Post by ۞Quaalude™۞ on Nov 29, 2012 17:39:23 GMT -5
10 Tips for Baseball Card Collectors
1. Buy the highest-quality you can afford. The cards in the best condition increase in value the most. Authenticators, including Orlando's PSA, grade from 1 to 10. The upper end of the scale tends to defy economic slumps.
2. Make sure you buy from reputable sellers and auctioneers. Do that, and you can expect to find reasonable deals, but not steals. "Some people looking to invest are desperate," Orlando said. "They're looking for deals that are too good to be true." Note that much of your buying will likely be off eBay (EBAY) and from sports auction sites such as Mile High Card Company, Heritage and Lelands.
3. Hunt for high-grade cards from the early 1950s and pre-World War II tobacco-company cards, Hobson suggested.
4. In your Internet research, look for trends so you can catch a card or set on its way up in value. "It's easy to get caught up when things are hot, but look at the areas of the market that are not so hot," Orlando advised. He referred to the T206 series, which had stagnated 10 to 12 years ago. Now it's the hottest on the market. "When a particular vintage has been overlooked, ask yourself why," Orlando said.
5. "You can still invest in good rookie cards and realize a profit," Gregg said. Often that happens by buying the card before the player becomes popular. Some collectors still buy full sets and hand them down to their children when they turn 18, Gregg explained.
7. For high-end collectibles, purchase cards that are graded and sealed by authenticators such as PSA. The upside of watchdog groups is that they have sent the prices of some cards soaring because bidders can be positive that the merchandise is real, Hobson said.
8. Completing sets is back. Hobson recommended checking PSA's set registry, a bragging board often used by high rollers. It indicates the escalating value of cards grouped in categories.
9. Be aware of the risks. While you might form a greater emotional bond with baseball cards than stocks, be warned that memorabilia can be just as volatile at the high end.
10. Have fun. Sure, the mercenaries are out there, but it's still a pastime that began with kids. Gregg said adults who visit his store "lose like five years when they walk in QC
Every year a $3-$6 Pack product is better than a $8-$12 pack product. (Take 2006 Donruss Threads Football-Great product that was $4-$6 msrp-Liked it a lot more than pricier UD SPx)
Single cards are often best found on eBay. No hobby shop is able to carry every card or every player. If you like a team, player, rookie cards, autograph cards, or expensive cards-eBay is the place to find them. You can find great values and extreme rip offs on eBay-so know what you are looking for.
Just as an example-I bought so many Chad Johnson 2001 Rookies on eBay before anyone knew who he was. I bought several SPx Autograph/Jersey rookie cards for less than $15 and now its a $100 card.
Tony Romo cards in the summer of '06 and before that were all less than $50-Now look at his prices.
Tom Brady was the same way-So if you know what you are doing, and get the right players/cards-you can see huge value from your Sports Cards investment (so tell the wife you need to keep watching Sports Center and playing fantasy football so you can keep up on all the hot players)
"On-Card" Autograph cards are slightly more collectible than sticker autograph cards.
The cards listed in Beckett magazine with the RC right next to them are slightly more collectible than the paralells you see listed after the base set. (Doesn't mean they are more valuable-just slightly more collectible)
Understand that cards/players will go up and down in popularity and value. Lots of rookies come out hot, then even if they have a great career-they may not be all that popular. A truly great player should go up near the end of his career if his cards were not collected all that much early in his career.
SELL YOUR CARDS-Don't think that every card/player is going to be worth something in the future. Not every player that has a great rookie year is a HOF. Very few players become legends-many are hot for a season or two then they cool. TRY AND SELL YOUR CARDS WHEN THE PLAYER IS HOT-
Shaun Alexander and Ben Roethlisberger would be two good examples of players that would have been good to sell during the Super Bowl-their cards have dipped, even though the Beckett doesn't have the down arrows. -DON'T GO TO HOBBY SHOPS TO SELL YOUR CARDS-IF ITS A HOT PLAYER/CARD-YOU WILL GET MORE MONEY ON eBay! (we own a hobby store-we need to resell the card-we would give you %50-%75 the price the card goes on eBay no matter what the player is-so you might as well become the dealer and sell it on eBay)
GOOD LUCK-Just a few tips we have-Hope they help *>*
1. Buy the highest-quality you can afford. The cards in the best condition increase in value the most. Authenticators, including Orlando's PSA, grade from 1 to 10. The upper end of the scale tends to defy economic slumps.
