Most memorabilia for sporting events is based on professional sports, but there are other types of sports collectibles and memorabilia that are collectible too. Baseball collectors might become interested in collecting by creating a collection of photographs while they are actively involved in baseball during their high school years. The transition to collecting baseball cards that exhibit professional baseball players will be an easy one, because most boys will collect a baseball card when they attend their first professional baseball game.

A change could occur in the types of sports collectibles and memorabilia a boy prefers, as he grows older. While attending baseball games with family and friends, there will be plenty of time for friends to share what their collecting interests are. Some friends might prefer to collect National Football gear and specifically focus their collecting interests on the football collectibles that bear an autograph or abbreviated signature. These collectibles are the types that increase in value over many years.

Some collectibles and sports oriented memorabilia will come with certificates of authentication. This type of collectible is usually released by a sports organization and is a true representation of the uniforms and uniform accessories that are worn on the playing field during each professional sports event. These certificates are genuine proof that the collectible is a valuable item and some collectors will not invest money in collectibles if they do not come with a certificate of authenticity.

Memorabilia such as photographs could have been taken by anyone at anytime. This includes fans, professional photographers or by a studio representative that were hired by the sports league to produce group photographs of every team in a league. This type of memorabilia is hard to authenticate but can be used by novice collectors to gain autographs from players at sporting events. The success rate for fans to get the chance to have a player sign such a photograph are rare opportunities, which is why they are considered to be such collectible items by fans.

The types of sports collectibles and memorabilia could be classified under indoor or outdoor sports interests, but a seasoned collector will know immediately to search both areas when they visit an outdoor flea market. Some uniform items could be memorabilia that has been placed behind glass to protect it, and the collector might have to review shadow boxes in a corner, or glass top cases that are incorporated into the top of a coffee table. A seasoned collector will also know to look at various walls in a sports collector's shop because collectibles come in all shapes and sizes

Due to the size of some sports collectibles, it may be necessary for fans and sports enthusiasts to look in a field or a barn to find the collectibles they want to own. Many sports stadiums have retired goal posts, bases and yardage markers from Bowl games held many years before. This type of sports collectible is one of a kind and hard to find and storing these items might require facilities that are out of the ordinary.

Some sports collectibles have been auctioned by sportsmen by mistake and were returned to the original owner many years later. These instances have served to show others that collecting memorabilia still has some sentimental values attached to it that no fan in good conscience could ever take away from the person who made it collectible in the first place. Fans know that these items or others like it will find their way to the sports hall of fame where millions of people can enjoy them.