Hobbies And Interests
Significance
Football cards are their own miniature version of the stock market. Each card is valued at a price. The price is determined based on scarcity, popularity and trends in football cards. For example, consider the 2006 Donruss Playoff Signature Gold Proof Football card for Reggie Bush. There are only 50 of these printed, and they are selling on Ebay for between $100 and $150. Reggie Bush remains a very popular player based on his college play and his performances since he entered the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints.
Features
Features that can effect the price of a football card include special insert cards. Some of these insert cards will have a piece of a football on it. This is a feature that you can only find in a football trading card. This makes it unique from all other "relic" cards as they are called. Relic cards include pieces of uniforms or other game related objects that are included with collectible sports cards. An even more unique feature of a football card that can effect it's price is a card with a player's signature on it.
Time Frame
Prices of football cards are fluctuating constantly. Considering the Beckett Magazine is published monthly, this runs the risk that the values in this magazine are already out of date. Searching on Ebay allows players to get an up-to-date picture of what football cards are selling for today. This has resulted in the popularity of Beckett losing its influence to Ebay.
Considerations
Scarcity and demand are two of the major considerations for pricing football trading cards. Manufacturers will list on each box of football cards the number of the cards they produce for each set. The box also lists how frequently special cards known as insert cards are put into packs. The cards that are inserted less often are worth more due to card scarcity.
Popular types of cards such as inserts, cards with autographs, and cards with pieces of players' jerseys are also highly priced football cards in today's market. The popularity of the player, along with the number of them produced, combine to determine the value of the card. Typically cards produced in volumes of less than 50 are worth the most, and cards of Hall of Fame players are valued highly even if there are a high number in circulation. An example of this includes the Goal Line Art Cards. These are cards that are made with the artwork of artist Gary Thomas. Each year since 1989, he has manufactured these cards through Goal Line Art Inc. There are fewer than 5,000 of each, making them extremely valuable. Cards sell between $20 and $100.
The Patrick Willis card by Playoff Cards in 2007, which has a signature and a swatch of his uniform, is currently selling for $50 on Ebay as well. There were only 50 of these cards printed for the entire set.
Warning
Beware of football cards that are fake. To ensure autographs are authentic when purchasing an autographed football card, ask for a certificate of authenticity whenever possible. Autographs are not the only fakes out there for football cards though. Dan Marino's rookie card from 1984 is a card that is a common victim of fraudulent versions. A collector on Ebay has posted a guide to help sports collectors identify the common fake Marino cards when compared with the real cards.