Do you still have your sports cards?

[rowech]

Poll to follow...

[korme]

I selected no, as in they have not been with me since I moved out of my parent's house in 2004. They are still collecting dust over there, though

[sovereignstar v2]

Yes, my parents made me take them when they last moved. I want to toss them as I know they are worthless, but I just can't.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Yes, my parents made me take them when they last moved. I want to toss them as I know they are worthless, but I just can't.

Kinda my feeling tonight while cleaning a closet out. They take a lot of space up and without kids, I wonder why I am keeping them.

[Groundhog]

I wish I did. I have no idea where all my early/mid-90s basketball cards are.

[King of New York]

Reading this thread title was like a dagger through my heart.

No.

[Buccaneer]

Yes...more than you can possibly imagine.

[RendeR]

I lost all the cards I grew up collecting but I have been trying to recollect the complete sets of football cards going backwards year by year. I'm looking for a factory set of Topps 2005 NFL cards if anyone finds one cheap.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by korme

I selected no, as in they have not been with me since I moved out of my parent's house in 2004. They are still collecting dust over there, though

+1, except I didn't vote. Also, I moved in 2008.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Yes, my parents made me take them when they last moved. I want to toss them as I know they are worthless, but I just can't.

Yup, same here.

[miked]

I thought I didn't have any, but my brother found 2 boxes of stuff in storage. He went through them to see if there was anything there, but just tossed most. Back in the day, if I thought a card was worth something I put it a protector anyway, so I wouldn't imagine he found anything.

It's sad, I remember growing up things like the 1987 fleer update pack (or 1986 topps traded) were like the holy grail $$$-wise. I checked some of those a few years ago when I found a Pete Rose rookie card and was irritated just how little cards were worth.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by miked

I checked some of those a few years ago when I found a Pete Rose rookie card and was irritated just how little cards were worth.

Yeah, my 20,000 cards must be worth something like $500 if I'm lucky. We probably a little more, but I've never had any of them graded. It was more about the game, and the stats, and my obsession with them. So now it's not about the money as much as it's about my childhood.

[Balldog]

I have a bunch of commons worth nothing, quite few ok cards with a dollar or two, then a lot of sets worth little.

I'm contemplating just throwing them in a pile and lighting them on fire. They are taking up so much space.

[tucking fypo]

All 8,000 cards are in my closet from the late 70's to the early 90's. Like Pilot, if I chunked them or sold them I feel like I would be throwing some of my childhood away.

[PilotMan]

A hundred years from now, even with inflation, I think they will still be the same price. There is that much supply and no demand.

[Fidatelo]

I have a few from about 10 years ago but all the ones from my youth in the 80's/early 90's (ie, the ones that could have possibly had any value) are gone (to the trash, I believe).

My favorite child-hood sports card memory is the that of my older brother flushing my Wayne Gretzky rookie card down the toilet one time when he was mad at me. This was before we ever had any idea of card values so it wasn't quite the crime it sounds like now, but I think it's safe to say we both regret that incident in retrospect

[Dutch]

I had all my AL cards from the 1980-1982 season stolen but most of my NL cards are still there. All my TOPPS football cards from the same time period are still there. All of it pretty much worthless...but I can't let them go.

[RendeR]

As someone mentioned, its a flooded market. Nothing is worth shit anymore because instead of making 100 of someone's rookie card they made a billion and its no hard to find. Cards are little more than a way to reminisce now.

[Danny]

I sold mine about 5 years ago. No regrets about that

[BYU 14]

Have well over 1000 still with my pride and joy being the complete Conlon collection.

Have some good cards in there, but more interested in the nostalgic value than the monetary value.

[Buccaneer]

Iam in my fourth collecting phase, the first dating back to 1970. The third phase was the notorious mid-late 1980s before I moved to Colorado and stopped collecting for 13 years (thankfully missing the crap that were the 1990s). But since I was helping out at a card shop, I bought many, many boxes and cases of the late 1980s crap. I kept them all, found out their true value in 2003 and both threw out 60,000 cards (everything from 1987-1990) and donated 20,000 (everything from 1984-1986) to a children's hospital. All the cards from my childhood in the 1970s and even they're not part of my current endeavors (too low grade), I still keep them for nostalgia reasons.

[molson]

I sold all of mine in one big lot on ebay right before I went off to law school in 2003. I got rid of/sold everything I could that summer and wanted to fit my entire life into my Hyundai Elantra, which I did. I was glad that they'd (maybe) continue to exist somewhere.

Do kids still collect sports cards today? For those of you stuck with a bunch you could give them to some kid. When I was a kid there was a carpet cleaner over and he saw my baseball card collection. A few days later he dropped of thousands of baseball cards from his collection. I thought he was insane at the time, but in retrospect, I understand exactly why he did it. Edit: Missed Bucc's post, but ya, children's hospital donation is a great idea too.

