Some Notes On Valuing Cards
Before checking out the prices listed in most of the entries on this website, it's best to keep a few things in mind.
First, the prices listed here are only a suggestion, based on an averaging of prices found online and in the latest published
price guides. Ultimately, the only value a card has is that agreed upon by both the buyer and the seller. We cannot be held
responsible for either purchasers or sellers getting what they think is an unfair price within the marketplace. The best thing
a collector can do is to research the card set he is pursuing, both online and at area card shows, to determine how much the
cards in question are really commanding in dollar value.
Secondly, the prices on this site refer to ungraded cards; that is, cards that are not professionally graded by one
of the available services such as PSA, SGC, and others. Graded cards have caused a real shift in the marketplace, with more heeled
collectors demanding higher and higher grades for their own sets. Keeping track of each card in a set, in each grade (or even an
average of cards in a particular set in each grade) would prove beyond the scope of this website, especially since certain issues
may fluctuate in price from month to month.
Further, the entry of professional grading services into the hobby has created a situation whereby very strict grading standards are
now considered the norm, by all but a small but vocal band of diehard old-school collectors. Cards that were once considered 'Mint'
have now been downgraded to a much lower status thanks to the new grading guidelines, which a number of older collectors consider
too regimented and nit-picky. While this website doesn't take an official stance on the matter, it might behoove true card lovers
and collectors to ask themselves, what really is the difference between a PSA 10 and a PSA 8, anyway? Is such a difference really
even detectable by the naked eye? Ultimately, again, it is up to each individual collector to decide such things for himself.
Note that this site refers to a grade of 'Excellent.' This is our own term, used to denote a card that appears to be in fresh, new
condition, straight from a pack. The more mainstream term for this condition would probably be 'Near Mint,' but to avoid getting into
arguments about tiny defects or valuation, it is assumed that Excellent is about as good as a card is going to be found 'in the wild,'
with lesser grades bringing a fraction of Excellent's price.
Again, it is up to each individual collector to make such decisions as what cards to collect, how much to pay, and in what conditions
he or she will accept vintage cards. This is an entirely personal matter and is of course constrained by such concerns as the amount
of money one has to spend, and being able to find desired cards in the marketplace.
*Note:* This website does not sell any cards at this time. We offer free information available to everyone with no strings
attached. No advertisements, no matter how prominently placed, require the user's attention. Users are free to enjoy the site's
content at absolutely no cost.