Great vid but I think you missed the top points. For one in my opinion the most important thing is to collect what you like. Two is don’t get into the hobby for profit. I mean if you want to diversify your portfolio fine buy a 52 mantle. What I’m getting at is don’t buy cards of players or teams you don’t like because they may go up in value. Enjoy your collection regardless of value. I don’t care if a card goes down in value if it is something I enjoy looking at or has some nostalgia for me.
I agree with you.I buy raw cards from the 50's and 60's. I stick with HOF's and stars I remember from when I was a kid. I collect for the fun not profit. The mercenaries ruin the hobby. And the only cards for me are Topps because that is what I've collected since I was a kid. Although I would pick up old cards such as a Goudey series if they are reasonably priced
My ten year old son and I are starting to collect baseball cards, and realized very quickly how over whelming the hobby can be with the abundance of cards avaliable. After watching your video, we learned a few things and just wanted to say great video, very informative, and thank you for your advice.
+Scott Lincoln Thanks Scott! That is exactly why I did this video. One thing I forgot to mention is that if you are buying modern cards it is a lot of fun to focus on the current top prospects m.mlb.com/prospects/2016. Usually you can get their cards at a much cheaper price before they get called up.
I can tell you this: if I started collecting from the beginning today, I'd only buy Bowman and Topps branded cards. they are the only brands that have MLB licensing. Though Panini does have some cool products too
Thank you for your input Eric, I have noticed that the Topps Baseball cards seem to hold the highest initial value on E-bay, and I do like the Bowman and Panini products as well, I recently purchased the " Topps Dynasty series" for the patch cards, I'm waiting for delivery and if I get anything worth sharing, I'll post a video
+Scott Lincoln topps dynasty is an awesome product. My biggest pc is mark mcgwire and I have a couple dynasty patch signatures. expensive, but awesome. I'd say it's better to buy the actual card of the actual player you want on those rather than a box/pack. definitely post a vid when you get them though.
Just got back into collecting. Been having alot of fun doing it! Really like your videos very informative. Just pulled a nice gleyber topps gallery numbered rookie pretty sweet! Even though as a twins fan the yankees are a tough one lol. Thanks for the vids
Very good video. You and I are right on par with a lot of things. Centering is King for me too. I do disagree about the Crossover grading. I would crack it out unless its a card with a super high BGS or BVG grade. I like to take all bias out when PSA is looking at a card or vise versa
1. Buy the highest graded rookie card specimen that you can afford. Getting a professionally graded card ensures authenticity and value when you re-sell. 2. Only invest in packs that are part of a sealed box which you plan to keep as it is (sealed box) as an investment to re-sell later. Sealed boxes, or BBCE authenticated boxes will always maintain their value (and often appreciate). 3. Vintage cards tend to hold their value, but the rare high grade and highly valued ones appreciate the most. Newer cards are a risk, especially for an unproven player. Investing in top graded rookies for highly proven players is usually safe.
Love it! After dzolot stopped making videos a few years ago there hasn't been any really entertaining and informative card collecting videos! This is awesome. Like your other videos too. I also started to buy high quality cards some 6-7 years ago(bird, jordan, lebron, kobe,Greztky, Koufax rc etc. after noticing that my early 90's cards are worthless. Would be nice to make my hobby a business somehow :)
Some great advice. Most important thing you said was about just buying a few valuable cards. I would stay away from anything after the early 70s. My guess is that those early cards have bottomed out and will see nice gains over the next 20 years. The newer stuff will likely go down a lot in 20 years. If I can't fall asleep at night I just spend a few minutes looking thru some cards. Always works!
I really enjoyed this video. I want to start collecting sports cards again and I understand from the video and reading other comments that you made this more on collecting for investment purposes. But somebody, somewhere had to open a pack of cards and find that one gem people wnt for investment purposes. That was always the joy for me as a kid. Finding a card in a pack that may end up being worth something. Regardless, good video! You earned my sub!
