Sports Fan Talking

The sports trading card icon, the Honus Wagner T-206 card (1909 American Tobacco Co. ) has reached the century mark. The primary reason that there so few of these cards is Honus Wagner pulled the card shortly after it was released. There were only 60 of these printed and out of the 60 there are only 50 cards that can be found. I think that Honus may have pulled his card because the only place you could get one was in a pack of cigarettes. Can you imagine the uproar if a cigarette manufacture tried to put baseball cards in cigarette packs today.

If you are one of the few who happen to have a Honus Wagner card I'm sure you have a big smile on your face. In 2007, the card sold in a SCP Auction for a cool $2.8 million. In contrast, the players were only being paid $10 for the use of their likenesses.

In order to determine the value of any card you first need to know the grading level of the card. These can range from mint to poor. Below is the universal grading scale for trading cards:

Mint (MT) - A card with four sharp corners, 50/50 centering, no imperfections or signs of wear. Even cards straight out of the pack do not always grade mint.

Near Mint (NM) - A near-perfect card with perhaps one minor imperfection, such as one blunt corner. Centering is no worse than 60/40 and the card must have its original gloss. NM cards are the standard by which other grades are usually gauged.

Excellent-Mint (EX-MT) - A card with only two or three minor imperfections. Must have original gloss and centering no worse than 70/30.

Excellent (EX) - A card with a few minor imperfections. Some original gloss is lost and the edges show moderate wear. All four corners typically show some wear. Centering is no worse than 75/25.

Very Good (VG) - A card that shows obvious handling but is still attractive despite wear and imperfections. A VG card may have a crease, but one that's not severe enough to make the card unattractive. Most of the original gloss is lost.

Good (G), Fair (F), Poor (P) - A very worn card with many major imperfections. Collectors use cards of these grades as fillers until better ones can be found.

There are companies that will professionally grade your cards. Companies such as these, whose main goal is applying consistent grading to some of the most sought-after cards on the market and the authentication of autographs and collectibles, are some of the most respected and profitable companies in the industry, even competing with the major card manufacturers in terms of gross income. Companies such as Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) and Global Authentication Inc. (GAI) have come out as the leaders in this coveted service market.

PSA is probably the leader due to their extensive experience in card grading, respected name and preference by vintage collectors. This "vintage advantage", according to many in the hobby, is largely due to the overwhelming popularity of the PSA Set Registry.

Get valuable baseball cards professionally graded. Go to the Professional Sports Authenticator website and click on "Submission Center" for information on how to send in your cards for grading. Professionally graded cards are graded according to the condition of the card and increase the cards value.

Once you know the grade of your card(s) then it's time to organize your cards. Here are some ways to organize your collection:

• Sort them by year and brand

• See if you can complete any sets

• Organize cards that are not part of complete set into team sets and player groups

• Set aside any rookie cards (these cards typically have higher value)

Evaluate the fair market price of your cards. Subscribe to the Beckett Baseball magazine or purchase a copy off a magazine rack to find the current market value of cards. There is comprehensive pricing from the 1960s to the present and vintage pricing from early 1900s.

Subscribe to Beckett Online at Beckett.com. There are some great features provided online such as:

Beckett.com provides the most current values around with daily pricing updates.

More ways to price! Members can submit their own values to share with other collectors.

Find pricing for over 5 million items across baseball, football, basketball, hockey & more!

This is stating the obvious, but if you have cards of high value, you need to store them hard plastic top loaders or sleeves. You don't want to risk damaging them. Top loaders are the best thing to put your cards in. It doesn’t take much to lower the graded value of a card.

You should price your baseball cards below their maximum value. Card prices will be listed in two columns in the Becket Magazine, a low column and a high column. Price your cards below the high value for the best results.

Know how the condition of the card changes the value. For ungraded cards, take a careful look at what shape the card is in. Scratches, fuzzy corners and off centering all take away from a cards value. Beckett Magazine has instructions on how to take these factors into account when valuing your cards.

Depending on your situation you have at least three options as to where you can sell your cards. If you have access to the internet you need to open an account on Ebay. You can sell your cheaper baseball cards on eBay for a quick turn around. There are other internet choices, but Ebay is a good place to start.

If you are in a hurry to sell your card(s) you can go to a local card shop. I would do this as a last resort. The card shop owner is going to pay as little as possible, because he needs to mark it up so that he makes a profit. For example, if the book value of your card is $75, then he is going to offer you less so that he can price it competitively and still make money.

If you have a lot of cards to sell, get a booth at a sports card store in your area. Beckett Magazine has a listing of upcoming card shows across the country.

ACE: A team's best starting pitcher.

ALLEY: The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also called gap.

AROUND THE HORN: A double play going from third base to second base to first base.

       You can observe a lot just by watching.....Yogi Berra

Sports memorabilia collecting

An introduction to the hobby of sports collectibles and history of sports memorabilia collecting

Knowing about sports collectibles is just a first step in engaging to the hobby of collecting sports memorabilia and other sports collectible pieces.


While there are a lot of people who consider collecting as an enjoyable pastime, there are also collectors who see more than that.

Collecting sports cards, jerseys, baseballs, boxing gloves, football helmets, etc. can also be profitable especially for valuable, rare, and vintage sports collectibles. This article will be an introduction to sports memorabilia and other collectibles.

These two terms in collecting sports items are often used interchangeably. It is important to note that these two sports collecting jargons do have a major difference.


Sports memorabilia refers to cards, sports uniforms, helmets, and other sports items that are signed by an athlete and such signature is authenticated by a reliable and respectable distributor.


