New to collecting - very overwhelmed

Anders34

Hi everyone,
I am completely new to this world and have wanted to pick it up as a new hobby but I’m so confused with all of the different cards available these days. I feel like 20 years ago there was only a few companies/packs to choose from and now all these companies have a million different sets.
I’m sticking with baseball cards for now but a question I have is, is there a site to go to to look up a cards value?
Without getting into the weeds, is there any specific info you’d pass to a new collector?
Thanks so much for the assistance.

Happytrails

https://130point.com/sales/. ~ A good Site for sale prices on both ebay and auctions..... I collect MLB and I'd get fluent with the main 5-6 offerings.....look for the highest liquidity in sales. Topps Chrome, T.C. Update, Bowman Chrome, Topps Heritage etc... It's going to be a real 6 months to understand it all depending on your passion... and then another lifetime after that

AFLfan

First of all, welcome to the forum! Read as much as you can because there are many very experienced and knowledgeable collectors who post here regularly.

My advice would be to begin slowly and answer some questions about yourself that might help steer you towards an area of the hobby that would be most enjoyable to you.

• Do you have a bit of a gambling mentality? Look into ripping packs and/or boxes or check out online breaking.
• Are you a perfectionist? Consider buying individual, high-grade cards.
• Are you a completionist? Look into a set or two that you might build.
• Do you only like certain players or teams? Consider team/player collecting.
• What is your budget and what kinds of cards do you ultimately want in your collection? Large accumulations of lower priced cards or a smaller curated collection of top brands/players?
• Are you looking to make money with your collection, or will you simply collect to enjoy?
• What sports/non-sports/TCGs interest you most?

Other members can probably add other important questions that I may have missed. In general, I think your chances of having an enjoyable and successful hobby experience are increased significantly if you have a plan in-mind or guidelines for yourself before you really begin making purchases.

JolleyWrencher

Cards today have many parallels (variations) which have a variety of names and scarcity. If you pickup a modern card then it should be PSA10 or maybe a 9..only go lower if it's very rare (I prefer to buy a very rare card raw).

Terms like prism, prizm, refractor, superfractor, vinyl, every color of the rainbow, all kinds of patterns (waves, ice, etc.).

I am overwhelmed constantly when I begin to go down the rabbit hole.

Take a look at online checklists to see what variations were made. Many HOF players are released every year if you still want to collect past players.

JoeBanzai

Welcome!!
You said hobby, so I am going to assume you're doing it for fun and not profit.
The best advice I ever got about collecting anything was collect what you like, if it never becomes a good investment, you still have something you like.
Second is to determine a budget and stick to it.
I am a single player collector. Some people collect a favorite team others collect complete sets. I'm sure there are other types of collectors too.
Other than sticking to baseball, for now, you didn't say much about what you enjoy. Let us know a few more specifics and you'll get more specific answers. Do you collect new or vintage?
Secondly, you asked about a cards value, I look up "sold items" on eBay, that's generally going to show you what cards are selling for.
Good luck, keep us posted and have FUN with this great hobby!

pab1969

Welcome to collecting. Collect whatever you like but make sure to stay within a budget. It is easy spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on cards. You have your whole life to purchase cards so don't feel pressured to buy everything in 1 day. Make sure you buy what you like because then collecting will always be fun. Good luck.

Anders34

Thank everyone. I’ve been trying to read as much as possible. It will definitely be a hobby and not for profit at this point. I like individual player cards and yes I have a gambling mentality. I’m a day trader in the stock market as well .
I’ll take it one day/pack at a time otherwise my wife might not approve 😃

FilamCoins

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm a newbie too but decided to start with football (my favorite sport to watch). I've been reading articles online, watching YouTube videos, reading books, etc to try to get an understanding of how the market works these days. It has changed a lot over the years. I can't believe one player can have hundreds of variations of his card in a single year. Good fun!

JolleyWrencher

@Anders34 said:
I’ll take it one day/pack at a time otherwise my wife might not approve 😃

At least not the current one!

If you want graded cards then you can find some PSA9/10 for the cost of grading. Watch out for old labeled cards where the condition not longer warrants the grade. Some consignment shops are pros at taking pictures to avoid showing you the edges and corners. I often ask for more pictures.

Stone193

Hiya Anders and welcome!

Todd's post was spot on.

I'd like to give my advice that some will be tired of reading; I've been collecting for 33 yrs.

Stone's Rules:

1. Establish a very, very narrow FOCUS. This will keep you from trying to corner the market on just about anything and everything.

2. Establish a reasonable BUDGET. This will keep you from going nuts, screaming into the night when you get the credit card bill!

3. Never, never, ever, ever break rule 1 or 2!!!

Side note: something that many may not think of? Try to find someone who's experienced in collecting to help - I wish I had a mentor back in 1990.

Furthermore. On the finance side with eBay. You can go broke saving money. If out of cash and FOMO kicks in? My experience except in some more rare circumstances? If you pass on something? Another will come down the road and who knows? Maybe cheaper. Don't let the OCD thing kick in and ruin the fun.

You can always ask questions here - you'll get honest answers and there's no dumb questions.

Best of luck buddy.

jay0791

Collect what you like. Almost everyone has a theme such as player, team, RC, HOF, Milestone, ect.
Then decide if you want to be a master collector or just the mainstream cards. I stick to the major cards such as Topps and not the more obsolete ones. Look at a popular player on this website and pull up a basic set vs master set. You will know what I mean. Stay on your budget or you will soon be pulled into collecting for profit. For many reasons I only buy PSA graded cards as I do the set registries. Many just collect raw. Start slow and learn. Most if not all of us has made rookie mistakes. Most of all before you learn don't make speculations and but solid cards of what you will enjoy even if the cards don't appreciate in value.

Welcome and good luck

DBesse27

Lots of great advice here. The budget thing is super important, as is focus. I have a few projects I’m working on, but I get my most joy out of player collecting. I try to be a master collector of a few favorite players. I don’t collect complete company sets mostly because I have no interest in commons.

Stone193

Another thing I thought about when collecting.

Trite saying: think of your pursuit as a "marathon" rather than a 100 yr sprint.

Pace yourself. It's easy to get all OCD.

robert67

Mike is correct. Following a budget and focusing on what I like have made this hobby much more enjoyable.

Also, taking the "what is it worth" question out of the mix has helped.

craig44

First, do a bunch of research. watch youtube. a lot! read the message boards and join some facebook groups.
2. Find yourself a fairly narrow focus. player, team, etc.
3. realize starting out that you will never be able to have "all" of the cards you have chosen to collect.
4. whatever you do, relax and have fun with it. do not make it a competition or a stressor.