Information on collecting pre-1980s authenticated and graded baseball cards.
1952 Topps baseball cards have reached almost iconic status among sports collectors. The set has a number of factors working in its favor. It marked the young company’s first attempt at creating an all-encompassing baseball card set featuring players of the day. Topps didn’t skimp, creating 407 cards over three series. The cards were of […]
They’ve always been sort of an American icon and even today, in the electronic era, they’ve maintained their iconic status. If you’re rediscovering them or whether you’re looking to delve into the vintage side of things for the first time, here are some key suggestions when it comes to the best old baseball cards to […]
If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource, a good place to start is the newest edition of the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. While memorabilia and autographs are strong sellers at auction, it’s high-grade and rare old cards that are still the backbone of auctions, card shows and shops around North America. The 5th […]
Just as realtors may tell you the most important factors are ‘location, location and location’, sports collectors will insist the biggest value factors are ‘condition, condition and condition”. If you’re looking for the best way to store vintage baseball cards, we’ve got some ideas for you. Penny sleeves. These are the cheapest, most basic ways […]
In what is called the “pre-War” card market that dates from the early 1940s on back, one of the toughest issues which are discussed is the matter of rookie cards. Since 1948, the market has always had a major manufacturer producing cards so there is a nice linear year by year progression. However, we do […]
The concept of sports card grading has been around for decades. Early collectors like Jefferson Burdick, Buck Barker and Lionel Carter gave grades to their baseball cards, even if they were a little different than some of the terms we use today. “Professional” grading has only been around since the 1990s, however. It wasn’t until […]
Huge numbers of collectors browse eBay every day, looking for cheap baseball cards. Here are some tips in how to get the most bang for your buck when building your collection or looking to turn a profit. Obviously, we’re big believers in graded baseball cards. Grading tends to eliminate any question about whether a card […]
PSA is really considered the grandfather of grading, although the concept of encapsulation is still a relatively new concept considering the long history of trading cards. The famous T206 Honus Wagner card was graded “8” by PSA to launch the service. PSA graded cards are common in the hobby because the company grades thousands each […]
Baseball cards have a history of being sought-after by collectors because of their material and sentimental value, especially graded baseball cards. Nearly the same to those you find now commercially available started out in the 1860’s. It’s because of their long history and wide usage in the US, Canada and even Japan that they are […]