By Michael Moore, PWTorch collectibles specialist

What has Maria Kanellis been up to since leaving WWE? Dressing as the teacher you’ve always wished you had, apparently.

The former WWE Diva is included in the new Benchwarmer "Hot for Teacher" series of trading cards. The Benchwarmer line of cards has been around for several years, and features trading cards of models, athletes, actresses, and other celebrities. Wrestling stars like Torrie Wilson, Kimberly Page, Traci Brooks, and Gail Kim have been included in past Benchwarmer sets.

The latest series, Hot for Teacher, features all of the models dressed as seductive teachers. There are several cards of Maria, including autographs, lip prints and memorabilia cards that contain pieces of the top, skirt, and shoes that she wore during the photo shoot for these cards.




Sticking with the teacher theme, there are also cut signatures that feature autographs on standard notebook paper inserted into the cards; Maria signed hers, “That’s Miss Maria to you!”

Keep in mind that Benchwarmer cards are definitely made for adult collectors. While there is no nudity, the images on the cards are very suggestive.

Price guides for action figures

Several readers have written in asking if there are any price guides available for wrestling action figures. While there are guides available, it’s important to note that values fluctuate so often, they aren’t the most reliable source.

For decades, all collectors needed was a monthly or quarterly price guide to track the values of their collections. But, starting in the late 1990s, collectibles like trading cards and action figures were selling and trading online much more frequently, so many price guides were outdated by the time they were printed.

Many collectors relied on ToyFare Magazine, a product of Wizard Entertainment, for their price guide needs; however, that magazine went out of business earlier this year.

Today, the best way to determine the value of an item is to track sales on eBay, and talk with other collectors on sites like wrestlingfigures.com and nonsportscardforum.com.

If you must have a hard copy of a price guide, Lee’s Toy Review provides a pretty good guide. Keep in mind, however, that it is just that: a guide, not a list of definitive values. Price guides like this can be good to track the value of items that don’t sell often, but the values of most wrestling collectibles are constantly changing.

Update on WWE Chipz

The new 2011 Topps WWE Chipz were featured in this column two weeks ago. Since then, there has been a flurry of activity online among collectors who are trying to put together sets or are hoping to pick up a chip of their favorite wrestler.

Many of the top wrestlers, such as John Cena, C.M. Punk, and Edge, are selling in the $4-5 range. Chips of favorites like Daniel Bryan and John Morrison are also selling for about the same amount, as are chips of Divas like Kelly Kelly, Kaitlyn, and Nikki Bella. The more common chips have been selling in the $2-3 range.

The gold, silver, and ruby chips – which are inserted at a rate of 1:24 packs for each color – have been very strong sellers because so few have surfaced online. Here is a list of some of the top sellers so far, and how much they have fetched:

Eve Silver ($26.99)
Randy Orton Gold ($24.99)
Edge Gold ($22.00)
Natalya Silver ($20.26, $12.99, $8.48)
Daniel Bryan Silver ($13.50)
Alberto Del Rio Gold ($12.99, $12.86, $9.50)
Sheamus Gold ($12.99)
Alex Riley Ruby ($12.49)
Christian Silver ($11.99)
John Morrison Silver ($10.99)
Jack Swagger Silver ($10.99)
R-Truth Ruby ($9.99)
Santino Marella Ruby ($9.99)
Mark Henry Silver ($8.50)
Chavo Guerrero Silver ($7.75)
Wade Barrett Silver ($6.99)

There are currently a handful of each color being offered on eBay, such as gold Chipz of John Cena and Randy Orton, silver Chipz of John Morrison and Kane, and ruby Chipz of Ted DiBiase and Ezekiel Jackson.

As more of these Chipz surface, the value is likely to drop. However, there are so few offered for sale right now that the hardcore collectors are competing with one another and driving up the prices.

The values of these Chipz will continue to be monitored in this column in the coming weeks. If you have bought or sold any of the gold, silver or ruby Chipz, feel free to send an e-mail to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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