Collectibles Q&A

NASCAR memoribilia collectors often have questions about the items they've accumulated. Here are our responses to some of your most recent inquiries:

Q: What is the value of a 1992 Pro Set Jeff Gordon card No. 120? -- Gwen

A: I think you need to re-check your card. Jeff Gordon was not in the 1992 Pro Set release. In fact, I double checked, and card No. 120 is crew chief Donnie Wingo.

Q: I have a set of 1994 Action Packed "The CHAMP and the CHALLENGER" cards honoring Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. How rare is this item? What is the value now? -- Peter Soukup

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A: This is a nice set. Not really rare, but not real plentiful either. It's probably worth $20-30, maybe $35 to the right Earnhardt collector.

Q: I have a card that came in a five-card pack that I bought on Ebay. The card was made by SuperShotsSports and was part of the California Highway Patrol designated driver campaign. It is a picture of California Speeday with a date imprinted on the front of it "Raceday April 28, 2002". I had it signed by Jimmie Johnson when I was at Watkins Glen, there is no Certificate of Authenticity, but I have a picture of him signing it. The date of Jimmie's 1st cup win was 4/28/02 at California Speedway. Could there be any significant value to this card? -- Jenny

A: A picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case, a COA. This is a neat card in itself, since they weren't readily available to the public. Personally, I'd put the value of the signed card at around $35. Again, a big JJ fan might pay more.

Q: I have been cleaning my son's closet of items he has had since he was a little guy. I have a DALE EARNHARDT GOODWRENCH SERVICE TRACKSIDE COLLECTION. The set is 1:25 scale die cast manufactured by Brookside Collector's Guild in 1996. The set features the blue AC Delco Monte Carlo, blue Chevy Crew Cab truck, and car trailer. The car has GM decals on the back trunk lid, Snap On decals at the lower body panels in front of the rear tires and a decal on the under carriage stating LIMITED EDITION 10,000. The set comes in a blue box marked "Japanese Race Edition" with a certificate of authenticity. I cannot find any information about this set, can you tell me what it is worth? The only other set I found like it featured a silver and blue color scheme. -- Jacqueline Frank

A: I love these Brookfield sets, simply because they are a novel approach to die-cast. This is a pretty good piece, and it would have likely been a quite valuable collectible had they not made so darn many of them. At any rate, it still merits a pretty strong appraisal: $100-125 for a mint piece.

Q: I have a 2002 Jimmie Johnson first win (California) raced version car with the included display case made for it and I have all of the original packaging. It is autographed by both Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, with pictures of both of them autographing the car. I would greatly appreciate a ballpark of what this car is worth. Thank you so much for your help. -- Colortran48

A: With the signatures, that gar ought to have a collectible value of $150-200 if it's in perfect condition.

Q: I have the complete collection of NASCAR Winston Cup Yearbooks from 1991-1996 as well as the year 1985. They are in excellent condition. What are they worth? -- Linda

A: My buddy Ward Woodbury and the folks at UMI do a great job on the Yearbooks, as well as the annual Preview and Press Guide. The leather bound Yearbooks sell out just about every year. The most valuable Yearbook is the inaugural 1988 edition, which I've seen sell for over $250 recently. Most of the years you have have been bringing $15-30 on eBay of late, but I don't think that is an accurate representation of their collectible value. I'd say your books would be worth $60-70 in terms of collectibility.

Q: I have a 1993 MAXX signed Jeff Gordon card. I wondered what the value might be. It is No. 24 of 300. -- Charity1980us

A: This is a common card that has been signed after the fact, rather than an autographed insert, which would be worth more. Your card is worth $30-50 if the autograph can be authenticated.

Q: I have a 1991 Pro Set No. 38 of Bobby Allison. Unlike the regular card in the set, it has his autograph in silver on the front of the card. Is the card a fake? If not what is the value of this card ? I have been everywhere online but haven't seen any mention of such a card. -- Bruce

A: A thousand autographed cards were inserted into the 1991 set, but every one I've ever seen was signed in black, not silver. If by some fluke, your card is one of the inserts, I would put the value at $40-50. But more than likely, it was signed after the fact. Allison is very generous with his autographs, which is very good on his part, but tends to hold the value of his autographs down. If your card was signed after it was released, it is likely worth around $25, give or take five bucks.

Q: I have 1 through 75 of the 1996 Viper Super Premium Race Cards, and I was just wondering if you had any info on the lot. -- Amanda O.

A: You need three more cards to have a full set. Cards 76 and 77 are checklists, while card No. 78 is a cover card. The value of the whole set is only $20-25. I'd say not having the last three cards would kick the value down to $12-15.

Q: I have a 1999 Wheels High Gear trading card of Matt Kenseth. It shows car No. 17 sponsored by Lycos. It is card number 38. It is in mint condition. Is it worth any thing?-Nicole Knodel

A: Not a bad card here. One of the earlier Kenseth releases, it should be worth $5-10.