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searching for rare variants that occasionally Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer.
popped up. Sports card companies got in on He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian
the act, partnering with producers or creating Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets
their own figurines. Among the companies over his two decades in the hobby. His experience
that capitalized on the craze was Pacific, who, also includes two books on sports cards and
to help promote their Heads Up card-and- memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at
bobble line, issued a figure of their owner, @jonwaldman.
Mike Cramer. WorthPoint Corporation is the largest
Like many pieces in an era when sports resource for researching, valuing, and buying &
memorabilia struggled to maintain a continual selling antiques, art, and vintage collectibles.
audience, bobbleheads fell by the wayside. The suite of offerings on WorthPoint.com
While the mainstream pieces have almost includes a price guide for researching and
completely disappeared from stores and valuing antiques, art, and collectibles; a resource
shelves, they continue to have an audience in gallery for identifying makers’ marks; and, a
digital library of books from leading publishers
on a wide range of collecting topics.
WorthPoint’s Price Guide gives subscribers access
to more than 735 million historical prices and
This nodder of famous baseball professional
Mickey Mantle sold for $1,899.99 in 2021. over 1.2 billion photographs. This data is
aggregated from online marketplaces, including
www.worthpoint.com
eBay, and from some of the leading auction
houses in the country.
the secondary market thanks to the contin-
uation of the figures as stadium giveaways. https://www.worthpoint.com/articles/collectibles/give-it-
These pieces are getting closer to realistic a-nod-celebrating-national-bobblehead-day
proportions, albeit the heads are still
oversized. There is also some fun mixed into Title Bobblehead Images:
these pieces, with some fantastical elements Wayne Gretzky New York Rangers Bighead
mixing sports and other themes. Bobblehead, foco.com

Ultimately, bobbleheads will not be Tiger Woods 2019 Championship Moment
disappearing from sports memorabilia Bobblehead Officially Licensed by PGA, ebay.com

consciousness anytime soon. They are niche Tom Brady New England Patriots Special Edition
and do not have the mainstream popularity
Vintage Red Sox bobbleheads from the 1960s were 3-Foot Bobblehead NFL, ebay.com

not player-specific, unlike the bobbleheads of today. they once enjoyed, but they are fun pieces to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nascar Special Edition
pick up and can carry good value as well.
www.worthpoint.com Bobblehead, bobbleheadhall.com

Bobbleheads at Auction

Connor McDavid Promo Bobblehead 49ers Bobblehead
Bobblehead
The holy grail of baseball A jumbo 15” NFL bobble-
Hockey fans of the Edmonton bobbleheads, a 14-inch-tall head made in the early 1960s
Oilers can’t get enough of bobblehead created to and styled as a player for the
Connor McDavid – or, it promote a series of smaller San Francisco 49ers. It was
seems, pay enough for a versions that would be distributed by the Otagiri
larger-than-life version of available across the country, Mercantile Company out of
Edmonton’s hockey hero. sold through Heritage Japan in the 1950s. While the
This past March, a 6’7” tall Auctions in 2019 for jumbo versions were intended
Connor McDavid bobble- $90,000. The ultra-rare relic as an incentive to buy the smaller
head, autographed by the was manufactured in Japan ones, it is estimated that only
superstar himself—one of only two in and consigned by the around five jumbo bobbleheads
existence—went for $7,600 at an auction to grandson of a Japanese national and co-owner were made per NFL team as they
benefit the Edmonton Oilers Community of the Otagiri Mercantile Company which were listed back in the ‘50s.
Foundation (EOCF). distributed it nearly 60 years ago. Jumbos were most likely made by
hand-painting on molded ceramic
1975 Eagles 1961 NY pieces. Today’s bobbleheads are
made of plastic.
Bobbleheads Yankees
Bobblehead Kobe
A listing for 21 cases of
12/case New/Unopened/ This 1961 New This is a 3-foot-tall Kobe
Mint 1975 Eagles Bobble York Yankees bob- Bryant LA Lakers bobblehead.
Head dolls sold for blehead appeared This rare example is number
$16,500 on eBay. The on eBay, valued at 55 of just 100 bobbleheads
cardboard cases holding $59,750. Like other made in this series with the #8
the bobbleheads are in highly valuable bobbleheads, this example does jersey as seen. Great for any
near-mint condition. Each not feature any particular player. This is just collector to fill their collections
bobblehead has a value of one of two in existence, and that is how it with special editions. Asking
$99.95 or $1,200/case. The sold price is just commanded such a high price. $5,000 on eBay.
over half of this stated value.
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