When we talk about sports memorabilia and collectibles, what immediately comes into your mind? Do you think of baseball cards or do you think of the signed jerseys, the throwback jerseys, jackets, hats, helmets, the pictures, and hero posters? Well, there are many ways to show your support by collecting items of your favorite team or player.

Fans hoard for other sports likewise, such as baseball, NASCAR, basketball, football, golf. Some items that are found to be fun to collect are bobble heads, posters, die-cast models, and the newest items are The Fat Heads items. These are life-like, full-size reproductions of sports heroes that can be adhered to your wall. With all of the things you can collect, sometimes it is no wonder that some are confused as to where to start or how to start collecting sports memorabilia and sports collectibles. Collecting any sports memorabilia or sports collectibles is a very personalized pastime that has significance based more on the collector's likes and passions as much as the accomplishments of the individual athlete or team.

For those of us who want to buy that special someone something unique related to their favorite NASCAR driver, basketball, baseball, football or golf player, team, or sport, what do we look for? If they are into baseball memorabilia, you might want to consider the New York Yankees. This baseball team is one of, if not the most illustrious baseball team in the world, plus their rosters from past to present has been studded with all-time greats. On the other hand, maybe they are into NASCAR. Then you have Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, and the reigning champion Jimmy Johnson. We cannot forget the late and great Dale Earnhardt Sr. whose collectibles have not only doubled but tripled since his death, and seem to be growing in value even more each year. As with many great painters like Picasso, Earnhardt fans refuse to allow his dream and legacy to die.

NASCAR collectors do not only have a wide selection of cars to choose from, but Plush Bears designed after the driver, year books and autobiographies, key chains and lighters, plates, and much more. You will even find out that baseball memorabilia and sports collectibles have spread into the Christmas decorations, with a wide selection of decorations for the tree and even the roof of your home.

Furthermore, there are a lot of other sports greats as well, like Ben Roethlisberger, Shaquille O'Neil, and Nomar Garciaparra. Moreover, let us not forget the ever-resounding Michael Jordan. Sports memorabilia collectors may or may not have realized how much throwback jerseys have influenced sports memorabilia, but in 1980, when the NBA, MLB, and NFL began selling both new and the ones used in games, the collectors wanted even more.

The die cast scene has changed as well. One of the hottest items at one time was fire trucks, but they went around back to the muscle cars and the newfangled hotrod collectibles. Of course we always have the sports collectors who grab anything from a picture of Tiger Woods to a vintage Los Angeles Lakers team photograph. Even the seven-time conqueror of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong, has an extensive fan base for memorabilia and sports collectibles.

When it comes to the monetary value of the objects you collect, remember that the more famous the star, the more costly the sports memorabilia will be. The value of the item will shoot up even more if the genuineness can be confirmed in some way. Be careful and don't lose any items related to your sports collectible or sports memorabilia. These would include the original box, any correspondence or signatures, receipts, etc. These will all help to make the item more valuable and collectible.