Sports collectibles are those unsigned sports equipment, cards, postcards, and other collectibles. Autographed sports merchandise which are not certified or authenticated are also considered sports collectibles.

Why do people like the hobby of collecting sports items?


1. To show support

Most, if not all collectors of sports collectibles are huge sports fans. Collecting is a way of a person to show support to a sports superstar or to the basketball, baseball, or football team a person idolizes.

2. To keep the momentum

Through memorabilia, action cards, photos, or those magazine clippings, you keep that nostalgic feel of the won championship, that record-breaking home run, or that legendary dunk. Sports memorabilia simply capture winning moments and immortalize them.


3. To get connected

It is amazing how a tiny signature on sports trading cards makes you connected to that athletic star you admire. This is one reason why fans could not just get enough of autographed sports memorabilia.

Another advantage of being a sports collector is you get to meet people of same interest and passion. Before you realize it, you will find yourself in a network of both novice and expert hobbyists who would help you know more about the sports collectibles industry and help you grow your collection. There is a pool of learning in interaction.

4. To be involved and know the sport better

More than knowing about the hobby, collecting sports memorabilia keeps you more involved of the sports itself. Many collectible sports cards do not only display images of your favorite athletes, cards also bear facts about the athlete, technical information about the sport that he plays, etc. A collector becomes a sports enthusiast.

5. To earn or to invest

The sports memorabilia market has become a big industry through the years that is why investing in sports cards, baseball bats, hockey shirts, etc. is a feasible business endeavor. Evidences of the growing market are the online sports collectible auctions, sports forums, and online shops.


Countless pieces of sports collectibles had already been sold for thousands to millions of dollars especially if they are rare. An example of valuable rare sports memorabilia is the baseball that Mark McGwire hit for the 62nd home run in 1998 (breaking the Roger Maris' single-season 61 home run record). The ball was sold for more than a million US dollars. A soccer shirt of Pele, the greatest footballer of all time, was sold for $ 224,000.

There are other rare collectible sports items which may not have as much value as those mentioned above, but will earn you bucks as well. All you need to do is to be very much oriented with the sports memorabilia market.

History of Sports Collectibles and Memorabilia


The history of sports collectibles and memorabilia began with sports cards, particularly baseball cards inserted in tobacco boxes. This was during the 1800s when the hype of inserting cards inside product packages became a popular marketing strategy not only in the tobacco industry but even in soaps, and later within bubble gum wrappings.

Among those promotional cards issued by tobacco companies, the T-206 Honus Wagner became the most popular even until today. It is in fact considered as the “Mona Lisa” of all sports cards and is one of the most rare sports cards.

In the dawning of the World War II until 1950, there was a halt in producing sports cards from different companies. In 1952, collectible cards came back to business when the chewing gum manufacturing company, Topps, produced sets of innovative collectible cards bearing colored portrait of a baseball player, team logo, and other statistical and biographical information.


The card sets were also larger than its earlier versions derived from the tobacco cards. Because of the innovation, Topps cards were considered the first true baseball card set. Then on, more cards were released to the market from various manufacturers.

Examples of sports collectibles today

Sports collectibles is not limited to collectible sports cards but also to collectible and autographed sporting uniforms and equipment in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, and boxing. Here are sports collectibles and memorabilia available in the market today


o Sports trading cards are the pioneer in the sports collectibles industry. They were the first forms of sports collectibles (as baseball cards) and until today, they remain to be the most popularly collected among sports collectors.


o Rookie cards – there has been a lot of confusion on the real definition of what a rookie card really is. Some say a rookie card is called such when it is the first time that an athlete appears on a sports trading card. Others also believe that the first time a manufacturer features an athlete in a card, such card is called a rookie card. A safe definition of a rookie card is a card that features an athlete during his rookie year in the sport.


o Autographed cards – are signed sports trading cards by the athlete. Generally, sports autographs add more value to a memorabilia. However, signatures must be authenticated to be called as real sports memorabilia. Uncertified autographed cards are still considered collectibles.



o Vintage cards – sports cards are considered vintage when they are produced or released during pre-1980s. Because of their age, they are highly collectible and valuable and can become even more expensive through time.


o Graded cards – graded cards are those sports cards that were evaluated and authenticated by independent card grading services. There are many factors that are looked upon to grade a card such as centering, borders and corners, surface, condition, and eye appeal. Cards with high grades (GEM-MT 10: Gem Mint as the highest) have higher market values.


o Game worn jerseys or uniforms – among the top ten most expensive sports memorabilia are the jerseys of baseball legend Babe Ruth. Basketball jerseys, particularly from the National Basketball Association (NBA) today are also very widely collected. A Kobe Bryant LA Lakers Jersey could cost more than $3, 700.


o Game used sporting equipment – game used sporting equipment may include football helmets, baseball bats, basketballs, boxing gloves, etc. Famous among sports enthusiasts are baseball bats and balls. The world’s oldest hockey stick (1850s) became recognized as the most expensive non baseball sport memorabilia after it was sold for $2.2 million in 2006.

o Event memorabilia – this type of sports collectible or memorabilia includes tickets, programmes, and photos taken during the actual game. In football and rugby for example, it has been a tradition to buy a tournament program before entering the stadium. As these accumulate in every match, they can become collectible items. A signature of a football superstar will even add more value to this sports memorabilia (sentimental or monetary value at that).


o Sports Bobbleheads – a bobblehead is a type of collectible doll originating in the 1950s. It usually has an oversized head attached to the body by a spring that when tapped, the head bobbles (moves up and down like a nod). This kind of doll may vary in designs – from popular cartoon characters, politicians, Hollywood actors and celebrities, or animal miniatures. The most collected are the sports bobbleheads featuring different sports superstars.