COLLECTING CHECKS AND AUTOGRAPHS

There are a lot of check collectors -- the combination of a signed check gives these collectors a look at history about banks and the financial industry as well as an autograph of famous people.  Some of these signed checks are very valuable-- some are perhaps too valuable.  So now there is a web site that sells copies of famous checks and these are also very decorative, suitable for framing and ideal for offices.

www.Famous-Celebrity-Autographs.com is a site that offers quality reprints of checks and other financial documents signed by famous people.  "Check" it out.

FOOTBALL CARDS AT $50 A PACK

I remember when a pack of baseball cards or football cards cost 25-cents or less, but that was decades ago.  Today's sports cards have autographs and pieces of memorabilia embedded in the cards and with the fancy production and collectibles come hefty prices.  When Bowman released its Sterling Football 2009 cards featuring top rookies and super veterans for the 2009 NFL season, each pack of cards carried a price of $50 because of what might be inside.

Every pack of the Bowman Sterling 2009 football cards guarantees one autographed card, two relic cards which include collectibles such as a piece of a jersey, and two rookie cards.  And some packs might contain a relic card that has been autographed.  And some packs might include two autographs on one card.  These cards can also be numbered to show they are limited.

USE VIDEO TO HELP SELL YOUR COLLECTIBLES

Do you sell collectibles on a web site or do you sell collectibles on eBay?  Then we have an idea that might help you.  Why not put a video of your collectible on the web site to help generate bids and to let others know the quality of the item you are selling?

For example, coin collectors look for the "cartwheel effect" on brilliant uncirculated coins, especially on coins such as silver dollars.  But still photos cannot show a true cartwheel effect.  A true cartwheel effect can only be seen by rotating a coin under light.  The same may be true with rainbow toned coins -- a "flat picture" may miss the true colors in the rainbow toning on certain coins but a video of a coin being shifted in light can show the true colors of the rainbow that make these rainbow toned coins so valuable.

Do you have a rare doll that makes sounds or has a voice?  A still photo can't let bidders hear the voice or hear the sounds, but a video can play the sounds and voice and that can help your item when it is up for auction.  Are you selling a car at auction?  Well, let a video show the car and let the bidders hear the purr of the engine.

Producing these types of videos and putting them on the Internet is not expensive and can be done quickly.  If you need this service, use our "Contact Us" page to get in touch with us and we can explain this service to you.

WORLD SERIES AND SUPER BOWL RINGS AT AUCTION

There are several collectibles from the world of sports that just about any guy -- or gal -- would love to have.  These include a game-used bat swung by Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle, and boxing gloves used by Muhammad Al, not to mention autographed baseballs and footballs. 

And don't forget World Series and Super Bowl Championship rings.  Imagine holding up your beer at the bar or tossing dice or handing over your credit card to a clerk with a championship ring on your hand?  Wow.  Talk about a conversation starter.

Well, some Super Bowl and World Series championship rings recently sold at an auction run by Lender's which specializes in collectibles.  Among the prices paid for these and other championship rings:

$22,690 for a Larry Brown ring from Super Bowl XXX, $30,200 for a Michael Carter ring from Super Bowl XXIV, $27,455 for an Anthony Jones ring from Super Bowl XXII, $20,627 for a Guy LeFleur ring from the 1976 Stanley Cup champs, $24,959 for a Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series ring, and $22,108 for Sparky Adams 1931 World Series ring.

And a mint condition first issue of Playboy went for $4,992.  I'm wondering when some World Series of Poker bracelets will hit the auction block.  I know that some have already been sold privately -- and I am sure that public bidding will be active especially that poker has become a sport and is more than gambling.

NOTHING BEATS AN AUTOGRAPHED BALL

There is something about autographed sports memorabilia.  I have on my desk a baseball signed by Barry Bonds -- okay, not your most popular sports figure, but I still cherish it.  I also have a ball signed by Pete Rose -- and this one has a story because Pete Rose can been seen most weekends at Caesars Palace in Vegas signing balls and bats at a sports memorabilia store in the Forum Shops.  My prized possession, however, is a football signed by Dan Marino, Joe Montana and John Elway, and I have a photo of me and the quarterbacks to go with the football.  I met them at an event at Caesars Palace a couple of years ago.  Coming from Miami, I was always a big fan of Dan Marino and I even interviewed him a few times when I was a reporter in Miami.

We all have a "thing" for autographs from athletes.  I once played poker with Jose Conseco, and I got him to autograph a one dollar bill.

Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time, and you can get an autograph of your favorite ball player.  But sometimes you just have to buy it.  Okay, here are some links to check out below.  I hope you score.

DO YOU COLLECT CREDIT CARDS? PLAYER CARDS FROM CASINOS?

Did you know that the first credit card was actually a piece of cardboard and not plastic?  Old credit cards are collectible, and so are player cards from casinos.  The designs change, the colors change, and of course there are different types of cards for different players.  Some cards are more prestigious than others -- and those include the 7 Stars cards that the high rollers get from the Harrah's casinos or the Red Card that players get at Pechanga Casino.  Go to any casino and you'll find certain cards for certain levels of play.

In the credit card business there are prestigious gold cards and platinum cards, and now Visa is offering a Visa Black Card.  And the Visa Black Card might also become a collectible some day for a couple of reasons.  First: the Visa Black Card is made out of carbon and not plastic; and second the card will be on the "exclusive" side available to only 1% of the U. S. population, says the company, and to get one you have to pay an annual fee of $495.  

So you have to wonder what the Visa Black Card will be selling for on eBay a couple of years from now when the first cards expire?

By the way, the truly collectible player cards and credit cards are cards that belonged to famous people.  I remember seeing an Elvis Presley credit card for sale in an auction.