What should I do with old baseball cards?
- Donate them. ...
- Put them in a garage/yard sale. ...
- List them in an online classified. ...
- Donate them to a charity auction. ...
- Give them to some neighbors. ...
- Advertise them in your local newspaper/shopper. ...
- Barter. ...
- Package them up and give them away at Halloween.
Another way to dispose of commons and still get some financial return is to donate them to an organization with federal tax-exempt status like Goodwill. They will take your cards no questions asked and give you a tax-deductible receipt.
If you no longer want your sports card collection, you should consider sell baseball cards rather than throwing them away. If you have a big collection, it could take a lot of time and effort to try to sell it over the internet.
Donate them to a local charity. Goodwill and similar organizations will often accept just about anything. Come up with a fair market value, take the tax deduction at the end of the year and be done with it. This is probably the most hassle-free way to unload them, although it won't net you any money.
If you're looking to sell your late-80s and early-90s cards, you're not alone. The cards are worthless because nobody's buying. Don't blame the card shop owner for not wanting them. They won't be able to sell them, so if they take them off your hands, they're merely adding to a potential fire hazard.
There is, however, a big market for older baseball cards and other sports cards (generally cards manufactured before 1980). The vintage and prewar market is at least partially driven by the "Holy Grail" of cards, the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner.
To be clear, 99.9% of baseball cards are completely worthless. I'm sorry to say this, but your 2008 Topps Derek Jeter card isn't worth any money, even though Jeter is in the Hall of Fame. Like any business, baseball cards become valuable through supply and demand.
If you have cards issued after 1980, your best option is to keep them and enjoy them or donate the cards to charity and take the tax deduction. Unfortunately, there are only a few sets from after 1979 that Dean's Cards can purchase.
Selling the card UNGRADED is the safest move unless you're ABSOLUTELY certain that you'll garner a NM-MT or better grade. However, PSA 9 and PSA 10 examples are why so many people clamor to grade this card.
You can auction them yourself on eBay, sell them to a local card shop or dealer, or go to an auction house and have it sell the cards as one big lot. But before you start selling, it's best to take stock of what you have to see which cards are more valuable than others.
Can I recycle trading cards?
Or what to do with unwanted cards. Sadly, Magic The Gathering playing cards are not recyclable. Their paper fiber has a mixture of plastic cores and coatings. Therefore, their material composition makes them hard to recycle.
How to Look Up the Value of Baseball Cards - YouTube

- eBay. EBay is one of the oldest online marketplaces that is still in operation today. ...
- Etsy. Another online platform to consider selling your baseball cards on is Etsy. ...
- Just Collect. ...
- Reddit. ...
- Dean's Cards. ...
- eBid. ...
- Bonanza. ...
- DA Card World.
- Step 1: Find a card that you would like to find the value of. ...
- Step 2: Figure out the manufacturer (Topps, Bowman, Fleer, etc). ...
- Step 3: Figure out what year your card is from. ...
- Step 3: Honestly assess the condition of the card. ...
- Step 4: Search eBay for the card you have “1957 Topps Sandy Koufax.”
Player | Card | Price |
---|---|---|
1. Honus Wagner | T206 SGC 3 | $6.6 Million |
T2. Mickey Mantle | 1952 Topps | $5.2 Million |
T2. LeBron James | 2003-04 Rookie Patch Autograph | $5.2 Million |
4. Luka Doncic* | 1:1 Logoman Autographed | $4.6 Million |
If you think of your favorite player, their most valuable card is most likely from Topps. If you think of your dad's favorite player, their most valuable card is most likely from Topps. Topps was first introduced with its series of red and blue backs all the way back in 1951, and acquired Bowman in 1955.
1 Rickey Henderson 1980 Topps #482: Not only the most valuable card of the 1980s, this beautiful piece of cardboard capturing the Man of Steal's famed batting stance has proven to be one of the most important cards ever. The last PSA 10 sold for more than $76,000.
