The eState Fine Jewelry Coins and Collectibles, located on Willowcreek Road in Portage, is often frequented by sports nuts, memorabilia collectors and those in search of items to display in their basement or man cave. The eState is lined with collectibles to satisfy the tastes of each of those groups.
Dave Burhans, who owns the store with his wife Shannon, gets the chance to interact with a group of about 50 people that consistently visit the shop to browse for sports memorabilia.
Some of the premiere items on display include a Michael Jordan autographed picture, a Walter Payton autographed jersey and Peyton Manning’s signed, game-worn, Pro Bowl jersey. The Manning jersey does not have a sale price, and is considered by Burhans to be the most sacred item in the shop.
The eState also features vintage items, with autographs from the likes of Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. Signatures of modern players like Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose and Bears receiver Brandon Marshall are available as well.
Burhans said the pieces most sought after are typically autographed jerseys that are framed, playable pieces for their game rooms, bats, baseballs, photos and framed and matted items. The value of an item frequently fluctuates based on the popularity of the athlete.
“A lot of it, when it comes to sports memorabilia, would be based on the athletes, their performance and track record,” Burhans said. “Brian Urlacher isn’t somebody I’m interested in buying right now because he was released from the Bears. All of the Hawks are doing wonderful right now, and I’d love to buy any of the current players’ autographs.”
Many people who watch sports on television or play in fantasy leagues tend to have an interest in purchasing and collecting memorabilia.
“I think a lot of it stems from them watching the sports on TV and they want to have a piece of the action, so that’s what drives them into wanting to have autographs of their favorite players,” Burhans said. “A lot of people are into things like fantasy baseball, football and basketball, which teaches you to appreciate players from other teams.”
Burhans said the eState attempts to keep all of its items very affordable. He used a Patrick Sharp Blackhawks jersey, priced at $300, as an example of the shop’s realistic prices. According to Burhans, The jersey itself costs around $125, Sharp’s signature is valued at $65 and the framing and matting costs approximately $300.
Burhans has been buying and selling since 1986. He is not a specific collector of anything, but purchases sports items on a daily basis. Sports memorabilia saw a spike in popularity during the mid-1990s.
“A lot of the sporting events caught fire because of Michael Jordan,” Burhans said. “It was product and you bought it and sold it, it was a hot commodity, so we stuck with it and it just evolved into the rest of the sports part of our business.”
Click here for more photos of eState sports items!
The eState has all kinds of cool memorabilia, collectors items, coins, jewelry and it also purchases items after a quick appraisal. Click here to visit The eState’s eBay page to see what’s in stock, "Like" The eState on Facebook or come in and visit at 3101 Willowcreek Road in Portage!