ROGER MARIS CARDS, WORLD SERIES TICKETS AND NFL KICKERS

We often spotlight headline-making auction items that bring crazy prices. This time out, let’s focus on three budget-friendly collecting targets, starting here.

Sixty years ago, Roger Maris did the impossible when he eclipsed baseball’s most revered record: Babe Ruth’s mark of 60 homers in a season. Maris’ 61st dinger, hit at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 1961, capped an amazing season. Yet Maris never reached the Hall of Fame and, as we know, players in that “next level below” are usually underappreciated in the hobby.

So it is with Maris: His rookie card, a 1958 Topps issue, has long been an undervalued piece. Consider these recent eBay auctions:

• One PSA 9 specimen of Maris’ rookie got away for $2,550 on 74 bids. That price is far below what PSA