Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby

"The Truth About Sports Memorabilia (And Why Authenticity Matters)"

Guest: Ben Beery, Co-founder & Owner, Golden State Memorabilia
Host: Joseph Shalaby
Date: January 23, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Joseph Shalaby sits down with Ben Beery, co-founder of Golden State Memorabilia, the world's largest distributor of authenticated sports memorabilia. The conversation delves into the business and emotional side of collecting, authenticating, and selling sports memorabilia. It covers Ben’s entrepreneurial journey, the prevalence of fraud in the memorabilia market, the importance of authenticity, business struggles, personal growth, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. With an emphasis on authentic connections – both between people and with the collectibles themselves – this deep-dive is equal parts business, inspiration, and insight from inside a niche but passionate industry.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Passion-Driven Beginnings and Business Growth

• Ben's entry into memorabilia:
  Started as a passionate fan collecting autographs as a kid in the Bay Area, especially a Golden State Warriors fan during their low years.

  "For me, it was more of a passion…my business really became a continuation of growing that collection." [00:54 – Ben Beery]

• Set ambitious inventory goals (10,000 > 20,000 > 30,000 unique autographed items), learning over time that less is often more.

  "I realized less is more when carrying a diverse set of inventory because so many of the different athletes are very niche." [01:54 – Ben Beery]

• Inventory spans $30 to over $30,000 per item, including autographed cards, jerseys, photos, and more.

  “One trading card could be tens of thousands of dollars alone. You can add an autograph to that and it climbs in value even more.” [02:39 – Ben Beery]

2. The Emotional Side of Collecting

• Most valuable pieces tend to be linked to deceased or legendary athletes (Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Kobe, Michael Jordan), connecting collectors to personal heroes

  “People like the Goats... I admire a guy like Kobe Bryant for who he is as a person, what he represents and the Mamba mentality...” [03:17 – Ben Beery]

• The deep personal nostalgia and drive behind collecting, both as a hobby and for investment

  “What moments can you hold on to that you connect with as a person... you want to commemorate? That ultimately becomes a reason for wanting to collect.” [05:49 – Ben Beery]

3. Rampant Fraud & Why Authenticity is Everything

• Prevalence of counterfeits in the memorabilia market is staggering

  “Overwhelmin[g] majority of autographs that are available on the market for people to purchase are usually not signed by the person that they claim that they're signed by.” [18:43 – Ben Beery]

• Educating oneself as a buyer is essential—if a deal looks too good to be true (e.g., a $300 Kobe jersey), it likely is fake

  “If you go online... and one is available for three or five hundred bucks. It likely wasn’t signed by Kobe Bryant.” [08:26 – Ben Beery]

• All Golden State Memorabilia’s items are authenticated and go through rigorous internal and external review

  “There isn't a single item that we sell that isn't authenticated and has gone through all the checks and processes to ensure that, hey, the item that our buyers are getting [is] authentic.” [07:42 – Ben Beery]

• On detection of fake autographs:

  "You go online and... there’s a brand new style of a Lakers jersey signed by Kobe Bryant. And Kobe, rest his soul, has not been with us for the last five years. He could not have possibly signed X jersey..." [19:14 – Ben Beery]

4. The Authentication Process

• Performed by established third-party companies: PSA, JSA, Beckett

  “They have experts who... compare them to known examples of autographs signed by said athletes and celebrities, and they come to a conclusion in which they deem the autograph to be either likely genuine or likely not genuine.” [20:21 – Ben Beery]

5. Business Operations & Entrepreneurial Lessons

• Ben’s challenging path: collecting was discouraged at a young age, faced academic and social hurdles, even a psychiatric evaluation

  “When I was 12 years old, I was actually put in for a psychiatric evaluation… collecting autographs is interfering with him in school...” [09:53 – Ben Beery]

• Started business at 20, using savings from a previous ticket scalping venture

  “When you're starting a business and you've got, say, built up 50 to 100 grand, it's like, I can go and start buying some autographs with that.” [15:28 – Ben Beery]

• Choosing memorabilia over a ticket investment turned out to be a key, almost serendipitous, business moment

  “I would be better off investing this into my memorabilia business than I was into the tickets...one of the best decisions I ever made…” [16:03 – Ben Beery]

• Built team size up to 20+ at one point, now more streamlined, focusing on developing people whether or not they remain with the company

  “If somebody on my team wants to go and do something else... how do I give them the tools to go out and venture into a space where they can go and do that?” [17:57 – Ben Beery]

• The Covid-19 pivot: initial panic, no sales, but then a surprising spike as people, stuck at home, reconnected with sports and nostalgia

  “The first week of COVID there was no sales... A couple weeks later, things kind of started kicking up a little bit. People realized... We are going to get through this… And I'd say memorabilia probably became more popular than ever at that time.” [24:54 & 25:39 – Ben Beery]

6. Meaning, Identity & Personal Growth

• Ben wrestled with tying his personal identity to his business’s performance

  “If the business failed, then I was a failure. If the business succeeded, I thought I would be a success.” [27:34 – Ben Beery]

• Over time, learned to separate himself from the business and see personal development as the greater journey

