Sunday morning at the London Marathon, two athletes broke the two-hour mark — a milestone that, not long ago, felt almost untouchable.
The moment Sebastian Sawe crossed the tape, everything he was wearing instantly transformed from equipment into artifact.
But was it treated that way in real time?Were the shoes immediately secured? Was the singlet authenticated on the spot? Was there a chain of custody established the second history was made?
Probably not.
And that’s the gap.
Historic moments are rare — but meaningful moments happen every day across sports. A debut. A record. A playoff clincher. A final game. Each one creates objects that carry emotional and financial value far beyond their original purpose.
The problem isn’t recognizing value later.
The problem is being unprepared when it’s created.
Because in collectibles, timing isn’t just important — it’s everything.
The difference between capturing an item in the moment versus after the fact can mean:
- $1,000,000 today
- $250,000 tomorrow
- $125,000 next week
- $75,000 next month
That decay curve we call “leakage” applies to nearly every piece of game-used memorabilia.
As demand for authenticated, game-used items continues to surge, preparation around authentication, preservation, and monetization can’t be reactive. It has to be operational — embedded into how teams, leagues, and events function.
At Cllct, we’ve built our business around this exact premise: helping athletes, organizations and brands capture value at the moment it’s created.
This could be an adidas move, a London Marathon move or even from Lane 2, which reps Sawe.
Because the next historic moment isn’t scheduled. But being ready for it can be.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.