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Ask Babe: More questions for the Babe

Submitted by SHNS on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 16:30

Dear Babe: I have a Hank Aaron bat that was given to me by a Braves player, who was a good friend. He suggested that I hang on to it, and one day it might be valuable. My friend, the Braves player, took it from the batting rack the year that Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record (1974). It certainly is not the one that he used to break the record but just one of several of Aaron's bats normally in the rack. It is an Adirondack Big Stick and says "229A" on it. It has his number "44" marked on the knob in Magic Marker. I have often thought of asking Aaron to autograph it for me seeing that he still lives in the Atlanta area. -- Charlie Crumbley, Atlanta"The Aaron game-used bat value depends on the amount of use," said Mike Heffner, president of www.lelands.com auction house in South Dennis, Mass. "A signature does not mean that much on a game-used bat if the player is still living. It is from late in his career, which hurts a bit. If it shows nice use, it should be worth $3,000 to $4,000. An Aaron bat from the 1950s is much rarer and worth $15,000 or more. The signature might add $200 to the price."Dear Babe: I have a 1941 Louisville Slugger engraved with the names of the New York Yankees World Series title team. Some names are engraved in type lettering, but most are engraved signatures, including Joe DiMaggio. The bat is a very dark brown, and the engravings are like a gold color. -- Nick Brown, Milford, N.H."The 1941 bat given to all players, coaches and executives is worth around $800-$1,000," said David Kohler, president of www.SCPauctions.com in Mission Viejo, Calif. "The early 'black bats' are brown like this one," said Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for www.MastroAuctions.com auctions in Chicago agreed on the value, noting "condition is everything on black bats."Dear Babe: I have a 1960 Mickey Mantle Topps card No. 350. -- Todd Long, Grand Island, Neb.Condition is everything for a premium card such as this. While it is hard to determine actual condition from a photocopy, it appears your card has soft corners all the way around. Beckett lists it at $300-$600, while Tuff Stuff has it at $650. Based on the results I saw from recent eBay auctions, it looks like your card is going to fall in the $100-$200 range, possibly a little more.Dear Babe: I have an Atlantic City newspaper souvenir fight edition for the June 28, 1988, Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks heavyweight championship fight. -- Betty Harris, Stone Mountain, Ga.Calling it a fight might be pushing the envelope a little. Tyson roared out of his corner that night and destroyed Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round. Generally, newspaper sections such as this don't attract a lot of collector interest and that's especially true for modern material and/or Tyson clippings.Dear Babe: I have a L.A. Rams night light. It is brand new with the Rams colors and says "Los Angeles Rams.-- John Pangonis, Laguna Seca, Calif.The light is more of a novelty than a collectible. The one thing it has going for it, is that it does say "L.A." and those Rams don't exist anymore. It might be worth $5-$10 to a Rams collector or someone who wants their toddler to grow up to be a Rams fan.BABE NOTE: Looking for more affordable cards for youngsters, Donruss' Score retail product might be the ticket. Packs with seven cards are priced at just 99 cents. Donruss (which owns the Score brand) has included a couple of twists aimed at young collectors. Packs will include decal tattoos and decal stickers. There is a die-cut sticker for a player from each NFL team on a die-cut sticker. The tattoos feature 32 NFL team logos and helmets on one card. While there are no relic or autographed cards (which is the key to the low pricing), every pack has a rookie card and there are other inserts with artwork of players featuring "Young Guns," "The Franchise," and "Future Franchise" stars.(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)