Dear Babe: My sister and brother-in-law have a Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig signed baseball that has been authenticated by PSA/DNA. It was originally Dorothy Dougher, who received the ball, and her name is on it also. Gehrig has signed near the Spalding information on a side panel and Ruth apparently had a habit of signing in the "sweet spot'' as on this ball. It was signed around 1923. -- Jackie Wilmoth, Redding, Calif.
There's a lot that goes into putting value on a ball such as this. Certainly already having it authenticated by PSDA/DNA is a big step forward. Still, the extra writing on the ball will hurt. I checked with Mike Gutierrez, consignment director for Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com) in Dallas, Mike Heffner, president of Lelands.com auction house in New York, and David Kohler, president of SportscardsPlus.com in Laguna Niguel, Calif.. The trio came up with a range of $5,000-$20,000. All agreed it was hard to determine value without actually seeing the baseball. An average ball might be worth $5,000-$10,000 with nicer ball jumping up into the $10,000-$20,000 range. Of course, a pristine white baseball with just the two names with nice bold signatures could fetch as much as $50,000 in a major auction.
Dear Babe: I'm writing on behalf of my father, Rollins Hardwick, who is a lifelong Red Sox fan and former minor league baseball player. He's held on to his unused 1975 World Series ticket from Fenway Park for Game Two against the Cincinnati Reds. -- Donna Hardwick, Milford, N.H.
When it comes to World Series games, Game 2 in 1975 was a pretty routine one. The Reds won 3-2, No homers,'' said Mike Heffner. I also checked with David Kohler. They said a full ticket would be worth $125-$200. That would probably put a stub in the $35-$75 range. Of course, the key ticket is one from Game 6 when Carlton "waved'' his fly ball fair for a game-winning home run in the 12th inning. Fisk's blast staved off elimination for the BoSox, who ended up losing the seventh game and Series to The Big Red Machine. "Game 6 stubs sell for around $150 to $200, while full tickets go for $500 or more,'' Heffner said.
Dear Babe: I have a pristine baseball signed by the New York Yankees. I got it when I was in high school -- probably 1949 or 1950. Joe DiMaggio signed on the sweet spot. -- Bud Gleason, Atlanta, Ga.
Often a year can make a big difference, but probably not in this case. The Yanks were world champs both years. The roster didn't change much with DiMaggio being the big star. Mantle didn't come along until 1951. The big question is if "pristine'' means the same thing to you as serious collectors. It makes a big difference in value. A nice ball is going to be worth $1,500, according to Mike Gutierrez, consignment director for Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com) in Dallas. The value jumps to $2,500-$5,000 for a creamy white ball with bold signatures.
BABE NOTE: Donruss Threads Football 2009, with its combination of veterans, legends and top rookies, will offer collectors four hits per hobby box. In most cases that will translate to two autograph and two memorabilia cards. However, collectors will also be taking a long look at retail cards at Target and Wal-Mart, which will have cards of Brett Favre as a Minnesota Viking. Donruss. There are 4,444 of his base card inserted into Target and Wal-Mart blaster boxes and retail packs. For details visit www.donruss.com.
(Send card questions to Babe Waxpak, PO Box 492397, Redding, CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak(at)charter.net. If possible, include card number, year and brand or a photocopy. Please do not send cards. For Babe Waxpak's blog, see www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak. Babe Waxpak is a feature of The Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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