She had a passion for Peter Forsberg.

That would be hockey player Peter Mattias Forsberg, who spent most of his professional career with the Colorado Avalanche.

When the lady found out sports memorabilia dealers Kim and Tim Attaway had a photo for sale autographed by said Mr. Forsberg, she was overcome.

"She got down on her knees, and we thought she was really having a heart attack," Kim says. "We were very frightened. We were thinking about calling 911 because she was grabbing her chest and she was screaming and she fell on the floor."

That was back when the Attaways sold memorabilia at craft fairs. The couple now has a storefront business, Behind The Glass - Sports Memorabilia & Collectibles, in Casper's Sunrise Shopping Center, but the zeal of sports memorabilia and card collectors hasn't changed much.

"These people love their sports," Tim said. "Religiously."

What constitutes sports memorabilia covers lots of ground. Autographed baseball cards fit the bill. So do autographed bats, balls and articles of clothing.

But tires from racing cars? And not just tires, but engine parts like rods and lifters.

"They're going to be tearing Yankee Stadium down this year. They're going to make a fortune off that because they're going to sell bricks, they'll sell stadium seats, they'll sell everything," Tim says. "That's memorabilia."

The market for sports memorabilia and cards is huge, although its breadth is difficult to quantify. In 2003, the FBI described sports and celebrity memorabilia as a $1 billion-a-year industry.

What's absolutely clear is that people will pay thousands, and even millions, of dollars for items associated with sports heroes.

Consider a 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card that sold for $2.35 million in 2007. Back in the day, the American Tobacco Co. included such cards as a bonus in cigarette packages that cost 15 cents.

Sports memorabilia can increase dramatically in price almost over night. Not long ago, a card signed by Summer Olympics swimming star Michael Phelps could be purchased for $10. The same card recently sold on eBay for $710.

Tim says he can find a baseball bat autographed by legendary slugger Babe Ruth through a reputable company for about $50,000.

The key word here is "reputable." With so much money on the table, there's no shortage of swindlers and fakes. The FBI a few years ago reckoned that at least half of all celebrity and sports memorabilia items were forgeries - including many with certificates of authenticity.

So it's not enough for a big leaguer just to sign a ball anymore, especially if you might want to sell it later.

"Take a picture, save your ticket stubs, save your programs, and as soon as you leave the event, write a notation on the back of the program," Kim says.

And if you happen to discover a baseball signed by Babe Ruth to go along with his $50,000 bat, you can even have it tested for DNA traces of "The Bambino."

The Attaways obtain memorabilia through recognized distributors like Upper Deck and Steiner. Sports stars often have exclusive contracts to provide authentic memorabilia through such companies. Players also enter agreements for official autograph sessions.

"The signings themselves are very expensive," Kim says. "The players themselves will ask for like $100,000 just to sign 300 items. So what happens is more than one company has to go in on it."

People sometimes bring items by the shop and inquire about their value. A woman from Lingle brought in a box of circa 1950 baseball cards found in the loft of a barn. This was the era of Hall of Famers like Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams.

Kim will do a quick search of memorabilia, and perhaps give the owner an idea of its worth, but the Attaways won't attempt to buy it.

Tim says people with cards and memorabilia, who don't know the worth of what they have, frequently are rooked by unscrupulous buyers.

In addition to selling memorabilia, Tim does custom framing. His creations often are designed for sports memorabilia by blending the items with team insignias and colors.

Despite the big industry sports memorabilia has become, kids frequently behave in much the same way kids have always behaved - forking out their allowance for a couple packs of sports cards, checking to see if they got anything worth a shout, then shoving the lot in their back pocket. Some might even turn to a time-honored practical use.

"I had the best looking bike spokes," Kim says. "And now I want to cringe because Tim and I could be retired."

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@trib.com, or call 307-266-0574.