Sports memorabilia has "soared in value since the last recession ended" in '09, with experts citing factors such as the "wealth of baby boomers, the entrance of millennials into the market and growing interest from foreigners," according to Dan Weil of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Demand for cards and game-used items is "particularly intense." The market is "generally strongest for baseball items," and baseball cards "remain a staple." Pall Mall Art Advisors CEO Anita Heriot said that "many millennials and members of Generation Z with the money to start collections, especially men, are turning to sports memorabilia because they’re more familiar with sports than they are with art." Opportunities "abound for collectors of sports memorabilia in a way they don’t for traditional art collectors." Heriot: "With $100, you can buy a decent sports trading card that will hold value. Sports memorabilia is probably the most populist of passion assets." In June, a Babe Ruth Yankees jersey was auctioned at Yankee Stadium for $5.64M, making it the "most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold." Experts expect the upward pricing trend to "continue as long as the economy stays strong," but "there is no guarantee" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/16). On Saturday, the bat used by Ruth to hit his 500th home run was auctioned for more than $1M by SCP Auctions in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP, 12/15).
