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Cape Town – As the Springboks inch ever closer to World Cup glory, fans are already notching up paydays for rugby jerseys.
Classifieds provider Gumtree revealed that old Bok memorabilia is selling for between R1 200 up to R100 00 on the eBay-owned platform.
“Many people are willing to spend a lot of time and money collecting signatures and jerseys believing that it’s going to worth hundreds of thousands of rands down the road. However, the worth of nostalgia really lies in the experience itself,” said Claire Cobbledick, head of Marketing for Gumtree South Africa.
Signed items in particular are attracting the most cash, but value depends largely on fan tastes.
“A huge fan of John Smith might be willing to fork out thousands for his rugby tie, while another collector might not consider the item rare enough to even consider making an offer,” said Cobbledick.
Automatic payday
However, Gumtree showed that winning a world cup may add significant value to an item with 1995 items being regarded as the most valuable.
But just because you have a Springbok jersey or World Cup ball doesn’t mean an automatic payday.
Gumtree advised online traders to ensure that signatures were verifiable and clear. Given that collectors who stump up cash for items, merchandise should be in a condition fit for display.
“You might treasure that picture of you and Francois Pienaar, but that is because you were the one that met him that day – a collector won’t consider it valuable. Similarly, an item is automatically worth less if it’s made out to a specific person. A rugby ball with a collection of signatures is worth more than one that is made out to ‘Dear Joe’,” said Cobbledick.
And sometimes fans puzzle experts with their preferences. Gumtree said that two framed 100 year old Bok jerseys were outsold by a collection of World Cup Coke cans.
The Springboks are just three games away from a historic third tournament trophy after a first game loss to Japan.
Ticket prices for the October 31 final have begun appearing on Gumtree for up to R10 000, but Cobbledick had a warning for fans.
“You have to be 100% sure that tickets are authentic and transferrable. Moreover, you have to be 100% sure that your team will actually be playing in the final to avoid disappointment.”
How concerned are you about fake Springbok memorabilia online? Let us know.
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