ShareThisBy BABE WAXPAK
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dear Babe: I have a boxed set of cards titled "Baseball - The American Epic'' from Upper Deck with a Babe Ruth Bonus card. -- Roger Dowling, Nashua, N.H.
The American Epic baseball cards were produced in 1994 in conjunction with Ken Burns' PBS special on the history of baseball. The cards have stills from the video. Upper Deck produced three different sets. The retail version, which you have, had a Babe Ruth (BC3) bonus card. The hobby version had a Michael Jordan (BC2) added card, while the set produced for a cable TV shopping channel had a Mickey Mantle (BC1) bonus card. Beckett's Almanac of Baseball Cards lists the set at $15, while The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest has it at $12.50. Beckett lists all three bonus cards at $5 each.
Dear Babe: I have a Sandy Koufax autographed baseball, personalized to me. I also have a 1960 Topps Koufax card (No. 343). It is sealed in a plastic holder and says "EX-MT 6.'' -- Cliff Long, Corona, Calif.
Nice gift. The card has been graded by PSA. Beckett lists a PSA 7 Koufax card in "near mint'' condition at $75-$125, which is the same value for a non-graded card. One would think that a card a notch down on the grading scale would see its value drop by 25 to 50 percent. However, PSA's own Sports Market Report says that a PSA 6 Koufax card from 1960 is worth $130. In recent eBay auctions, five PSA 6 Koufax cards sold for $54.60 to $67.24 plus S&H. I think the eBay sales give a true range for your card. Tuff Stuff lists a single-signed Koufax ball at $325. While that may be a little on the low side these days, your baseball's value will be hurt some because it is personalized.
Dear Babe: I have an Atlanta Hawks program from Jan. 16, 1973, which contains a "Pistol Pete'' Maravich autograph on one of the inside pages. The program itself is in pretty bad shape, but the autograph has been preserved nicely. When I was 10, I went to the Detroit Pistons vs. Atlanta Hawks game at the Omni. After the game, I waited with a friend to get Pete Maravich's autograph. -- Richard Forrester, Cartersville, Ga.
Patience pays off for a wise 10-year-old. In this case, all that matters is Maravich's signature. "I'd put it at $200-$250 if it's the typical 'Pistol Pete' variety with no last name,'' said Mike Breeden, an autograph expert and Tuff Stuff columnist.
Dear Babe: I have two historically significant baseball books in very good condition. One is "Who's Who in the Major Leagues'' from 1939. It is a hardback book. That was a significant year for baseball, for it constituted the beginning of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The other is "Who's Who in the Major Leagues'' from 1941. It is a softback book. That's the year Ted Williams hit .406 and Joe DiMaggio had his 56-game hitting streak. -- Vance Garnett, Washington, D.C.
Don't forget that 1939 was also baseball's centennial year. The lack of a player on the cover, especially a star, limits their value. Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for www.MastroAuctions.com auctions in Chicago, said they were worth around $30-$50 each.
Dear Babe: My son has an uncut sheet of baseball cards (110) framed. It's Topps 1996 with Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Jermaine Dye, Bernie Williams, Tom Glavine, Johnny Damon, Orel Hershiser and a few other good players. -- Judy Cowen, Durham, N.C.
Most folks consider these uncut sheets to be unwieldy. Generally the sheets might sell for $15-$25 (unframed), but it's hard to find a buyer. They are too large to take to shows and usually cost-prohibitive to ship. Yes, some collectors may try to cut "gem mint'' cards from the sheet for grading, but most of the major grading companies claim they can tell when a card has not been "factory'' cut. In those cases, they won't grade them.
Dear Babe: I have an autographed baseball with the signatures of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Sparky Lyle, Bo Diaz and other Philadelphia Phillies. There are 25 signatures on the ball. I grew up with Sparky Lyle and he gave it to me in the early 1980s. I think it was from the 1981 or 1982 team, since Lyle was only with them those two years. -- Tom Skarbek, Waleska, Ga.
Actually Lyle came to the Phillies in mid-September of 1980 -- the year the Phillies won the World Series. However, Diaz' first year in Philadelphia was Lyle's last, so it's likely the ball is from 1982. Interestingly, even though the Phillies won it all in 1980, a ball signed by that team is only worth around $300, said Mike Gutierrez, consignment director for Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com) in Dallas. That's because there is an ample supply of baseballs signed then and afterward at reunion shows. A ball from 1982 is worth a little less than one from the title team.
(Send card questions to Babe Waxpak in care of this newspaper, 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. Babe Waxpak is a feature of The Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif.)
