It’s the busiest time of the year for sports memorabilia sellers as collectors take advantage of the online specials and holiday shoppers look to fill their lists. The latest list of most popular athlete autographs from Fanatics and SportsMemorabilia.com includes a long-time veteran, a Rookie of the Year and some World Series champions.
Here’s the list of hottest sellers for the first half of December. Click the player’s name to see their autographed memorabilia.
1. Tom Brady – Brady vaults into the top spot after ending November at #3. After winning another Super Bowl in comeback fashion, there was a new wave of interest in Brady rookie cards and autographs that hasn’t abated. He’s been one of the biggest sellers throughout 2017 and the company recently added more autographed product to its inventory.
2. Aaron Judge – As one of Fanatics newest exclusive athletes, Judge has quickly become one of the most popular sellers. Collectors and fans have been buying just about anything Judge, including signed baseballs, bats, photos and jerseys. Judge recently completed a fresh signing, with enabled him to add the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year inscription to various items.
3. Jose Altuve – Altuve raised his national profile with a World Series victory and his American League MVP award. He signed World Series baseballs and other items in October. Sales have remained strong with the holiday shopping season underway.
4. Carson Wentz – Wentz is hurt now, but maintains his spot in the top five after a strong start to the month. An exclusive with Fanatics, autographed footballs have been a big seller. Collectors are anticipating a long and productive career for the Eagles quarterback despite the knee injury that will keep him out of action until 2018.
5. George Springer – With the Astros World Series win and national attention given to the famous 2014 Sports Illustrated over that predicted Houston’s rise in 2017, Springer was tops on the list in November. He remains in the top 5 with the SI cover print photo still a big seller.
6. Aaron Rodgers – The Packers quarterback is back after missing the last several weeks with a broken collarbone but that setback was just a blip on the radar and Rodgers never fell out of the top ten. In fact, sales increased as it became apparent that his season wasn’t over. Signed photos and footballs are the biggest movers.
7. Peyton Manning – With so many quarterbacks on the shelf, it’s not surprising that fans continue to dip back into the recent past to nab Manning-signed items ahead of his inevitable Hall of Fame election. Peyton has also consistently been a top Fanatics athlete and the company recently had a signing in its Florida office office to restock for the holiday season.
8/9. Anthony Rizzo & Kris Bryant –Rizzo and Bryant (both Fanatics exclusive athletes) have been the most popular Cubs athletes leading up to and after the history-making 2016 World Series run. Signed baseballs and photos have been big sellers but collectors and Cubs fans have been buying other pieces—even signed champagne bottles to commemorate the end of the long Series championship drought.
10. David Ortiz – A newcomer to the top 10. Big Papi’s career is in the rearview mirror but according to Fanatics, demand remains strong, especially among Red Sox fans. He recently completed a private signing to increase inventory.