The Untouchable

"I've been in the industry for 30 years, and I can't tell you any other athlete who has seen that kind of impact in our world," says Bob Wilke, executive director of the collectors convention.

And so the mystery goes: What in that room could have been so valuable that Simpson would risk jail time to get it?

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First, let's state the obvious: Guys -- sports collectors are almost entirely male -- are willing to pay a lot of money for stuff that might be neat but, frankly, is not worth much as an object of historical merit.

It's a business driven by the rush of fame and thrill of athletic prowess. Big-name players such as Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts make exclusive deals with companies to sign almost anything, and the markup once their signatures are attached is stunning.

An authentic New York Yankees jersey will run you $174 on the league's Web site. Take that jersey, have Rodriguez sign it with "Bronx Bombers" added by his name and it will be priced at $922 at Pro Sports Memorabilia, a popular online outlet. His signature on a $30 baseball runs you $425. A duplicate Manning jersey from the NFL retails at $189; Pro Sports has a jersey like that signed by Manning for $530. A regulation pro football costs about $80. Steiner Sports, a competing memorabilia agency, will sell you a "Super Bowl XLI ball," signed by Manning, for $549.

These are fine as fashion items and game-day statements, provided you've got the cash, but dealers will tell you that in no way are they one-of-kind treasures or any kind of "investment." Players sign these things all day long. There are thousands upon thousands of them, and the minute they run out, athletes are under contract to produce more.

"Any of these manufactured items that are not game-used or part of the game are not rare and won't have much value," says Dan Hitt, football price guide editor for Beckett Media, which publishes price guides for all sorts of sports memorabilia. "The value of things for living athletes is usually less than what collectors will think."

Of course, we've been talking small potatoes.

Let's go back to Mastro, who runs the upscale auction house.

He recently auctioned a mint condition Mickey Mantle 1952 rookie baseball card, one of the most sought-after cards ever made. (It's a drawing, not a photograph.) It drew 15 bids and sold for $77,672. A complete set of Cracker Jack 1915 trading cards featuring iconic names like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner and Connie Mack sold for $262,701. These are all little cards of paper. But because they are perfectly preserved, because they are very rare, because they depict popular athletes of great skill and achievement -- and because grown men think these things are extremely important -- they are worth fortunes.

So where does an accomplished athlete and pop culture figure like Simpson fall?