Trophy damage and value

[ruth-gehrig]

How does repaired trophy damage affect value?
For example what if any one of the 5 Spalding baseball player trophies had a prior repair to attach players legs back to trophy......
Does it cut value in half?
If it was done professionally but still noticeable upon close inspection does it drop the value less? How about one of the trophies that just has finish loss but not damaged? Does this also affect the value but less so because it's expected wear? You could take any trophy and apply these same questions.

Thanks!

[conor912]

I think it’s unreasonable to expect that a repair be 100% undetectable. It might be possible to do so by some sort of master craftsman, but it’s probably going to cost you more than the trophy. In my opinion, if the repair is done well and respects the piece, that would be good enough for me.

As far as value goes, losing half sounds excessive to me. Again, as long as the repair was done well and doesn’t detract from the eye appeal, I would expect it to knock about 20 or 30% off. The finish is an entirely different issue, and I would just consider that part of the normal aging process. Just my take.

Edited to add that if there are really only five of them in existence, buying a repaired one might be the only chance you ever get to even own one. I could be wrong, but I would definitely consider that as well.

[ruth-gehrig]

Appreciate the response and opinion. I was curious about this topic and mostly what the consensus was, if any, about the value of repaired trophies vs unaltered. I was just throwing out the "half price" and agree that may be a bit harsh.

The 5 Spalding trophies was in reference to there being 5 in the set not 5 known in total. There is a pitcher, batter, catcher, fielder and 1st baseman. I agree when it comes to true rarity you kind of have to buy what you can as long as you can live with the condition you happen to find it in

[conor912]

Originally Posted by ruth-gehrig

Appreciate the response and opinion. I was curious about this topic and mostly what the consensus was, if any, about the value of repaired trophies vs unaltered. I was just throwing out the "half price" and agree that may be a bit harsh.

The 5 Spalding trophies was in reference to there being 5 in the set not 5 known in total. There is a pitcher, batter, catcher, fielder and 1st baseman. I agree when it comes to true rarity you kind of have to buy what you can as long as you can live with the condition you happen to find it in

Ah, yeah. I know that series. Beautiful pieces!

[perezfan]

I'm going to make the assumption that you are inquiring about one that happens to be closing tonight (and is still sitting at a VERY low price). The AH failed to disclose the obvious repairs to the legs, most visible on the reverse side. It's a crime (IMHO) that they failed to disclose it.

To me (and many other collectors of these things) it can indeed cut the value in half. In fact, it would keep me from even bidding on it. That's what appears to be happening tonight, as any semi-experienced collector of these things will see the repaired area if they just look at all the provided pics.

I would be very careful about bidding, given the severity of the repair and the lack of any disclosure. As I write this, the Trophy sits at less than 1/5 the value of a non-restored one. I imagine it will go up some, but buyer beware.

Ps. Structural damage (and its repair) is far more detrimental than loss of finish, which is inconsequential and even expected.

Hope this helps.

[ruth-gehrig]

Yes Mark that's the exact trophy I had in mind
It's a topic I don't remember having seen discussed before and was curious about. When i saw this trophy I had to start a thread. Looks like the trophy closed at $1320 total(including BP) so in this particular case it appears the damage really hurt the price. About 25% of retail! Hopefully the buyer really took a close look and aren't suprised when they open their shipment!
Thanks again for the responses guys.