So
you've found what appears to be an old baseball card,
but you have no idea how to identify to which set
it belongs, or how much it's worth. Answering these
questions is really a multi-step process. In no particular
order, the following need to be completed:
In
your effort to identify the make of your card, there
are several great resourses to aid you:
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A
wonderful vintage baseball reference site covering
all cards made prior to 1950. With descriptions
and image examples from hundreds of sets, chances
are your set will be found here. |
The
Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards |
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Lew
Lipset's three book collection, now consolidated
into a single volume. Contains detailed information
on pre-1900, and early tobacco, gum, and candy cards.
Search
for it on eBay |
The
Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards |
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Edited
by Robert F. Lemke, this volume weighs in at over
1700 pages. Contains many images, and values for
over 500,000 cards. $39.99
from Krause Publications :: Search
for it on eBay :: From
$9.50 on Half.com |
Warman's®
Baseball Card Field Guide |
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Containing
over 500 full color images, this pocket sized book
is a quick glance guide for identifying many cards,
1886 to present. $12.99
from Krause Publications :: Search
for it on eBay :: From
$3.50 on Half.com |
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An
incredible collection of images from dozens of vintage
sets. A fantastic reference for vintage collectors. |
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Be
sure to search old posts prior to asking about your
specific card. There is a wealth of information
in these posts, and chances are your specific set
was covered at some point. Note: this forum concentrates
on pre-WWII baseball items. |
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A
resonably complete cross-section of baseball card
sets, vintage to modern. One con to this resource
is that not all collectors post images of their
cards. |
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If
all else fails, eBay is a great place to find a
card similar to yours. With millions of cards for
sale at any given time, a simple search may prove
successful. Keep your search simple at first, for
example use only the player's last name if it is
found on the card. |
AUTHENTICATION
Whether created for good reasons or bad, an incredible
number of vintage reprints exist today in the hobby.
Properly educating yourself will help insure the card
you are holding is the "real deal". Many of
the above listed books will help you in authenticating
your card, but if you wish to further research, the
following may be of assistance:
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"Judging
the Authenticity of Early Trading Cards". Perhaps
one of the most well written and informative articles
on this subject. |
Sportscard
Counterfeit Detector |
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Now
out of print, this book by the author of the Standard
Catalog of Baseball cards provides an in depth look
at reprints and counterfeit cards. For a vintage
collector, any edition of this book is a smart buy.
Search
for it on eBay :: From
$8.95 on Half.com (1994 Edition - most recent) |
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Larry
Fritsch Cards, Inc carries many reprints of popular
(and otherwise) sets. Compare your card with images
found on their site or purchase a set to compare
up close with your card. |
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Don't
feel like taking the time to research and authenticate
your card? Send it off to one of these respected
third-party grading companies. For a fee that may
be relative to the time you spend researching, they'll
properly identify and grade it for you. |
CONDITION
/ GRADING
Evaluating condition is an extremely objective process.
Chances are not everyone will agree with an assigned
grade, but following established guidelines can at least
give you a ballpark estimate of how your card would
be viewed by others with a trained eye for such things.
Though not all collectors prefer cards graded and "slabbed"
by third parties, few can disagree that such companies
have helped set relative standards for card grades.
Of the many grading companies out there, three are most
trusted by vintage collectors: PSA,
SGC
and GAI.
For your convenience, the grading standards of all three
are placed side by side here.
Remember, because of the objective nature of grading,
you may find that you have overgraded or undergraded
your card in the eyes of others. The important thing
to remember is condition plays a HUGE part in properly
assigning value to a card. Although a 1933 Goudey Babe
Ruth will always be worth "something", an
EX-MT example will command a considerably higher price
than a G-VG example.
We
should be clear that while condition plays an incredibly
important role in value, many other factors do as well,
scarcity being one. Whether scarce or not, a card in
poor condition will always be worth less than a high
grade example of the exact same card.
VALUE
To assess value, eBay
is arguably the best gauge for what price an item might
sell. Though several of the books above will be helpful,
eBay has several advantages:
- Sheer
volume. With millions of cards changing hands daily,
unless your card is considerably rare, chances are
one like it has been recently sold (and sometimes
in multiples)
- Prices
are recent, and reflect what a card might be worth
"now" in comparison to an outdated price
guide.
- Knowledgable
sellers and bidders set an accurate "market"
value
- Accessability
and ease of use. 100 million members can't be wrong,
and searching auctions is quite easy, even if you
don't know exactly for what you are looking.
Below
are completed auction searches for sevaral common vintage
baseball issues. If you do not see your set listed,
please use this link to go directly to an eBay completed
aution search page.
Note:
You will need to be signed in to eBay
to access these listings. If you do not have an eBay
ID, you will need to first register
(free).
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For
eBay searches of live auctions in these categories
and many more, please see our Searches
page. |
If
you have any suggestions for making this reference page
more useful, please e-mail
me. Thank you!
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