Store’s Sports Trading Card Collection Called A Loss On Account Of Rain, Flood

Count Mickey Mantle, Dan Marino and Jerry Rice among the victims of Wednesday’s floods.

Those sports heroes, among others, were on trading cards destroyed when Rock Creek washed over its banks and into Ron Roche’s video/sports memorabilia store in Rockford.

Roche said he lost about 300 of his 2,000 movies, and at least $35,000 worth of sports memorabilia.

“I’m still trying to add it up,” he said.

The cards were more than inventory to Roche, 44, who began collecting them as a sports-crazed kid in San Diego. Later, he played baseball for San Diego State University.

Roche moved from California and bought the video store six years ago, adding the cards and signed pictures, bats and balls as a sideline. Married and a father of four, he also runs an espresso stand in the tiny farm town 15 miles south of the Spokane Valley.

The espresso stand, called Jo to Go, wasn’t flooded.

The value of Mantle trading cards soared after the legendary New York Yankees center fielder died in 1995.

Rice and Marino are still playing. But now they’re superstars, not the rookies pictured in the cards left soggy by the flood.

Roche, who had no flood insurance, figures some of his cards were worth close to $1,000 each.

“The way they are, I wouldn’t give 50 cents for them,” he said.

, DataTimes