GUEST: I have Palmer Murphy statues. The Hall of Fame selected Palmer Murphy to make these back in the mid-'90s.
APPRAISER: As you said, Palmer Murphy statues. He's been for a long time a favorite of organizations and people who seek to memorialize famous personages in artistic form. Sculptor and illustrator both, and he's exceled at both. Here, we have three of his Hall of Fame-commissioned busts: Musial, Mickey Mantle and of course Babe Ruth. I think you're familiar with the collection. Are you familiar with the ones that are missing?
GUEST: Yes, Jackie Robinson and Lou Gehrig.
APPRAISER: He was commissioned to a limited 550 pieces per athlete, per bust. Makes these spectacularly rare. We don't see many being sold. You got Palmer Murphy's name etched, and the copyright date here in 1996, and this was when the Babe Ruth piece was done. Have you had any idea of the value of these pieces?
GUEST: No, none whatsoever.
APPRAISER: None, okay. Can I ask you how you came to acquire these pieces?
GUEST: Sure. My neighbor originally bought them, and when he was getting on in health, he sold them to me for $100 apiece.
APPRAISER: $100 apiece.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: As a collection, with these three, you're looking at $1,500 to $1,800 at auction. Now, a premium would be placed on the quintet if you had all five, and then you're looking at $3,500 to $4,000, okay? Still, you made out pretty well from your purchase several years back.
GUEST: Oh, yes, I did.