[Buccaneer]

No, kids generally do not collect today. What few that do, it's all about finding the lottery cards and throwing the rest away. I was at the National Card Convention last year in Baltimore and of the tens of thousands of attendees during the 5 days, almost no kids on the floor except those dragged by their boomer father. The autograph lines had a lot of kids but not at the tables.

[frnk55]

So how about todays cards? Is it like collecting back in the day? Finding rookie cards. How about value? Are there must find cards? Baseball that is.
I've been tempted to start up again but seeing the price of cards I don't think so.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Yes, my parents made me take them when they last moved. I want to toss them as I know they are worthless, but I just can't.

You got an 89 Gagne I can buy?

[Chief Rum]

My card collection was unfortunately deleted by the Mom Clean Out Virus a couple decades ago.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Have well over 1000 still with my pride and joy being the complete Conlon collection.

Have some good cards in there, but more interested in the nostalgic value than the monetary value.

Yeah me two I have a few 1000 cards and also have all the Conlon stuff. i had the set looked at it and it was valued at in the 13k+. That being said I spoent about 5k to build the collection so ther eis that too. I started as as something to pass my love of the old timers baseball on to my son now only 6 years old.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Yeah me two I have a few 1000 cards and also have all the Conlon stuff. i had the set looked at it and it was valued at in the 13k+. That being said I spoent about 5k to build the collection so ther eis that too. I started as as something to pass my love of the old timers baseball on to my son now only 6 years old.

I agree, would be hard for me to part with most of my stuff. I also have a few Tobacco cards, the best of the lot being a very good Mike Donlin T206. It is just really cool to hold a piece of baseball history over 100 years old and think about how many hands it has gone through over the years.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

You got an 89 Gagne I can buy?

I'll trade you for a billy Ripken fuck face

[JediKooter]

I still have all mine that weren't stolen. I'm on the hunt for a decently priced Topps 1977 baseball card set.

[Buccaneer]

Jedi, you're about two months late. I bought a complete set back in 1977 and kept it with me through my many moves. It wasn't that great of a shape but not bad. So at last year's National, I bought another one, took the best cards from each and then sold the leftover set, which still was still ex+ to nm, for $125.

[korme]

A buddy of mine (in his 40's) just found out last week that his Dad won a costume contest in the 50's, and the prize was an autographed baseball from the world Champion '46 St Louis Cardinals. Signed by 27, 25 players and 2 coaches. His Dad JUST told him about it, it's been sitting in a desk for 60 years.

So now he's getting it appraised... pretty awesome, I got to see it, though the signatures are obviously faded you can read some pretty recognizable names (Musial, Slaughter). I'm wondering what it will be worth.

[PackerFanatic]

Still got almost all of mine...thinking about giving most of them to my 11-year-old cousin who is obsessed with sports cards. He'd get a lot more use out of them than I would (and I know I don't have many worth anything).

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Jedi, you're about two months late. I bought a complete set back in 1977 and kept it with me through my many moves. It wasn't that great of a shape but not bad. So at last year's National, I bought another one, took the best cards from each and then sold the leftover set, which still was still ex+ to nm, for $125.

Ah man! NOOOOOOOoooo!

125 isn't too bad of a price for that set in my opinion. I remember it was going for close to 400 a few years back and that's why I just never pulled the trigger on getting that set. It's my favorite set from when I was a kid.

I've never heard of the National. Is it a big convention?

[Buccaneer]

Yeah, it's huge. In 2010 and last year it was in Baltimore, an ideal place for it and I went both years because I love the area. This year is in Rosemont near ohare, not much to do in the area. They couldn't any future dates for Baltimore unfortunately so they have to rotate between Chicago, Cleveland and Atlantic city (ugh). Here's the link http://www.nsccshow.com/

The 1977 set can go for $400 if its all nm and key cards graded. If its not that great of a condition, then $125-$250 would be reasonable.

[stevew]

So I have tons of cards and these are impossible to sell, right? Thought I could maybe sell small batches of cards for a few bucks at a time. Dunno what to do now, I mean a nm Shaq rookie is worthless

[Mota]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

No, kids generally do not collect today. What few that do, it's all about finding the lottery cards and throwing the rest away. I was at the National Card Convention last year in Baltimore and of the tens of thousands of attendees during the 5 days, almost no kids on the floor except those dragged by their boomer father. The autograph lines had a lot of kids but not at the tables.

My son is 12 now and has been collecting for a few years.

For him, the base cards mean nothing. I don't even think he reads the backs.

