If you will be purchasing cards to sell later at a higher value, you are investing in baseball cards.  Some may say you are trading, but you are investing.  Before you go ahead and invest, first know that you will make some mistakes in your investments.  It happens to everyone.  You can minimize them though.  

As a general rule, do not buy hobby or blaster (retail) boxes as investments.  Buying these boxes, while it can be very fun, is pretty much the same as gambling. If you spend $100 on a hobby box of Allen and Ginter cards, and wind up with an autograph of a rookie who doesn’t make it to the major leagues, a jersey swatch of a mid-level veteran, and a box full of commons, then you have not made a wise investment. Yes, on occassion you will see someone pull a card valued at $750 from a $100 box. The odds are generally stacked heavily against you here though. I think that buying and busting hobby and retail boxes are a great way to have fun with baseball cards. It’s just that it’s a poor way to invest in baseball cards. (more…)

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As mentioned in the previous post in this series, the first factor to consider when selling a card is who the player is.

It’s pretty easy to figure out that you want to be selling a Hall of Famer, rather than a player who has never hit more than .230. But what about prospects? What about players in the middle of their careers? What about players who have had a terrific first year?

The first type of player to consider, with respect to investment value, is an older, established Hall of Famer. There are a couple of reasons why you’d want to invest in such a player’s cards. Obviously, being a HOFer, this player had a terrific MLB career. The player has already established their body of work on the field of play. They are done with the on-field portion of their career, and have put up some terrific numbers. That’s it. There is not going to be an injury, a drop-off in talent, or anything else.

Being that they are an older player, a larger number of fans may be familiar with such a player. Baby-boomers and Gen X-ers alike are familiar with Johnny Bench, George Brett, Warren Spahn and Roberto Clemente, to name a few. In addition, most of these players are past their “wild” days and there should be little to no concern for character related issues to affect their card’s value. There should be no steroid indictments, no gambling accusations, and no drug-related bans.

An added bonus here is if the player spent his entire career with only one team. A Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente or Don Mattingly (not a HOFer, but should be) might bring more value than a Tris Speaker, Nolan Ryan, Frank Robinson, or Wade Boggs. The latter player’s cards certainly should, and do, have value, however, they would have an even higher value if the player spent their career with only one team, due to the fan identification factor. (Babe Ruth, identified with the Yankees, is an anomaly here).

Also, consider whether or not the player currently holds, or previously held, any statistical records. Rickey Henderson, the all-time stolen base king? Can’t touch his best cards without dropping close to triple digits.  (Would be even higher if he played his entire career with the Yanks or A’s.)  Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio are all examples here too. (more…)

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Five Factors Affecting Baseball Card Value

1)  Obviously the player in question is the first and foremost important factor when considering card value.  A card of Derek Jeter or Mickey Mantle will sell for more money than a card of Joe Girardi or Claudel Washington.  The longer the player’s tenure (and tenure with one particular team so that fans can identify that player with their team),  the better his statistics, and the more World Series he has won, are all factors that will affect the value of the player’s card. 

In addition, it helps greatly if the player has stayed out of trouble off the field.  We can all name players who have gotten into trouble with drugs and steroids, whose cards have dropped in value dramatically, and who may never be candidates for the Hall of Fame, even though they put up amazing statistics.

2)  Card Condition is extremely important when considering card value.  A card in mint condition will always sell for more money than a card in fair condition.  That’s just how the market works.  Mint before near-mint before excellent before good before fair before poor.  It also depends who has graded the card.  A card graded a BGS 9 might be more valuable than a card graded a BCCG 9.5. 

Minor imperfections in the card will not dramatically affect the card’s value.  An off-center picture on an older card, or a surface blemish, is much more easily overlooked than rounded corners, a major crease in the middle of the card, or even worse, a piece of the actual card missing.

3)  The rarity of the card could be the single most important factor, according to some collectors.  If there is only one print of a particular card ever made, it will bring much more money in the market than if the card is part of a normal distribution.  Think of a 1 of 1 signed Albert Pujols card.  This baseball card would sell for more money 99% of the time than a 1 of 200 signed Pujols card.  This applies not only to superstar cards, but to error cards as well.  The uncorrected Topps Jeter card with Bush and Mantle in the background.  The whiteout version of the infamous Billy Ripken card.

Probably the best example of a rare card causing a marked increase in value is the T-206 Honus Wagner card.  It is rumored that this card was pulled from production, possibly because Wagner objected to the use of his likeness to promote a tobacco product.  Some experts now estimate that there are only 200 of these cards in the world.  This card in near-mint to mint condition recently sold for over $2 million! This proves the impact on card value of combining the factors of who the player is, card condition, and rarity.

4)      Recent events will often impact a baseball card’s value.  If a player was just elected, or just inducted into the Hall of Fame, look for their card value to increase.  If they are just about to reach a statistical milestone, it’s a good time to sell that player’s card.  Some prime examples of recent events affecting card value are Ken Griffey Jr. hitting 600 dingers, Cal Ripken Jr. being elected to the Hall of Fame, the multitude of players implicated in the steroid scandals, and the Red Sox winning the World Series.  So, as you can see, both positive and negative events, upcoming or in the recent past, can have an impact on a particular card’s value.

5)  Which team the player is identified with will always have an effect on a baseball card’s value.  It’s particularly helpful if a player has played with one team for his entire career.  Think of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame together.   They will both always be identified with the Baltimore Orioles and the San Diego Padres respectively.  If Ken Griffey Jr. had remained with the Mariners for his entire career, it most likely would have had a positive effect on his card value, and in particular his rookie cards.  If you say Derek Jeter, what team comes to mind?  Only one,  right?  That affects his card’s value.    

 

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