Sports Card Collectors?

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 12:17 AM

I know I'm not the only one that collected sports cards when they were a child. I started with Jose Canseco rookie and went on from there. My old man got me into it and I amassed a pretty decent collection. I currently have over 400+ Jordan cards with some ranging as high as $150 (In the prime) along with a pretty nice Jordan collection overall (Hats, Newspapers, Magazines, Cards, etc..) Cards now a days aren't really worth shit due to the economy but I see tons of Jordan cards being sold on auction (Through my Facebook page) and they seem to sell for a reasonable amount by today's standards. So I'm really debating on putting my collection up for sale for a fair amount. I know I can get over $1000 for just my Jordans and if I throw in my Hank Aaron/Willie Mays/Etc... cards I could get more. Part of me says to keep on to them in hopes that they bounce back like they were in the old days (80's/90's

) I don't need the money but it would help get my Camaro done faster which I care about more. If they do bounce back, I would kick myself in the ass if I sold them for pennies on the dollar.

What would you do given the info?

Anyone else that collected, feel free to chime in with your own story/collection

**Zinergy** · 05-21-2012, 05:56 AM

I vote keep them and pray there value goes back up if the country ever gets its shit together. Sports items aren't worth shit right now.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 05-21-2012, 08:17 AM

I haven't looked at mine in over 10 years. I probably have a few grand worth easily. Being I don't need cash, I opt to hold onto them.

**Smittro** · 05-21-2012, 12:55 PM

They were'nt worth shit before the econ went south..

No one really cares about that stuff anymore and have'nt since the late 80's early 90's.

You may find a collector dumb enough to pay high dollar for a few, but in general they're not worth the cardboard they're printed on anymore.

My half brothers grandfather was baseball and football card dealer, and an amizmatist..

Stopped selling them in the late 80's moved into coins and never looked back.

**SiggyZ** · 05-21-2012, 12:59 PM

Agreed. It has a great deal more to do with them being so massively produced than it does with the economy.

Originally Posted by Smittro

They were'nt worth shit before the econ went south..

No one really cares about that stuff anymore and have'nt since the late 80's early 90's.

You may find a collector dumb enough to pay high dollar for a few, but in general they're not worth the cardboard they're printed on anymore.

My half brothers grandfather was baseball and football card dealer, and an amizmatist..

Stopped selling them in the late 80's moved into coins and never looked back.

**Zinergy** · 05-21-2012, 01:11 PM

I have a football signed by most of the key players of the Packers 96 season SB team Brett Favre, Mark Chumura, Dorsey Levens, Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Reggie White, Gilbert Brown just to name a few and some of the older guys like Bart Starr, The fridge, Paul Horning and it now has some of the newer guys from the last SB we won. It really just started as my dad and I having fun hanging out getting signatures. Never had it appraised though. Probably aint worth shit lol

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 01:39 PM

I still see Jordans averaging $5 a card and selling is my point so there are still some people out there that collect. If I didnt see them selling then I wouldn't bother bringing it up

**35th-ANV-SS** · 05-21-2012, 04:26 PM

If you get 1/2 of what a Beckett values them at (assuming they're mint) then I'd consider it luck. Probably more like 1/3.

I have mostly baseball cards, but also football, basketball and hockey.

I was collecting awhile and then got my father into it. I was young so I needed more income to help grow my collection. We were probably spending a good 100-150 every 2 weeks between the two of us. This went on for awhile. It was more about having a common interest and bonding then actually collecting I think.

I remember we used to hit up yard sales to buy. We scored a Mickey Mantle and Sandy Cofax CY Young Award year card for $50 (both of them). That was probably the highlight of it. Nolan Ryan was huge then. Probably have over 100 of his cards easily. Football was Jerry Rice. Have his rookie card. Walter Payton too.

Kind of sad it all went to shit when the market was flooded with 1000 different card types and manufacturers. It used to be Topps, Donruss and Bowmen. That was it. Oh, and Fleer. Then the next thing you know O-Pee-Chee, etc etc etc was what was hot. Bought into the hype and the cards became worthless.

Hold onto them and maybe in 20+ yrs a common card will be worth .25 cents again

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 04:32 PM

I agree with flooding the market but you have to remember that super stars like (Jordan, Rice, Montana, Gretzkey, etc...) were not common among those companies. You got more common, less known people in most of the packs of cards with a super star ever so often. I never remember once pulling 2 Jordans out of a pack of cards but remember many a time that I pulled 2 BJ Armstrongs or someone of that quality

PS: A ultra rare Jordan card sold for more then $350,000 about a year back to a collector in Japan. People still do collect and they still do pull in money.

**0rion** · 05-21-2012, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

If you get 1/2 of what a Beckett values them at (assuming they're mint) then I'd consider it luck. Probably more like 1/3.

I have mostly baseball cards, but also football, basketball and hockey.

I was collecting awhile and then got my father into it. I was young so I needed more income to help grow my collection. We were probably spending a good 100-150 every 2 weeks between the two of us. This went on for awhile. It was more about having a common interest and bonding then actually collecting I think.

