RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1525

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2016 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  I have a Roger Maris – Mickey Mantle tabletop AM radio.  The front of the radio has a cream/ivory colored plastic face.  To the left is the speaker panel on which appears an image of a generic batter wearing a Yankees uniform.  “STELLAR” is on a plaque in the upper left.  The tuning dial features a baseball bat with a baseball atop it.  The dial numbers range from 54 to 16.  The on-off switch is a green plastic diamond.  Facsimile signatures of “Roger Maris” and “Mickey Mantle” are located beneath the on-off switch.  In addition to the radio, which works, I have a Mickey Mantle baseball trading card labeled “1960 – with Roger Maris” showing them holding the radio.  There is also an extra set (5) of tubes.  What is my radio worth? – PM, Reading, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  The 1961 Major League baseball season marked the epic homerun duel between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle to break Babe Ruth’s single season 60 homerun record.  It was a good year for homeruns.   The Yankees’ Murderers’ Row of Yogi Berra, Johnny Blanchard, Easton Howard, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Bill Skowron combined for a total of 207 homeruns that season.  Maris accounted for 61 and Mantle for 54.  Mantle withdrew from the lineup in September suffering from an abscessed hip.  Maris broke the record on the final day of the season.

Although the baseball trading card has a “1960” date in the caption, the radio is a product of the 1961 homerun race.  It was issued either in late 1961 or early 1962.  As the 1961 homerun battle progressed, Mantle and Maris were bombarded with licensing and endorsement opportunities.  Florida orange juice and Newport cigarettes are two examples.  The photograph showing Mantle and Maris holding the radio suggests it was a licensed product.

STELLAR was a brand name used by the Astra Trading Corporation, headquartered in New York.  Astra imported figural and transistor radios during the 1960s.  Several variations of the radio exist.  Variations include color differences in the case and the style of the tuner.

Your radio is in very fine to fine condition.  The fact that it is in working order is a plus.  The bonus is the extra set of tubes.

Lelands sold an example in December 2012 which realized $643.07.  The buyer’s penalty brought the total to $771.68.  An eBay seller currently has an example listed at $949.00 with an additional $25.00 for shipping.  Huggins & Scott Auctions sold another example in its period cardboard box for $1,000.00 in August 2012.  The cardboard box is marked “Model Number MM-5.”  In 2006, Robert Edwards Auctions sold an example for $1,276.00.

Given the above, a fair secondary market value appears to be $1,000.00.  My recommendation is to think conservatively -- $750.00 to $800.00.

QUESTION:  My husband and I purchase a “16 INCH DIAMETER / HEIRLOOM GLOBE / Replogle” a couple of years ago at an estate sale for $50.00.  The globe measures 16” across and sits in a tripod wooden stand.  There is a light inside the globe which can be turned on at night.  There is slight wear along a couple of the seam lines.  Any idea of its value? – SS, Bozeman, MT, E-mail Question.

ANSWER:  Luther and his wife Elizabeth Replogle founded Replogle in 1930 with the goal “to deliver globes to an ever broader audience.”  Initially, they assembled globes in their Chicago apartment.  The company’s slogan was “A Globe in Every Home.”  The company continues to produce globes.  See: http://www.replogleglobes.com/.

A modern example of a globe housed in a stand similar to the one you own is sale priced at $1,022.00 (list $1,999.99).  Prices for modern globes in less expensive frames range from $210.00 to $455.00.

Replogle’s website contains a chart to determine the age of a globe.  Select a country name and find it on the chart.  The chart provides the date when the older name was changed, for example, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980.

Does an older map surface add or detract from the value?  If the globe is purchased for decorative and conversation value, the answer is no.  If the globe is bought as a functional object, the answer is yes.

An eBay seller is offering a mid-20th century Replogle 16-inch lighted heirloom globe at a Buy-It-Now price of $210.58, reduced from an initial asking price of $350.97.  Beware.  The shipping cost is listed at $85.00.

You made a great buy for $50.00.  The secondary market value of your Replogle Heirloom 16-inch lighted globe is tween $125.00 and $150.00.

QUESTION:  I was looking for information about the Woods & Son 1970 Captain Cook landing in Australia bi-centenary plate, when I came across a 2012 “Rinker on Collectibles” column that talked about the black and white example and stating a value of $19.00.  The price still is valid.  Black and white examples net between $15.00 and $25.00.  From 1960 to 1999, I worked for the Australian company that imported the plates.  In addition to the black and white plates, which were not numbered, there was a numbered coloured (sic.) edition.  At the time, I could not afford one of the coloured (sic) plates.  My guess is that the coloured (sic.) limited edition would or should be worth considerably more than the black and white examples.  Is this true?  If not, then I would be happy to think I did not waste my money as the coloured (sic.) plate was quite expensive.  I was peeved at the time because I could not afford one. – VS, Brisbane, Australia, E-mail Question.

ANSWER:  Rest and breathe easy.  Your economic situation saved you from a purchase from which you would have great difficulty in today’s secondary market place in recovering the money you initially spent.

The problem with the phrases “collector edition” or “limited edition” are (1) the only limiting factor is the number of purchasers and/or (2) the misnomer on the part of the manufacturers that 100, 300, 500, 1,000, or 10,000 is limited.  Limited is less than 10 and even this number is questionable.

The secondary market for “limited edition” anything is in the tank.  It is so far underwater that it will not resurface in the lifetime of anyone reading this column.  It makes no difference if it is a mass-produced “collector edition” or an overpriced “limited edition.”

In fairness, I was not able to find an example of the colored edition of the Cook Landing plate for sale on eBay.com, eBay.co.uk, or eBay.com.au.  One might incorrectly assume this means the plate is scarce.  This is not true.  None are being offered for sale because their value on the secondary market is so far below what was paid that owners have opted to hold on to them in hopes the market will reverse.  It will not.

The group of individuals to whom the “limited edition” concept appeals is decreasing.  Many have died.  Others finally have accepted the truth, thanks in part to the Beanie Baby secondary market collapse, that this material has no investment value whatsoever.

Keep smiling and pat yourself on the back occasionally for making a wise decision.

QUESTION:  I have a framed, 22-inch by 33-inch, colored poster of golfer Jan Stephenson.  She is standing on the ninth tee holding a driver.  The wind is blowing and has raised her skirt in an almost identical manner to that of Marilyn Monroe standing on the grate in the movie the “Seven Year Itch.”  There is a printed signature that reads: “Play a Round with me!! / Jan Stephenson.”  What is its value? – B. Reading, PA

ANSWER:  There are times when researching a collectible is pure pleasure.  This is one of them.  If I did not know better, I would have sworn that Stephenson was a pinup girl as opposed to a professional golfer.  The image of her in the raw in a tub of golf balls leaves little to the imagination or innuendo.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Selected letters will be answered in this column.  Harry cannot provide personal answers.  Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned.  Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512.  You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.