Memorabilia

A collection of Atlantic City memorabilia, recalling those days when it was famous for its ocean piers and burlesque, not its casinos, will be offered at 10 a.m. tomorrow by Barry Slosberg Inc., 232 N. Second St. It is one of several sales next week rich in nostalgia. The 250 lots of Atlantic City memorabilia, mostly photos, postcards and publications, were consigned by a Philadelphian who used to work at the Trocadero and at the Shore, Slosberg said. Among the more rare souvenirs in the collection are two symbolic "keys" to the city, one about 6 inches long, the other about 10. "I hear these are impossible to find," Slosberg said.

Less than a year after his death, some of Robin Roberts' most prized possessions are for sale. Items such as Roberts' Hall of Fame induction ring, his 2008 World Series ring, 1950 National League championship ring, and a bat used in the 1952 All-Star Game are going up for auction. On April 12 at the Diamond Club in Citizens Bank Park, a live event will be conducted by Hunt Auctions. Attendance will be limited on a reserved basis. A $20 reservation fee will be charged, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Phillies Charities.

A chilling depiction of a lynching and a touching - and curiously artistic - slave cradle are among more than two dozen items of black folk art that will be offered Wednesday at Freeman/Fine Arts. The sale is one of several during the next few days that will specialize in Americana. Though such items of memorabilia from black history are often considered offensive by today's standards, they command a steady market among blacks interested in artifacts from their past, said Freeman/Fine Arts auctioneer Jonathan Gay. The cradle is identified, according to a label, as having been made in the 1860s, to be used in the cotton fields.

Marilyn, Elvis, the Beatles and Kiss. They'll all be at the Philadelphia Collectibles Extravaganza and FanFair Sunday at the Valley Forge Convention and Exhibit Center in King of Prussia. Not in person, of course, but represented by memorabilia offered by the nearly 100 dealers expected at the event. Celebrities who are expected to show up include Davy Jones, former member of the Monkees singing group, and Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster from The Munsters TV show. Jones will be there from noon to 4 p.m. to sign autographs (for a $10 fee)

For political memorabilia collectors, Philadelphia is the center of the universe. Not even Boston, New York, and Washington can top the attic-discovery potential of local ancestral estates. Tom Slater, the director of Americana at Heritage, which sells high-end memorabilia from politicians, once lived in Haddonfield and knows firsthand what can be found here. His mentor, a well-known dealer, told him Philadelphia was one of the best places in the country to find great items. "Unlike so many cities, it had never had a major natural disaster of any kind — fire, flood, earthquake," he said.

Robin Roberts Jr. probably won't be at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday when the memorabilia his late father accumulated over a lifetime will be auctioned. "I think there's a college baseball game that night. I'll just watch that," Roberts said. "I don't know if I can watch the auction. It's very difficult. " He'd rather not see someone bid on the trophy the Phillies Hall of Famer won for being Michigan's best college basketball player; or on his 1950 National League championship ring, the one inscribed with "Whiz Kids"; or on the ball Babe Ruth signed for the pitcher.

The Hall of Fame has asked lefthander Jamie Moyer for some sort of memorabilia to commemorate his record-setting game on Tuesday, when the 49-year-old became the oldest pitcher ever to win a major-league contest. Moyer wasn't sure whether the Hall wanted his glove or maybe his whole Colorado Rockies uniform, but he said he would send something to Cooperstown. "To have your name mentioned with great players of the past or Hall of Fame players, it's pretty special," the former Phillie said after his seven efficient innings beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3. Moyer is 49 years and 150 days old. Jack Quinn of the Brooklyn Dodgers was 49 years and 70 days old on Sept.

At his death last May at age 83, Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts left behind a treasure trove of memorabilia that he had collected during the course of his 19-season career in the major leagues. He also left behind four sons, who found themselves faced with a vexing question: Who gets what? Who gets the signed Babe Ruth ball? Who gets the 1950 National League championship ring? Who gets the collection of hand-painted game-used baseballs from more than 100 of his 286 career victories?

Howdy Doody's political career might have nose-dived after 1948, when the wooden superstar was the third-highest vote-getter, behind Harry S. Truman and Thomas Dewey, in real and make-believe presidential elections. But a half-century later, he's ready for a comeback. That's what Jack Koch figures. "I'm expecting a big Howdy Doody surge," he said. Universal Studios recently bought the Doody movie rights, Koch said, and don't expect NBC to ignore the 50th anniversary of one its earliest and most popular children's TV shows.