Collectibles Q&A

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

Q: I have a Racing Champions 1995 die-cast of Rick Carelli in the Total Petroleum Craftsman Truck Series truck. How much is it worth?-Vincent

A: This 1:64 scale replica of the truck driven by the High Plains Drifter is worth $5-8 on today's market.

Q: What is the value of a Jimmy Spencer Team Camel shirt signed by Jimmy Spencer?-Bill

A: There is a huge market for race-used apparel. The prices I've seen this type of clothing bring at auction varies greatly. A shirt may bring $300 at one auction, then the same shirt bring only $100 at another. However, based on what I've seen, if your shirt can be verified as a race-used crew shirt, the value is probably in the $150-250 range with the autograph.

Q: I have a Mark Martin No. 60 high-gloss black race car wall clock, No. 00073 of 10000. It is highly detailed with all the sponsors stickers on the fenders and advertising solely Winn Dixie brands products, have you any idea its approximate worth? If so, how much?-William

A: This clock was done by JEBCO. Those folks do some beautiful work with clocks. The secondary market value of this clock should currently be right around $75-100.

Q: The three-inch Oreo/Dale Earnhardt button that was given out in 2001. Is it worth anything?-Wayne

A: Right now, I'd say this button is probably worth $5-10. However, items like this that weren't really meant to be all that collectible sometimes end up being more collectible than pieces that were designed for the expressed purpose of being collectible. In short, there is a lot of room for future appreciation in value. This little button could be worth a lot in 15-20 years.

Q: I have an 8X 10 photo of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty taken at Bristol on 1991 or '92. It is signed by both. What would it be worth?-Darrell

A: The photo itself is probably worth $8-12. The true value lies in the autographs. If they can be verified, they could boost the value of the photo to around $150 or more.

Q: How much is a Dale Earnhardt Championship (with trophies) Sun Drop stand-up worth?-Denise

A: This stand-up has two things going for it. Obviously, the biggest is that it features Dale Earnhardt. Also, Sun Drop (my personal favorite) is a regional soft drink found mainly in the southeast. So, that means the availability was fairly restricted. Plus, there were probably a lot fewer of these produced than most other Earnhardt stand-ups. All those things considered, I'm going to place the value at $75-125, probably closer to $100.

Q: I recently received a mirror with an image of the No. 27 MGD Pontiac driven by Rusty Wallace. I'm looking for info as what year(s) he drove this black, gold and red car. Did he drive this car in '89 when he won the championship?-Ron

A: Rusty drove this particular car in 1990-his last season with Raymond Beadle's Blue Max Racing Team. The following year, he hooked up with current car owner Roger Penske and the car number changed to No. 2. The car Rusty drove to the championship in 1989 was No. 27, but the sponsor was Kodiak.

Q: I have a Quaker State racing baseball cap signed by Jeff Gordon. I also have a cardboard standups of Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, Dale Jarrett, and Steve Kinser. They are all Quaker State except the Dale Jarrett, which is Ford Racing. What are the values on these items?-Bobby

A: The signed ball cap should probably be worth $30-40. The stand-ups are fairly common, except maybe the Kinser. I would put the values of the Jarrett and Labonte stand-ups at $30-40. The Gordon and Kinser pieces would be worth $40-50.

Q: I have a No. 15 Bobby Allison Ford Thunderbird Grenadier Spirits straight bourbon ceramic decanter-still with bourbon in it. It is late 1970s or early 80s. What is the value of it?-James

A: This is an excellent collectible! I can't stress how important the fact that you left the bourbon in the decanter is. The collectible value is likely $125-150. If you had emptied the decanted, it would have more than cut the value in half.

Q: I have a small (about 1 1/2 inch diameter) pewter steering wheel. On the front side, at the top is some Christmas holly, in the center is a white No. 3 with Dale Earnhardt's signature underneath. On the back in blue and white is "GM" and under that "Goodwrench Service Plus" with the NASCAR logo on the bottom. It came in a small padded red box, and appears to be a tree ornament. We were curious if this item was worth anything?-Steve

A: This piece was produced by Great American products. It's a neat collectible, and one with plenty of potential for appreciation in value. Right now, I'd estimate its worth at $20-30.