My uncle is a collector of just about everything. Most items are immediately identified and he adds them to his collection or passes them on to other collectors. His most recent acquisition is purportedly a Dale Earnhardt Sr. racing tire that was removed during a race in the mid-'90’s? The tire identification number is (5V7VMB65}. It’s a Goodyear #1 Eagle with bright yellow lettering. A yellow (possibly orange) grease pencil mark on the tread area is the number (3) which is almost worn away. He has no COA but the tire is very impressive in any regard as it would fit in any racing fan’s man cave. He paid very little for it so he still got a great deal even if it’s not the real McCoy. I hope some knowledgeable person out there has an answer for him.
I can’t answer your question definitively, but I’ve got a couple of unmolested, known, NASCAR slicks in the attic that were removed from several cars after practice. The ones I have look just like the one in question and both are marked with yellow grease pencils with one having belonged to Dale Jr. and the other from Bobby Labonte’s car. Like your uncle’s tire, the grease pencil marks are faded due to use and handling but still identifiable.
It seems to me that the number 3 grease pencil mark is ID enough. The point could be made that someone was forging marks but the odds of that are not very high at all; at least in my opinion.
To authenticate the tire is impossible without a photograph and an autograph. A photograph of the driver and the tire as well as the recipient is needed. All three must be in the photo. Otherwise, there is no possible way to verify anything. A collector won’t buy without it and some kind of certificate. The value is the same as any other race tire without paperwork and photos. Sorry, I hit the like button on my own post. Some of the autographed tires were not verifiable by experts. Now I see (good) that I can’t react to my own post. Cheaters never prosper.
@ok4450…I agree with you especially the part about forging a “faded” yellow grease pencil mark. That’s basically what I told my uncle when he showed me the tire. I believe the man that sold my uncle the tire has some that are autographed by Dale but he states they will never leave his possession. @pleasedodgevan2…He knows it will never be worth a lot but it’s a great addition to his “man cave” space.
I agree with @pleaseddodgevan2. Unless there is proof positive that it is Sr’s tire, it’s just a guess. This occurred on Pawn Stars and the conclusion was just having a tire that seems like the real thing is not good enough. Of course, if he keeps it around the house as a conversation piece, no harm is done.
BTW, if the original owner has proof, maybe your uncle can copy it. An scanned copy of a picture or signed document should be enough, especially if the original can be inspected.
Thanks for the info. Guess I will keep it for a while and not add pin stripes. My son from SF comes to visit and he think he is the coolest guy in town when he drives my car for a week. My husband has a Porsche Boxter and I get more complements on my car than he does on his!
Sounds like it’s just a worn-out racing tire to me…Even if it once belonged to Dale Earnhardt’s racing team, how does THAT make it worth any more than any other discarded tire??
I guess because SOMEBODY has more money than brains and is willing to pay money for this stuff…But without hard-core documentation, it’s just a worn-out tire…I suspect Earnhardt had more to do than sign and document old tires…Unless of course there was money to be made doing it…Serious money…
I believe the man that sold my uncle the tire has some that are autographed by Dale but he states they will never leave his possession
Hard to take things to the grave with you 
He has more than 1 but is hoarding them? Never understood that unless he feels they are an investment for his survivors to cash in on.
Reminds me of the joke about the guy who dies leaving his estate in cash to his three nephews but with the stipulation they have to throw the cash in his casket before he is buried.
After the funeral, the three are sitting at the bar when the first makes a confession- well guys I have to admit that I only threw 3/4 of the money into the casket and kept 1/4 for myself.
The second one then admits that he threw only 1/2 the money in and kept 1/2 for himself.
The third says, I’m ashamed of the both of you, I threw in a check for the full amount!
I doubt very seriously there is any fraud going on with a grease pencil marked slick tire. Those tires are available by the hundreds and on the cheap after every practice and race. Granted, a number of them are scrap rubber and suitable for display only but a decent number of them are in excellent condition. Their only value would be as a display item or possibly for use, but if a tire was signed off on instead of just being grease number marked the value could be higher if the signature can be authentically proven.
The 2 tires I have were gotten for 40-50 dollars for the pair and only saw a few miles during a practice session. The guy they were gotten from had purchased an entire semi load of the best tires of the lot and was selling them from a building out behind his house after transporting them to OK. Kind of shows how cheap and profitable they were even after transporting them 1500 or so miles; in this case, North Carolina.
All of the tires he had were from a mixed bag of drivers and he sold a lot of those tires to people who run them at the drag strip on 1/4 mile cars.
I realize this post is old but I am going through my parents estate and I found a good year number one Eagle racing tire with a picture of Dale Earnhardt in the center. It has markings actually in pink that indicate 59 which is underlined, 1516, LR -13 and |10|. There is a barcode number 01879498. No idea what I am looking at you’re not sure if this is an actual tire from Dale Earnhardt. And direction would be much appreciated.
For it to be worth decent money, you would have to prove that Dale Earnhardt actually used the tire on his race car. Does the picture have his signature with reference to the tire on back? Is there any paperwork to authenticate it? If not, there is no additional value added, even if Earnhardt did use the tire. It would be a real long shot to find someone from his crew that could authenticate it for you.