Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Finding Rare Baseball Cards
If you desire rare baseball cards, you need to let people know. Start by checking with major auction houses such as those located in New York City. They often sell rare and extremely valuable baseball cards. Let them know the cards you desire. If someone lists them in an auction, the auction house most likely will let you know.
Email or phone major baseball card collectors and dealers. Tell them what you want to buy. Even if they do not have any rare cards for sale, they likely know who does. Leave them your name and phone number and a general idea of the cards you would like to buy.
Check online auction sites such as eBay. Sellers often list rare baseball cards with these sites.
Attend a major baseball card show. The National is the biggest baseball card show in the world. It is held annually in different cities and features hundreds of baseball card dealers and collectors. Walk the show floor and tell dealers what you want. If it exists, there is a good chance that someone at the show has it.
After all that effort, you are likely to receive several responses and offers of rare cards for sale. You should try to negotiate a price before you plunk down your money. A fair price, though, is relative. Generally, the rarest baseball cards are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them, and that varies. For example, a particular 1908 card of Hall of Famer Honus Wagner sold at auction for $2.35 million in 2007. The seller had paid just under $1.3 million for it when he bought it seven years earlier.
The value of rare cards depends primarily on just how rare they are and demand for the cards. In some cases, you can research what other individuals paid for the same card by checking eBay and other auction sites. Most card price guides, though, do not provide values for rare cards.