The thought of baseball cards being used as an investment dominated the hobby in the 80’s and 90’s. Instead of playing with their cards, kids were pushed to put them in protective cases and binders. Look but don’t touch seemed to become the mantra. Before this time, a lot of kids used to take the cards that they got and stuck them into the spokes of their bikes because it made a neat sound. They stuffed them in their pockets to trade with their friends; in other words, they played with them. Cards were damaged… cards were destroyed… cards were lost …

At the same time, manufacturers were making more and more cards. The end result was a glut of cards that really did not have much value. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly many cards from the 80’s and 90’s that have real value, the problem is that there are just so many cards out there that don’t.

So what does one do with these junk baseball cards? Well, card shops won’t buy them, and if they do, they certainly will not pay much. You could try to sell them online, but again, anyone that searching for baseball cards online probably also knows that they are junk cards. I would suggest the great American garage sale. Package them up in bundles and put a reasonable price on them. Maybe someone who buys them will get the itch to begin collecting and trading baseball cards.

Better yet, just give them to a youngster and let them enjoy baseball cards the way they used to be used, just for fun.

Of course, that access to a “whole new level” of baseball cards also comes with a new set of risks. The internet provides the ability for fast, virtually nameless, transactions. Unfortunately there are people out there that want to take advantage of this, so be aware. To help you be aware, below are a few helpful hints on purchasing baseball cards via the internet:

1. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is …
2. If you can, purchase or trade cards that have been graded by the premier grading companies like PSA, Beckett, and SCG. If you do not recognize the grading company, contact the company and find out its guarantee policy.
3. Build up a relationship with a reputable seller, maybe via baseball cards shows, and interact with them via the internet the rest of the year.
4. Ask others that you trust, maybe a local baseball card dealer, their opinion on the card and the seller.
5. Most importantly, ask the seller lots of questions on the history of the card and its condition.  Keep in mind that the pictures on the internet could have been doctored and hide the true condition and state of the card.

Even professional collectors have been fooled by items sold on the internet so keep that in mind.  The internet provides access to more information on baseball cards, baseball card collections, and baseball card collectors than ever was previously available.  So take advantage of this information and make your enjoyment of collecting baseball cards even better, but make sure before you buy anything via the web that you have the proper knowledge, comfort with whom you are dealing, and all of your questions answered.

The best way to start is to find a local shop that sells new packs, sets and individual cards. You can buy a box set from a certain year that’s never been opened. If it’s not opened it’s worth more money. Or you can buy individual cards of some of your favorite players. Of you could start out with rookie cards. Depending on the player, these can be very expensive. Or if you just want to buy some new packs and see what cards you get, that is fun too.

When you figure out what you want to collect, then you can go to trade shows or even online auctions. Be careful with the online auctions though, some people like to scam you. Make sure that whoever is running the site has a good policy to help you if you get ripped off.

This is very important. You have to store your cards. Don’t wrap them in rubber bands or just throw them in an old shoe box. You can get plastic sheets that hold nine cards and the sheets fit into a binder. If you have some real valuable cards, keep them in a fire proof safe or in a safe deposit box.

Another rare baseball card is the team card of the 1869 Cincinnati Redstockings from Peck & Snyder. The Cincinnati Redstockings were the first professional baseball team in America. The front of the card had the names of all the players and the back has some advertising for Peck & Snyder. Some say there are only 10 of these around. At an auction for one of these cards, a reserve price of $4,000 was set and it sold for $26,100.

You can’t talk about rare baseball cards with mentioning Babe Ruth. The Frederick Foto Babe Ruth from 1921is one of the most rare cards in the world. It is a photograph pasted to a cardboard mount. The set this card came in had about a hundred cards in it, and most of the players were from the Pacific Coast League. Frederick Foto was the official photographer for the leagues Sacramento Senators. Ruth is depicted in his Red Sox uniform. Nobody really knows what the purpose of the set was.

Then there is the M131 Baltimore News Series Ty Cobb from 1911. This card had the same front image and checklist as the 1911 E94 George Close Co. card, but it had the Baltimore News logo on the back.

While many of the old baseball cards on the market are re-productions there are a few which are still made from the original material. These cards are quite valuable as there are usually only a few of these cards seen in public. The meaning of a few baseball cards can mean about 100 cards or less. The price for these cards is usually based on the condition of the card and the availability of these cards within the baseball card market itself.

You will find that some of these rare baseball cards are ones that we know quite well. You may recognize the names of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and even Honus Wagner. These baseball players are individuals who have had spectacular careers in the world of baseball. They were well known among baseball card collectors even during the days when they were playing.

For some of these players the companies which produced their baseball cards had the cards printed on thin and poor quality cardboard paper. The picture quality was perhaps not as sharp as today’s ones. As many people who collected these cards were children and fans of the game, the cards themselves were not protected. In many of these rare baseball cards you may see worn corners and edges. There may be some creases on parts of the card itself.

Now unless there is a large amount of damage to the cards, these rare baseball cards still have the ability of generating lots of excitement when they appear in public. The main reason for this is mainly due to the lack of cards which can be found by baseball collectors. For this reason when one of these rare baseball cards like that of the T206 Honus Wagner card surfaces you can see that collectors and wealthy fans themselves are gearing up for high stakes bidding.

Today that doesn’t happen a lot because of the value of some baseball cards. You have to protect your cards so they are worth more if you ever decide to sell them. It’s easy to store your cards if you buy a whole set in one box. You just leave it as it is and find a safe, dry spot to put the box. It doesn’t hurt to periodically check on them to make sure they’re okay.

A lot of people buy packs of cards or individual cards. If you get a card that is pretty valuable, keep it in a hard, non bendable plastic sleeve. Keep these kinds of cards in a fire proof safe or safe deposit box. All cards should first be put in a thin plastic sleeve. These are very inexpensive but will keep fingerprints and smudges off the cards. That’s very important.

Then you can display your cards in a plastic sheet that holds nine cards. These sheets are designed to be kept in a three ring binder. This is a nice way to protect your cards and have them available for display. It’s also easier to keep them in a special order of your choosing.