Sports memorabilia

BIDDEFORD, Maine — A rare 148-year-old baseball card discovered at a rural Maine yard sale has been auctioned for $92,000.

The card depicting the Brooklyn Atlantics amateur baseball club was sold by Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford Wednesday night and it drew plenty of interest.

Bidding started at $10,000 and quickly rose to the final $92,000, which included an 18-percent premium.

Dear Babe: While cleaning out my grandparent’s house, I came across some old black and white post cards with a variety of players such as Lefty Gomez, Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lou Gehrig and Dizzy Dean. They are not written on. I would say they are in great condition. On the back, it says “1973 TCMA, Ltd. Stan Martucci, 44 Dewhurst St., Staten Island, N.Y. 10314.”

HOUSTON -- Barry Sanders knows that his trading cards are bought and sold every day.

When the Hall of Fame running back learned that a Houston couple desperate to have a baby was auctioning off one of his most rare cards to fund one last attempt at in vitro fertilization, he was stunned.

Now the former Detroit Lions star is helping spread the word about the sale of the card signed by both he and Walter Payton so Todd and Ula Nelkin can raise $20,000. It’s hard for Sanders to imagine one of his cards helping bring a child into the world.

Dear Babe: A friend of mine was recently going through some old items left in her garage by her uncle. She found a pair of 14K gold cuff links with the logo of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels engraved on them. The detail is wonderful. The hat has the L.A. logo that the Dodgers use today. What appear to be big ears on the figures are actually angel wings. The bottoms of the shoes are equipped with cleats. Her uncles’ name was Dean Scarborough. He played mostly in the minor leagues during the early 1940s to mid-’50s. My friend believes that he actually ended his baseball career as the manager or coach of the Angels.

Dear Babe: I have a 1941 Dodgers ball. I understand the Dodgers played the New York Yankees in the World Series that year and lost. Some of the names on the ball are Chuck Dressen, Leo Durocher, Lew Riggs, Curt Davis, Pee Wee Reese, Hugh Casey, Cookie Lavagetto, Dolph Camilli, Dixie Walker, Pete Reiser and Mickey Owen. It’s an official Spalding National League baseball with "Ford C. Frick" stamped on it.

Dear Babe: Over the years, I’ve collected 17 autographs on one Official Little League baseball. There was 13 Hall of Famers -- Willie Mays, Eddie Mathews, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Willie McCovey, Johnny Bench, Stan Musial, Pee Wee Reese, Al Kaline, Lou Brock, Hank Greenberg and Yogi Berra.