Hobbies And Interests
History
Collecting baseball trading cards has long been thought of as a hobby for young baseball fans. A youngster could walk into a candy store, plunk down a few coins and buy a pack of cards that could contain an image of their favorite player. This has gone on since early in the 20th century and for many generations, children would collect their cards, keep them, trade them in a binder and eventually forget about them as they moved on to more adult hobbies. However, when cards collectors started to realize that many of the older cards increased in value, the hobby took a more serious turn. The most valuable card is the Honus Wagner T206 card produced between 1909 and 1911 by the American Tobacco Company. When Wagner realized his image was being used to promote tobacco sales, he refused to allow the company to print any more of his cards. That made the relatively few that were printed extremely valuable, and they remain so to this day. The Wagner T206 card has been sold for more than $1 million. Cards with the images of stars like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Hank Aaron are also valuable, but none compare to the Wagner card.
Top and Unusual Cards
While the Honus Wagner card is the most valuable of all, cards featuring Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax and Roberto Clemente are in the next rank of most important cards. Rookie cards of these players are most valuable of all because there are fewer rookie cards printed. A Ruth rookie card (1914) was sold for $270,000. Mantle's rookie card (1951) sold for more than $72,000 in 2001.
Sometimes cards will have flaws on them that make them more of a collectible. In 1989, Billy Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles was photographed holding a bat in a casual pose. An obscenity was written on the bottom of the bat that was clearly readable. The card, produced by the Fleer Company, was quickly recalled. But those cards that were already in circulation quickly increased in value. That Ripken card is now worth about $120.
Long-term Safety
If you are collecting cards and want to keep them as a childhood memory, feel free to snap a rubber band around them and keep them in an old shoe box. However, if you have any interest in building a valuable collection, you must take steps to keep them from getting damaged. It is best to keep them in cellophane sleeves or laminate them or else they are subject to spills, mildew or any other kind of damage. Even if you have managed to keep your cards in good shape, other collectors will be leery to make deals with you if they do not see you have gone to extreme measures to protect your cards. Follow the standards of the industry for protecting your cards if you want to maximize your investment.