Jackie Robinson print will raise money for Negro Leagues Museum

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Dear Babe: I have a box of programs from the last race Richard Petty ran in at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. They have never been out of the box and each program has a patch attached to the cover. I also have several that are autographed. Skipper Burns, Griffin, Ga.

Final race programs are a cut above your average publications, said Phil Regli, owner of P&R Publications in Irvine and a long-time magazine dealer. Regli said a final race program — from any race — is probably worth $20-$30. Naturally, the program signed by Petty is going carry a premium. However, the key “is how well it presents itself on the item.” He thought a signature on the cover would equate to the value for an autographed 8x10. A signed Petty photo is probably is in the $20-$50 range. That puts the signed program in $40-$80 range. They might be worth even a little more depending on what the “patch” on the cover is from.

Dear Babe: My wife’s great aunt just moved from Georgia to St. Louis. As we packed, I found a game program from when Hank Aaron hit home run No. 715. They got the entire team’s autographs including Aaron’s in the middle of the program where she kept the score. The game ticket stubs were stapled to it as well. The program is in very good condition. Will Swihart, Manchester, Mo.

Basically a stub is worth around $200-$400, while signed programs often go for a couple of hundred dollars. Of course most of those are signed just by Aaron on the covers. You have the whole team, but the key is still Aaron. He’s all that really counts for this item. “On the 715 program autographed and stub, I would say $500 for both,” said David Kohler, president of www.SCPauctions.com in Mission Viejo.

Dear Babe: I have a leather jacket size XXL from Super Bowl XXXVI dated on the back January 27, 2002. The Super Bowl was played later, Feb. 3, because of 9/11. Joe Kershaw, Quincy, Fla.

If you are asking if the wrong date makes a difference in the value, my answer would be no. For starters, I doubt they made a second batch of jackets with the correct date. Second, I don’t think generic jackets for the game (as opposed to jackets for the winning team) spark much collector interest. In 2002, the Patriots who won their first Super Bowl by defeating the Rams, 20-17, on Adam Vinatieri’s field goal as time expired. In my experience, generic items for these big games — in whatever sport — usually don’t have the same value down the road as the same item with a team logo on it, especially one for the wining team. I did see one generic jacket from that game offered for $149 plus S&H in an eBay store. However, that was the most expensive generic jacket for any Super Bowl that I saw. The next highest asking price for a jacket sans team name was around $75.

BABE NOTE: "Finally' a photographic print by Don Marquess, celebrating Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball is being offered as a fundraiser for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. Marquess, who is known for his prints, featuring arrays of baseballs, photographed in a variety of settings that highlight the white glow pristine balls. “Finally,” has more than two dozen Rawlings baseballs with one dark ball just off center — stamped “JACKIE ROBINSON, APRIL 15, 1947,” the date of his Brooklyn Dodgers debut. The high-quality 24x18 inch prints can be ordered for $45 from the museum by calling 888 221-NLBM (6526) or from the Marquess Gallery at 877 977-7773. The initial unnumbered printing is 1,500 editions and is expected to raise nearly $35,000 for the Museum.

Check out Da Babe’s next column Thursday.

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