Bink Scott Yeah but I just bought those packs to have fun and get views. All my big money purchases are on high end singles like the Mantle/Clemente rookie and T206 big train
Nice video. Just started getting back into it off and on over the last couple years. Thought I'd share my mistake. I'm pretty sure I bought a wax box of 87 Donruss that had been opened and the good rookies taken out of the packs. That was such a good year for Rookie cards such as Bo Jackson, Greg Maddux, McGwire, and several others. I also thought they were such a cool looking card and are nostalgic to me. Anyways, they seemed sealed, but I've opened 9 packs and haven't pulled a single significant rookie card. Best one i pulled is Benito Santiago and very few total. I was so excited but now an sick. I only paid $20 for it, but I probably could have bought 2 or of everyone one I wanted for $20.
Nice advice, casual collecting since 71,,, I dabble in Target /Walmart / E Bay , oh I have tons n tons of ol stuff , non graded , n I do spend on ol vintage once n a while , ,,, I enjoy dabbling ,, I like laying out 50 different Larry birds or Zeke Elliot n so fourth , this guy is right on , 👍🏼
I got one of those large plastic bins/tubs of loose cards ranging from, what I've seen so far which mind you barely scratches the surface, from 80s to 09 for $30 got a binder of good condition cards for $24 with from what I've seen about 3 of them i know are worth $200 together if graded i guess which idk if is even worth my trouble but i feel good about the score.. What are your thoughts? Was it a bad investment?
GMA is also a card grading business. Grading Fees: for 1-99 Cards they charge $4 for jersey cards, $3 per cards and $10 for auto's Bulk Grading Fees: 100+ Cards they $4 for jersey's, $2.50 per card and $10 for autographs. GMA is growing and is going to get popular soon. PSA and BGS being overcharging for there card grading prices. They are taking advantage of collectors or your average joe. You should mind for over paying!
Not to mention PSA constantly undergrades to keep population of cards "diverse". I've seen cards of the SAME virtual condition (we meticulously took care of noticing any imperfections...which there weren't...& took great care in measurements of centering...they were both dead center) graded 5 years apart...& the latter graded comes back a point&1/2 LOWER. They were pulled from the SAME BOX at the same time and purposely graded 5 years apart after the player went to the HOF. PSA and BGS are running a racket.
Great video. I recently got into card collecting, However I don't think I plan on getting many high end cards, rather I just want to collect World series championship teams (25) and all star starting lineups from each yr. along with all yankees and Cardinals I can get. But after watching your video Im thinking that might be silly, I guess i'll see how it goes. Thanks again!
I bought a 1989 Score Box Set this past weekend. Only $5.60. Cards like Mark Mcguire, George Brett, Cal Ripken, etc are each listing for a lot more than that online. Think I did pretty good.
Nicely done! Some good advice here. One thing I would add is that if you are bidding on a EBay card listed by a consignment company, always wait till the very end of the auction to place the bid. If you bid early, the owner of the card could easily shill you up to find your top bid assuming that you will go back and be willing to spend another couple dollars. So figure out what you are willing to pay and place that bid with 3 seconds.
Very informative and interesting video. I totally agree with you on buying @ card show's and buy non graded hof'ers in the best shape you can find...👍💯
bro you make some great vids, great info. I like you collection aswell, key cards not stupid purchases nice old and knew,,,,, as far as music taste needs work lol just kidding watched your live video recently that was uploaded after the fact.
I came across a basketball card with error chares smith nba hoops la clippers on front side and picture and stats for kenneth darnel norman on back side of card if you know anything about this card please reply.thanks
Thank You Silver Jacktify,for putting this video together, I never knew about the codes on the back of the recent Topps cards & the variations that could make a card a refractor, SP or even SSP,Love getting advice and tips from baseball card fans like yourself, looking forward to seeing future video 's, sorry I sold you that fake Babe Ruth card,lol, hope you didn't get burned for a lot of money but lesson learned, everyone makes mistakes, take care,&keep collecting!!!
