Has Josh Hamilton’s Past Hurt His Value in the Memorabilia Market?

I'm not exactly sure when, but somewhere around 40 years ago a bunch of guys realized there could be a huge market for sports memorabilia.  Like any market based on supply and demand, the rarer the item, the more it will be worth.

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has an enormous 'Q' rating.  Americans love comeback stories, and no superstar athlete has had more road blocks to stardom than Hamilton.

It also helps that he has a seemingly infinite amount of talent, is humble, and gives all the credit to Jesus Christ.  You would think the price of Hamilton's memorabilia would be skyrocketing, right?

CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell reported today that many collectors are wary of 'investing' in Josh Hamilton.

According to the report:

Much of the hesitancy to invest in Hamilton has to do with his past, including drug and alcohol addictions that took him out of baseball for years after he was picked No. 1 overall in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Collectors are scared,” said Matt Powers (@powersco), owner of online sports and memorabilia company, PowersCollectibles.com. “They’re not confident that his story has a great ending because he’s still very active in dealing with his disease.”

Another collector likened buying Hamilton memorabilia to investing in a start-up.  There is huge upside with Hamilton, especially if he were to win a triple crown, but there is always the possibility of a crash and burn.

Another collector stated that Hamilton is an incredible human interest story, but that seldom translates to the memorabilia market.  The general consensus is that people will never forget Josh Hamilton, but it is still way too soon to tell if he will be a good investment.

[CNBC]