Unfortunately, they won't likely be worth much (unless you've got some very specific sets like 1986-87 Fleer Basketball). For the most part, the collections people have from the '80s and '90s are not strong because those cards were over-produced. There was too much supply and not enough demand.
...
Off we go!
- 1993 SP #279 Derek Jeter.
- 1997 Ultra #518 David Arias. ...
- 1994 SP #15 Alex Rodriguez. ...
- 1992 Bowman #302 Mariano Rivera. ...
- 1997 Bowman Chrome #182 Adrian Beltre. ...
Despite its immense popularity, with over 4,400 cards being submitted for grading, only 6 have ever been PSA 10's. That is just 0.1% of the entire population. As such the highest price paid for a 1974 Topps Nolan Ryan card was $18,500 in 2021.
What is the rarest baseball card?
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN)- A baseball card of a Pittsburgh Pirates legend was just purchased for millions. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the 1909-1911 T206 card of Honus Wagner sold for $7.25 million as a part of Goldin Auctions.
- 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle RC Rookie HOF PSA 3 VG " ICONIC CARD " ...
- 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout Rookie Card RC #US175 PSA 10 Angels GEM MINT T188. ...
- 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout #US175 Rookie Card PSA 10 GEM MINT. ...
- 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. ...
- 2022 Topps Series 2 #659 Julio Rodriguez RC Rookie Card SP PSA 10 Pop 14!
The “Junk Wax Era” roughly covers the period of 1986 to 1993, which is when card companies were overproducing cards, and leagues were over-licensing to anyone who wanted in on the gold rush. For that reason, there are a lot of cards out there from this era, which makes them relatively cheap.
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $2,500
Usually in this hobby, a given player's base card is worth much more than his All-Star card. However, The Sporting News All-Star cards in the 1970 Topps set were notoriously plagued with centering issues making examples of them in high grade all but impossible to find.
- Sports Collectible Shops.
- eBay.
- Facebook Groups (Social Media)
- Special Shows or Events.
- Direct Selling to Online Hobby Shops.
- Direct Selling to Customers Online.
- Auction or Auction House.
- Baseball Card Grading Guide.
PSA Photograde™ Online, a free, new online service from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), helps hobbyists gain a better understanding of the PSA Grading Standards and how they apply to their cards by providing a visual tour. It is easily accessed from the PSA home page, www.psacard.com.
PSA grading costs range anywhere from $20 per card all the way up to $10,000 per card, depending on the value of the card, the age of the card, how many cards you're submitting at one time, how fast you want the turnaround to be, and other factors. Below is a complete rundown of the PSA grading cost levels.
TOTAL DECLARED VALUE | Over $50,000 call for rates | |
---|---|---|
$0 - $100 | $25,001 - $50,000 | |
1 - 8 items | $15.00 | $78.30 |
9 - 20 items | $18.00 | $81.30 |
21 - 50 items | $23.00 | $84.30 |
Why Are Rookie Cards Worth More than Other Cards of the Same Player? Rookie cards are worth more than other cards of the same player because they were historically scarcer and harder to come by in top condition than cards issued later in a player's career.
1986 Donruss Rookies #11 Barry Bonds | $7.53 |
---|---|
1990 Star Bonds #11 Barry Bonds | $0.26 |
1990 Topps #220 Barry Bonds | $0.25 |
1990 Topps Big #128 Barry Bonds | $2.53 |
1990 Topps Coins #40 Barry Bonds | $1.25 |
Is there an app to scan baseball cards?
CollX (pronounced “collects”) answers the question every collector has: “What's it worth?” The app lets you scan any baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or wrestling card and instantly identify it and get the average market value.
Minor League cards have been around for over a century. They are treasured by certain types of collectors and can fetch a good amount of money if the card is right. Therefore, many minor league cards are worth quite a bit. In addition, some of the more popular card sets are technically minor league cards.
An immediate question asked by many collectors is what their cards are worth. Upper Deck does not put values on trading cards, we simply manufacture them. A secondary market exists on single card and set sales. You can read this story that provides you with details on how you can determine the value of your card(s).
