You could technically sell everything as a lot (or several lots) on eBay, though shipping costs might get tough. Local card shops or shows might be an option, and there are a lot of Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling cards, as well as groups for local "garage sale" type meetups.
Can one of your posts put together all of the production run guestimate/calculatins for each primary offering through all ages? (like I have seen partially before - July 2020 for 1981-1985) and extrapolate given the grading company submissions to guestimate older card production #'s. Include Specific iconic cards production. How many Topps Update Mike Trout RC's are there? etc. Was it really 1 billion Frank Thomas RC's printed (not including OPC/Tiffany) and likely even a few more for 1991 Topps. Was 1991's (?)1.3 billion(?) each the peak of production? Or did it increase right up to the strike and total collapse. Thank You.
Seriously, though, a great topic. The card companies seem to hide their tealeaves a lot better than they did in the 1980s, but, like you said, there might be some trends, at least, to pull from population reports and the like.
If a person who used to collect cards and memorabilia wants to get back in what would be your to do list and what should we target? Tough question based on the investment dollars a person has available but wanted to get some ideas
Thanks for the question! If the goal is to build a collection you want to hang onto for awhile, I'd definitely focus on the teams, players, sets, and type of memorabilia that is most special to you. If you're interested in future value, too, then get the best of each *thing* you can afford, but focus on the stuff you really want. If you're more interested in potential future value, then you could go after blue-chip type stuff that has appreciated pretty consistently over the years -- graded HOFers before 1970 (or at least 1980), authenticated memorabilia, etc.
Of course, there are tons of variables here, and you're interests are likely to lie somewhere along the spectrum of pure-hobby-to-maximum-value, not at one end or the other. So, my hedge is that a more complete answer would (will?) take a full post, at least. But I guess if I were coming back, my checklist would look something like:
* Decide on the overall priorities for my collection (cards, balls, teams, players, value, curb appeal, etc.).
* Get really comfortable with modern grading standards -- they're blazing compared to the sort of swags even dealers put forth in the 80s.
* Study the market for the sorts of things I want to buy -- eBay sold listings, PSA Auction Prices Realized, PWCC, Beckett Marketplace can all help.
* Set a budget.
* Dip your toes in the water and see how your choices land on your psyche once you're holding that first card or set or bat.
That's a question I've heard a couple of times recently. I don't have an easy answer, but I wonder if we could draw some parallels between things happening now and things that happened in the early 1990s as the market rocketed and then bottomed out. Like, maybe the "promo mania" from the 1991 National has a corollary here in 2021 -- the Pandemic itself, maybe, or some aspect of the last year. You have me thinking, for sure. Thanks! --Adam
I am a newbie. I bought a lot of cards at good price and thought if they were graded would be a lot more profit but they were graded by SGS. How do I find the worth of these cards
Hi Deborah -- I've heard of SGS for coins, but not sure about cards. SGC is a company that's fairly well known, though. Either way, you can start to get an idea of value by searching eBay "sold" listings for the same cards, graded by the same company in the same condition. For instance, here are the recent sales of SGC-graded 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr., rookie cards: https://ebay.us/8Rl6xX
Twitter is a great place to find collectors looking for specific cards, if you're looking to sell singles. Plenty of team and player collectors who will generally pay fair prices for the cards they need. Facebook has a ton of groups for that sort of thing, too.
Where can I find a baseball card price guide at a lower rate than the general market?
So you want a price guide that shows lower prices than the actual market will bear? Or did you have something else in mind?
No one that shows the current values but doesn't cost what the guides cost these days
Ah, I see. Not sure about physical guides, but you can find a lot of pricing information on sites like PSA, PWCC, and even eBay (sold listings).
is there anywhere else to sella large volume of cards at once w/o using ebay and having to have them all graded?
You could technically sell everything as a lot (or several lots) on eBay, though shipping costs might get tough. Local card shops or shows might be an option, and there are a lot of Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling cards, as well as groups for local "garage sale" type meetups.
Why is it so hard to flip cards and make money when you got hitters on deck?
