The Best Way to Value a Baseball Card Collection

People collect baseball cards for a variety of reasons. Two of the most common: it's a hobby for the sports enthusiast, or it serves as a business investment. Many people treat baseball cards as an investment, with hopes of their collection going up in value. In either situation, a collector usually wants to know the value of the collection. There is a trusted system for determining the value of a baseball card collection.

  1. Card Inventory

    • Take an inventory. Evaluating what you have is the first step. For example, sometimes complete sets are worth more than individual cards. So, see if you have any star player cards that were taken out of sets for display elsewhere.

    Professionally Graded

    • Get your cards graded. Professional grading services, as of 2009, like Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and Sports Card Guaranty (SGC) rate cards on a scale based on condition. Cards that are bent, nicked, off-centered and have other deformities lose points. For example, PSA rates a perfect card a Gem Mint 10. A Mint 9 card has minor flaws, including a minor printing imperfection, slightly off-white borders or a very slight wax stain on the back of the card, according to PSA. The scale slides down to a 1 for a card in poor condition. After grading, companies put the card in a protective case with the grade stated. Once the card is taken out of the case, then the guarantee no longer holds. People generally submit cards to the services through mail to be graded. A card's worth depends on its condition.

    Research Values

    • Check price guides and the market for current values. While having your card graded helps, it doesn't determine the value. The values are constantly changing. If a player emerges as a star or sets a record, then his rookie card could shoot up in price. Other factors affect a card's value, like if a card is found to be more scarce than initially thought. Established price guides include Beckett Media, Tuff Stuff and PSA, whose price guide is called "Sports Market Report Online." Also, attend baseball card shows across the country. Sometimes what a card sells on the open market at a different price than its listed value in the price guide.