How to Collect Basketball Cards

Start off by having a goal in mind. For example, you might be a fan of the Chicago Bulls. Start your collection by looking for cards of Bulls players. Collect as many current Bulls players as possible and then go back to collect cards of top players in Bulls history. Michael Jordan is the obvious player to get, but other Bulls standouts include Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, Reggie Theus and Bob Love.

Collect basketball cards of NBA players who went to your favorite college team. Once players leave college, they spread out through the NBA. You may want to collect your favorite players from UCLA. Over the years, that means players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Darren Daye, Jamal Wilkes and Sidney Wicks.

Pick up trade magazines, such as Sports Collectors Digest. These magazines describe the hottest trends in sports card collecting. You can find out where the next card shows are in your area. By going to the shows, you can see how your collection stands and what you can do to improve it.

Write letters to players whose cards you have collected and ask them to autograph your cards. If you include a self-addressed and stamped envelope along with the card and a polite letter explaining that you are a fan of that team or that player's college team, you are likely to get results. However, if the letter is a form-generated copy that looks like it belongs to someone who is merely in the "business" of collecting, it will likely get ignored.

Go to garage sales and estate sales to look for cards. You never know when you might find a great card.