Best Ways to Protect Baseball Collectibles
Types of Baseball Cards to Know About
Whether you are a first time baseball card collector or a collector of many years, it is always important to know what the different types of baseball cards there are. There are so many different types of baseball cards out on the market today that it can be confusing when trying to distinguish one from another, so this guide will help you by giving a brief description of the main types of baseball cards to know about.
Rookie Cards
Rookie cards have a pretty straightforward explanation, although it can be difficult sometimes to try to find this type of card. A rookie card is basically cards that are produced of a player’s first year in major league baseball. This can get somewhat complicated as a player may be called up to play for a couple of weeks at the end of a season or may get injured at the start of his real rookie season, so it is always best to check with price guides that mention which year is the rookie year of a particular player. This type of card is very popular to collect and many can be worth a great deal of money if they are of a famous player.
Card Sets
This type of baseball card is a very popular option for those looking for a real challenge, or are looking to collect baseball cards over a period of time. Baseball card companies come out with complete sets of baseball cards; for instance Topps may come out with a card set for the year 2009. Sets can range from a few rare cards to well over 500 baseball cards, so there is certainly a wide selection for a collector to choose from.
Common Cards
Common cards are baseball cards of players that are not very famous, or simply just everyday players. While they may be important for collectors who are trying to complete a card set or find players for a particular team, most collectors do not bother trying to collect them as they are very inexpensive and easy to find. A great alternative to consider is having your son or daughter collect these types of cards and send them to the players to get them autographed. Who knows, maybe the player on that common card could turn into a hall of famer!
Game Used Cards
Game used cards are a lot thicker than regular baseball cards and contain a piece of something that was used in a ballgame by a player, such as a jersey, bat, or glove. These cards are usually hard to find and many collectors like to try to find them over a period of time, especially for the more popular players. Because of this, these types of cards can be very expensive to come across.
Number Cards
Number cards are a rare type of card in which only a select number of them have been produced. When you look on the reverse side of a number card it will display two numbers (for instance 125/200). This means that you own the 125th card produced out of only 200 in existence. Obviously because of their limited production number cards can be worth a lot of money, but it can also be fun trying to collect as many of them as you can.
Autograph Cards
Lastly, one of the most important types of baseball cards to know about are autograph cards. These types of cards come in two forms. The first is an official autograph card, in which the reverse of the card will have some guarantee stating that it is an authentic autograph card from the card company itself. The second is an unofficial autograph card, in which someone may have gotten the autograph at a ballgame, or some other scenario. It is important to be careful about collect the latter type of card as there is the risk of it being forged. Sending it to a grading company such as Beckett will help in validating the card’s authenticity.