Card | Card No. | Auction Price |
---|---|---|
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle | – | $5,200,000 |
2009 Mike Trout Autographed | 1/1 | $3,936,000 |
1909–11 T206 “Jumbo” Honus Wagner | – | $3,200,000 |
1909–11 T206 “Gretzky” Honus Wagner | – | $2,800,000 |
Ken Griffey Jr's most valuable rookie card is his 1989 Bowman Tiffany card in a PSA 10 grade. The card now sells for near $14,000.
You can get cards graded in person, but it's worth noting it can be expensive. It also depends on where you live in the US. You can't currently take your sports cards to a card grading company's offices and expect in-person grading to be done.
What Is The Best Way To Sell A Sports Card Collection? eBay is the easiest place to sell your cards, but unfortunately there are fees involved. eBay allows you list 50 items for free per month, but there is a 10% charge on the final value for selling your baseball cards.
Honus Wagner T206 – $6.6 million
Today, they are considered the Holy Grail of baseball card collecting. In August 2021, a copy of the card became the most valuable sports card in history when it sold for $6.6 million. Only 60 of the Wagner cards are known to still exist.
Rookie cards are always the best cards to collect for profit because they represent the first cards printed for particular players. You may find cards from other years that are less expensive to buy, but keep in mind they'll also be less valuable in the future.
- Bowman Chrome. ...
- Topps Chrome. ...
- Bowman Inception. ...
- 2021 Topps Heritage (View eBay Listings) ...
- 2021 Topps Gypsy Queen.
- (View eBay Listings) ...
- 2021 Panini Absolute.
- (View eBay Listings)
Are baseball cards worth anything anymore?
To be clear, 99.9% of baseball cards are completely worthless. I'm sorry to say this, but your 2008 Topps Derek Jeter card isn't worth any money, even though Jeter is in the Hall of Fame. Like any business, baseball cards become valuable through supply and demand.
1993 SP #279 Derek Jeter
This is the holy grail of 1990s baseball cards. Upper Deck released its super-premium SP product line during the same year that Topps (Finest) and Fleer (Flair) unveiled their own high-end set, but SP is the only one that contains a rookie card of New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN)- A baseball card of a Pittsburgh Pirates legend was just purchased for millions. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the 1909-1911 T206 card of Honus Wagner sold for $7.25 million as a part of Goldin Auctions.
If you have cards issued after 1980, your best option is to keep them and enjoy them or donate the cards to charity and take the tax deduction. Unfortunately, there are only a few sets from after 1979 that Dean's Cards can purchase.
If you think of your favorite player, their most valuable card is most likely from Topps. If you think of your dad's favorite player, their most valuable card is most likely from Topps. Topps was first introduced with its series of red and blue backs all the way back in 1951, and acquired Bowman in 1955.
- 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle RC Rookie HOF PSA 3 VG " ICONIC CARD " ...
- 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout Rookie Card RC #US175 PSA 10 Angels GEM MINT T188. ...
- 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout #US175 Rookie Card PSA 10 GEM MINT. ...
- 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. ...
- 2022 Topps Series 2 #659 Julio Rodriguez RC Rookie Card SP PSA 10 Pop 14!
The “Junk Wax Era” roughly covers the period of 1986 to 1993, which is when card companies were overproducing cards, and leagues were over-licensing to anyone who wanted in on the gold rush. For that reason, there are a lot of cards out there from this era, which makes them relatively cheap.
But in terms of modern cards it was way up there alongside the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. McGwire was one of the most popular players playing for one of the most powerful teams in baseball. They aren't worth as much as they used to be, but in top condition they can still go for hundreds of dollars.
PSA grading costs range anywhere from $20 per card all the way up to $10,000 per card, depending on the value of the card, the age of the card, how many cards you're submitting at one time, how fast you want the turnaround to be, and other factors.
1 Rickey Henderson 1980 Topps #482: Not only the most valuable card of the 1980s, this beautiful piece of cardboard capturing the Man of Steal's famed batting stance has proven to be one of the most important cards ever. The last PSA 10 sold for more than $76,000.