ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Memorabilia

Items connected with famous people and events in sport, film, music and history.

Memorabilia is valued for its connection to a person or an event: the shirt worn in a final, the prop used on set, the guitar played on stage. That connection has to be proven, so the record of a piece of memorabilia is mostly about its story and the evidence for it.

Getting Started

Collect a team, a player, a film, a band or an era. Autographs and signed items are also covered in autographs and manuscripts.

What to Record

Condition

Wear from use is part of a game-used or screen-used piece and should be recorded, not removed. Note alterations, repairs, missing tags and fading.

Care and Storage

Display textiles out of direct sunlight on padded hangers or in frames with UV-filtering glass. Keep paper items in acid-free sleeves. Store certificates and letters of provenance safely and link them to the item’s record.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Memorabilia

The Data Sheet for Memorabilia

The 25 fields worth recording for memorabilia, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Item type Choice, or your own
Kind of item.
11 choices
  • Jersey / shirt / costume
  • Equipment (ball, bat, racket, helmet)
  • Shoes
  • Prop
  • Script / document
  • Ticket / programme / pass
  • Trophy / medal / award
  • Pin / badge / pennant
  • Photograph
  • Instrument / stage gear
  • Poster / promotional item
Person / team Text
Person, team or band the item is connected with.
Event / production Text
Game, match, season, film, tour or event, e.g. 1966 World Cup final, Star Wars (1977), Live Aid 1985.
Date / period Text
When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Maker Text
Person, workshop or firm that made the object; write 'attributed to' or 'workshop of' when not certain.
Materials Text
Materials the object is made of, main material first.
Size Text
Size label, e.g. jersey size 48, shoe size US 11.

Provenance

How the connection to the person or event is proven.

Usage Choice
How the item relates to the person or event; photo-matched items are proven by photos from the event.
  • Game-used / screen-used (photo-matched)
  • Game-used / screen-used
  • Event-worn / stage-used
  • Player-issued / production-made
  • Team-issued / crew item
  • Authentic retail item
  • Replica / fan item
  • Unknown
Signed Text
Who signed the item and where.
Authentication Text
Authenticator, photo-match and letters of provenance with their numbers, e.g. PSA/DNA AJ12345, MeiGray tag, studio letter.
Certification number Text
Number on the grading holder (slab) or authentication certificate, to look it up in the service's database.

Condition

Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
  • Mint / as new
  • Excellent
  • Very good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026