Altan Insights: Sports Collectibles Market ‘Sputters’ Into 2024

The sports collectibles market finished 2023 with mixed results.

According to the numbers, 2023 was a “reset” year for the sports collectibles market.

Altan Insights, a collectibles data platform, released its sports collectibles market report for Q4 and 2023 on Thursday with mixed results for collectors.

According to the report, the sports collectibles market struggled in October and November before recovering in December as consumer sentiment improved.

Despite the improved economic outlook, the report also shows that the sports collectibles category didn’t match the same returns as other markets.

Major takeaways include a 40% year-over-year drop in six-figure auction sales to the lowest total in the last three years.

As expected, game-worn items saw growth in 2023 amid vocal pushes from the savviest collectors, though Altan notes a year-over-year decline for the category if not for a massive $7.2 million Messi sale.

Vintage and pre-war cards also outperformed the modern and ultra-modern markets in Q4 — Altan reports that the drop in six-figure auction sales year-over-year mostly came from modern cards.

Head over to Atlan Insight to read the full 41-page report.