NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Hundreds of vintage Mardi Gras badges, invitations and other memorabilia are missing from a Tulane University collection, says a collector and dealer who has seen a list of items that disappeared.

Rafael Monzon told Nola.com/The Times-Picayune the items, as a group, could be worth $250,000 or more.

Monzon learned about the missing items through his membership in the Mardi Gras Memorabilia Society. Tulane police attended the group’s meeting last Tuesday and asked members to help in an investigation. Officers provided a list, more than 40 pages long, of missing pieces. Monzon said he missed the meeting, but members briefed him about it later.

Tulane spokesman Michael Strecker said the university does not comment on investigations.

Among the missing items is an invitation and admittance card from the Mistick Krewe of Comus’ 1858 ball, its second ever and one of the first in New Orleans.

Also missing are a turn-of-the-century dance card from the now defunct Falstaffians; pins from 19th century Elves of Oberon; programs from the High Priests of Mithras; two dozen medals from Rex.

Monzon said entire folders of material are gone, including the 1887 file from Krewe of Proteus, creator of the city’s second oldest parade.

The invitations and other paper goods were particularly hard hit, he said. Spectacular invitations with intricate folds or die cuts were common. One might fold to reveal alternate imagery, another recombined into sculpture, like a small building, Monzon said.

Monzon said the world of Mardi Gras memorabilia collectors is small, and vintage pieces can sell for hundreds of dollars.

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-05-02-15 1644GMT