ShareThisDear Babe: My son has a Michael Jordan card number JC8 "Walking on Air.'' On the front it says "The Jordan Collection.'' -- Steve Weiand Sunnyvale, Calif.
No one can accuse Upper Deck of not taking advantage of its exclusive deal with Michael Jordan. In addition to being in regular sets, UD created dozens of inserts, while Upper Deck Authenticated issued various Jordan sets.
Your 1995-96 Jordan Collection card is part of a 24-card set that was inserted across several Upper Deck products, including its lower end Collector's Choice (CC) issue. Cards JC1-JC4 were in Series 1 CC packs, while JC9-JC12 were inserted into Series 2 packs. JC5-JC8 were in Upper Deck Series 1 with JC 13-16 in Series 2 packs. JC17-20 went into UD SP, while JC21-24 were inserted into SPC packs.
The CC inserts book at $4 each with a set of eight at $20. The ones in Upper Deck regular series packs listed at $10 each with a set at $60. Cards that went into SP packs and SPC book at $12 each with that eight-card set listed at $60. Doing the match, a complete 24-card set would list for $140. As is usually the case, that's a bit high if you can find them online. I've seen the set offered on eBay for $65 with $3.50 shipping and handling. Those auctions have ended with no takers. A few individual cards sold for 99 cents each plus a couple bucks S&H.
Dear Babe: I have a 20-x-24-inch color poster, "The Southeastern Conference Football Family.'' It was printed before the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. It shows cartoon images of the mascots of each school in football pads and jerseys. -- Sam Sanders, Winder, Ga.
"Both South Carolina and Arkansas joined the SEC in 1990 so your poster is at least 20 years old. Your item in nice condition is worth $25,'' said Dean Zindler of Zindlers in Norcross, Ga.
Dear Babe: I have two World Series press pins. One is a Red Sox pin from 1946. The other is a N.Y. Yankees pin from 1952. -- David Merrill, Hudson, N.H.
Press pins have been given to reporters covering the Fall Classic almost since the beginning of World Series play early in the 1900s. Naturally the older pins are rarer and more valuable.
"In nice condition, the Red Sox pin is worth $400. The Yankees pin is worth around $300,'' said Mike Heffner, president of Lelands.com auction house in New York.
BABE NOTE: The latest installment of ethnic baseball cards is a 100-card set featuring Italian-Americans. The set includes Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Ernie Lombardi, Yogi Berra, Tony Lazzeri and Phil Rizzuto among others. Some other notables are Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre, Tony Conigliaro, Rocky Colavito and Joe Pepitone. The cards were produced by the National Ethnic Heritage Foundation in partnership with the Order of Sons of Italy in America. Only 10,000 sets were made with each card featuring original oil portraits. For a complete checklist and to order, visit www.nehf.org. The cards are available through the nonprofit Web site and also at www.osia.org.
(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)
