Tips for collecting and storing sports cards. Starting a collection can be fun and profitable if you know what cards to collect, how to take proper care of them, and where to store them.
People have enjoyed collecting sports cards for years. Beginning with the tobacco baseball cards as far back as the 1870's, collectors have been fascinated with those little cardboard pieces of paper. Within the last fifty years, other sports cards like football, basketball and hockey have also become very collectible. Whether you are planning to start a collection or already have one, there are some things you should keep in mind.
When you start a collection, you need to decide if you are doing it for your own pleasure or as an investment. Many cards are very profitable, especially rookie cards. But remember that the card is only worth what you can get someone to pay for it. There are price guides that give you an idea of a card's value, but until you actually find someone willing to give you that price, all you have is a potential value. Remember that card values may change over time. Players rise and fall in popularity due to performance, longevity and scandal among other things. Cards that are rare will be highly valuable and sought after. The 1910 Honus Wagner tobacco card is the most valuable sports card ever, selling for upwards to one million dollars. This is due to its rarity. Honus Wagner opposed smoking and only 50 cards were distributed before he had them stop production. Autographed cards generally have a lower value rather than a higher one. This is due to the question of authenticity of the autograph and many are signed specifically to the owners, thus lowering any resale value.
Many people collect in different ways. Some have one or more favorite players and they collect all their cards. Some have a favorite brand name, like Topps, and they collect only those cards. Some do a mixture of different sports - baseball, hockey, soccer, etc. No matter what you decide to collect - have fun with it. Plan out how you are going to collect. Are you going to purchase hot rookie cards in hopes that one day they will become Hall of Famers? Are you going to concentrate on the classics like Mickey Mantle and Joe Dimaggio? Are you going to collect entire sets of cards or just the ones you like? If you are collecting for your own pleasure, find cards you like. Some of your favorite cards may look very nice, but be worth little to nothing. That's fine - that is part of the art of collecting!
You should take care with your cards. Kids of the fifties and sixties liked to put the cards in the spokes of their bicycles, but later found that was not the best way to store them. If you are collecting a lot of cards, you might want to keep your common cards in cardboard boxes specifically made for card storage. Common cards are the ones that are usually not worth very much (one dollar or less). Storing them in the box allows you to put very many in a small space, plus keep them from getting them bent and damaged. Many collectors will buy a factory set - that is an entire collection of cards for a year - and these sets normally come in a cardboard box for storing. If you want to be able to identify your common cards easily, you can put them in order by card brand then number and use dividers to separate different sets. More valuable cards should be stored in a photo album type folder with plastic sleeves. This allows the cards to be viewed more easily. Premium cards - those of great value - can be stored in hard plastic cardholders. These often either snap or screw together. These hard plastic cardholders provide complete protection for the cards and can then be placed in the plastic sleeve of a folder. Most collectors arrange their folders somehow. You might arrange it starting with the most valuable cards, by players (if you have many cards of favorite players), by team or by card brand and number.
In the old days, collectors kept up with what cards they had or needed on paper. But today's technology allows you to keep your list on your computer. And one advantage, other than speed of lookup, is the list can be backup. You can purchase a database specifically for card collecting or create your own if you are talented enough. A database of what you have also will help if you intend to insure your more valuable cards.
While guides like Beckett only gives you a potential value of your card, it is a good guideline to what cards are worth and what you should be paying for them. Beckett also does card grading. Grading lets the collector know the condition of a card, but also values it for potential buyers. Grading also authenticates cards (beware, there are fakes out there!). Things such as rounded corners, creases and tears will diminish the value of a card. Grading will give you a good idea of exactly what condition a card is in. Graded cards also have a higher resale value. Finally, after the cards are graded by professionals, they are placed in a hard plastic cardholder for protection and labeled with the grading.
The most important thing in card collecting is to create a collection you will be proud of and like to show off. But it is important to treat them with good care - you might want to pass them down to future generations.
