Ask Babe Waxpak: April 18, 2007

Dear Babe:

After seeing how much the Honus Wagner card (T206) has increased in value, I wondered about an autograph on a 1939 Baseball centennial envelope with his picture on it with a Cooperstown stamp and postmark. I have no idea how generous he was with his signature.

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Robert Chartier, Merrimack, N.H. 

Generosity aside, Wagner died in 1955 long before the autograph craze took hold. His signature on anything is valuable. Of course, there’s a big difference between the million-dollar 1909 T206 card, the Holy Grail of cards to collectors, and something with his signature on it.

Still, this is a nice item with a solid Wagner autograph. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the signature is on a Centennial envelope with the 100-year baseball stamp and Cooperstown postmark.

The signed envelope is worth around $1,200-$1,500, said Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for www.MastroAuctions.com auctions in Chicago and Mike Gutierrez, consignment director for www.HeritageAuctions.com in Dallas.

Dear Babe:

I have a couple of Pro Set Super Bowl Supermen cards of Roger Staubach and Bob Lilly.

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Michael Crosby, San Bernardino 

The cards are part of a 160-card set Pro set produced for Super Bowl XXV in 1990. Like just about everything that Pro set produced, there is no shortage of these sets and the cards have little value. Beckett lists the entire set at $4 with Staubach (No. 37) at a whopping 30 cents and Lilly (85) at 15 cents.

Dear Babe:

I am moving and came across boxes of Sports Illustrated magazines from the mid-1970s and early 1980s. 

Michael Zavorshi, Marietta, Ga. 

There might be some interest in a few of the covers or if you have entire year runs. Internet sales have hammered values for magazines. Your best bet is to check out completed eBay auctions to see what magazines similar to yours are selling for.

Dear Babe:

I have a Babe Ruth card that has a trademark by Gold Performance.

J. Valdez, Honolulu 

It appears there were a number of “gold” Ruth cards produced in the mid-1990s. More often than not these cards, like ceramic plates, are never worth more than the initial price someone pays for them. I couldn’t find the card in any guides. I finally found one that sold for a penny plus $2.50 S&H in a recent eBay auction.

Dear Babe:

I have a 1942 ticket stub from the Stanford-California football game plus pictures. J. McDonald, AtlantaUnless we’re talking about close-up shots or wire service photos, I don’t think they are a factor. A stub from that game is worth $50, said Mike Heffner, president of www.lelands.com auction house in New York.

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 1148, Anderson CA 96007 or e-mail waxpak@andersonvalleypost.com.