Vintage Baseball CardsThe first baseball cards appeared in the years after the Civil War, when baseball became a popular way to take peoples' minds off the troubles that were all around them. With no access to our modern printing techniques, vintage baseball cards were made by pasting a photograph of a baseball player or team onto a cardboard backing. These early cards depicted all kinds of players, from amateur, local and youth teams to famous players and teams. These were called cartes de vistes, or cabinet cards. These vintage baseball cards were not made for commercial reasons, only meant to be mementoes of a favorite sport. True cabinet cards are among the rarest of rare baseball cards today. Later, companies such as sporting goods manufacturers and tobacco companies used baseball cards as advertisements for their products by printing a photo of a famous baseball player or team on the front and an ad for their company on the back. These are considered the first modern baseball cards, also known as called 'trade cards.' Though they were printed up in relatively large numbers, they are still quite rare baseball cards in the eyes of collectors. Finding out how much your vintage baseball cards are worth is fairly easy if you know a little about card condition, but even if you don't, there are lots of excellent price guides out there that can help you out. The best and most well known of all of these is the Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide, which lists nearly every card ever printed and is updated regularly to make sure that collectors have the most accurate listing available. Of course, if you're looking to have your vintage baseball cards certified for insurance or reselling purposes, the most trusted resource in the business is Professional Sports Authenticators, or PSA. They are an independent third party grading and authentication service, in fact the most widely accepted service of its kind in the collectible world, which ensures that the grade your card receives is completely objective and without bias. When a card is submitted to PSA for grading they will then inspect and authenticate the card, then give it a numerical grade which is based on a 10 point scale. Many people prefer to buy PSA grade vintage baseball cards because they are able to trust and understand it easily, which makes buying and selling cards that much easier. However, you don't have to be a dealer to have your cards graded. Any collector can send their card directly to PSA for grading by joining the PSA Collectors Club, giving even the most casual collector the same advantage as that of a professional dealer. Of course, we have all heard the horror stories from collectors whose mothers, grandmothers, or other family members inadvertently threw out their collections while cleaning or after they moved out of the house. For these collectors, rebuilding their lost collection is every bit as important as finding those elusive rare baseball cards, and the Internet can help in locating many of these vintage baseball cards easily. However, rare baseball cards can fetch quite a high price, so be prepared to do some shopping around before you buy. Online auctions are a good place to start, but be very careful about buying cards sight unseen, and make sure the seller has a good return policy before handing over the money. Collecting and trading vintage baseball cards can be a fun and rewarding hobby, but it can also be a very profitable one if you take the time to do your research and have a clear idea of what you want out of your collection. Whether you're looking to make an investment or just like collecting old cards, you're in good company. Not to mention there are enough cards out there to keep you busy for years and years to come! more than vintage baseball cards on our Sports Memorabilia page
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