Another National has come and gone. There was a lot of excitement this year because of events that were previously addressed. As I said before, I did not attend but mentioned that the Bushing and Kinunen For Sales venture did very well n what many reported to be a down “sellers market.” I decided to look into what items sold particularly well and I was very surprised to see that a large number of high priced basketball warm-ups and shooting jackets were sold. What was even more surprising is that they were purchased by an auction house. This tells me a couple of things. First, that although the items were not cheap, someone still believes there is money to made on them. Secondly, and tied directly to the first point, was there has to be a market for these.
I have never been a basketball collector, but I decided to look over the inventory on the Bushing and Kinunen For Sales Site to see what all the hub bub might have been about. In looking at these items, I found a number of things I consider to be an upside to these seldom mentioned bits of hard court finery. Let’s take a look at this list of Dave’s Top Ten Reasons to Collect Basketball Warmups and Shooting Jackets:
1. These jackets and warm ups are likely to much more rare than the jerseys based on numbers alone with respect to quantities issued.
2. Just a personal opinion, but I think they display better on a mannequin since they do have sleeves.
3. They feature some very attractive designs and logos…chalk this up to the “just looks cool factor.”
4. To my knowledge, not as many people collect these at this time as compared to jerseys. That being said, there may be real growth potential for them in the future. I think this is supported by the nature of the purchases at the National.
5. They can be either used to support a team or player collection, or a collection focused on jackets from all sports. Themes are an important aspect of collecting and these offer a number of options to start or enhance a collection.
6. I know this may be considered heresy, but if bought right, they would be cool to wear around the man cave when watching your “boyz hoop it up.”
7. Did I mention how cool they look?
8. They provide another option in trying to locate items from teams that no longer exist, to include entire leagues that have since passed.
9. They offer a multi-level collecting option as a collection of these could also include collegiate products as well.
10. Although basketball is not particularly hard on the garments worn in play, jackets and warmups can be expected to found in very good condition, regardless of age based on the how little they are played in and it is an indoor game. This is always a plus to those condition sensitive collectors.
I would love to hear from folks who have made these a staple of their collecting stable and why you enjoy them.
As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC
For questions or comments on this article, please feel free to drop me a line at DaveGrob1@aol.com
POSTSCRIPT: All of the shown items are either available for sale or have been sold via the Bushing and Kinunen For Sale Site.