Sports Card Collecting Guide:

Baseball Cards - A Brief History

One of America's favorite pastimes is collecting America's pastime. Baseball card collecting is something about as old as the sport itself and to this day is still enjoyed by millions of fans young and old. The hobby was initially started by tobacco, candy and gum companies offering these cards with their products as added bonuses in an effort to boost sales. From 1869 to the 1930's basically all cards were acquired this way. Baseball card collecting grew greatly in popularity up until production was basically halted due to a paper shortage during World War II. Shortly after, the hobby resumed with Bowman being the major set producer up until 1952 when Topps released the most sought after post war era set to date, namely because of the scarcity of the Mickey Mantle card. This was his debut card with Topps and even though Bowman holds the honors of his official rookie card in 1951, Topps won over the collector's with their set.

In 1956 Topps bought out Bowman and basically kept a virtually untouched stronghold on the marketplace for the next couple of decades. During this time a few companies such as Jello, Kellogg's and Hostess were releasing cards with their products attached to the packaging in an effort to boost their sales, but did not pose any real threat to the Topps empire. Up until the early 80's Topps continued to dominate the industry and it wasn't until 1981 when Fleer and Donruss released sets of cards and was sued by Topps over licensing rights that a judge ruled against Topps stating their licensing was only for products distributed with gum, thus opening doors for competitors. With that ruling, Fleer and Donruss started issuing sets without gum and included puzzle pieces and stickers with their sets to appeal to collectors. In 1989 Upper Deck joined the market and starting issuing high quality cards. Thus leading into an era of drastically oversaturated card sets being released.

In the 90's there were several manufacturers issuing multiple sets of cards per year, literally drowning the market and leading to a decrease of interest and value and also causing an increase in prices. It wasn't until 1997; in an effort to revive the dying marketplace Upper Deck started issuing game used jersey swatches and used equipment cards to spark an interest in the hobby once again. Up until present day the market was faced with many complaints of too many sets being issued. In an effort to thwart another collapse in the marketplace, the MLBPA pulled licensing with Donruss in 2006 leaving only two manufacturers left, Upper Deck and Topps. Both of these companies still release multiple sets, including those under Bowman, Bazooka and Fleer however both companies have also cut back in the number of sets it produces as well in an effort to keep the hobby alive.

Card Types & Classifications

Determining what type of cards to collect depends on personal preference. It is impossible to collect every card, but there are several options available to the collector. Some people choose to collect team sets, or cards of their favorite players while others collect base sets or just rookie cards. The options rely solely in the eye of the beholder. Collecting a complete set today is virtually impossible as each set has many subsets or inserts that make the challenge overwhelming. Card sets today typically contain some or all of the following:

Base Set - Basic cards that create the set. The number of base cards typically ranges from 500 - 800 in some of the premium sets or less than 100 in some of the elite sets.
Sub-Set - These cards are typically part of the base set but have special attributes or characteristics that distinguish them apart. An example of this is Donruss "Diamond Kings" or "League Leaders" found in some of Topps basic sets. Subset cards are obtained as easily as the base set cards.
Parallel Cards - Cards that have the same basic design as a base card but have some variation in a design that distinguishes it. Examples are different color borders from the regular base set.
Inserts - Smaller sets of cards placed in packs and are typically harder to come by. Insert sets have distinct designs and range between 10-30 cards typically. Parallels and Insert cards usually are inserted into packs at specific ratios. For example a 1:12 ratio means that one out of every 12 packs will contain a card from that insert set.
Memorabilia Cards - Special cards inserted in random packs usually containing autographs or pieces of game-used material or equipment. These cards are very scarce and highly coveted among collectors.
Short Prints - These can include but not limited too Sub-sets, inserts, parallels, game-used, and rookie cards that indicate only a limited number of these cards were produced and each card is sequentially numbered.

Each set of cards also can be broken down into different classifications, some such classifications are:

Rookie Cards - The first time a player appears in a major set.
Short Prints - Limited in print, sequentially numbered cards.
Error Cards - Cards printed with some sort of error on them value may or may not be more valuable than a regular card.
Star Player - Cards of popular players typically are more valuable than average players.
Common - Regular cards of average players. Lowest price cards in a given set.

Where to find cards

Now that you have a brief history on card collecting, and also some concept of the different types of cards available you may be wondering of the different ways to obtain these cards. Below is a list of some common methods of acquiring cards for your collection.

Hobby Shops - The hobby shop is the best place in my opinion to obtain cards, they generally sell a large variety of sports and non-sports trading cards. Card shop owners are knowledgeable and can offer great insight into the hobby as well as older cards, hard to find cards, specialty sets as well as access to collector's who share a common interest.

General Retailers - Department stores, pharmacies and grocers sell packs from retail boxes that are specially marketed through general retailers, usually less expensive than your local hobby shop and is a good start to bulk up your collection.

Internet - With technology moving ahead full steam and easy access to collectors and dealers across the world this is a great place to score regional sets, or hard to find packs and player cards. Internet auction sites such as eBay or NAXCOM offer a great opportunity to find what you are looking for at affordable prices. The main advantage is the ability to broaden the marketplace. The downside to this method is however, you do not always know who you are dealing with. It is important to purchase from a reliable source, so be careful to make sure they are reliable before purchasing from them, seller ratings on sites like eBay are a good measure of character.

