Rush Is On for O.J. Mementos : Hobbies: The demand for trading cards and other collectibles has jumped since his arrest. The prices, too, are climbing.

Some people are doing more than just watching as the O.J. Simpson saga unfolds.

Autograph and sports memorabilia buffs are paying top dollar for trading cards, signed footballs and other collectibles linked to Simpson, now in jail in connection with the stabbing death of his ex-wife and her friend.

“Basically, people with stuff to sell are driving up prices by selling to people who don’t usually collect things,” said Pat Boyer, owner of Five Points Sports Cards in north Tustin. “It’s always like this. Something terrible happens, and these people come out of the woodwork.”

With his collegiate and professional football heroics and his subsequent roles as Hollywood actor and TV broadcaster, Simpson clearly was a fan favorite.

“He would have been one of the players we would have been interested in,” said Camron Bussard, a spokesman for Carlsbad-based Upper Deck Authenticated, which markets high-end sports memorabilia autographed by some of the sporting world’s best-known figures. “Players from his generation still have lots of fan interest.”

A Fleetville, Pa., trading card company said Tuesday it is moving ahead with a plan to have Simpson sign 1,000 cards that will be sold later this summer.

Signature Rookies spokesman Paul Golden said Simpson will be able to sign the cards even if he remains in jail. Neither Simpson’s personal attorney, Leroy Taft, nor his defense attorney, Robert Shapiro, returned calls seeking comment.

Golden said Simpson, who signed a contract June 3 to provide the autographs, is to be paid between $20,000 and $100,000.

Though the Simpson story has generated interest among fans nationwide, Southern Californians are paying the highest prices for autographs and mementos, said Tucker Smith, editor of Collector’s Sportslook, a Congers, N.Y., publication that tracks collectible prices.

“We’re getting reports of autographed balls going in the $250 to $300 range, and signed photos going for $30, both of which are double what they used to be,” Smith said. “But it’s a regional thing, driven mostly by L.A.”

Before Simpson’s June 17 arrest, mint condition rookie cards featuring the former Buffalo Bills star running back were retailing nationwide for about $125. Since the arrest, some customers are paying $250 and more for top-quality cards.

Fans also are inquiring about football trading cards featuring Al Cowlings, a journeyman player who gained national fame when TV cameras captured him and Simpson as they drove through Orange and Los Angeles counties in a white Ford Bronco with a fleet of police cars in pursuit.

Sports memorabilia dealers caution inexperienced collectors to proceed with caution when it comes to Simpson items.

“Usually, when something like this happens--the celebrity thing--there are people out there who try to get whatever they can,” said Joe Lester, manager of Baseball Card Dugout in Anaheim.

Fan interest in Simpson memorabilia, however, has not yet hit the level of demand generated by Magic Johnson’s dramatic 1991 announcement that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring from basketball, said John Brewart, owner of Brewart’s Coins, Stamps and Baseball Cards in Anaheim.

“Simpson was never as close to the fans’ hearts as Magic was,” Brewart said. “And he was an active player, while O.J. has been out of the game for a while.”

“One guy sold me his entire O.J. collection because he was disappointed in O.J.,” Brewart said. “But for most others, the cards bring back memories of USC and the Bills and a guy people loved.”

Because of that, collectible experts say, the emotion that is pushing collectors to buy Simpson mementos will likely mean disgruntled customers when prices return to pre-arrest levels.

“My advice is that you’re not going to make lots of money unless you sell 20 minutes after you bought it,” editor Smith said of Simpson memorabilia. “Prices will return to their pre-incident levels. It’s yet another one of those cycles that this industry is famous for.”

In a macabre twist, collectors acknowledged that Simpson memorabilia could again escalate in value, though, if the football-star-turned-broadcaster is found guilty of murder and is sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty.

“This is so unusual,” Smith said. “Collectibles are usually tied to things like, ‘Can a guy hit the ball long?’ or ‘Is he an offensive threat?’ But this whole incident is like watching the Iran-Contra hearings on television, just to see what’s going to happen next.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.