reggie, the pope is kicking barry's ass right now...

Los Angeles - Of all the athlete trading cards on the United States market today, the most valuable is not that of baseball great Barry Bonds or basketball star Shaquille O'Neal but noted skier and outdoorsman Karol Wojtyla - the late Pope John Paul II.

Beckett Media, whose pricing guides are the acknowledged arbiters of value for collectible trading cards, said on Tuesday a limited-edition Pope John Paul II from the 2005 World Treasures line of card maker Topps has sold for $8 100.

The Topps series includes other historical figures like Czar Paul I and King Frederick the Great, though their cards are trading for around $3 000. All the cards in the series have etchings of the figures' autographs.

In comparison, Beckett said, regular cards depicting Barry Bonds, who is contending for baseball's all-time home run record, have never sold for more than $1 200.