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Values of Baseball Cards
An old card in fair condition is understandable. A new card in fair condition is not. Regardless of what Beckett and other price guides say (including ours), in the real world, people pay more for older cards than new. And, since we live in the real world, we must deal with that.
Here are two cards that are allegedly worth the same amount of money:
I would gladly trade FIVE of the Mike Piazzas in MINT for just ONE of the old Rizzuto in poor condition. Yet, my Beckett guide tells me they are equal in value. Which means that pricing is so tricky, even the experts can’t get it right! On the other hand, there are some collectors who would rather have the Piazza card.
Our retail price lists are based on actual retail prices dealers are charging for individual cards. They tend to be a little bit higher than the “official” price for some cards, and somewhat lower for other cards. This reflects the prices actually being charged in the retail market.
If you need to price vintage or art cards, our free retail price guides can be of great help. You’ll have to evaluate the condition of the card first. We have an illustrated guide that shows how to do so. Then, find the card in our retail price guide, and use this as a general guide:
For cards produced between 1948 and 1989, this should give you prices that are comparable or slightly lower than single-card dealers at shops, shows, and online.
In the final analysis, you should still set your own prices. Joe Morgan sells great in Houston and Cincinnati, not so well in NY and LA. Always give extra points for members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some sets are “turkeys” that few people are interested in collecting, and so the cards from those sets will move slower. There are a lot of factors to consider.
If you do use a formula, give yourself some leeway. Don’t let the math overcome the magic of collecting!
