How to Rate Baseball Cards

Submit your cards to a professional grading service. These companies employ professionals who assign a grade to your card based upon its condition and then snap it inside a protective case. This is cost-prohibitive for low- or medium-value cards, but a great idea for the best of the best. A1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card is worth a lot of money, but it’s worth even more if it’s been graded highly by one of these services.

Scrutinize the corners of the card to make sure they are crisp and pointed. If these corners are heavily worn, the layers of cardboard can split and cause further problems in the future. When you’re checking the corners or examining other minute details, you might want to use a magnifying glass.

Look closely at the front and rear surfaces of the card. Are there chips or divots, or the small wrinkles caused by minute bends? These can all have an effect on the value. Hold the card up to the light at different angles to look for irregularities you may not be able to see otherwise. Before card companies switched to foil and plastic packs, baseball cards were sealed into wax-covered paper. This would leave a waxy discoloration on the reverse of the bottom card. If a card has one of these, it decreases the value.

Consider the aesthetics of the card. Are the picture and the information on the reverse side perfectly centered? The further off-center, the bigger the problem. In older (generally more valuable) cards, the printing process was somewhat irregular. Some pictures are crisper than others, some colors brighter.

Decide upon a grade. Try to use the criteria of a popular service, so others will have a common reference point. The Beckett company is popular (see Resources below). Obviously, a higher-rated card will be worth more money. Remember, however, that the most important value is what the card means to you.