Collecting cards has never been cooler or more profitable.
Over the last few years, we have seen Pokémon cards sell for $900,000 at auction.
We have seen NFL cards sell for $4.3 million (it was a 2017 National Treasures NFL Shield Patrick Mahomes rookie autographed card just in case you were wondering).
And we even saw the Wayne Gretzky 1979 O-Pee-Chee Base #18 PSA 10 sell for over $3.4 million.
All of these cards are only going to get more valuable.
Having read all of the above, you are probably wondering if any of the hockey cards that you have at home are worth anything and how would you know if they were…?
Well, if you are looking for answers to those two questions then you have come to the right place.
Today, we are going to give you a 5 step guide to working out the value of your cards.
Before We Start
The first thing to remember when thinking about the value of a card is that there’s no such thing as an average card.
There are some very rare and valuable cards out there, while others are so common they’re virtually worthless.
The second thing to keep in mind is that the price range for any given card can vary wildly depending on who it belongs to, where it was issued and what condition it is in.
So let’s dive into our 5 steps…
Step 1: Take A Look Around Your House And See What You Have Got
This first step is very basic, but it is important. You need to get all of your cards in one place. If they aren’t already stored in a display book, then we suggest you purchase one and store them in a way that makes the most sense to you.
You could go by order of when the cards were issued or you could order them by player name.
You will want to take a look at each card and make sure that you know exactly what it is and what it looks like. This will help you determine its rarity and condition.
Now that you have got all of your cards together, you will want to look through them and see which ones you think are the most likely to be the most popular.
It doesn’t matter whether you think the players are good or bad, because this is simply a subjective decision.
The point here is to identify the best cards in your collection.
If you don’t know much about collecting, then you might not realize that some cards are better than others.
For example, a card with a picture of a player from the 1970s might seem less desirable than a card featuring a current superstar.
But the truth is that the former player is far more valuable than the latter.
That’s why it is important to try and figure out which cards are the most collectible.
Step 2: Visit A Sports Memorabilia Market
If you’re lucky enough to live near a large city with a decent-sized sports memorabilia market, then this might be the easiest way to work out the value of your collection.
At this market, you should be able to find someone who can tell you which of your cards are worth putting up for sale and which are not.
These experts can be asked questions like this dozens of times a day, so be patient with them and don’t get too offended if they are unhelpful.
At this point in the process if someone offers you money for your collection – don’t take it, until you know what the whole thing is worth.
Step 3: Check eBay
If you don’t live near a big city, then eBay may be the best option available to you.
The site is great because it allows you to search by category and type of item.
This will help you narrow down which items are most likely to sell quickly.
You can also use the advanced search function to find specific types of cards. For example, you can search for cards from the 1980s and 1990s.
If you want to find out exactly what cards are selling for, then you can add the keyword “value” to your search query.
This will bring up a list of the top sellers based on their current asking prices.
This is a good starting point, but it doesn’t tell us much about the overall value of the cards.
To determine that, we need to take a closer look at each individual card.
Step 4: Look Closely At The Details
Now that you’ve found a couple of examples of cards that are selling well, you should take a closer look at them.
The differences in quality means that they are worth very different amounts. So when you get a chance, take a close look at the backs of your cards.
Once you’ve identified the differences between the two sets of cards, you’ll be able to work out how much money you can expect to get for them.
It’s possible that you already have an idea of the value of these cards. Maybe you saw one of them listed online and decided to buy it. In that case, you can skip the next few steps.
But even if you didn’t, there is still plenty you can learn from looking at other people’s collections.
There are a range of other factors that can add to the value of your cards. If they are in mint condition you should really consider getting them professionally graded to lock their value in. Companies such as PSA can do this for a fee.
Step 5: Compare Your Collection To Others
When you visit a sports memorabilia market, you’ll see lots of different kinds of cards.
Some are really old, while others are brand new. Others feature players who are no longer active. And some are autographed.
If you’re just starting out, then it’s probably not a bad idea to focus on collecting cards featuring players who are currently playing.
That way you won’t end up spending years trying to track down rare vintage cards.
If you’re more experienced, then you might prefer to collect all sorts of cards. You could start with the newest ones or go for the oldest. It’s totally up to you!
As long as you keep an eye on the value of your collection over time, you shouldn’t have any problems. But if you decide to sell off part of your collection, make sure you set aside enough cash to cover the cost of doing so.
Summary
There are many different ways to work out the value of your collection. But the most important thing to remember is that values are constantly changing and that these cards have no set value.
That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to work out which cards are more valuable than others. If you have a collection of older cards, you should head onto eBay to see what price other people are selling the cards that you own online.
If you fancy becoming a card grader and turn your hobby into a full time job. Then read our article here.
When I was just starting out with my card collection, I had lots of questions about authenticity, trading, and card conditions. But with not that much information available online, I felt quite alone in my queries. Some questions still haven’t been answered to this day.
This site aims to rectify this, and now, I am passing on my knowledge!
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