Baseball Cards help

[NorthSideSox72]

So when I was younger, I collected cards, lots of them. I sold most of them when I went off to college in '91, though I kept 3 (Fisk signed rookie, a '57 Mantle card I found in an alley, and one of the Billy Ripken f***Face cards).

 

Well, apparently I missed some, found them in my parents' attic. A few hundred of them. Among them are a Topps '90 Frank Thomas (rookie I believe), some sort of hologram card of Thomas from 1991, rookie cards for people like Bobby Thigpen, and a whole bunch of other cards mostly in the '87-'92 range.

 

I know NOTHING about how the baseball card market is nowadays. Anyone have any advice on where I can look these sorts of things up, and find a way to sell them? Or if anyone even buys cards anymore, other than extreme rarities?

 

I also have two unopened Desert Storm trading card packs from '90.

 

 

[witesoxfan]

So when I was younger, I collected cards, lots of them. I sold most of them when I went off to college in '91, though I kept 3 (Fisk signed rookie, a '57 Mantle card I found in an alley, and one of the Billy Ripken f***Face cards).

 

Well, apparently I missed some, found them in my parents' attic. A few hundred of them. Among them are a Topps '90 Frank Thomas (rookie I believe), some sort of hologram card of Thomas from 1991, rookie cards for people like Bobby Thigpen, and a whole bunch of other cards mostly in the '87-'92 range.

 

I know NOTHING about how the baseball card market is nowadays. Anyone have any advice on where I can look these sorts of things up, and find a way to sell them? Or if anyone even buys cards anymore, other than extreme rarities?

 

I also have two unopened Desert Storm trading card packs from '90.

 

The Frank Card has a lot of value if there's no name on it (and even that doesn't look like it's worth as much as it used to be), but it's otherwise pretty cheap. The valuable Thomas rookie was the Leaf. Most others will hold little to no value anymore, maybe a few bucks. The sports cards market has really taken a turn for the worst over the past decade or so.

 

Here's a '90 Topps Thomas rated 10 Gem Mint by All-Star Grading (which is no PSA or BSG, but it's still graded and in great shape) going for $3.26.

 

There is a PSA 10 GM Leaf '90 auto'd by Thomas going for $150 right now, but that's the extent.

 

Not sure about the desert storm stuff. eBay is as good a good place as any to check fair and expected value for stuff.

Edited April 18, 2014 by witesoxfan

[EvilMonkey]

Most of the baseball cards from the late 80's until the mid 90's are just kindling. You can go into a Kmart and still find sealed boxes of 1990 Topps baseball cards. The value of all the cards are in a down cycle right now. Someday they will go back up again and different ones will be in value. I haven't actively collected in years, but when I did, was so glad I traded or sold away most of the 'hot rookies' for cards i wanted or to fill a set, since they are pretty much worthless now. J.D. Drew;s rookie cards were thru the roof when they first came out. I traded away over 20 of them for other 'needs'. I managed to snag several 2001 Frank Thomas Topps Gold cards. Those they only made 2001 of. I have 62 of the 2001.

 

As for values, Witesoxfan had it right, as bad as it is, Ebay sets the 'value', since most of the time that is where your market is. For your signed card, thanks to the multitude of scammers, the auto does zero for the value unless you have a COA. I have maybe 40 different cards I got signed as a kid that are worth lots to me for the memories, but nothing on any market.

[Leonard Zelig]

If you clip them to your bike with a clothes pin you can make it sound like a motorcycle.

[Brian]

I got thousands of old cards packed away under my stairs. I'd give them away cheap if I could

[Kyyle23]

Nobody wants your 1990 Carnie Lansford card NSS

[EvilMonkey]

I got thousands of old cards packed away under my stairs. I'd give them away cheap if I could

If they are very early 80's or older, still might get something for them. Beer money, perhaps?

[soxsoxsoxsox]

Most of the baseball cards from the late 80's until the mid 90's are just kindling.

 

that was my understanding. it's sad looking at some of the prices on ebay. don't you have to have them graded now too?

 

[EvilMonkey]

that was my understanding. it's sad looking at some of the prices on ebay. don't you have to have them graded now too?

Grading only helps is you have a sought after rookie card or some super special limited production insert.

 

I have a huge collection still, wife hates it. Complete Topps sets from 1976 until now, thousands of Thomas cards and various inserts from sets throughout th years. I was woking on 1959 and 1966 White Sox team sets, but money was just too tight to buy the few remaining cards I needed, and on the trading site I was belonged too, very few people had any of the older cards at all. I used to have a program that cataloged my cards and kept track of 'value' according to Beckett guides. At one time just my Thomas collection had a high book value in the thousands. HA!

[NorthSideSox72]

Well that's all pretty depressing. Anyone want a stack of cards? LOL

 

Nobody wants your 1990 Carnie Lansford card NSS

 

Just picked up a stack, flipped to first 1990 card to pop up and it is... INF Kent Anderson, Angels. Who?

 

[JPN366]

I was certainly hoping my Dayan Viciedo custom bat that I acquired after he broke it and got him to autograph it would be a nice little nest egg to hold on to...