I remember we used to hit up yard sales to buy. We scored a Mickey Mantle and Sandy Cofax CY Young Award year card for $50 (both of them). That was probably the highlight of it. Nolan Ryan was huge then. Probably have over 100 of his cards easily. Football was Jerry Rice. Have his rookie card. Walter Payton too.

Kind of sad it all went to shit when the market was flooded with 1000 different card types and manufacturers. It used to be Topps, Donruss and Bowmen. That was it. Oh, and Fleer. Then the next thing you know O-Pee-Chee, etc etc etc was what was hot. Bought into the hype and the cards became worthless.

Hold onto them and maybe in 20+ yrs a common card will be worth .25 cents again

this is pretty much word for word what I was going to say.....market just got flooded in the 90's and early 2000's. Killed an otherwise kick ass hobby. I've had baseball cards since I was a kid. I've had the damn things over 30 years so you'd think they'd be worth money just due to age but they're not worth shit. I have a bunch of old stuff....I have cards that are basically cartoons and are a different size than your modern day cards. My whole collection used to be worth thousands and thousands and right now it's barely worth the paper it's printed on I bet. I haven't looked up prices in years because it's an all day job. I'm hoping some day Zach or even his son will be able to sell them and make money on them. I have an entire trash bag full of packs that have never even been opened.

**Badass WS6** · 05-21-2012, 05:20 PM

It's Gretzky not Gretzkey.

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by 0rion

this is pretty much word for word what I was going to say.....market just got flooded in the 90's and early 2000's. Killed an otherwise kick ass hobby. I've had baseball cards since I was a kid. I've had the damn things over 30 years so you'd think they'd be worth money just due to age but they're not worth shit. I have a bunch of old stuff....I have cards that are basically cartoons and are a different size than your modern day cards. My whole collection used to be worth thousands and thousands and right now it's barely worth the paper it's printed on I bet. I haven't looked up prices in years because it's an all day job. I'm hoping some day Zach or even his son will be able to sell them and make money on them. I have an entire trash bag full of packs that have never even been opened.

Depending on the Packs of cards that are unopened (Year, Brand, Sport) they may be worth quite a bit of money. I seen a unopened case of 1986 Fleer Basketball go for $500,000 on ebay about 2 years ago

**35th-ANV-SS** · 05-21-2012, 05:31 PM

I have a few complete sets of Donruss and Topps unopened. Don't recall what years though. Guessing early 90's.

Like Orion said, it would literally be an all day or even weekend job to look them all up. And at the end of all that trouble I'd probably be nothing but pissed off

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

I have a few complete sets of Donruss and Topps unopened. Don't recall what years though. Guessing early 90's.

Like Orion said, it would literally be an all day or even weekend job to look them all up. And at the end of all that trouble I'd probably be nothing but pissed off

I would never sit there and look them all up, you two are both right on the time frame it would take to do such a task and my time is valuable

While the economy shit on this hobby, the internet has helped keep it alive. You no longer need to sell them at garage sales and such when you can find a buyer with money somewhere else

**67CamaroRSSS** · 05-21-2012, 06:20 PM

I've got a 12" x 12" x 12" box full of unopened packs that are from the 70's (mostly Topps & Fleer with some Bowmen). Gotta be some good rookie cards from that time frame. I have 2 larger boxes with unopened packs from the 80's thru early 90's. Also have 2 unopened boxes of 1st 2 years of Upper Deck along with unopened traded series.

I also have 2 rolls of uncut cards that are KMart 20th anniversary cards. Found them at a swap meet back in the 80's for $5 for both sheets. Bought them cuz I'd never seen the like (and still in sheet form).

As you can see I stopped buying the like back in the 90's.

**blackSS01** · 05-21-2012, 07:11 PM

Ebay or yardseller are a collectors friend

**kenro23** · 05-21-2012, 07:57 PM

This makes. E wanna check all of mine when I move back to Houston to see what I have (at my parents house in my old closet still). I know over the years I have went through them and got rid of the junk ones, like the BJ Armstrongs. I have a Jordan card that was supposedly worth good money mid 90's and held on thinking it would be worth a lot.

Here's something you may not think of everyday...POGS. Remeber those bad boys? Off topic I know but still got a couple cases. LOL!!

**Smittro** · 05-21-2012, 07:58 PM

Sell them as camp fire starter,, you should see the colors the flames turn..

**Smittro** · 05-21-2012, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by kenro23

This makes. E wanna check all of mine when I move back to Houston to see what I have (at my parents house in my old closet still). I know over the years I have went through them and got rid of the junk ones, like the BJ Armstrongs. I have a Jordan card that was supposedly worth good money mid 90's and held on thinking it would be worth a lot.

Here's something you may not think of everyday...POGS. Remeber those bad boys? Off topic I know but still got a couple cases. LOL!!

Yup! I remember pogs!

My wife has prolly 1000 or so mid 80s' hotwheels and matchbox cars from like Asscar still in their original boxes..

I told her I was going to melt down all that pot metal and machine it into something usefull like a rake.

Then laser beams shot from her eyes..