{"id":44110,"date":"2017-06-25T23:27:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T04:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=44110"},"modified":"2017-06-25T23:27:47","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T04:27:47","slug":"collectibles-column-collectors-discuss-value-benoit-items-10-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/06\/25\/collectibles-column-collectors-discuss-value-benoit-items-10-years-later\/","title":{"rendered":"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Collectors Discuss the Value of Benoit Items 10 Years Later"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2761033019\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>The Benoit family double murder-suicide was the ugliest, darkest moment in pro wrestling history. A decade later, many wrestling fans still have a difficult time reconciling the events of that weekend with the memories and career of a wrestler who so many fans respected.<\/p>\n<p>The question that is often asked of wrestling fans is, \u201ccan you separate the career of Chris Benoit from the final days of a man who killed his wife and son?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a very tough question,\u201d said Zac George of Topeka, Kan., a longtime wrestling fan and collector of wrestling autographs. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever be able to truly separate what he did to his family from his career. That being said, advances in medicine have really helped us understand what might have caused Chris Benoit to snap. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is real, and it is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PWTorch.com has been publishing the Collectibles Column since January 2011. Six years later, readers still write in with more questions about Benoit items than those of any other wrestler. Collectors often stumble across a Benoit autograph or action figure that they want to buy or sell, and really have no idea how to determine a fair price.<\/p>\n<p>Many of Benoit\u2019s collectibles \u2013 such as trading cards, autographs and vintage T-shirts \u2013 have largely held their value over the last six or seven years. Benoit\u2019s signature appeared in only a handful of Topps WWE trading card products before his death, most notably 2006 Topps WWE Chrome Heritage. Ever since Benoit\u2019s death, that card has regularly sold in the $125 to $150 range, and earlier this week, one sold on eBay for \u00a3100 (about $127). Benoit\u2019s top card is a 1998 Topps WCW Autograph, but that card changes hands so infrequently that it\u2019s tough to come up with a value.<\/p>\n<p>Collectors often write in with questions about signed Benoit items, and are often disappointed with how little they are worth. Sellers on eBay regularly ask anywhere from $500 to $1,000 for a signed Benoit item, such as an 8&#215;10 photo, but the reality is that those items aren\u2019t worth anywhere near that amount. Most signed 8x10s with PSA\/DNA certification have been selling for around $75 lately, and signed items without any sort of authentication usually won\u2019t sell for more than $30.<\/p>\n<p>Vintage WWE and WCW T-shirts are tough to find in good condition, so collectors are sometimes willing to spend a decent amount on those. Most recently, a couple of auctions for a vintage Benoit WWE shirt ended at around $50 and $75, respectively. This particularly morbid shirt reads, \u201cVictim of the Crossface\u201d and shows an x-ray of a bone snapping.<\/p>\n<p>Jakks-Pacific made WWE action figures from 1996 to 2009, and as supply has dried up over the last six or seven years, secondary market sale prices have increased somewhat for many figures. Six years ago, Benoit\u2019s figures were routinely selling in the $5 to $10 range for loose figures, or $10 to $15 for packaged figures. Many figures on eBay are still selling in that same range, perhaps even a little less.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3919172060\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The sluggish sale prices of older Benoit action figures are interesting. This is probably a sign that collectors already have the figures they want, and aren\u2019t driving up secondary market prices to get another.<\/p>\n<p>It may also be an indication that parents aren\u2019t buying Benoit action figures for their kids.<\/p>\n<p>Today, many longtime wrestling fans have kids of their own who are playing with wrestling toys. Thanks to the WWE Network, YouTube and the overall plethora of vintage wrestling content that is available, parents often turn to eBay to buy their kids figures of yesterday\u2019s wrestlers. But many parents probably avoid Benoit figures, and are careful to pick out any Benoit toys that may show up in lots that they\u2019ve purchased online.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy youngest daughter actually just got her first wrestling ring and figures a few weeks ago,\u201d said Scott Toon, cohost of the Fully Poseable Wrestling Figure Podcast. \u201cI would not allow my kids to play with or collect (Benoit) figures. I would be very honest with them as to why, and let them know that we cannot support a person who did what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jerry Saurbeir, who has young children of his own in what he described as a \u201ccrazy wrestling household,\u201d echoed Toon\u2019s sentiments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a parent, I would have trouble with that until I had a talk with either my son or daughter,\u201d Sauerbeir said, but noted, \u201cyou can choose to like the wrestler or hate the evil the sport brought upon him. I&#8217;ll let them decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saurbeir was featured in a PWTorch Collectibles Column in April 2011 because of a truly unique item in his vast wrestling collection. Saurbeir owns one of the 12 turnbuckle pads from WrestleMania XX in 2004, where Benoit defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H to win WWE\u2019s World Heavyweight Championship. The pad is signed by Benoit and inscribed \u201cWrestleMania XX World Champion,\u201d and was sold directly by WWE after the event. He still has the item displayed with the rest of his collection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen friends come over, they really like the items,\u201d Saurbeir said of his collection. \u201cThe turnbuckle goes over well, actually. Family is a bit different; I get that, though. I always have to reiterate it&#8217;s a signed turnbuckle from WrestleMania XX.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1180919628\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>George, who has an extensive collection of rare vintage wrestling autographs, has an item signed by both Benoit and his wife Nancy, aka Woman. He purchased the signatures from a fan who met the couple in Des Moines, Ia., in the 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, the Benoits were a huge part of my childhood, whether it be in WCW or WWE,\u201d George said. \u201cTo have both their signatures on one item, I thought that was a great piece of wrestling history, aside from what happened in their personal lives. I will admit it can be eerie to look at when I walk into my office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the question of whether Benoit\u2019s career can be separated from his final actions, fans and collectors have differing opinions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is certainly an interesting topic,\u201d Saurbeir said. \u201cI stand by separating the tragedy from the wrestler. It&#8217;s not a popular decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toon disagrees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I hear the name Benoit, I think \u2018killer,\u2019 not \u2018wrestler,\u2019\u201d Toon said. \u201cI still have a very hard time even speaking his name or talking about him in general. He doesn&#8217;t deserve to be recognized for anything but the tragedy that he caused his family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THE PRIOR COLUMN:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/06\/13\/collectibles-column-best-worst-weirdest-action-figures-randy-savage\/\">COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Action Figures of Randy Savage<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at <\/i><a href=\"mailto:michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com\"><i>michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com<\/i><\/a><i>. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter.<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1274557986\"><div id=\"pwtor-2649348375\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The Benoit family double murder-suicide was the ugliest, darkest moment in pro wrestling history. A decade later, many wrestling fans still have a difficult time reconciling the events of that weekend with the memories and <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/06\/25\/collectibles-column-collectors-discuss-value-benoit-items-10-years-later\/\" title=\"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Collectors Discuss the Value of Benoit Items 10 Years Later\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,52,27],"tags":[864,5398,4284,820],"class_list":["post-44110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-specialists_collectibles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","tag-chris-benoit","tag-ebay","tag-jakks-pacific","tag-topps"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/06\/CollectiblesBenoit.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44110"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44113,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44110\/revisions\/44113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}