Trading - Trading cards is the most enjoyable way to manage a collection. Meeting with fellow collector's to discuss collections, show off and trade your cards is not only great networking, but also can lead to some great friendships. Some good ways to get involved with people who share your interests would be to start at your local card shop to see if there are any groups that meet regularly, if all else fails the internet is once again a great resource. Personal sites are great opportunities to make friends with fellow collectors who are willing to trade with you on a regular basis. Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and Yahoo 360 offer an easy approach to building an online profile where collector's can network more quickly via search by interest options and also can help build great trade relationships with fellow collectors.

Trade Shows - Trade shows offer the collector an opportunity to meet with other collectors and dealers alike, usually to buy, sell or trade off cards in your collection. This is also a good opportunity for you, the collector to invest in a table and sell off some of your unwanted cards in hopes of making room for the cards you desire. Trade show locations and dates can usually be found through your local hobby store or on the Internet.

Antique Malls - For the patient collector, this is typically because antique malls cater to all antiques and collectibles. I have been to several of these, and managed to find some very nice cards at reasonable prices. The cards are usually there, but the treasure hunt of finding that table along with strolling down memory lane makes this for an enjoyable adventure. Just try to stay focused on the objective here and you too might find that diamond in the rough.

Building And Maintaining A Collection

The first step to building your collection is to decide on what kind of collection you will be building. With so many different card types and sets released every year it is impossible to collect them all. Many people begin by buying "starter sets" or pre-packaged boxes of random packs or cards to get a feel of the many different types of card sets and cards available. From there you may decide to complete these sets to start off, or to just look for cards from your favorite team, or player. Personally I collect my favorite team and players, and also try to complete select sets along the way.

After starting off your collection it is important to properly maintain your collection. It makes no sense to invest good money into a collection just to throw your cards in a shoebox unprotected. There are many ways to protect your investment, below are some of the more common methods:

Plastic Sheets - Good for displaying your collection in a binder, protects from scratching and rubbing gloss off. These are typically sold in packs and are easily affordable.
Sleeves - sleeves are thin plastic pouches that you can store the card in to keep from scratching or rubbing off the gloss. These are relatively cheap, and cab be used liberally.
Top-Loader - Top loaders are a little more sturdy, usually a hard plastic designed to protect the card from bending and creasing, or allowing the corners to fray or get bent. These are typically a little more expensive and good to use on cards around the $2.00 - $10.00 range.
Snap-Case - Hard plastic casing that protects cards from most types of damage. They are clear for display and usually come with screws or snap down to lock the card into the case. A little costly, so I generally use these on cards valued at $10.00 or Up.
Card Boxes - Designed for storing lots of cards, these are great for transporting collections, storage and organization. A box that holds 5000 cards typically retails for around $5.00

Grading Scale

It is important to know the condition of your cards, especially if you ever plan on selling your collection. I recommend looking at professional card grading services for anything you have book valued over $50.00 which in turn can significantly increase the value for you.

Gem Mint (GEM) - A card that is flawless and free from physical defects to the naked eye, 50/50 centering and crisp edges.
Mint (MT) - 4 sharp corners, front centering of no less than 55/45 and back centering no less than 60/40, a card nearly perfect in every regard.
Near-Mint/Mint (NM-MT) - Common grade to new cards fresh out of the package, minor defects detected on edge of corners. Grades higher than NM-MT are rare.
Near-Mint (NM) - Typical grade of cards fresh out of package, slight corner wear is acceptable and minor defects detectable.
Excellent-Mint (EX-MT) - Corners have wear and are not sharp, minor defects detectable upon examination.
Excellent (EX) - Card still looks good but shows wear, corners may be rounded, color slighty faded etc.
Very Good-Excellent(VG-EX) - The highest grade a card can have with a small crease or wrinkle on one side.
Very Good (VG) - Looks good from a distance but upon closer examination several defects can be seen without magnification. The highest rating possible on a creased card.
Good (G) - This grade is usually the result of heavily rounded corners, surface wear or creases. Any card with writing other than an autograph falls in this category.
Poor (P) - Card with serious abuse or damage, anything from torn corners to holes and sever bending.

Selling Your Cards

Everybody tends to have cards that don't always fit into their collection, thus it may be in your best interest to sell off some of your collection. When selling or trading your collection, your local hobby shop is a good start, typically they will always be interested in acquiring new merchandise. When choosing to sell off some of your cards it is important to remember that you are not going to necessarily get "book value" for your cards. Dealers are in it to make money too, and they cannot do that by paying catalog value on your collection. It is important to determine what you are willing to accept for your cards, remember a card is only truly worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If you get a $2.00 offer on a $10.00 card you need to think to yourself "is parting ways with this card, worth the amount I am being offered?" only you can decide that, but remember a dealer is not trying to get over on you, they have to be able to markup the product to cover overhead and still turn a profit, this is all part of running a business.

Conclusion

Card collecting is a great hobby, this guide just scratches the surface and was written to help spark an interest in the hobby. I have some great childhood memories of collecting cards and can remember spending countless hours organizing my collection and indulging in the hobby. It all started with a few packs of cards, and then I just wanted more and more all the while I was learning so much about baseball and football. After a few year hiatus from the hobby, my older son wanted to start collecting cards and it resparked those memories and made me realize that the hobby I enjoyed so much as a child is a great bonding opportunity. Hopefully someday you will be able to share the same opportunities I have, or atleast you can appreciate the history and time honored tradition of card collecting.