While I AGREE with the dry spells, hype cards & basically what was the "wax junk card era", I've ALWAYS found TIMING to be key. Collecting since 1982, made a ton of money from 2002-2008 & I'm on the 2nd run of having a mildly successful & legit hobby shop. Mariano Rivera is going into the HOF this June. Many collectors (with the exception of Yankees fans) were basically tossing the mass produced & even "rarer" rookies in the grab box...& I've snatched up dozens of each print. The Bowman is going for around $75. As for grading, I'm an SGC guy. I've been to the old location in Parsippany NJ for a few showcases...now they're in Clearwater FL & that's not happening anymore. Graded & Slabbed cards is really another hype thing, though. PSA is frequently unreasonable with fees & processing and undergrades frequently JUST to control population. Many "regraded" cards come back in a lower grade. It's a matter of opinion. HOWEVER, I totally agree with centering issues. My biggest problem with the hobby presently is the 2¢ hype cards selling for THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I've gone from "gotta be perfect for my pc & I'll sell the lower grade stuff" to the other way around about my pc & other collectors. You must own stock in one or both of the grading companies, though... PSA? BCG? Best places to go are card shows. They're like a bazaar in Calcutta🤣
Nice video However I think that opening packs is fun and I think that about 90% of the time you don’t get exactly what you want but you may get something that you otherwise couldn’t afford and some one had got to open packs or there are no cards,and finally the thing is, especially with products like bowman maybe the three autos are no namers but in a few years they may be the the next mike trout and if you never open packs then you will only have a chance and the desire to get the next mike trout when the cards are big money. Also about blaster(retail) what about set builders
Great video very informative. I just got back into card collecting in the last year or so. Just one question about centering. What does it mean when PSA says the front has to be close to 55/45 or 60/40 percent and 75/25 on the back? I wondering which number is for the top to bottom and side to side? Or does that not matter? For investment purposes on vintage cards what is the best grade to purchase and for modern cards?
Thanks! I hope it was helpful. The centering is for both top to bottom and left to right. If it is off by more than that in either direction they lower the grade. Real collectors only care about the grade to a certain extent. It is all about the aesthetics (where centering is the most important part). Check out my video of the Ty Cobb/Hank Aaron. Both of those cards have very low grades (so i can get them really cheap...well relatively) but have great eye appeal. The Ty Cobb is a 1.5 but looks much better than that. Those are the types of cards I would recommend going after if you are going to buy them already graded. Buy the card not the grade. For modern cards i would never buy anything lower than a PSA/BGS 9. In fact, I would focus on getting gem mint cards only.
+SilverJackify thank you for the info on centering I got a better understanding now. I just hate seeing a 8.5 on centering I can live with a 9 or better on centering. I will go check the video on the ty cob / Hank Aaron video.
Hello Joe, just wanted to put this out there, when collecting Autograph cards, I think the value would be higher if you get the player's Jersey numbered card, for me I have a Mike Trout 2017 Tier One 27/50 Autograph Single Relic card also a Rhys Hoskins 2018 Topps 17/50 gold Autograph Card, this works for the most popular players just like Babe Ruth no.3 card, take care, thank you.
Love your videos! This one changed how I collect so thank you! I was wondering your opinion on best long term investment buy with $1500. Better to go with lower grade Ruth, Mantle, etc. or higher grade Rose, Ryan?
Good video but I think it is okay to by packs but just not as your only method of cards. For instance if you bought1 50$ box a month that would be fine or if every time you buy singles also buy a 10$ blaster box or 1-2 individual packs
I like to collect for fun and I'm interested in investment but I don't want to over do it. But I really wished I bought a Ken Griffey Bowman tiffany rookie and Derek Jeter 1993 Upper Deck SP rookie when they were affordable but life goes on
Another amazing video! I appreciate such great advice and do most of these suggestions myself. Also, I also open vintage sports packs and unique boxes. More videos coming and vintage giveaway when I hit 1K subscribers.
Good video. In your opinion should I collect more vintage PSA 9 cards of great players such as Roberto Clemente, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose,etc or should I focus more on PSA 10 or BGS 9.5/10 rookies on players like Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey, Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, Derek Jeter, etc? Which is a better investment?
For me buying singles makes the most sense because it gives me a chance to get PC cards from boxes that are expensive and I wouldn't have a chance to open otherwise. Also if I only collected cards from box breaks I've done I would have like 2 PC cards instead of the large collection I currently have. Although I'm thinking of subscribing to the Football Crate lol....
