From team jerseys to game balls, team fans and collectors are holding onto a lot of memorabilia with the Washington NFL team’s outgoing name and logo. So, what would a name and logo mean for those items? A D.C.-area sports memorabilia shop owner believes it’s too soon to know for sure, but he believes team memorabilia from the 1970s and earlier will be worth the most.
“That’s the stuff that really has significant value and is the root of the team,” said Bill Huggins, owner of House of Cards in Silver Spring, Maryland.
When it comes to newer items, the most valuable items may end up being from the 2019 season, if you can get your hands on game-worn jerseys, helmets and other team equipment.
“Those are going to have some value because that was the last year of the old name,” Huggins said.
As for the items still sitting on store shelves with the current name and logo, Huggins said people will most likely grab them up, but he does not see them being of big benefit for people looking to “cash in” on the end of an era.
“The fact that they’re changing the name I don’t know is going to make it popular, and hence two to three times more valuable than what it was the day before they changed the name,” he said.
Huggins, who also owns the Huggins and Scott sports auction, said change does sell, so he believes the gear with the new logo and name will be popular. But how popular will depend on what fans think of the team’s new identity.
“I think a lot of it may have to do with how neat the new name is — how well it’s received I think will go a long way toward how it’s perceived in the memorabilia and collectible business,” Huggins said.
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