What’s the Collectors Market and Why Is It Booming?

If you want to play disc golf you can get a three-disc starter pack for less than $40. This is ample for players to have fun on the course and throw a variety of shots. But if you really want to get into the sport and buy discs you probably will never throw, you can pay dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars for a single disc. Welcome to the disc golf collectors market.

To understand this market we must first get into the minds of the collectors. Keith Steinmeyer is an avid collector of the Nate Sexton Firebird whose inventory numbers over 100. Here is what he had to say about why he is a collector:

“I geek out about it just like I did with basketball cards when I was a kid.”

-Keith Steinmeyer

The What and Why

The modern flying disc has been around since Wham-O released the iconic Frisbee in 1957. Since then, countless variations have been created and released to the public. The first PDGA approved disc was released in 1964, named the Professional, again by Wham-O. These early discs resembled modern-day ultimate frisbees and ushered in an era of counter-culture, creativity, and athleticism the world had never seen. Flying discs have progressed in quality ever since. There have been 278 disc manufacturers identified that literally put their stamp on the market. As the years rolled on the disc collectors market ensued.

Investopedia defines a collectible as “An item that is worth far more than it was originally sold for because of its rarity and/or popularity. The price for a particular collectible usually depends on how many of the same items are available as well as its overall condition.”

It is we the people who create the collectors market. We place value on discs by paying prices that may seem exorbitant to others. Most collectible discs have one or more of the following qualities that make them desirable:

1. 1) Historic Value or Nostalgia
2. 2) Collectible Stamp
3. 3) Quality Flight Characteristics
4. 4) Pre-Flight Numbers (PFN)

Innova Leads the Way

Innova has been one of the most consistent disc manufacturers in the history of the sport. They were the originator of sponsoring and paying players to throw their discs. Ken Climo was the first-ever player to sign a paid contract in disc golf when he signed with Innova. This marked a
shift in the sport and led directly to the sport’s modern era. As a result, Innova has produced TONS of discs over the years. While many of them have been solid performers and some have even been duds, Innova has produced some of the most sought-after discs on the collectors market.

One of the main aspects of historic collectors discs under the Innova umbrella are discs that are PFN. Innova began printing flight numbers on their discs circa 2009 and with it created a collectors market for discs manufactured before this change. Bryan McAlees Has one of the largest collections of PFN discs in the world numbering around 2,500. When asked about how his collection began, McAlees had this to say:

“I started doing research on value from the Facebook collector’s page. Then I started organizing and became a collector of PFN Innova…The Innova Gallery [of the museum] is where I’ll add most of my collection.”

-Bryan McAlees

Contemporary Innova discs are also becoming collectibles, check out the Nate Sexton Firebird to see this trend in action. Folks are paying over $1,000 to get their hands on certain molds of the Sexton Firebird. While Sexton doesn’t reap the rewards of the secondary market, the explosion of the Firebird has allowed him to continue on the road throughout the years as Innova made this his signature disc. This means Sexton gets a percentage of sales of his Firebird. Sexton never could have foreseen the popularity of this disc but had this to say when asked about why it is so popular:

“It’s without a doubt my favorite disc I’ve ever thrown.”

-Nate Sexton

Discmania Sales Model

Discmania is an in-demand disc manufacturer that started a polarizing trend via their (possibly unintentional) sales model. Interest in disc golf skyrocketed throughout COVID. Manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand and retailers over the past couple of years have typically been out of stock of the most popular discs. One disadvantage Discmania dealt with was the fact that Innova produced all of their discs in their factory.

Innova closed its factory for two months in 2020 for safety measures due to COVID. Once Innova opened its doors their prime objective was to produce its own discs. This left Discmania on the sideline and Innova produced many fewer Discmania discs during this time. This led to much smaller releases by Discmania and public demand skyrocketed. This also coincided with the rise of Discmania’s top-rated player and current world number one, Eagle McMahon. McMahon has been the face of the company as hoards of new players look to buy plastic.

One of the biggest wins for Discmania happened on a whim. Simon Lizotte decided to reach out to the Discmania Collectors and Throwers Group on Facebook to auction off one of his most prized possessions in his bag; a Sky God with a triple foil stamp. Bids poured in and ended with a winning bid of $2,750! Lizotte donated the money to youth disc golf initiatives. My goodness! $2,750 for a disc?!

Through all of this turmoil, Discmania has decided to open a factory in Sweden and produce their own plastic. This gives them control of their inventory and complete control over their production. What remains to be seen is if their strategy of small-batch and high demand will stay intact. Regardless, it has left an imprint on the sport as other brands have emulated this model.

Flying Disc Museum

If you are a frisbee enthusiast engaged by the history of flight, you are in luck. The Flying Disc Museum is a place where collectors and historians and players all come together in one community. This is a place that offers an education on the history of flying discs. Mike Hughes is a frisbee collector and was integral in its inception. Here is information from their website:

“The Flying Disc Museum (FDM) is dedicated to the world of flying discs and disc sports. It is a place where historians, collectors, enthusiasts, and anyone else from around the world can come to view, research, and contribute to the collective knowledge of all things flying disc.

This museum is created for and by the entire flying disc community. A broad range of input and knowledge from the community are collected, with more contributors adding to it all the time. The museum provides the means for stewardship, and combined with our common passion and firsthand knowledge will help accurately preserve the colorful history of the flying disc.”

Browse their website and allow yourself to wander through the history of flight. There is much to learn about various companies and technologies that changed our sport forever.

Collector Groups

There are many collectors groups online. The vast majority are located on Facebook and are very active. Listed below are some of these groups. Many of them are private so feel free to reach out and see what interests you.

• Disc Golf Collector Exchange (16.9K members) – Friendly group growing the sport and offering collectible buys, sells, and trades.
• Nate Sexton Collector Page (8.4K members) – Buy, sell, and trade all things Nate Sexton, especially Firebirds.
• Discmania Collector and Throwers Group (18.4K members) – Buy, sell, and trade all things Discmania.
• Innova Only Collector Group (13K members) – Buy, sell, and trade all things Innova.
• Discraft Collector Group (20.1K members) – Buy, sell, and trade all things Discraft.

Bringing It All Together

The disc golf collectors market is alive and well. There are many reasons people will pay above retail price for a disc that will probably never be thrown. For one, folks enjoy the historical value of discs and their place in history. But for many, they simply love the beauty of these discs and the feeling of getting something meaningful. Let’s be honest, disc golf is not an expensive sport. The collectors market is one place where players can give money back to the sport and gain a collectible in the process. Every disc has a story to tell.

So, what’s the most you’ve ever spent on a disc? Share your answer below!