Interested in Selling Your Vintage Baseball Cards? Here is How And Where
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Do you have questions about the value of your baseball card collection or the selling process? Reach out today and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Canton, Michigan 48188
(734) 931-0461
"Where do I sell my baseball card collection? How do I sell my sports cards? Who buys baseball cards? What is my collection worth?"
These are questions our clients regularly ask us. And we can help answer them!
Throwback Sports Cards has been buying 1900-1969 baseball cards including full collections, complete sets, hall of famers, rookies, and unopened boxes for over 20 years. We provide free appraisals and are here to answer any questions regarding the selling process you may have. We evaluate each card in your collection to ensure you maximize value. Before selling, it is best to do some research regarding your collection. This way you have a better idea what is there and we can better estimate value. See below for a few tips on how to prepare and sell your collection.
How To Sell Your Vintage Baseball Card Collection
Ready to sell your baseball or sports card collection? We make it easy!
1
Connect With Us
Get in touch by either calling or emailing us. We love connecting with fellow collectors and learning more about the history of each collection
2
Show Us Your Collection
Send us pictures and a list of the highlights of your collection. Be sure to note any complete sets,"Star" cards, rookies, and unopened boxes.
3
Free Appraisal & Offer
Following the review of your collection, a free appraisal and fair offer is provided. As a private collecting company we are able to pay more than dealers!
Not local? Ship Your Collection To Us, Fully Insured, And We Cover The Cost!
How To Prepare Your Collection To Sell
Research Your Cards
**Not all this information is required for an appraisal. It helps give us a better idea of what you have. For more information about how to identify the brand, year, and players, click below
Check out our Price Guide and Baseball Card Database for help figuring out what you have
Figure Out How Much Your Sports Cards Are Worth
Discover Values For Vintage, Pre-War, and Post-War Baseball Cards
It can be difficult and overwhelming trying to research a collection of cards, especially for someone without much knowledge about the hobby. Researching your cards before you sell them is important for multiple reasons. The first reason is so you have an idea of what to expect in terms of value. In that same regard it can help prevent you from getting taken advantage of or ripped off. It will also be much easier to sell your cards if you know some basic information about them. Our price guide provides a 4 step process to determine what you have and figuring out how much your cards are worth.
Step 1: Determine What You Have (Years, Manufacturers, and Key Players)
Step 2: Familiarize Yourself With Card Grading Standards
Step 3: Inspect Cards To Determine Condition
Step 4: Research Recent Sales
Step 1: Determine What You Have (Years, Manufacturers, and Key Players)
A good starting point for research is to grab a few cards out of the collection. It may not look like it but there is actually a lot of information included on each piece of cardboard. The player name is usually the most obvious, as it will typically be included somewhere on the front and reverse of the card. Brand and year can be a little trickier. Google is a great resource for figuring this information out. On the reverse of most cards you will see a card number. In the example below (1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie), #128 is listed in the corner. If you were to type "Hank Aaron 128" into google, 1954 Topps Hank Aaron would pop up. This is an easy way to find out the year and brand. This method works well for most 1930s and later cards. Tobacco cards can be tougher, as most do not have card numbers. Please contact us for assistance with tobacco cards.
Another trick for determining manufacturer and year is to inspect the back of the card for any listings or initials. Some can be straight forward, as is the case with the 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle (seen below). "1951 Bowman Gum Inc" is listed at the bottom of the card. Topps cards are a little tougher to decipher, but most years use this method. Notice "T.C.G. Printed In U.S.A" along the bottom border. This stands for "Topps Chewing Gum" and is typically listed on the back of each card. Each card shows up to the previous years statistics on the back. In the case of the Mickey Mantle #50 (orange background), the final year of stats listed are from 1965. We can conclude this card was printed in 1966. This card is indeed the 1966 Topps Mickey Mantle #50.
Step 2: Familiarize Yourself With Card Grading Standards
There are generally 3 major companies who grade sports cards: PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), SGC (Sportscard Guaranty Corporation), and Beckett. Each use a 10 point scale, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. Cards that have been trimmed or altered in other ways can be graded as authentic. For many cards which have been handled or played with, it is difficult to obtain grades higher than a 5. Below are the grading standards for PSA.
Check out our guide on How to Grade Sports Cards
Step 3: Inspect Cards To Determine Condition
When it comes to the value of sports cards, one of the biggest factors in value is the condition of the card. The condition is determined by many factors. Many people think that a card fresh from a pack must be "mint" but the card printing process is not always perfect. The main components of grading are further discussed below.
Centering
Centering plays a major part in grading. Measurements are taken of the space between the image and the border from to the left and right of the image and top to bottom. Collectors prefer cards which are 50/50 centered. Grading companies have centering parameters which must be met for cards to qualify for higher grades.
Corners
Corners also play a big part in the grading process. Corners can have wear, bends, fraying and creases from being handled and played with. Sharp edges typically equate to a higher grade. Rounded corners are a detractor and and usually knock the grade down to the 3 or 4 range.
Edges
Similar to wear on corners, edges can easily be damaged as well. Chipping, indents, and wear from rubber bands are commons, especially with older cards.
Surface
The surface of the card can easily show creases, wrinkles, indents, scuffs, and wax/gum stains. Any of these detractors can lower the grade.
Lets use the 1971 Topps Reggie Jackson to point out some condition issues. As you can see the centering is off right to left and top to bottom. There is more black border on the left side compared to the right of the card and more black border on top compared to bottom. The corners have rounding and creases, and the edges have plenty of chipping. The surface has multiple creases and some areas of scuffing. This card would not grade higher than a 1 or 1.5
**Make note of the general condition of the cards. Something like low-grade, mid-grade, or high grade is extremely helpful when determining value.
Step 4: Research Recent Sales
How To Check Recent eBay Sales
eBay is a great source to get recent sales of most cards. In order to see sold prices (rather than listed prices), start by clicking the "advanced" button to the right of the eBay search bar. Next type in what card your interested in into the "enter keywords" search bar. Be sure to check "Sold Items" under the "search including" heading. Then click the blue search button, and you will be able to see all recent sales for the card in question. See the red arrows in the images below.