100% agree on the centering! I'd rather have a psa4 with perfect centering than a psa6 that is way off center. I check the recent sales on ebay as well usually before buying a card at a show or shop... it usually pisses of the vendor though and they say "well I'm not competing with ebay". I personally would rather buy the cards as singles that I want than hope to pull it out of a box... though if you are trying to make money, buying a case of bowman or topps is usually the way to go, especially if you are prospecting. all in all great video. I subbed Btw
+SilverJackify I bought a Griffey refractor from eBay that the seller, shall I say "strategically" photo'd so it looked perfectly centered... when I got it in the mail I was pretty disappointed to find it was pretty off. but, it is a Griffey refractor so I guess that's cool lol
Great video, however I disagree about the grading companies a bit. PSA is best for any card from any era. SGC is basically for vintage, and Beckett is limited to modern cards from the late 80's and up mainly baseball. Beckett is baseball for anyone who collected in the 80's, so baseball cards are great in their slabs. It's awful when you see a vintage card in a Beckett slab. PSA is really where the best investment is. They are the top company and they bring the highest returns. A psa 10 can bring 25% more than a Gem Beckett of the same card.
Yeah, ripping cases is the most ridiculous thing if you think moneywise, because you'll never get your money back recently. But I think it's the most exciting part of this hobby and there is no fun in buying a comlete set and the hits, even if it's way cheaper. Besides, there is always a chance of pulling a monster(although the percentage is close to zero, it will be 0% if you don't take that risk).
+KOBAYASHI Totally agree...opening a box of packs is much more fun than collecting singles in the short term. Long term it is more fun to get one quality rookie card that is special for your collection.
HOLA! Me gustaria saber si sabes cuando una tarjeta vale la pena ser subida de grado en beckett or ,PSA, o las diferentes empresas porque eso tiene un costo y no se si al subir de grado el precio sea mayor que lo que pague porque he visto tarjetas graduadas que casi no cuestan nada.
Hi, I'm back to collecting after 25 years. I am collecting only vintage cards and have one question. Since we're relying so much on the graded result on any card..... Are the PSA card holders counterfeited? If so, how can the fake holders be identified? Thanks
Interesting stuff man. I just noticed your vids. And I have liked all of what I have seen. I 100 percent don't buy to sell. Ive bought for 20 years and never sold even a common 87 topps to an expensive auto rookie. I like all my stuff too much. Even the nickel cards. To what you were saying about the quality over quantity. Yeah I do agree in some ways. But I am a HUGE Freddie Freeman collector and fan. And I usually buy like 6 really nice autos of him for $100 total. And I usually tend to do that more than throwing $100 for a single auto card of him. Maybe that's just me.. In saying that I have thrown down $104.50 for a crazy Topps Dynasty auto logo patch numbered to 10 haha.
Yeah, i think what got lost in this video was that i was trying to give advice if you are purely looking at it from an investing standpoint. I'm always buying packs and paying too much for cards but the key is now that i'm educated i know when i'm paying too much for a card. If i pay too much for a card and know it, it feels much better than paying too much and finding out after the fact and feeling like you got swindled. That is awesome that you collect Freeman...keep collecting and subscribe because i have much more coming!
