How much for Ruth's pajamas?
"By Lew Freedman lfreedman@therepublic.com: Sports editor
First Posted: April 25, 2011 - 9:57 am, Last Updated: April 25, 2011 - 9:57 am"
Baseball card collecting went through a crazy boom period in the 1990s and the entire hobby was a bit soured. New collectors jumped in for the wrong reasons. They were swept up in a mania that stressed that the rookie cards of Hall of Fame players and other stars were the most valuable. Collectors speculated in rookie cards as if they were buying oil futures, purchasing 20 Alex Rodriguez cards under the belief that some day they would be worth a fortune.
Sure enough, the market crashed.
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Never mind the cost of superstar autographed baseballs (the preferred object to be signed). Just the other day I saw a Babe Ruth signed ball being auctioned off with the bidding at a few shekels under $60,000. Not every Ruth ball costs as much, but none are being sold at the five and dime either.
Would I like to have a Babe Ruth autographed ball in my collection? Sure. But I won’t spend what it takes, even for a faded signature ball at $3,500.
Nor am I going to bite on a Lou Gehrig signed ball for $6,700 or a faded Walter Johnson ball for the same amount. But hey, I found a Hank Aaron ball online for $176. That seems like a bargain.
