Information on collecting pre-1980s authenticated and graded baseball cards.
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 […]
Fleer was back in 1981, having finally won its court battle. Donruss also entered the sports card business and in less than ten years later, the 1989 Upper Deck baseball cards began a bit of a revolution, with an eye toward higher quality cards, counterproof holograms on the back and the advent of autographed insert […]
Few card sets were issued after the outbreak of World War II, but in the late 1940s, baseball cards entered their golden era. Leaf Gum produced a set that included what is now regarded as Jackie Robinson’s rookie card. Also in the late 40s, the Bowman Gum Company snapped up the license to produce large […]
The trend of tobacco cards continued as the 20thcentury unfolded. The sports card hobby’s most popular vintage baseball card set is undoubtedly the 1909-1911 T206 set, issued via more than a dozen different brands by the American Tobacco Company. It’s home to the famous T206 Honus Wagner card, and contains more than 500 cards. Fairly […]
As photography began to become more widespread among the masses during the latter half of the 1800s, baseball teams began to pose for photographs. What are widely considered the first baseball cards ever issued were, in fact, team photos of the Cincinnati, Brooklyn and Philadelphia clubs issued by sporting goods maker Peck and Snyder as […]
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 […]
Sportscard Guaranty or SGC, bills its holder as “the finest in the sportscard hobby, thanks to its unique, custom-fit design” SGC offers two holders – one for regular to small cards, and another for oversized cards. The SGC holder has a custom-fit insert specifically manufactured to the size of the card to help hold the […]
Beckett Grading Services promises to complete your grading order on time or it’s free. One of the most well-known names in the business, Beckett graded baseball cards are well respected, although the company grades far more modern era cards than it does vintage cards. Still, few collectors have issues with Beckett’s vintage card grading. BGS […]
Global Authentication Incorporated has now given way to Global Authority. GAI was founded in California and graded cards, packs and autographs. After falling on some tough times not long ago, the company sold its card grading business to two former employees. There are many cards in GAI holders. They were generally regarded as quite reputable […]