Sports Card Collecting & Investing For Dummies will teach you how to start or resume collecting, how to trade, sell, grade, and protect your cards. This is a comprehensive yet easy-to-read breakdown of the sports card hobby and its many nuances. You'll learn the basics and get up to speed on the recent influx of new brands, companies, investors, influencers, and technologies that have completely reshaped the community. The popularity of sports cards as an alternative investment is at an all-time high, and this Dummies guide helps you budget and make smart trades. The anatomy of a sports card, spotting card damage, grading scales, buying safely, using trusted marketplaces, building your collection, pricing and selling your cards, avoiding scams--it's all in here. Become a savvy card collector, the easy way.

Learn the ins and outs of trading sports cards as a collector and an investor
Determine the value of your cards and discover where to find rare deals
Stay safe while buying and selling from local dealers, with online marketplaces, and at in-person events
Become a part of the collector community

Beginners of all ages who want to start (or resume) collecting sports cards can find all the must-know info in the pages of Sports Card Collecting & Investing For Dummies.

Auteur

Geoff Wilson is the founder of Sports Card Investor, the leading content network and data platform for trading card enthusiasts. Ben Burrows is a journalist and the former content director for Sports Card Investor. Tyler Nethercott is the VP of product development for Sports Card Investor.

Texte du rabat

Jump into the world of sports cards Buying and selling sports cards is a fun, engaging, and potentially lucrative hobby. Sports Card Collecting & Investing For Dummies teaches you the basics so you can start building a great collection (or pick up where you left off if you are coming back to the hobby). You'll get the skinny on the history of collecting, the card manufacturers, building your collection, grading, and how to invest in sports cards like a pro. By the time you're done with this book, you'll be ready to hit up card shows and start building an amazing collection--all while avoiding scams and mistakes. **Inside...

Buy and sell cards safely
Learn all about card shows
Find deals online and at shows
Display and store your cards
Connect with other collectors
Spot fake and damaged cards
Understand card grading
Learn the value of your cards

Contenu

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 How This Book Is Organized 2 Part 1: Getting the Scoop on Sports Cards 2 Part 2: Checking Out the Many Traits of Sports Cards 2 Part 3: The Basics of Buying and Collecting 3 Part 4: Flipping, Investing, and Turning a Profit 3 Part 5: The Part of Tens 3 Glossary 3 Foolish Assumptions 4 Conventions Used in This Book 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Beyond the Book 5 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Getting the Scoop on Sports Cards 7 Chapter 1: Sizing Up the Sports Card Craze 9 The Psychology of Collecting 10 Why we collect sports cards 10 A new (not really) kind of investment 12 Getting Lost in the Cardboard (It's a Good Thing.) 13 Rediscovering your old collection 13 Tips for finding cards you will (or won't) love 16 Chapter 2: The Evolution of Sports Cards through the Decades 19 Where It All Began 20 Exploring the 1800s and the first cards 20 Pre-War and Vintage 22 Colors, stats, and a sweet new hobby 23 American Caramel and Cracker Jack 23 1933 Goudey Big League Gum 24 The early Bowman, Leaf, Fleer, and Donruss entries 25 1952 Topps and the modern sports card 27 O-Pee-Chee and Panini make their debuts 28 The Modern Era 30 The sets that defined the era 30 Great music, junk wax 33 A near-death experience 34 The great rebound 35 We won't get fooled again 36 The Ultra-Modern Era 36 More than a sandwich 37 The big boom 38 Record-high market 38 Death by parallel and the Junk Slab Era 39 Violence, theft, and the retail controversy 41 Where the hobby goes from here 41 Part 2: Checking Out the Many Traits of Sports Cards 43 Chapter 3: The Anatomy of a Sports Card 45 What Makes a Sports Card? 45 Major card designs through the years 46 Making a first impression 51 What's on the back? 54 Art cards and custom cards 54 Exploring the Printing Process and Product Configuration 55 The materials that make sports cards 55 Set size, hits, chases, and what makes a product 56 Understanding the Packout Process and Distribution 58 From the printing press to sealed packs and boxes 58 The journey from manufacturer to storefronts 60 Chapter 4: Understanding Product Checklists: Base Cards, Parallels, Inserts, and More 63 Learning How to Read (the Checklist) 64 Checklists 65 Product information sheets 67 Spotting a Base Card and the Rainbow of Parallels 68 Identifying base cards 68 Spotting the many variations 69 Inserts and Design Madness 74 What makes an insert 74 Embracing the design madness 75 Chasing Autographs and (Maybe) Game-Used Memorabilia 78 Understanding authenticity 79 Signed, sealed, and delivered 80 Getting closer to the game (or your local retailer) 82 Chapter 5: Different Sports and Their Nuances 89 Basketball cards 90 Built on superstars and flash 90 Iconic basketball players 91 The transition to Panini 93 WNBA rises in popularity 94 Baseball cards 96 The richest history 96 Iconic baseball players 97 Football cards 100 Quarterback or bust 100 Iconic football players 102 Hockey cards 103 A small but passionate fan base 103 Iconic hockey players 105 Other notable sports 105 Soccer 106 Boxing and MMA 108 Golf and tennis 108 Racing 109 Chapter 6: Key Manufacturers, Brands, and Products 111 Licenses make all the difference 111 Unlicensed cards 112 Key basketball card sets 113 Key baseball card sets 115 Prospecting and Minor League cards 118 Key football card sets 119 Hockey cards 120 Other notable sports and key sets 123 Key soccer card sets 123 Key boxing and MMA card sets 124 Key golf and tennis sets 125 Key racing card sets 125 Chapter 7: The Importance of Card Condition -- From Printing to Grading 127 Physical Aspects of Cards 128 Surface condition, centering, corners, and edges 128 Spotting print defects, damage, and other issues 134 Cleaning or altering? 136 Card Grading 138 Benefits of grading, from authentication to market value 139 Trusted grading companies 140 Grading scales and numerical values 144 The grading process 145 Part 3: the Basics of Buying and Collecting 149 Chapter 8: Deciding What Kind of Collector You Will Be 151 Setting Your Collecting Goals 151 Setting realistic expectations 152 Quality versus quantity 153 Tips for staying on track 153 Picking Your Personal Collection Themes 155 What kind of collector are you? 155 Chapter 9: Buying Basics and Building Your Collection 159 Buyer's Market 160 Sealed products 160 Box breaks 161 Singles 162 Lots 162 Online Marketplaces and Retailers 163 eBay 163 COMC 164 MySlabs 164 Alt 165 Blowout Cards 165 Dave and Adam's Card World 165 Others worth considering 165 Take It to the (Auction) House 166 Goldin Auctions 166 PWCC 166 Heritage Auctions 167 Others worth considering 167 It's Always Personal 167 Local card shops 167 Card shows 168 Trade nights 168 Let's get social 168 Great Deals (Aren't) Hard to Find 169 An honest mistake 169 The great negotiator 170 R-E-S-P-E-C-T 171 Displaying and Storing Your Collection 171 Penny sleeves, Toploaders, and other holders 172 Fit for a museum 174 Chapter 10: Navigating a Card Show Like a Pro 177 Don't Forget the Essentials 177 Straight cash, Homie 178 These shoes are made for walking 178 Baggage claim 178 Navigating the Chaos and Making a Deal 179 Needle in a haystack 179 Deal or no deal 180 Card Show Etiquette 182 Table manners 182 Thank you for being a friend 183 Plenty of fish in the sea 183 Chapter 11:…