When I have hitters on deck, I'm usually too focused on making sure the guy at the plate can get on to be worried about flipping cards.
Just kidding.
Seriously, though, I'm not sure I fully understand your question.
Can you give me a few more details about what you had in mind?
Can one of your posts put together all of the production run guestimate/calculatins for each primary offering through all ages? (like I have seen partially before - July 2020 for 1981-1985) and extrapolate given the grading company submissions to guestimate older card production #'s. Include Specific iconic cards production. How many Topps Update Mike Trout RC's are there? etc. Was it really 1 billion Frank Thomas RC's printed (not including OPC/Tiffany) and likely even a few more for 1991 Topps. Was 1991's (?)1.3 billion(?) each the peak of production? Or did it increase right up to the strike and total collapse. Thank You.
Not sure that's ONE question. :)
Seriously, though, a great topic. The card companies seem to hide their tealeaves a lot better than they did in the 1980s, but, like you said, there might be some trends, at least, to pull from population reports and the like.
I'll definitely put some thought into it. Thanks!
1961 Post cereal cards. Beckett Guide does not include or price them. How can a person get pricing without getting them graded?
My go-to starting point are eBay sold listings. Here is a quick video on how to use those: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jjnUB0rEV4
And here are the 1961 Post cards that have sold recently: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=1961+post+cereal+baseball+cards&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5338691444&toolid=20008&mkevt=1
Lots of pictures there, so you can compare your cards to the conditions being sold, too.
I'd be interested in reading your response to Mr. Lazarus's question.
If a person who used to collect cards and memorabilia wants to get back in what would be your to do list and what should we target? Tough question based on the investment dollars a person has available but wanted to get some ideas
Thanks for the question! If the goal is to build a collection you want to hang onto for awhile, I'd definitely focus on the teams, players, sets, and type of memorabilia that is most special to you. If you're interested in future value, too, then get the best of each *thing* you can afford, but focus on the stuff you really want. If you're more interested in potential future value, then you could go after blue-chip type stuff that has appreciated pretty consistently over the years -- graded HOFers before 1970 (or at least 1980), authenticated memorabilia, etc.
Of course, there are tons of variables here, and you're interests are likely to lie somewhere along the spectrum of pure-hobby-to-maximum-value, not at one end or the other. So, my hedge is that a more complete answer would (will?) take a full post, at least. But I guess if I were coming back, my checklist would look something like:
* Decide on the overall priorities for my collection (cards, balls, teams, players, value, curb appeal, etc.).
* Get really comfortable with modern grading standards -- they're blazing compared to the sort of swags even dealers put forth in the 80s.
* Study the market for the sorts of things I want to buy -- eBay sold listings, PSA Auction Prices Realized, PWCC, Beckett Marketplace can all help.
* Set a budget.
* Dip your toes in the water and see how your choices land on your psyche once you're holding that first card or set or bat.
* Iterate :)
And ... have fun!
--Adam
Thanks for the advice
is this ever going to end . high prices
That's a question I've heard a couple of times recently. I don't have an easy answer, but I wonder if we could draw some parallels between things happening now and things that happened in the early 1990s as the market rocketed and then bottomed out. Like, maybe the "promo mania" from the 1991 National has a corollary here in 2021 -- the Pandemic itself, maybe, or some aspect of the last year. You have me thinking, for sure. Thanks! --Adam
I am a newbie. I bought a lot of cards at good price and thought if they were graded would be a lot more profit but they were graded by SGS. How do I find the worth of these cards
Hi Deborah -- I've heard of SGS for coins, but not sure about cards. SGC is a company that's fairly well known, though. Either way, you can start to get an idea of value by searching eBay "sold" listings for the same cards, graded by the same company in the same condition. For instance, here are the recent sales of SGC-graded 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr., rookie cards: https://ebay.us/8Rl6xX
How can I find a collector I can tRust to give me a fair price on ungraded cards?
Twitter is a great place to find collectors looking for specific cards, if you're looking to sell singles. Plenty of team and player collectors who will generally pay fair prices for the cards they need. Facebook has a ton of groups for that sort of thing, too.