COLLECTORS’ CORNER: Something Old Is Something New
With Chris Wood and Tom Murphy
As Packers fans prepare for yet another exciting season, we thought we’d see “what’s hot and
what’s not” in the collectibles area. Given that Packer City Antiques is the area’s foremost
dealer in Packers collectibles, we stopped by the shop to talk to proprietor Mike Worachek last week to find out about what’s going on.
We’ve been aware that Sports Illustrated Magazines featuring the Packers covers from during the Glory Years have held their value very well. In excellent condition, they’re usually selling for about $50 each. It should be noted those with covers without the postal labels still attached are worth somewhat more ($20-$30) because they’re in slightly better condition, just by virtue of the fact that they were bought at the newsstand or the store and are completely “clean.”
The usual sought-after autographs from Packers icons of the past have always maintained their values and continue to do so today. Even some of the current players are already highly collectible and somewhat pricey because they’re in short supply and hard to get, Jordy Nelson being a case in point. He simply hasn’t autographed very much and as a result, is hard to find.
And as the Glory Years players fade farther into the past, their autographs become more difficult to come by. One that immediately comes to mind right now in that category is Bart Starr.
An interesting collectible that saw its heyday in the 60s but has now made a comeback of sorts,
is Packers bobbleheads. While they have been around in some form since the beginning of the Lombardi era, the fan interest as a collectible had diminished by the late seventies and there wasn’t a great deal of new Packers product coming on the market at that time. While there were ceramic players available and a Brett Favre bobble-head issued around 1996 that became highly collectible, there wasn’t that kind of demand for the other ones.
However, things are changing. There are now bobbleheads of many of the current players as well as Vince Lombardi available. The Lombardi product is available in three different sizes, including an 8 inch, 12 inch and 36 inch. Pricewise, they go for $29.95, $49.95 and $799.95 respectively.
Some of the current players available are Eddie Lacy, including an additional option of a very limited edition of 144 celebrating his “Rookie of the Year” award with each one individually numbered. Others include Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and B.J. Raji.
These items were specially ordered (commissioned) to be manufactured by Packer City Antiques and are available in limited editions numbering from 144 to 360. They retail for $24.95 each.
There’s an old saying that was first said before the Civil War which goes something like: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Until next month, happy collecting!