You just got a new subscriber my friend. I buy packs and hobby boxes sometimes. But not as often as I used to when I was younger. You're right for the new collectors. DO NOT buy boxes or especially retail packs. Heck even single hobby packs for that matter. You wont make your money back. And I don't care about how much my cards are worth but I still know I can practically get the Braves master set for the price or less than the price for the hobby box. And my goal is to pull my boys so whats the point right? I mean a Kris Bryant would be cool but It doesn't nothing for me. And whats the odds of pulling that anyway? I have a goal to at LEAST get one certified auto of every current or former Brave. I am up to 246 different player autos that played for us. And that totals over 750 total autos.. Whether you have a 19 year career with us like Chipper or like Matt Tuiasosopo who had a cup of coffee with us this year and ended his career with us a stellar 0-3 with us. I'm getting at least one auto of you. For example the newer 2016 Topps Legacies of baseball. Hobby box is $113. And you get 4 total cards (2 autos. no relics) And I bought a John Smoltz. Tom Glavine. Andruw Jones. and a Hector Olivera for my team. All on card autos for a combine price right at $70. I mean come on. And that's what all I wanted from the set. (Freeman didn't have one)
Great vid with some good info. The only thing I really disagree with is the eBay sold listings. That really is only relevant if you're going to re-sell (which I understand many people do). If you're going to re-sell, the sold listings can be a good guide for what you might be able to get for that specific card. If you're simply PC-ing, that changes things. The card is not necessarily only worth what it sold for on eBay. In the same way you get a good deal on a card at a card show, EBay is a bargain site for good deals. If you find a card that typically sells for $50 at a card show and they sell it to you for $35, you wouldn't say it's only worth $35 now. That just doesn't make sense to me. EBay sold listings are the same. It's a guide for what you could re-sell it for, not necessarily an indication of value. Just my opinion. Then again, my opinion may be skewed by the fact that I'm not a seller and I'm only a PC-er. :)
My point is what is a better barometer for understanding what a card is worth than eBay sales? Beckett price guide? Absolutely not! The Beckett is outdated as soon as it hits the bookshelf...not to mention it overvalues most cards. Ebay sales is certainly not a perfect measurement but it is better than any other listing i have seen.
For me, it's hard to even say eBay is a better judge of value than Beckett because value is chosen by the individual buyer and owner of the card(s). As you know, there's no exact science to the value of a card because the same card can be worth more to one person than it is to another person because of personal preferences about the player, design of card, etc. I keep coming back to the word "value" and what a card is "worth." EBay simply isn't a representation of that. It's a bargain site. People go there to spend as little as possible on whatever it is they're looking for. If eBay has a brand new 65" 4k TV for $200 just because some lady is selling her ex-husband's stuff in a fit of rage, that doesn't make that TV worth $200. The value is still much higher than that. I've gotten many cards on eBay that have a MUCH higher value than the price I actually paid. That's what I try to do EVERY time I make a purchase on eBay. But there's really no concrete answer for card values because when it comes right down to it, certain players have a higher value to certain collectors. One collector will be willing to pay more for a particular card than other collectors would. Personally, I don't think eBay or Beckett (definitely not COMC LOL) are anything more than guides. I dont think the term "value" should be associated with either one.
What are the odds that a Rickey Henderson Beckett 10 of his rookie card could be a PSA 9? Recently I saw a Becket 10 Henderson rookie go for just $130. PSA 9 will cost over $450. I really don't want a PSA 8 of Henderson. I don't get why the Henderson Becket 10 is sold less than BVG 10 or that other version of Becket that has highest grade of 9.5. I don't understand why Becket has 3 different grading systems. I also saw some grade company called Gem or something like that of Henderson rookie 10 that was just a little over $100. I really don't want to shell out $450.
Where were you a year ago! I saw these guys breaking packs and 💥 I was back into my teens and college with collecting football n basketball! I had over 20 86fleerjordans! Ask me where they are...hmmm a card shop for pennies on the dollar! EBay saved this hobby, add in RU-vid it’s become like stocks and bonds on a micro level! It’s a great video! I collect HOFs of Football n Basketball! I just started out and have Jordan’s again, ($$) than Dr J., Bo, and you know.. I agree with PSA and wish I saw this before I bought those retail, and boxes of commons! LOL 😂 live and rip! Aloha and Mahalo from Waikiki Hawaii Yong
small PSA 10 population create more dollars. For example a Pete Rose 1981 topps PSA 10 goes for over $1000 and 1978 Pete Rose Topps goes for around $250. More psa 10 1978 Pete Roses exist. Most of HOF Pedro Martinez's rookie cards aren't listed yet by PSA report. I see the ones aren't listed yet of PSA 10s such as 1991 upper deck of Pedro go for around $20. $20 doesn't kill me so I guess right now would be the time to buy one or more. I can't believe the Kirk Gibson 1981 topps rookie of PSA 10 goes for over thousand dollars. I collected cards during 1980s through early 90s. I just got back into cards in 2016
Welcome back to the hobby! It's all about supply and demand. A 1988 Topps Steve Balboni PSA 10 is not going to go for much even if there is only one in the world.
