Q&A: Pick a card

In 1988, the release of the inaugural MAXX Race Cards set ushered in the era of prosperity now enjoyed by the racing collectibles industry. Trading cards remain one of the hobby's most popular commodities. Consequently, we get plenty of questions about these cardboard collectibles.

Here are the responses to some of your inquiries:

Q: What NASCAR trading card would you rank as No. 1 overall? Criteria would include historical importance, popularity, hobby importance and collector sentiment as well as the value. -- John A.

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A: John, this is a great question. I'd pick the 1988 MAXX No. 99 Dale Earnhardt card. That card was scheduled for release in the 1988 Charlotte set, but was pulled at the last minute because MAXX hadn't secured a license with Earnhardt. However, a few of those cards found their way into circulation, and more were given to Earnhardt when he finally signed with MAXX in 1989. In 1994, MAXX included 999 of these cards as inserts in the 1994 MAXX Medallion set. A few were signed. The unsigned versions have sold for $300-500, and the autographs for $650-850.

Years later, Upper Deck had bought the rights to the MAXX name in bankruptcy court. As part of their licensing agreement with Earnhardt, Upper Deck reportedly received 100 of the No. 99 cards, had Earnhardt sign them, and used them as inserts in 1998. These cards rarely change hands, and when they do, they go for big money, again usually $650-850. There are cards that are more rare than this one, but all things considered, this is the one every collector wants. So it's my pick.

Q: My husband and I have a framed picture and trading cards with Dale Earnhardt. The picture is about 4 ft long and about 2 ft wide. There is a 8 x 10 picture of Dale and 5 trading cards with it. One of the cards is a gold Bristol card with a picture of Dale on it. Another card is a twin 125 Dale holding a Gatorade trophy.

The third is Dale dressed in white with a 7-time champion on the bottom of the card. The fourth is a close-up of Dale. The last card is a picture of his semi with the Goodwrench logo on the side. All of the cards have the word Pinnacle on them. On the top of the frame says NASCAR's Best. There is also a flag that says "50 years of NASCAR racing " on it. We were wondering how much was it worth and if you can get anymore like it. We won it a at raffle a long time ago and don't where we can buy one. Our brother-in law wants one too. -- Jennifer Grizzle

A: I've never seen one of these. It could have been a special promotion by Pinnacle, or it could be something an individual put together just for the raffle. If Pinnacle did it, it is fully licensed and has a value or around $50. If it was "homemade," that makes it a derivative collectible-one where licensed items are used to create an item that in itself is not licensed. In that case, the value would be just a few dollars.

Q: I have a 2001 Press Pass Dale Earnhardt Jr card. It has two pictures of him with the mph number in the background [eg. 188.99, 188.34, 160.20, and so on.) It has a split picture on the back also with the mph on the left and a picture of him on the right with someone else in the background. It also talks about him winning two poles at Charlotte and Michigan, and that he led the most laps and finished 4th. Could u tell me what it may be worth. It has the No. 89 at the top. -- Trymeifyoudare

A: Thanks for a thorough description. It makes it a lot easier to pin this card down. This insert card is still plentiful and easy to find. It has a value of $2-4.

Q: I have have a leather covered album that says the Champ and the Challenger signed by both Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. It is full of trading cards that are in plastic sleeves. I was told this is very rare. What is the value? -- Ken

A: A very nice set here. These were done by Action Packed in 1994. A full set in the binder is likely worth $35-45.

Q: I have a 1995 Metallic Impressions Dale Earnhardt card. The card number is No. 3. It has a description of Race No. 3 at Richmond. That is cool, huh? His number is 3, the card number is No. 3 and it is Race No. 3. Any Value Estimate? -- Andy Woods

A: This 20-card set has not shown a lot of appreciation over the past few years. I'd place the collectible value at $3-5 per card for singles, maybe more to a die-hard Earnhardt fan.

Q: I have and all five cards in the set made by Metallic impressions of Dale Earnhart in a tin box. How much is it worth? -- D1127

A: Metallic Impressions made two Earnhardt metal card sets in 1995. One had five cards, the other 20. The car described in the question above is from the 20-card set. Your five card set is more valuable on the average per card basis. The five card set is worth $20-30.

Q: I have a set of four out of six Pop Weaver inserts from the 1998 Upper Deck NASCAR set, including Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace. They are in excellent condition. Could you tell me what they are worth? -- Clint

A: This set was made as a promotional giveaway for Pop Weaver Gourmet Popcorn. The Earnhardt card is probably worth $5-8. The others, $2-5.

Q: I have a limited edition 1994 Press Pass Bronze Mint Card of Ernie Irvan. It has a certificate of authenticity and is No. 1820 of 5000. Can you tell me how much it is worth? -- Sherry

A: This is a neat card. You don't see many of these around, which is surprising given the number produced. I know many were sold a few years ago at a "blow-out" clearance sale at Racing Champions. I'd place the collectible value of your card at $20-35.

Q: I have a complete set of 1988 NASCAR MAXX Racecards. There are 100 cards in the set. I have all one hundred cards in very good condition. They are in a White notebook with MAXX RACE CARDS on the front. What is this worth? -- J. Davenport

A: Wow. This is the first time I've had a question on the original binder in years. First we'll address the cards. The Myrtle Beach set is likely worth $250-300. The Charlotte set is likely worth $100-150. Now, for the binder. That's the real story. There were two that year. One with red printing, and one with black printing. I've seen the red version sell for over $200 in the past.

The last one I saw sold went for around $60, so I'd place the current value at around $75. The black printed version was the first released. It's a rather primitive looking binder, basically a white notebook with a sheet of paper with the MAKK logo printed on it inserted in the clear outer cover. This is a rare binder. I recall a time years ago when this piece was going for around $300-350 in some instances. Today, the value has dropped off a bit. I personally still think it's a good $100-150 binder based on its rarity and historical significance.

Q: My friend has two Dale Earnhardt 1991 cards by MAXX . They are No. 187 of 240/1990 race No. 17 (Dale and Taylor) and No. 191 of 240/1990 race No. 21 (Dale, Taylor and Teresa). Can you tell me the value of these two cards? They are in mint condition. -- Pam Schoonmaker

A: A couple of common base cards. The fact that they are Earnhardt cards helps a little. I'd put the value at $4-5 each.