Barely had the dust settled on Europe’s victory at the Ryder Cup before an avalanche of memorabilia from the event flooded on to the market.
The opportunity to secure a unique memento of one of the world’s top sporting contests is now open to the 250,000 fans who flocked to Gleneagles, but a personalised reminder won’t come cheaply.
In line with the adage ‘success breeds success’, the autograph hunters who targeted the eventual victors are the ones who are most likely to make a financial killing.
Top of the heap are items signed by the entire European team and captain Paul McGinley with a flag in that category attracting a top bid on eBay of £250.
Sellers were also listing everything from signed caps to golf balls but may prove to be a touch optimistic with their hoped for prices a commemorative Royal Bank of Scotland Ryder Cup £5 note signed by Justin Rose was listed at £235 while a Rory McIlroy signed ball from the event was a more modest £51.For an auctioneer’s tips on what to sell and when, see Wednesday’s CourierInterest in a unique piece of the victory celebrations Henrik Stenson’s empty but signed bottle of Moet champagne was a little flat, struggling to gather much interest with a top bid of only £2.20.
Affection for Scotsman Stephen Gallacher, despite not managing to a secure a point towards victory, was still in evidence with a flag signed by him boasting the same £75 price tag as others autographed by Lee Westwood or captain McGinley.
The trade in star’s autographed items is not to everyone’s liking with many unhappy that collectors are simply pursuing players for their own financial benefit, robbing ordinary fans of the chance of grabbing what would be a cherished signature.
Away from sport ex-Beatle Ringo Starr went as far as stopping signing memorabilia, claiming fans “were making money” from his name.
“I was signing and then they were on eBay the next day,” he said.
Supply and demand plays a huge part in the value of all collectibles and an unusual piece can see prices soar.
Golf fans fought it out at a Perth auction at the start of September for the rare opportunity to own a replica of the Ryder Cup trophy made by the renowned London royal jewellers Garrard & Co.
The 30cm silver gilt copy had a pre-sale estimate of £800 to £1200 but intense bidding pushed the eventual price to £3300 with the piece going to a private buyer in Scotland.
Collecting autographs is nothing new as at the same sale signatures collected at the 1927 Open Championship at St Andrews including names like James Braid and Harry Vardon sold for £1500.