Simpson befuddles collectors

Don't be surprised if the orange boxers O.J. Simpson wore during his brief stay at the Clark County Detention Center appear on eBay. But buyers beware: The underwear might not be worth much.

Few O.J. items are, according to collectors of sports memorabilia.

In fact, collectors were puzzled by the list of memorabilia that Simpson sought when he barged into a Palace Station hotel room with gun-toting accomplices Sept. 13.

Simpson and his cohorts were arrested and face a variety of charges including kidnapping in connection with taking what one victim claims was $75,000 in memorabilia.

Simpson spent four days in jail before he was released Thursday on $125,000 bond.

"In reading the various news reports, the officials in our hobby were confused by the description of what was there," said Thomas O'Connell, editor of Sports Collectors Digest. "It didn't jump off the page as something worth risking your freedom for."

When Mastro Auctions President Doug Allen heard of the break-in, he assumed Simpson was going after valuables such as his Heisman Trophy or his championship ring. Then he read the list of items.

"From the junk I saw, it's not very valuable at all," Allen said.

When Las Vegas police revealed that two dealers staying at the hotel were prepared to sell Simpson memorabilia, many sports fans wondered: Is there really a demand for O.J. Simpson items?

Opinions vary on whether collectors still seek memorabilia signed by Simpson and, if so, why they do it.

Bradford Winslow, assistant manager of Field of Dreams in the Caesars Forum Shops, said few memorabilia enthusiasts who drop by his store inquire about O.J. Simpson collectibles. And those who do, he said, are usually being facetious.

"Before this recent incident, over the past year and a half I've had a few requests for some of his items, but only a few," Winslow said, noting that many football enthusiasts are after items signed by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady or Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning.

When a customer asks if he has O.J. memorabilia, Winslow doesn't even need to check his stock. The answer is no.

Field of Dreams, owned by the Florida-based Dreams Inc., does not sell memorabilia related to controversial figures. The store stopped offering Simpson items after he was acquitted of murder charges in 1995.

Simpson is not the only athlete shunned by the store. When Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted on dog-fighting charges, Field of Dreams pulled his items, even though Vick had autographed some at the store just months before.

But Winslow isn't concerned about losing money by not selling Simpson memorabilia.

"His signature even after the earlier incident, it hasn't been real popular," Winslow said. "I would suggest that his value has dropped from that moment."

Although Winslow said his store distances itself from controversial figures, it has a contract with baseball legend Pete Rose, who has been locked out of the Hall of Fame because he admitted betting on baseball games while he was a player and manager.

"He bet on baseball. You can't compare betting on baseball with killing dogs or killing people," Winslow said.

Still, some collectors are interested in a piece of the Juice.

"It can be a conversation piece whether you like him or hate him," said Steve Zurita at The Sports Shop in The District at Green Valley Ranch. "If he dies, the value would go up. All memorabilia goes up when you die."

Some sports junkies collect Simpson's memorabilia because they believe his items will increase in value. Others simply want a piece of history.

Allen, president of the Chicago-based Mastro Auctions, said Simpson's game-worn jerseys will always be valuable, although the price tag plummets with each of Simpson's run-ins with the law.

A University of Southern California jersey worn by the Heisman Trophy winner was once worth about $20,000. Now it might fetch $8,000, according to Allen.

"The reality is, he was one of the best backs to ever step on a football field," Allen said. "His game-used jersey, as despicable a person as he is, is going to be valuable."

A decrease in value of memorabilia is expected when any athlete becomes controversial.

When San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds knocked home run No. 756 out of the ballpark, surpassing Hank Aaron's long-standing home-run record, few could guess how much that ball might fetch.

Bonds is suspected of using steroids, which taints the value of the ball and the record.

Fashion designer Mark Ecko paid $752,467 for Bonds' ball, a far cry from the $2.7 million Todd McFarlane paid for Mark McGwire's single-season record 70th home run ball.

At the time, McGwire was not suspected of using steroids. In 1999, McFarlane called the ball an "unmatched piece of sports memorabilia." But since McGwire declined to answer questions about steroid use at a congressional hearing, his popularity has gone the way of a sinker ball.

"If they resold Mark McGwire's ball, it would be worth as much as the coffee cup sitting on my desk," Allen said. "Well, it would go for less than $100,000."

So what about those orange boxers? "I wouldn't be the one to ask," O'Connell said.

Different breeds of memorabilia collectors exist. Some display their goods in stores such as Field of Dreams. Others shop their memorabilia around using different venues, such as hotel rooms.

Backroom dealers hawk "game-worn" jerseys or autographed photos that have not been authenticated.

For example, dealers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong, the men involved in the Simpson confrontation, possessed the dress suit that Simpson wore when he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman. The suit means little without an authenticity certificate.

O'Connell said respectable collectors work hard to maintain a positive image and promote the trade as a family hobby. That's why many collectors keep their distance from notorious characters such as Simpson.

"These kinds of things don't help," O'Connell said of the incident involving Beardsley and Fromong.

According to Fromong's eBay Web site, interest in his O.J. items is not overwhelming.

Fromong is hawking for $109.99 a Buffalo Bills helmet that O.J. Simpson signed while in jail. The highest bid on Friday afternoon was $15.

Other eBay sellers aren't having much better luck. One seller hopes to collect $395 for a 1970 plastic O.J. Simpson cup signed by the Juice. The highest bid was $14.95. Sixteen months' worth of tapes of Simpson's trial on murder charges is offered for $500. The highest bid? Ten bucks.

There is little doubt that more Simpson items will appear at memorabilia shows and auction sites because of the latest charges filed against the 60-year-old, O'Connell said. But those items won't likely make anyone a millionaire.

Although some amateur collectors might want Simpson memorabilia for the sake of owning a piece of history, few are willing to put up the big bucks to get it.

"They'll be upping the supply at what seems like a good time, but there are a lot of decent collectors that simply won't have anything to do with him, and that's going to limit the demand," said O'Connell, who believes Simpson's autograph could still be worth $50 or $60.

"There is a curiosity. They'll be on eBay and they'll sell, but things won't change dramatically as far as our hobby.

"As far as O.J., he's been a cooked goose."