The sports memorabilia market in Iran

The global sports memorabilia market has become an economic sector where items related to athletes and historical events are valued based on factors such as authenticity, rarity, historical significance, and demand, according to a report by the specialized sports economics platform, citing Trade News. While many such assets exist in Iran, there is a significant gap between their historical value and the formation of an organized commercial market.

Currently, there is insufficient public and reliable data to calculate the volume of transactions, the number of professional actors, and the annual value of Iran's sports memorabilia market. As a result, it is impossible to compare the size of this market with global figures or provide a definitive estimate of its domestic demand. However, existing evidence suggests that the initial cultural infrastructure and part of the supply capacity for the development of this sector exist.

From the Sports Museum to the Economic Potential of Memorabilia
The opening of the National Sports, Olympics, and Paralympics Museum in recent years has been one of the important steps in collecting and preserving the country's sports heritage. During the formation of this collection, athletes and veterans donated their medals, cups, and memorabilia to the museum. This action showed that some of Iran's valuable sports artifacts are in the hands of champions, families, and collectors, and it is possible to collect and introduce them.

Another example is the will of Gholamreza Takhti, which his family made available to the National Sports Museum. After restoration and conservation measures by the National Museum of Iran, the document was handed over to the Sports Museum for preservation and display. This event highlights the importance of cooperation between athletes' families, cultural institutions, and specialized centers in protecting historical memorabilia.

Of course, museum artifacts and tradable goods are not the same; a medal donated to a public museum and preserved as a national heritage is legally and economically different from a shirt that a private owner intends to sell. Therefore, market development should be carried out with respect for private property, cultural heritage regulations, and the rights of copyright holders.

Why hasn't a strong market been formed yet?
One of the main obstacles is the lack of a comprehensive and recognized system for verifying the authenticity and valuation of memorabilia. In the absence of such a mechanism, a buyer may not be able to determine whether a shirt was actually used in an important match or is just a similar version. This issue reduces trust in transactions.

The second issue is the lack of public information about past transaction prices. In developed markets, auction and sales records help buyers assess the value of an item. However, in Iran, the lack of a comprehensive database of verifiable transactions makes it difficult to compare prices and determine the true value of goods.

Another factor is the limited availability of specialized supply channels. Selling on social networks or public platforms can increase access to buyers, but it cannot replace specialized auctions, independent expertise, and a clear dispute resolution mechanism on its own.

An example of the presence of Iranian memorabilia in the foreign market
One observable example is the offering of the Iranian national football team's shirt from 2004 on the international platform CharityStars. The shirt was introduced with specific characteristics as an example of competition equipment. The auction ended in June 2026 with two bids and a final bid of 60 euros. However, this example alone does not represent the Iranian market, and one cannot extract the usual price of historical national team shirts from it. Nevertheless, it shows that Iranian football memorabilia have the potential to be offered on foreign platforms. The price difference between such an example and the multi-million-dollar transactions of some famous global memorabilia also reminds us that the age of an item alone is not enough to create high financial value; documented history, event importance, athlete fame, and demand are decisive factors.

What actions can develop this market?
The first step is to create a specialized system for registering and documenting sports memorabilia. In this system, product specifications, ownership, images, storage history, related documents, and expert opinions can be registered. Such a database should differentiate between information registration and final authenticity verification and specify the credibility level of each document.

The second step is to launch specialized auctions in cooperation with federations, clubs, museums, and independent experts. Occasional auctions for historical competition shirts, signed balls, athletes' equipment, and championship memorabilia can both help introduce this market and provide an opportunity to measure real demand.

The third proposal is to develop official and licensed products. In this regard, clubs and federations can offer limited editions of historical shirts, reproductions of medals, and souvenir products. However, there must be a clear distinction between reproduced goods and authentic historical objects to avoid damaging buyer trust.

The fourth action is to create a price database and publish periodic reports on transactions. Recording the proposed price alone is not enough; the final sale price, commissions, authenticity status, and transaction conditions must also be specified. This information helps establish realistic valuation criteria. Finally, the potential of Iran's market is not limited to famous football athletes. Wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, basketball, and Olympic sports can also create valuable collections of memorabilia based on their history of achievements. The presence of museums and specialized collections in this process can help preserve sports heritage while paving the way for new economic activities.

In summary, Iran's sports memorabilia market should be considered a sector with potential but lacking sufficient data to accurately assess its size and economic maturity. Its development is not limited to advertising or offering a few signed items; it requires trust, authenticity verification, transaction transparency, and access to buyers. If these infrastructures are gradually created, sports memorabilia can, in addition to their cultural and historical role, pave the way for businesses in the fields of auctions, expertise, preservation, insurance, and digital trade. Such an approach provides an opportunity to connect the heritage of champions with the economy of sports without sacrificing the cultural value of artifacts to a purely commercial perspective.

Mehdi Hajivand, Sports Economics Expert

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