SilverJackify What's better a PSA 7 or PSA 8 that is listed OFF Centered? I saw an Aaron that was PSA 8 OC cheaper than PSA 7. PSA 9 OC is definitely not equal to a regular PSA 9.
If there is a qualifier like "OC" or "MC" you can generally bump it down almost two grades. I'll take a PSA 7 that is nicely centered over a PSA 8 OC all day.
SilverJackify In the PSA pop report is there a way to tell how many OCs there are? I just got a Willie Mays 1972 Topps with a PSA 9. According to PSA there are I think 57 1972 Willie Mays that grade PSA 9. I want to figure out how many are MC or OC so I can find out how many are as good as my PSA 9 1972 topps Mays which is perfectly centered.
I don't agree with the eBay thing ..a lot of people who are selling cards on there nlknow nothing about the cards or their value.. they just came acrossed it thru grandparents or something and throw it on there for a $1 ... others list card at the lowest amount to avoid fees and if no one comes on looking for that card except 1 person then it just sold for maybe a $1 and it could have a value way way higher but no one was looking for that card at the time
The smartest Ebay card sellers start their auctions at less than $1. They know that the ending price will be statistically much higher than people who start their auctions at higher prices. Yes, once in a while somebody will get a great deal but overall starting auctions at a penny is a smart thing. Those auctions initially draw tons of interest. The large number of bids serves to increase the frenzy.
I wish I saw this before I spent $36 on 3 cards a 2018 Tyler wade 35 anniversary/99 Auto 2017 topps chrome ryon Healy auto and a 2013 Jackie Bradley jr topps triple threads auto
Agreed. Packs make it fun. Buying what you want can be oknif you really want that card but today's card are all over the place so it's not the same as in the 80s 90s heyday.
like you, I was also a kid of the 80s. Went away for college and now back into the hobby. You have developed 10 steps for investing in Sports cards, But if you want to make a more honest video--it should of been a 25-step process. For the past 5 years, I've came up with a fool proof system. If I am to liquidate now, I would be 200% ahead ( yes, I would quadruple my money). However... I know that a lot of viewers out there, including yourself know those steps.
Aaron Judge? I thought you meant Mike Judge 🤣 Mike Trout & Manny Machado were guys to watch...although The Baltimore Orioles mgmt made a STUPID MOVE letting Machado call his own shots last year & let him move from 3B to SS🤔 If Orioles legend, 3B Brooks Robinson says Machado is the BEST EVER on 3B... DON'T MOVE HIM. Tried & True class player going into the HOF: Mariano Rivera I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Red Sox fan...& I'm well aware of a good/great NY Yankees closing pitcher when I see one.
I have 500 dollars to spend for my birthday (I'm 13) should I get a complete set of 1975 topps not the best condition or one really good card like you said???
Sylos Since you are a reds fan I would recommend the Frank Robinson rookie 1957 Topps. You can get a PSA 7 for under 500. I mentioned his card in another video as being the most undervalued versus what he accomplished as a player. Make sure to get one that is nicely centered though. At the end of the day make sure you get a card that you will enjoy owning though
Careful with that. The upcoming generations care more about Mike trout than they do about Nolan Ryan or Willie Mays. In 20 years there is a good chance that most vintage stuff will be worth half of what it is today. Go to any card show and 85% of the people selling and buying are over 40, and many are well over 40 years old. The 15% of collectors that are under 40 are buying modern for the most part. As a father of a 13 year old who collects with his friends, they honestly don't want the old stuff, and they are the future buyers of our collections.
"don't buy packs"? That is your opinion. Packs are exciting to open and many of the cards in the pack are in great condition. To everyone, buy packs because they are exciting!
Yes, that is my opinion when it come to pure investment advice. No doubt that it is more fun short term to open packs...but long term it is more fun (again, in my opinion) to purchase and own singles of players who you think will become stars or your favorite vintage cards.
