaches and clergyman.