Celebrity Autographs And Celebrity Addresses

By Dr. Lori



Editor’s note: The autor, Dr. Lori, is seen on CBS TV’s "Trash or Treasure." She Dr. Lori holds a doctorate in art history and is a certified art and antiques appraiser and museum curator.

My New England roots and my suburban Philadelphia residency make Super Bowl XXXIX particularly difficult. Both thrilled and torn by my favorite teams matching-up, my heart remains with football fans and sports memorabilia buffs on Feb. 6.

Tiffany’s football

Two of my most favorite categories of collectibles will be on display in sunny Jacksonville - sports and jewelry. Could a girl ask for anything more? As the 78,000-seat Alltel Stadium hosts the Super Bowl, Jacksonville hosts an exhibit of artifacts from the Football Hall of Fame.

The Super Bowl history exhibit features the sterling silver (that’s 925 parts per 1,000 pure) Vince Lombardi Trophy. Crafted by Tiffany’s and named for Green Bay’s legendary coach, the Lombardi trophy stands 22 inches tall, weighs 7 pounds, and costs $25,000.

The pyramidal trophy features a sculpted football appropriate for any team’s front office. The exhibit dazzles with the NFL’s complete set of gold, gemstone, and diamond encrusted Super Bowl rings. Alongside signed photos and vintage equipment, the ring display features every Super Bowl ring from the 1967 Green Bay Packers World Championship ring to the 2004 New England Patriots (Super Bowl XXXVIII) ring.

Super Bowls of ice cream

Not the ostentatious exhibit type? Perhaps a Philadelphia-style Super Bowl party complete with a big screen TV, cartons of Turkey Hill ice cream, and official Eagles bags of Utz potato chips is more your style.

Low in price and high in availability, collectible team party food is always popular. Offered in supermarkets and on eBay, fun fan collectibles are easy to collect, but difficult to keep in original, uneaten condition.

While staying home on Super Bowl Sunday could be bad for your waistline, it is good for your wallet. The money you saved on airfare, hotels, and coveted Super Bowl XXXIX game tickets -starting at $5,000 for a 50-yard line seat-can buy some super collectibles.

Green Bays and Jets

Serious Super Bowl collectors know that the most desirable items are from Super Bowls I, II, and III. In 1967, the cheap seats at the LA Coliseum for Super Bowl I were $6. Today, that unused World Championship ticket when Green Bay took the title is worth $1,000.

After researching actual sales records for a 1968 Super Bowl II program documenting Lombardi’s last game as Green Bay’s coach, I found examples that sold from $500 to $800. Also, sports memorabilia collectors are enthusiastic Super Bowl III items that relate to star players: Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas. Unused Super Bowl III tickets sell for $1,250 because they are the first items where the words "Super Bowl" appear. History drives the collectibles market and celebrity status increases value - Super Bowl III had it all.

A numbers game

Patterns of early Super Bowl collecting teach us valuable lessons about this year’s Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots items. For vintage memorabilia collectors, save tickets, programs, and autographs. Like seasoned collectors who snatched up items from the first three Super Bowls, I advise today’s collectors who want the best Super Bowl XXXIX items to play by the numbers.

Keep collecting by numerical sequence - Super Bowls I, II, III, and superstars No. 4 and No. 5.

Collect items associated with New England kicker Adam Vinatieri, who wears No. 4. Vinatieri has been responsible for closing the door on both Patriots Super Bowl wins with a 48-yard field goal in 2002 and a 41-yarder in 2004. Of course, quarterback Tom Brady items are solid Patriots collectibles as long as you stick to Brady’s football items and forget his short-lived Montreal Expos baseball career.

Fabulous No. 5

Of course, No. 5 means only one thing in Philadelphia: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. All McNabb collectibles, from authentic practice jerseys to signed Campbell soup cans from his Chunky Soup"!commercials, have market strength and will increase in value.

Football collectors and Philadelphians alike can’t get enough of McNabb or his Mother who appears with him in the popular ads. Look for hard-to-find and historic Eagles collectibles: unused and snowy 2004 NFC Championship game tickets, Terrell Owen’s ankle cast, press materials of the last-minute Eagles/Jeff Thomason contract, Brian Westbrook’s "West 36" t-shirts, and digital audio clips from head coach Andy Reid’s radio show.

Whether your favorite team hails from Foxboro or the City of Brotherly Love, this year’s face-off certainly offers collectors great options for remembering Super Bowl XXXIX. See you in Jacksonville.

As seen on CBS TV’s Trash or Treasure, Dr. Lori holds a Ph.D. in art history and is a certified art and antiques appraiser and museum curator. Watch Dr. Lori on Comcast CN8 TV’s Your Morning program weekdays at 9 a.m. For information and broadcast schedule, visit www.drloriv.com or call (888) 431-1010.