I am trying to simplify my life and as such I am slowly getting rid of some stuff. As a kid I got into a sports card frenzy and bought a lot of them. I now have 1 medium sized box of cards that I have been shuffling around for far too many years. I don't even want to think about how much money I first put into this... Anyway now about 20 years later, I figure that it might be about time to get rid of them. They all are in mint conditions.
That collection does not have any emotional value for me. However I would like to get a fair money value out of those cards. What is the best way to do this? Ebay? and how can I figure how much they are worth?
Sports cards How much are they worth?
-
jacob
- Site Admin
- Posts: 17132
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
- Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
- Contact:
I used to collect Magic The Gathering cards. Their value varies from year to year and the easiest way to measure their worth is to check on ebay. This may be depressing. The easiest way to sell them is to go to a dealer. If you go the ebay route make sure that demand at least is adequte so they don't go for $1 just because there was only one bidder this week.
I too was a sports card (baseball) collector as a kid, though I have a bit more than just 1 medium sized box. You can use a Beckett guide to get an idea of a single card's estimated value, but you'll likely be disappointed. Unlike Magic cards, which have some useful purpose, sports cards are only valuable to those who collect. And the supply of sports cards from the 80s and 90s is great, far outstripping demand. You'll even still find sealed factory sets going on eBay for $5.
While going through my stuff selling some things, I'm sometimes surprised about what will fetch a few dollars. But sports cards are not in that category.
While going through my stuff selling some things, I'm sometimes surprised about what will fetch a few dollars. But sports cards are not in that category.
I also have a large sports card collection. If you were into card collecting 20 years ago (i.e. 1991-ish)and stepped away from the hobby entirely for the past two decades, you'll find that things have changed considerably. First of all, there is a lot less demand now. '91 was around the peak of interest in sports cards, and a lot of that interest has dried up. Selling cards now, compared to the early 90s, is a lot like selling a house now. You may think a card is worth $20, but you may not be able to find anyone to pay you more than $5 for it.
In the 80s and early 90s it was common for collectors to grade their own cards. Most collectors graded their cards as mint or near-mint, which really only meant that they had taken reasonably good care of it. These days, valuable cards are graded by a (supposedly) impartial service. There are many grading services, and a few larger grading companies. The cards are typically graded on a 10 point scale, and 10s are far less common than 9s, and 8s, etc... Getting your card graded costs money, but if you try to sell a card ungraded you generally won't get nearly as much for it. The grading process is far from perfect or objective, and there are plenty of reports of people sending the same card in twice and getting discrepant grades.
The gradings, and the internet (ebay and the like) have really changed card collecting and selling. Cards that are 10s or very close to it seem to have good demand and value, but 8s and lower seem to have poor demand, unless they are exceedingly rare or valuable-- e.g. pre-1980s in baseball and football.
Selling your full box becomes particularly problematic. You can sort through the cards to sell the valuable ones, but then you still have most of the box, and it's now essentially worthless, but full of cards. You can try to sell the whole box, but you may not get a great price for it because some collectors (myself included) are very skeptical of someone selling a large box that they claim has been unsorted for 20 years. Even if you were a personal friend of mine, and I knew it was an honest deal, I'd probably be reluctant to pay more than $200 for a medium sized box of 1980s and later cards-- unless I knew there were specific factory sealed sets inside, or if you were a collector of mid 1980s basketball cards.
In the 80s and early 90s it was common for collectors to grade their own cards. Most collectors graded their cards as mint or near-mint, which really only meant that they had taken reasonably good care of it. These days, valuable cards are graded by a (supposedly) impartial service. There are many grading services, and a few larger grading companies. The cards are typically graded on a 10 point scale, and 10s are far less common than 9s, and 8s, etc... Getting your card graded costs money, but if you try to sell a card ungraded you generally won't get nearly as much for it. The grading process is far from perfect or objective, and there are plenty of reports of people sending the same card in twice and getting discrepant grades.
The gradings, and the internet (ebay and the like) have really changed card collecting and selling. Cards that are 10s or very close to it seem to have good demand and value, but 8s and lower seem to have poor demand, unless they are exceedingly rare or valuable-- e.g. pre-1980s in baseball and football.
Selling your full box becomes particularly problematic. You can sort through the cards to sell the valuable ones, but then you still have most of the box, and it's now essentially worthless, but full of cards. You can try to sell the whole box, but you may not get a great price for it because some collectors (myself included) are very skeptical of someone selling a large box that they claim has been unsorted for 20 years. Even if you were a personal friend of mine, and I knew it was an honest deal, I'd probably be reluctant to pay more than $200 for a medium sized box of 1980s and later cards-- unless I knew there were specific factory sealed sets inside, or if you were a collector of mid 1980s basketball cards.
Timely Post, Plain_Simple,
I've also been eyeing my old (1990-ish) cards with a mind to sell or disperse them (or practice shooting them in half?). I hope I can sell the one set easily (a full 1990 baseball set), and I have some factory sealed football cards. I also have some Magic: The Gathering cards to sell.
As you say, no emotional attachment, but high hopes for some ROI (?).
I was intending to go through ebay.
JeremyS
I've also been eyeing my old (1990-ish) cards with a mind to sell or disperse them (or practice shooting them in half?). I hope I can sell the one set easily (a full 1990 baseball set), and I have some factory sealed football cards. I also have some Magic: The Gathering cards to sell.
As you say, no emotional attachment, but high hopes for some ROI (?).
I was intending to go through ebay.
JeremyS
-
Plain_simple
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:17 am
No, no hope for high return of investment. However I would be pissed to sell somehting for far less than it is worth...
However it seems that the collection is not worth that much. (or even anything at all... bumemr...)
Sports cards were mentionned on the simple dollar today:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/#3224
However it seems that the collection is not worth that much. (or even anything at all... bumemr...)
Sports cards were mentionned on the simple dollar today:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/#3224
Anything is possible... but... if you have any baseball from mid 80's to mid 2000's... most likely you will be lucky to receive 20% of what they cost new. Graded cards may do a little better, but still, don't bank on it. Even early 80's and most recent cards will most likely not get very much. Thankfully I started collecting in the early 70's so I have something of a decent collection.