2. Make sure you buy from reputable sellers and auctioneers. Do that, and you can expect to find reasonable deals, but not steals. "Some people looking to invest are desperate," Orlando said. "They're looking for deals that are too good to be true." Note that much of your buying will likely be off eBay (EBAY) and from sports auction sites such as Mile High Card Company, Heritage and Lelands.
3. Hunt for high-grade cards from the early 1950s and pre-World War II tobacco-company cards, Hobson suggested.
4. In your Internet research, look for trends so you can catch a card or set on its way up in value. "It's easy to get caught up when things are hot, but look at the areas of the market that are not so hot," Orlando advised. He referred to the T206 series, which had stagnated 10 to 12 years ago. Now it's the hottest on the market. "When a particular vintage has been overlooked, ask yourself why," Orlando said.
5. "You can still invest in good rookie cards and realize a profit," Gregg said. Often that happens by buying the card before the player becomes popular. Some collectors still buy full sets and hand them down to their children when they turn 18, Gregg explained.
7. For high-end collectibles, purchase cards that are graded and sealed by authenticators such as PSA. The upside of watchdog groups is that they have sent the prices of some cards soaring because bidders can be positive that the merchandise is real, Hobson said.
8. Completing sets is back. Hobson recommended checking PSA's set registry, a bragging board often used by high rollers. It indicates the escalating value of cards grouped in categories.
9. Be aware of the risks. While you might form a greater emotional bond with baseball cards than stocks, be warned that memorabilia can be just as volatile at the high end.
10. Have fun. Sure, the mercenaries are out there, but it's still a pastime that began with kids. Gregg said adults who visit his store "lose like five years when they walk in QC
Every year a $3-$6 Pack product is better than a $8-$12 pack product. (Take 2006 Donruss Threads Football-Great product that was $4-$6 msrp-Liked it a lot more than pricier UD SPx)
Single cards are often best found on eBay. No hobby shop is able to carry every card or every player. If you like a team, player, rookie cards, autograph cards, or expensive cards-eBay is the place to find them. You can find great values and extreme rip offs on eBay-so know what you are looking for.
Just as an example-I bought so many Chad Johnson 2001 Rookies on eBay before anyone knew who he was. I bought several SPx Autograph/Jersey rookie cards for less than $15 and now its a $100 card.
Tony Romo cards in the summer of '06 and before that were all less than $50-Now look at his prices.
Tom Brady was the same way-So if you know what you are doing, and get the right players/cards-you can see huge value from your Sports Cards investment (so tell the wife you need to keep watching Sports Center and playing fantasy football so you can keep up on all the hot players)
"On-Card" Autograph cards are slightly more collectible than sticker autograph cards.
The cards listed in Beckett magazine with the RC right next to them are slightly more collectible than the paralells you see listed after the base set. (Doesn't mean they are more valuable-just slightly more collectible)
Understand that cards/players will go up and down in popularity and value. Lots of rookies come out hot, then even if they have a great career-they may not be all that popular. A truly great player should go up near the end of his career if his cards were not collected all that much early in his career.
SELL YOUR CARDS-Don't think that every card/player is going to be worth something in the future. Not every player that has a great rookie year is a HOF. Very few players become legends-many are hot for a season or two then they cool. TRY AND SELL YOUR CARDS WHEN THE PLAYER IS HOT-
Shaun Alexander and Ben Roethlisberger would be two good examples of players that would have been good to sell during the Super Bowl-their cards have dipped, even though the Beckett doesn't have the down arrows. -DON'T GO TO HOBBY SHOPS TO SELL YOUR CARDS-IF ITS A HOT PLAYER/CARD-YOU WILL GET MORE MONEY ON eBay! (we own a hobby store-we need to resell the card-we would give you %50-%75 the price the card goes on eBay no matter what the player is-so you might as well become the dealer and sell it on eBay)
GOOD LUCK-Just a few tips we have-Hope they help *>*