Baseball Cards and Other Sports: A New Era Emerges Featuring Jerseys and Autographs

The evolution of sports cards has broken into new territory as manufactures have redefined the cardboard trading card. This is an exciting time to be a collector again because it all about capturing history in creative ways.

Yesterday's common collector concerned themselves with completing sets and hoarding rookie cards, and many have left the hobby because of the ever-growing number of products available. This and the rocketing cost to open a pack of cards have alienated anybody interested in collecting again.

The new breed of collector will benefit to be flexible and change when the opportunities are provided. Take a peek at the back of a fresh pack of cards and you'll see that it reads like a lottery ticket. Odds are somewhere between 1:2 to 1:6,000,000,000 that you'll get something good in there.

Jersey cards are the rage for collectors in today's market. These cards are produced with a swatch of fabric cleverly built into the card and can be found with nearly any player, past or present. Full size jerseys are very expensive and I'm not sure where you might display them if you were to have more than a handful. But now, nearly anybody can afford a small piece of a jersey from their favorite star, most of which have been worn in an actual game. Even college jerseys are being sliced to shreds to fit within a 2 inch square. The most sought after jersey cards will have multiple colors from an edge of the team's pattern. These cards are not just limited to the shirts off their backs, but some cards will display buttons, patches, face masks, shoes, game balls, floorboards, stadium seats, and anything else that you can possibly think of.

Have you ever tried to get an autograph from a player at game time? Typically, you're not going to get the player you wanted. But now there's reinforcements, nearly any player now has autograph cards that are not just guaranteed to be authentic, but these signatures can be dated to the year of the card. Could you imagine owning an Emmitt Smith rookie card that was signed before he played his first game? The stars of the future will surely offer that possibly as they emerge into experienced careers.

Along with all the creative new showcases that cards have to offer, many of the elite series are serial numbering their production. Double check that jersey card because it may be stamped as #12 of only 20 made! Of course, some of these serial numbers are more sought after than others, namely the elusive #1 or the number of the player's jersey.

The growth of this market has been astounding as I list the number of cards that might be found for some of the more notable players considered to be in their rookie year:
· Year Player Cards
· 1986 Jerry Rice 1
· 1989 Barry Sanders 4
· 2001 Michael Vick 357
· 2004 Eli Manning 576

Collecting cards is all about what you make it, but be sure to be reasonable in your quests. We can no longer get one of everything, but now the hobby is more unique than anyone could have dreamed.

Don't expect to purchase a box for $20 and have an adventure sifting though 500 cards, it doesn't work that way anymore. Typically, be prepared to spend anywhere from $20 to $200 for a box that will yield about 50 cards or less. I've had poor luck at this so now I look elsewhere for my collection. It's frustrating to finally pull out a jersey card only to see that it's of a mediocre player.

Ebay has changed the way we buy, and this holds especially true for sports card collectors. There is risk involved when making your purchases, but I've found it to be minimal. Remember that if it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't, and don't spend more than you're willing to lose. Here are some other great tips while shopping on ebay:

· Be sure to understand the shipping costs before bidding. Typically this will range from $1 to $5.
· Once you've won, check the shipping rules closely. Often you can win more items with that seller and save money with combined shipping. It may cost you just .50 to purchase another great card!
· Understand the product being sold. There can be many unique types of the same card. Any photos will be helpful.
· Examine the photo for any obvious damage to the card and for any useful clues.
· Don't get caught up in the bidding, know your limits ahead of time. If you don't get the one you want, another will come along soon.
· Refine your search to work efficiently. There are lots of little things that can improve your search to help you find what you're looking for.

Local card shows are another good source to find some bargains. You should get there early if you hope to find the more interesting deals. You'll usually end up paying a bit more than ebay prices, but you will be able to carefully examine these items before purchasing.

What should you do if you've got a box of cards that have been hidden away for the past ten years? Unfortunately, I've noticed that the value of cards up through the 1990's in general have not budged in value, except for a few superstar exceptions. In fact, with the Internet marketplace connecting buyers with sellers so easily, it's quite likely that your cards could be replaced for less than what you've paid for them. However, you may still have a treasure awaiting discovery. Another fantastic awakening within the market is third party grading. There are emerging companies that will grade your cards, assign them their own identification, and encase them within a tamperproof hard-shell casing. The most distinguished of these companies is Beckett Grading Services, a branch from the well-known value appraisal magazine. The grading of these cards will examine the corners, centering, surfaces, and edges. As you could imagine, the better the grade you receive, the more your card is valued. Population reports are available online to see how many copies of that card have been appraised and what their grades were.

If you poke your head into the hobby for a moment, it seems that the adults have taken over. Sales of $500 to $50,000 for a single card are not uncommon. But if you had the expendable income, would you buy a Babe Ruth autograph cleverly showcased in a baseball card? And kids don't worry, there are plenty of good deals out there to fit a smaller budget. With a little speculation and some risk, you'll end up just like the adults with an autographed 6th round pick, a guy named Tom Brady.