By Babe Waxpak (Contact)Thursday, December 27, 2007
When experts weighed in with their thoughts on the effect of the Mitchell report on the hobby, cards really weren’t part of the equation. Kevin Haake, editor of Beckett’s monthly baseball card price guide, fills that void. Like everyone else, he agreed that like memorabilia Barry Bonds cards wouldn’t be affected, because they already had taken the hit from all his previous woes, including the perjury indictment.
“Roger Clemens collectibles have taken a hit since the report was made public. Clemens has always had the benefit of playing for two of the most popular and widely collected teams in his career — Boston and N.Y. — but even that rabid fan base hasn’t been able to stop some of the initial bleeding that is taking place on his more widely sought-after RCs. Right now, the short term outlook for Clemens’ collectibles is that they will likely be accompanied by down arrows for a few months until the initial rush to judgment levels off. “The fact that many of the Mitchell report were common players will prove to be beneficial to for the hobby long-term. Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte are primarily considered ‘commons’ in the hobby despite their career accolades. Being named in the Mitchell Report certainly won’t help their popularity among the player collectors who are the most active hobbyists pursuing their cards.”
Dear Babe: I have a program and ticket stub from the first game of the 1967 World Series. The program was later signed by Bob Gibson at a signing in Toledo, Ohio. Earl Kane, Mapleville, R.I.
The Cardinals with Gibson, a future Hall of Famer, leading the way outlasted the Red Sox in seven games. Gibson won Games 1, 4 and 7. The signed program is worth $100 to $200, said Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for www.MastroAuctions.com auctions in Chicago.
Dear Babe: I have a set (No. 11 of 100) from Front Row’s All-Time Great Series that has five Hank Aaron cards. It is No. 10,235 of 25,000. I am not sure if these were ever issued to the public. David Roos, Jr., Atlanta
The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest says that the original plan was to have 100 players each with a five-card set. The cards were issued between 1992 and 1995. The 100-player plan fizzled with just 39 former stars in the set when the run ended. The Standard Catalog lists the five-card Aaron set at $1, the most valuable in the run. Beckett’s Almanac of Baseball Cards says the set is worth $5 with individual cards worth a dollar each. In this day and age of Internet sales, methinks the $1 is more realistic. The real value is in the autographed cards. Each player signed 5,000 No. 1 cards. Those supposedly went to Front Row Collector’s Club members, according the Almanac. The two guides list the signed Aaron card at $40-$50, again the most valuable signed card of the 39 players in the set.
Dear Babe: I have an official Rawlings American League baseball autographed by Bob Feller. He signed his name and under the autograph wrote “H.O.F. 62.” It is in the original box. I lost touch with the person who gave it to me, and I don’t have any idea about the history of the ball. Marian Dudash, Peachtree City, Ga.
Feller is easily the most prolific signer of any of the living Hall of Famers. The market is glutted with items he has signed. That translates into lower value than some other HOFers. Tuff Stuff lists a single-signed Feller baseball at $30.
If you have a question for Babe Waxpak, include your full name and hometown, the card number, year and manufacturer or send a photocopy. Please do not send cards. The address is: Babe Waxpak, Box 492397, Redding CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak@charter.net.
When experts weighed in with their thoughts on the effect of the Mitchell report on the hobby, cards really weren’t part of the equation. Kevin Haake, editor of Beckett’s monthly baseball card price guide, fills that void. Like everyone else, he agreed that like memorabilia Barry Bonds cards wouldn’t be affected, because they already had taken the hit from all his previous woes, including the perjury indictment.
“Roger Clemens collectibles have taken a hit since the report was made public. Clemens has always had the benefit of playing for two of the most popular and widely collected teams in his career — Boston and N.Y. — but even that rabid fan base hasn’t been able to stop some of the initial bleeding that is taking place on his more widely sought-after RCs. Right now, the short term outlook for Clemens’ collectibles is that they will likely be accompanied by down arrows for a few months until the initial rush to judgment levels off. “The fact that many of the Mitchell report were common players will prove to be beneficial to for the hobby long-term. Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte are primarily considered ‘commons’ in the hobby despite their career accolades. Being named in the Mitchell Report certainly won’t help their popularity among the player collectors who are the most active hobbyists pursuing their cards.”
Dear Babe: I have a program and ticket stub from the first game of the 1967 World Series. The program was later signed by Bob Gibson at a signing in Toledo, Ohio. Earl Kane, Mapleville, R.I.
The Cardinals with Gibson, a future Hall of Famer, leading the way outlasted the Red Sox in seven games. Gibson won Games 1, 4 and 7. The signed program is worth $100 to $200, said Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for www.MastroAuctions.com auctions in Chicago.
Dear Babe: I have a set (No. 11 of 100) from Front Row’s All-Time Great Series that has five Hank Aaron cards. It is No. 10,235 of 25,000. I am not sure if these were ever issued to the public. David Roos, Jr., Atlanta
The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest says that the original plan was to have 100 players each with a five-card set. The cards were issued between 1992 and 1995. The 100-player plan fizzled with just 39 former stars in the set when the run ended. The Standard Catalog lists the five-card Aaron set at $1, the most valuable in the run. Beckett’s Almanac of Baseball Cards says the set is worth $5 with individual cards worth a dollar each. In this day and age of Internet sales, methinks the $1 is more realistic. The real value is in the autographed cards. Each player signed 5,000 No. 1 cards. Those supposedly went to Front Row Collector’s Club members, according the Almanac. The two guides list the signed Aaron card at $40-$50, again the most valuable signed card of the 39 players in the set.
Dear Babe: I have an official Rawlings American League baseball autographed by Bob Feller. He signed his name and under the autograph wrote “H.O.F. 62.” It is in the original box. I lost touch with the person who gave it to me, and I don’t have any idea about the history of the ball. Marian Dudash, Peachtree City, Ga.
Feller is easily the most prolific signer of any of the living Hall of Famers. The market is glutted with items he has signed. That translates into lower value than some other HOFers. Tuff Stuff lists a single-signed Feller baseball at $30.
If you have a question for Babe Waxpak, include your full name and hometown, the card number, year and manufacturer or send a photocopy. Please do not send cards. The address is: Babe Waxpak, Box 492397, Redding CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak@charter.net.
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