When one thinks of the Yankee Stadium legacy, a few words come into mind: Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggioi, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter, Champions, Legendary, Historic.

When Yankee Stadium closed its door after the 2008 season, many wondered what would happen to the mementos that remained in the ballpark, such as stadium seats and other pieces from this true legend of a stadium. Many grew upset over the fact that the seats they sat in at Yankee Stadium for all these years would be demolished. Such is not the case, however.

Companies such as Steiner Sports and Upper Deck are now giving fans a chance to score some rare memorabilia and this has opened the market to amazing realms of possibility. These are now filtering into online auctions and collectors are immediately jumping on the opportunity, and for good reason.

Why? It's not hard to see the emotional attachment Yankee fans had to the old ballpark and collecting Yankee Stadium memorabilia is one way to capture it.

Stadium seats and seat backs are probably the most popular piece of memorabilia one can find. This is because there are so many uses for seats from stadiums like this one. Most commonly, collectors get them autographed and then used as display pieces. This presents itself very well and makes a great conversation piece. To best utilize this aspect of it, one should follow a theme, such as a certain year's 25-man roster, and try to get all the players to autograph the seat. Whether for your own use or investment, this is a very nice idea and one that many have already taken advantage of.

Another thing that many collectors are doing to the seat pairs they purchase, is putting them in their sports rooms. Is there a cooler way out there to watch a game than to sit in front of your big screen in a seat from the former Yankee Stadium? Highly doubtful. Although not the most comfortable seating arrangement in the world, collectors are using these old seats in their sports room. Whether for display or seating purposes, this is also a fantastic conversation starter and a trend that's become very, very popular in the sports memorabilia world.

Clearly, when Yankee Stadium was torn down, the team and Steiner Sports used the occasion to make as much money off of it as possible. By using things such as seats, signs and other ballpark memorabilia, they found a unique way to inject some creativity into the multi-billion dollar memorabilia industry, and collectors should be thankful so much was salvaged.

The website Vintage Ballparks allows fans to learn more about the Yankee Stadium project and to get a look at Yankee Stadium memorabilia.