CAVEAT COLLECTOR; NEWCOMERS TOLD TO BE CAREFUL IN MEMENTO MARKET.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

Max Himmelstein has two words of advice for neophyte collectors looking to make a killing in the memorabilia market - slow down.

``People come into my store and want to buy everything in the store,'' says Himmelstein, owner of Valley Baseball Card for the past 17 years. ``I always tell them to take their time. Otherwise, they'll get tired of what they bought and come back in six months trying to sell it back.''

Currently, more than three dozen retailers in the San Fernando Valley sell collectibles, with more than half offering sports items and the rest specializing in areas such as movie-star autographs and posters, records, plates, postcards and Barbies.

The choices can be overwhelming. For example, sports cards' sales jumped from 250 million in 1988 to 1.2 billion in 1991, when the speculative boom in cards peaked. Sales have been sliding ever since, but card companies have hardly given up and will have printed about 600 million cards this year.

Additionally, many of the companies have resorted to gimmickry to make their brands stand out amid declining profits at such leading players as Topps Co. and Marvel Entertainment Group. Some of these include packaging in tin cans, swatches from a player's jersey used in a game, chrome-plated cards, CD-ROMs that review a player's career and packs that contain at least one card guaranteed to contain an actual autograph.

``My basic advice has always been to collect what you like, whether it's valuable or not,'' says Bob Brill, owner of KC Kings in Ventura and a consultant to a variety of trading card companies. ``If you collect what you like and it becomes valuable, then you really win. If it doesn't, well, so what?''

With so many different items available, it pays to proceed cautiously rather than plunging forward. ``I tell people who are starting out to go to a hobby store rather than buy from a catalog or a show, because you'll be getting advice from someone who's in business to stay in the business,'' Brill says.

Currently, the most popular collectibles are autographed sports cards, usually priced $10 and up. Among the most sought-after signatures of current stars - the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mike Piazza, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan.

Retired or deceased stars who still sell well include Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Items bearing DiMaggio's signature continue to be in strong demand, such as $1,200 for an autographed bat and $350 for an autographed fielder's glove. At a recent local show, it cost fans a $175 fee merely to present an item for autographing to the Yankee Clipper.

Movie star autographs tend to command prices in the $50 to $75 range, although that depends greatly on how willing a star is to sign. Robert DeNiro's reluctance to give out autographs makes his signature far more valuable than most, Brill points out.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Mostly, beginning collectors are told to use common sense. Some pointers:

Find a dealer you can trust. ``It pays to look for someone who's been in the business long enough to get a good reputation,'' says veteran card trader Max Himmelstein.

Obtain certificates of authenticity for autographs such as those supplied by Upper Deck Authenticated and The Scoreboard. ``As things get more valuable, counterfeits come into the market,'' Himmelstein notes. Brill estimates that 40 to 50 percent of autographs sold are likely to be bogus.

Once you become knowledgeable, go to a show where you can meet the star. ``You know the autograph that you've gotten is the real thing and meeting a legend face-to-face is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,'' Brill advises.

?13- Dave McNary

Jordan Rules

Autographed player uniforms are a leading item for collectors, with Michael Jordan's Upper Deck Authenticated special edition jerseys fetching the top prices.

Framed 1984-85 Bulls retro jersey, $3,300

Framed 1995-96 Bulls black jersey for 72-10 record, $3,200

Unframed ``Space Jam'' jersey, $3,000

Unframed November 1994 retirement jersey, $3,000

HOT PROPERTY

There are 11 baseball cards currently worth at least $2,500.Prices are for high range of sales

Babe Ruth, 1949 Leaf, $2,500

Mickey Mantle, 1951 Bowman, $8,000

Willie Mays, 1951 Bowman, $3,200

Willie Mays, 1952 Topps, $2,500

Mickey Mantle, 1953 Bowman, $3,000

Mickey Mantle, 1953 Topps, $3,000

Willie Mays, 1953 Topps, $2,700

Ted Williams, 1954 Bowman, $4,600

Cal Ripken Jr., 1993 Finest Refractor, $2,300

Ken Griffey Jr., 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold, $4,000

Cal Ripken Jr., 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold, $2,500

Source: Beckett Baseball Monthly

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, 3 Boxes, Chart

Photo: (1--3--Color) no caption (Baseball Cards)

Daily News

(4--Color) no caption (Michael Jordan)

Box: (1) KNOW BEFORE YOU GO (See Text)

(2) Jordan Rules (See Text)

(3) HOT PROPERTY (See Text)

Chart: BOOM AND BUST