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How to Know Which Baseball Cards Are Worth Something

Baseball cards are more than just a way to keep up with the sport. Over time and under the right circumstances, certain baseball cards can become quite valuable. In December of 2010, a group of nuns from Baltimore sold a Honus Wagner card from the early 20th century for $220,000. The problem is knowing how to tell which cards are actually worth something. However, with the proper know-how and materials, anyone can find the value of their most prized baseball cards.

Things You'll Need

Baseball card price guide

Instructions

- 1
  Find the name of the manufacturer of the card. The name will be printed on either the front or the back of the card. Common brands include Topps, Bowman, Fleer and Donruss. Keep an eye out for any additional card series info, such as premium, showcase, etc. Older cards generally do not have multiple series, and because of this are easier to price.
- 2
  Identify the year the card was printed. This info is almost always located somewhere on the card (usually the back) in small print. If you cannot find the date anywhere on the card, look at the player's statistics -- if any exist -- and find the last year listed. In most cases, the card is from the following year. Generally, the older a card is, the more valuable it is.
- 3
  Locate the card's number. The number is generally printed on the back of the card. This number, in addition to the name of the player on the card, will help assure that the info you gathered in the first two steps is accurate when it comes time to look up the card in a price guide.
- 4
  Evaluate the physical condition of the card. Accurately grading cards takes a significant amount of practice, but it is possible to come up with a rough grade by reading the grading criteria and applying them to your card. Baseballcardbuyer.com offers a free guide to grading baseball cards, and many price guides will have a section telling you how to grade your cards.
- 5
  Look up the value of the card in a baseball card price guide using the information garnered by examining the card. If the number and name of the player on the card do not line up with what is listed in the price guide, reevaluate the specific manufacturer, card series, year and number of the card. Price guides can be bought at card shops, bookstores and accessed online. Prices will fluctuate slightly from guide to guide, but the cards that are worth a significant amount of money will be listed as being valuable in all types of guides.

Sports Cards Collecting