HoopsHD at the National Sports Collectors Convention: Part 1

The National Sports Collectors Convention (nsccshow.com) is an annual summer gathering of collectors/dealers who have a passion for trading cards, autographs, and any kind of memorabilia that you can think of.  First formed in 1980, it is now the premier collectibles industry event that attracts a majority of the licensing agencies from around the professional sports world.  The 37th “National” was held during the 1st week of August at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and next summer it will head back to the Midwest in Chicago.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel attended this year’s event and will present photo essay installments of all the college basketball merchandise he saw in person. 

The very 1st item that caught my eye was a Kevin Durant jersey from his lone year in college at the University of Texas.  Prior to being named NBA ROY in 2008, MVP in 2014, and winning 4 scoring titles, he became the 1st freshman ever named Naismith national POY.  He originally wore jersey #35 in honor of Charles Craig, his AAU coach who was murdered at age 35.  He entered college after being named MVP of the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game, then averaged 25.8 PPG/11.1 RPG for the Longhorns before declaring for the 2007 NBA draft.  His jersey was later retired by the Longhorns, and it looked a lot like this:

durant texas jersey

The top of the “3” has been autographed by Durant, who is spending this month trying to win his 2nd straight Olympic gold medal.  This item was being offered by Tony’s Sports Photos (tonyssportsphotos.com) and I spoke with owner Tony Catania about this red-hot jersey.  He said that he purchased it from a dealer in Raleigh, and that since Durant signed with Golden State earlier this offseason the price of this item has jumped $100-200.  While there might not be many Oklahoma City fans still interested in this, Golden State fans must be loving it because even if he leaves them in the future his choice of college will never change.  Tony said that he has seen this on eBay for $375-500 but he was selling it for $300.  Durant’s career 27.4 PPG ranks #3 in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan/Wilt Chamberlain, and if he can remain in such prestigious company then the value of his jersey should only increase over time.

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