Just looked through my card collection after 6 years off...

Cobra

Well, I collected sports cards a lot when I was in elementary school and a little in junior high. I think it has been six years since I last bought a pack of cards. Just today, I decided to revisit the many notes I collected over the years. I estimate I have five or six hundred total. I was wondering if anyone has any links to places where I can find out if my collection is worth anything?

How are cards graded? I'm a US paper money collector now and we grade currency based on a 70 point scale. What is this graded on? I only ask because an old friend gave me a graded card on a birthday a long time ago. I doubt its anything special but its a 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends #G12 Vince Carder graded 8.0 (NM-MT) by Ultimate Sportscard Authority.

I'll probably compile a spreadsheet of all my cards over the next few days/weeks to share with anyone interested.

Edit:
What information should I include in the spreadsheet? I don't really know what is applicable.
Thanks guys!

Estil

Well, the PSA scale is a good place to start. But I personallly don't do graded cards, so I just have to grade them myself and try to make them as consistently NRMT or better (preferably NRMT/MT of course) as I can, which is not easy since with this new order I have coming in, I'll be up to almost 62,000 cards! Another good place (albiet outdated) is the Beckett guides (both monthly and annual ones) for grading raw cards.

Speaking of which, am I the only one in this congregation who believes NRMT/MT is the highest grade a raw card can get, and that MINT and GEM MT is only for those professionally graded as such?

BigRedMachine

Cobra,

I hate when someone starts a sentence with "In all due respect...." because what usually follows is something nasty or hateful or, specifically, disrespectful. So I mean no harm by this.

In all due respect, the Coleman card is virtually worthless. Cards graded by PSA, SCG, and in some circles, BGS are credible. Nearly all others, including USA, are iffy at best. If you were buying cards 6 and 7 years ago, then things like game used cards and certified autographs were already common-place. It is those cards, or at least products like Bowman Chrome Draft rookie cards, that would be the only thing worth much money.

That being said, don't let that get you down. Being worth money isn't what makes this experience so enjoyable. Post some scans of what you have, and I'll hope I'm wrong with my initial assessment. Nice to have newer guys on here ready and willing to learn. I'm hardly an expert myself here, so take my initial opinion for what it's worth, i.e., not much.

Again, no disrespect meant, hope you hang around.

shawn

Estil

Indeed, I for one am very thankful that I'm able to get those mid-90s Fleer/Ultra/Flair insert sets (for the most part) so affordably, as well as parallel insert sets (like my 1995 Ultra Gold Medallion) that at that time were worth over $100. They're still the same cards, still just as hard to make the sets, yet are still for the most part very affordable.

Cobra

No offense taken. Honestly, I don't have any idea of what I have.

Just going through my showbox and binder, I see I put certain cards in holders. I must have thought they were worth something back in the day (or I just liked the player), so I'll list them. Don't laugh at me if my list is worthless.

Eddie George - Playoff Frenzy - 1997
Barry Sanders - Upper Deck Star Rookie 1989 Flashback - 1997
Greg Maddux - Topps Hands of Gold - 1999
Hank Aaron - Topps - 1976
Peyton Manning - Skybox Premium - 1999
Jerry Rice - Topps All Pro - 1987
Steve Young - '94 Fleer Ultra - 1994

Goot

That Aaron is probably the best depending on condition, centering whatever. I'd still like it no matter what.