  “I am not the business. I am not the heartbeat. Like, I am separate... I desire to have friendships, connections. I desire to love people, I desire to be loved.” [28:44 – Ben Beery]

• Best advice received: stay true to your authentic self, don’t diminish yourself for acceptance

  “Not stray off from who I am...to lean even further into who I am...and into my authenticity.” [30:49 – Ben Beery]

7. Collaboration Over Competition

• The industry is niche and tight-knit; true competitors are the counterfeiters, not the honest sellers

  "Our competition isn't each other...I would rather somebody buy from [another honest seller] than buy from the guy who posted ten five hundred dollar Michael Jordan jerseys on eBay that are not signed by Michael Jordan." [32:33 – Ben Beery]

• Fiercely proud of integrity and promoting authenticity over profit

  “[If] you buy an autograph from somebody else...I don't view that person as a competitor. I view that person as a colleague in our industry.” [33:15 – Ben Beery]

8. Personal, Family, and Business Goals

• For himself: unconditional self-love, acceptance, and the ability to radiate and inspire it in others

  “How can I unconditionally accept myself and love myself and respect myself so I can unconditionally accept others, respect others and love others...” [39:21 – Ben Beery]

• For his business: have a team that feels passion, pride, and personal growth

  “I want my team...to feel like they're working their dream jobs...and feel like they're growing not only professionally, but also personally.” [43:38 – Ben Beery]

• Aspires to fatherhood, healthy relationships, and mentoring his team to grow fruitfully

  “I know I'm going to be a great father one day...How can I help my team grow their careers? How can I pour into them as people and help them develop as people so they, in turn, are able to pour more into the business...” [41:00-42:04 – Ben Beery]

9. Podcasting and Deep Human Connections

• Highlights the unique value of podcasting: an hour of focused, raw, real conversation builds deep relationships

  “There's no greater feeling than knowing...after we sit down for the podcast, I actually get to know you better. Yeah, money can't buy that. Like, there's no greater payment than that.” [45:02 – Ben Beery]

Notable Quotes

• On Passion and Niche:

  "Sports cards and sports memorabilia is a fun business to be in... But I would say to make sure that it's something that you genuinely enjoy doing. Because... there’s going to be days that aren’t the best days. And those days are really going to knock you down and discourage you." [12:16 – Ben Beery]

• On Fraud in the Market:

  “Overwhelming majority of autographs that are available on the market...are usually not signed by the person that they claim that they’re signed by.” [18:43 – Ben Beery]

• On True Competition:

  “My only competitor in life is myself, and it’s you versus you. I want to be better tomorrow than I am today.” [34:22 – Ben Beery]

• On Defining Success:

  “When I die one day, nobody’s going to say, he drove that car, he had that watch...They’re going to say, this was Ben as a person. This is the impact that he had on my life. I am better for having interacted with him...” [39:21 – Ben Beery]

• On the Impact of a Leader:

  “The most significant people that you come across in life elevate the people around them. And it’s like the Golden State Warriors don’t win those championships without Steph Curry as the heartbeat.” [41:45 – Ben Beery]

• On Podcasting & Relationships:

  “One of the most amazing things I’ve found when you have the privilege of sitting down for a podcast with somebody is you get to know that person better as a person.” [45:02 – Ben Beery]

• On Legacy and Elevating Others:

  “God is going to tell me that every day when I woke up in the morning, I had an opportunity to elevate myself and elevate others, elevate their soul into the best version of their soul that they can be…” [46:27 – Ben Beery]

Key Timestamps

• [00:54] – Ben’s introduction to collecting and inventory growth
• [02:39] – Range and value of inventory
• [07:42] – Discussing the prevalence of fraud in memorabilia
• [09:53] – Ben’s childhood struggles and psychiatric evaluation over collecting
• [15:28] – Funding the business/transition from ticketing to memorabilia
• [17:25] – Managing and inspiring a team
• [18:43] – The real “niche”: authentic autographs
• [19:12] – Patterns of fraud and educating buyers
• [20:21] – The authentication process explained
• [24:54–25:39] – Covid, crisis, and market rebound
• [27:34] – The struggle of tying identity to business
• [30:49] – Best advice on authenticity
• [32:33] – Industry collaboration and fighting fraud together
• [39:21] – Ben’s personal and professional philosophy on goals
• [45:02] – Lessons from podcasting and human connection
• [46:27] – Final thoughts on legacy

Memorable Moments

• Ben’s psychiatric evaluation at age 12 as a result of his passion for collecting.
• The switch from potentially losing $100k in tickets with Golden State Warriors to investing it in memorabilia, which sustained his business through the pandemic.
• The powerful assertion that most autographs sold online are fakes, and his mission is to fight this.
• The emphasis on connection, both in collecting (why people do it) and in business (how to elevate oneself and others).
• The candid reflection on the loneliness and pressure of entrepreneurship, especially in a niche industry.

Final Thoughts

This episode is an essential listen for anyone interested in sports memorabilia, the realities and risks of this industry, and the journey of a young entrepreneur grappling with identity, authenticity, and personal leadership. Ben Beery’s candidness, passion, and dedication to doing things the right way are as instructive as they are inspirational—for collectors, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to find their authentic path.