by Max Silberman

One of the most disappointing news a baseball card collector receives is to find out that his or her wonderful collection is worth very little.

First, let us establish what determines the value of any collectible whether we are talking about coins, stamps or baseball cards.Only three factors determine value: scarcity, demand and condition. This is a three-legged stool. Remove any one of the three and the value goes out the window.

Cards from the late l970s to the present are produced by the millions. Card companies have tried to make cards scarce by introducing “chase” or insert cards that are supposedly rare. Try taking one to a dealer to sell and he will laugh in your face. Older cards from the l930s, l940s and l950s have value because they were produced in small numbers and the vast majority of them were destroyed. Cards from the last 25 years generally have very little worth.

Condition is more important than words can express. Today, two types of cards exist: the ones graded and encapsulated by recognized authenticators and “raw cards” which sell for less and being less when selling to a dealer or on eBay. You may take what appears to be a nice looking card but under
magnification, the flaws are obvious. To have real value the card (unless extremely rare) must be well centered, in focus, have sharp corners and no creases or wear of any kind. When the condition of a card drops a little, the price drops a lot.

Demand is the third leg of the stool. A card may be mint and scarce but if no one wants it, it is a tough sell. Hall of Famers such as Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth sell for big numbers because the demand is so great and the supply is so small.

When selling cards to a dealer, one must expect to receive only a fraction of the “book” value. After all, the dealer has an investment of time and overhead and it is not cheap to set up at a major show. Many collectors looking to see their cards use internet auctions but that is not always an easy task. Cards must be scanned, described accurately and you may run into people who want to buy the cards for pennies or fail to honor their bids. It is always best to sell them directly to another collector but that is not always easy in today’s market where collectors are far more scarce than twenty years ago.

By the way, there in no ulterior motive in this article. The Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society does not buy or sell baseball cards and giving collectors an idea of value without seeing the card is next to impossible.

Since the organized hobby began around 1970, no collector has ever gone wrong buying cards he or she liked. The speculators looking for a quick buck were the ones that most often got burned. It seems very simple but collect what you enjoy and you’ll make out just fine.