My mother just recently gave me my father's old baseball card collection, mostly from the 70s and 80s. Does anyone know how I would go about finding out if any of this is worth anything without some nefarious opportunist ripping me off? Any help is much appreciated.
OT: Any baseball card experts?
- Thread starter robcac26
- Start date
You have two options... You can spend a lot of time going through ebay, but the condition of the card makes a HUGE difference. You may think its in mint condition (10), but in reality, its near mint (8.5 or so). That could take a $50 card to $25.
The other option is to contact a card shop (there are still a few around. One in Manville that I know of), and they may value the collection and make an offer. Think Pawn Stars. Spend time selling on your own and make more money.
I would go through the collection and look for Hall of Famers and especially rookie cards. Look those up. There are also "mistake" cards that have value. Billy Ripken has one the most famous (google it). Don't just toss the cards around in a box.
The other option is to contact a card shop (there are still a few around. One in Manville that I know of), and they may value the collection and make an offer. Think Pawn Stars. Spend time selling on your own and make more money.
I would go through the collection and look for Hall of Famers and especially rookie cards. Look those up. There are also "mistake" cards that have value. Billy Ripken has one the most famous (google it). Don't just toss the cards around in a box.
It's been a while, but IIRC, I had/have a Mickey Mantle and a couple of Hank Aaron cards. I was shocked at how little they were worth. I put the collection back in the closet and will wait another 10-20 years.
don't know how good this link is but might be worth checking out
Free Online Baseball Card Price Guide - Baseball Card Values from Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer & more | PriceGuide.Cards
https://www.priceguide.cards/baseball
Talk to a card shop about collection, but if you want them to buy collection, offer will be less than face value.
If you think you can make money on it, check out when a card show will be in your area and see if you can rent a table there to sell the cards individuals and whole collection f possible
Free Online Baseball Card Price Guide - Baseball Card Values from Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer & more | PriceGuide.Cards
https://www.priceguide.cards/baseball
Talk to a card shop about collection, but if you want them to buy collection, offer will be less than face value.
If you think you can make money on it, check out when a card show will be in your area and see if you can rent a table there to sell the cards individuals and whole collection f possible
Hire a kid to list them on eBay - offer a fixed rate or 20 percent of the sale price or something like tha
You’ll make out the best
You’ll make out the best
I did the whole tops buy a set and keep it in its wrap never opened and another to enjoy with my kids in the 80’s.
Only to find out that pretty much all of it equaled nothing.
I did have a mint 69 Seaver card my ex wife bought for $100- in the plastic holder. But somehow, after the divorce- never saw it again.
My fav was a framed collection of tge 86 Mets starters and Gooden along with all the box scores of tge 86 series.
Was told recently that it was only worth $40
Only to find out that pretty much all of it equaled nothing.
I did have a mint 69 Seaver card my ex wife bought for $100- in the plastic holder. But somehow, after the divorce- never saw it again.
My fav was a framed collection of tge 86 Mets starters and Gooden along with all the box scores of tge 86 series.
Was told recently that it was only worth $40
This thread inspired me to dig thru the collection I have sitting around.
Found two Al Cowlings football cards! Yes...that AC.
Also found a few potential gems that I didn't realize could be gems.
Found two Al Cowlings football cards! Yes...that AC.
Also found a few potential gems that I didn't realize could be gems.
For baseball cards to be worth anything you have to get them graded. There are really only a couple places that do it. Also the higher the grade they give the more expensive it is. You would think it's a fixed price but it's not. It's a sliding scale. Also if people get a bad grade they will just resubmit the card again for regrading. It's really a weird system.
It was sometime in the 80’s that card collecting started to get popular and the market began to be flooded.
Early 80’s was still OK. Late 80’s and the 90’s not so much.
I have trading cards for Devin MCourty, Gus Edwards, Ray Rice, Marco Battaglia, Tyrone Stowe, Harry Swayne, Deron Cherry, Mike McMahon, Bill Pickel, Brian Leonard, Jawan Jamison.
Also, John Battle, Roy Hinson, Steve Worthy.
The trading cards have lots of multiples.
I got all the cards for free. A friend down here in southwest Florida who plays pickle ball knows I am a huge Rutgers fan. Recently he bought boxes and boxes of trading cards at a garage sale from a widow whose husband passed. When he finds “Rutgers” cards he gives them to me. Very nice gesture.
I have no idea if they have any market value, but they have value to me.
Also, John Battle, Roy Hinson, Steve Worthy.
The trading cards have lots of multiples.
I got all the cards for free. A friend down here in southwest Florida who plays pickle ball knows I am a huge Rutgers fan. Recently he bought boxes and boxes of trading cards at a garage sale from a widow whose husband passed. When he finds “Rutgers” cards he gives them to me. Very nice gesture.
I have no idea if they have any market value, but they have value to me.
Ha I have no idea yet since I don't know if I'm sitting on something that has value or a bunch of crap. I'd really hate to get lowballed though since it was my dad's and he never got to cash them in before he passed away.
same here. I have all my Mets cards still from 1967-1975. Gil Hodges, Yogi, Nolan Ryan rookie card, 60 world series highlight cards, etc, not really worth a whole lot
Hopefully, a good portion of the 80s cards are not from the late 80s. The “Junk Wax Era" is considered the period from 1986-1993. The hobby was booming at that point and card companies overproduced cards. There are too many cards in circulation from that era. They are of little value.
There are several good videos on YouTube about how to sell card collections and how to determine their value.
I've been collecting cards since the mid 70s when I was a kid. The hobby leveled off for a long time. However, the pandemic refueled the hobby. The national sports card convention in Atlantic City in July drew roughly 60,000 people.
https://www.milforddailynews.com/st...xplosion-fueled-covid-19-downtime/4527779001/
https://wpgtalkradio.com/sports-collectors-was-biggest-atlantic-city-convention-in-31-years/
There are several good videos on YouTube about how to sell card collections and how to determine their value.
I've been collecting cards since the mid 70s when I was a kid. The hobby leveled off for a long time. However, the pandemic refueled the hobby. The national sports card convention in Atlantic City in July drew roughly 60,000 people.
https://www.milforddailynews.com/st...xplosion-fueled-covid-19-downtime/4527779001/
https://wpgtalkradio.com/sports-collectors-was-biggest-atlantic-city-convention-in-31-years/
Last edited:
What are you going to do with the money, once you sell the collection?
(Trying to tie two threads together) - Are you going to put it all towards NIL? Or, help the AD get out of the red?
(Trying to tie two threads together) - Are you going to put it all towards NIL? Or, help the AD get out of the red?
Ha well I doubt it'll be enough to have any meaningful impact on either NIL or our athletics budget.
I believe in the late 80s era you're talking about Score came out with a limited edition set just before a season started.
Then later in the year the MFers reissued the same card set knocking down the value of the original set.
Similar threads