It's all about the limited cards. Auto cards. Jersey cards.

When we go to sports card shows, people usually give us stacks of base cards from pulls. Last year it was Connor McDavid Young Guns card that everybody was trying to find and it was going for $250 on the show floor. I bet we were given 1,000 cards that day because nobody cared about those.

Two years ago he had saved up $225, and I think he came home with 23 autographed cards. He got a Pavel Datsyuk auto and a Drew Doughty jersey/auto card among many others.

The coolest thing is that a few weeks ago after ball hockey, we heard some rumblings and ended up seeing Connor McDavid playing in a men's league with some of his old NCAA / Junior friends. He signed my son's hat and took a picture with him after the game, it was really cool.

Being in Toronto, it's all been hockey cards, but he's starting to get into basketball and baseball big time, so I think the upcoming November show he will be getting a different mix of product.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by stevew

So I have tons of cards and these are impossible to sell, right? Thought I could maybe sell small batches of cards for a few bucks at a time. Dunno what to do now, I mean a nm Shaq rookie is worthless

Anything 1986 or after that isn't really special in any way is probably worth nothing. There are some cards mixed in there that might be worth a buck or two but by and large, it's all junk. Once the autograph stuff started, like Mota said -- there are some things that will command value. Kris Bryant stuff a couple years ago was going for insane prices. The stuff that isn't special, is useless to everybody it would seem.

If you own stuff between 1976-1985, there are some cards in there worth something to the right buyer. 1970-1975 you start to get to some cards that actually still have some value, especially the superstars. 1969 and before and the cards hold their value decently.

[tarcone]

Yeah, I had a ton of late 80s stuff. Me and my brother got into collecting together. I had them until the mid 00s. Tried to sell them. Called a couple local card shops and they said they had pallets of those years in their warehouses.

I sold the box at a garage sale. Or the people ripped me off and stole it with the other crap they were buying.

I do have one card left though. It is George Andersons rookie card. That is Sparky Anderson. My favorite manager of my favorite team growing up, the Detroit Tigers.

[ColtCrazy]

Had a big football collection at one time, but 95% of it is now gone. Still have the '81 Topps set my dad and I put together. A few binders of Colts players. A few other cards here and there. Most have some nostalgic value or simply worthless and can't bare to part with Colts players I grew up watching. Also have a random 81-82 basketball set. Figured what was the point on keeping the rest. Hard to display. Sometimes I think about going back and collecting a topps set from each year I've been alive. Sounds cool but again, what would I do with it? At least my collection of board games get used.

[lungs]

I was a late 80s to mid 90s collector. When my house burned down I looked up some values and decided they were all pretty much worthless. Can't remember what I got out of them through insurance, maybe $100. Probably more than I would have trying to sell them.

[Suicane75]

I had a ton when I was a kid, but I think I'm fonder of the case than any of the cards. I had a label to put on top of each divider with each teams name on it and I remember sorting them by position, pitching role etc.

Only card I ever hung on to was a Frank Thomas rookie, just cause he was my favorite player. I think I still have it in my shed which means there's a 50/50 chance it's mouse poop at this point.

My big thing were sticker books, god I loved collecting them. The ire when I would buy a pack and have nothing but duplicates.

[Peregrine]

Most of mine is gone but I have a couple of binders from my favorite players (Barry Bonds, Griffey etc.) Man I was such a Bonds fan before he started on the juice.

[spleen1015]

I have a box with about 300 different Ripken cards in it. That's all I have left.

[stevew]

Ok. So I sold most of the commons and a few meh graded griffeys at a yard sale. I'm down to "the good stuff". I have a lot of Jordans and a lot of 88 fleers that are in solid shape(Miller, Pippen, Stockton, 3-4 various Jordans). Is it worth getting those cards graded? One of the Jordan sticker cards appears to be going for a small fortune at a grade of 8 or 9. Would it be worth getting 10-20 cards graded and who should I go thru?

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by stevew

Ok. So I sold most of the commons and a few meh graded griffeys at a yard sale. I'm down to "the good stuff". I have a lot of Jordans and a lot of 88 fleers that are in solid shape(Miller, Pippen, Stockton, 3-4 various Jordans). Is it worth getting those cards graded? One of the Jordan sticker cards appears to be going for a small fortune at a grade of 8 or 9. Would it be worth getting 10-20 cards graded and who should I go thru?

here's a guide for some of the "Names" in the 88 fleer set

1988 Fleer Basketball Cards - PSA SMR Price Guide

[larrymcg421]

I have rookie cards for Dan Marino, Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones, and Dave Justice, plus a few others mostly from the 90s Braves era.

[stevew]

Crazy that you would pull one card from 87 topps that I think I've never seen before.