How To Tell If Your Old Baseball Cards Are Worth Any Money

Baseball cards, like Coca-Cola or Harrison Ford, started as one thing and ended as another. And no one knew it would catch on. The first set of cards in the 1880s was a marketing tool by tobacco companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen and Ginter to retain customer loyalty by including them in product packaging.

Then, hoarding of baseball cards became common to the point where cards like the 1887 Old Judge set, which featured popular players, became amongst the earliest sports collectibles. This success caused other brands to adapt the same marketing strategy and more iconic sets were created. The 1933 Goudey cards being one, which featured legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Through the years, baseball cards have shaped up to become investment items for all ages. High-profile sales, plus media buzz, continue to up their value. An 1865 baseball card of the Brooklyn Atlantics, a pre-professional baseball team, is considered as the oldest baseball card ever sold. This card features a team photograph of the early baseball players. It was sold in 2013 for $92,000. The most expensive, however, is a Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952 that sold for $12,600,000.

No matter a card's original worth, its value drops if it is damaged. Collectors prefer "Gem Mints," which despite its name, doesn't refer to new cards. Most baseball cards are old, but as long as they have no creases, and their corners are not bent, they are Gem Mints. Having a Gem Mint doesn't guarantee your card will sell, as there are other factors like rarity and player, that drive the value of a baseball card. Still, it will smooth things over from the evaluation phase to pricing.

Then, there are the limited editions — baseball cards produced in small batches, thereby making them extremely rare. Cards of the 1909-1911 T206 sets fall under this category. In the summer of 2023, an extremely rare 1909-1911 T206 White Border Joe Doyle Hands Above Head N. Y. Nat'l SGC VG+ 3.5 sold for $1,323,000. It's rarity lies in a printing error that mistakenly identified Joe Doyle as a player for the New York Nationals (N.Y. Nat'l) instead of his actual team, the New York Highlanders of the American League. The error, caught and corrected early in the production process, meant that very few cards with the "N.Y. Nat'l" error went out, making them rare today.

Another factor that increases the value of your baseball cards is the player featured on the card. Particularly if these are "Rookie cards," which highlight legendary players in their first season. Take Mickey Mantle, "The Commerce Comet." Triple Crown winner in 1956, and retiring from the major leagues in '69 with 536 home runs. Timeless! Little wonder when his 1952 rookie card was found in an attic, its finder took home $12.6 million.

Don't lose hope if your baseball cards show a blemish; they're still desirable, especially with a good story behind them. Your cards hold value even when they have autographs, game-used jersey swatches, or misprints (these quirks make each card unique). A T206 Honus Wagner card fetched $3.12 million at a Goldin Auctions online sale in October 2016. It wasn't your standard baseball card. It had a miscut that caused it to be oversized, it showed typical signs of ageing like creases, stains, fading, common in century-old cards. Still, it was saved by its history and loved by collectors, despite its flaws.

Now that you can recognize the value of a baseball card, we recommend an expert to assess the grade of your card. Collectors size up baseball cards on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being the highest. A graded card will fetch you a higher price because professional evaluation assures buyers of quality. But what determines the grade? The alignment of an image within the card's borders is one. 

To achieve a Grade 10 on the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) grading standards, your card's front centering must be between 55/45 to 60/40, and the back can be as off-centered as 75/25. For a lower grade, such as a PSA 9, the permitted front centering is between 60/40 to 65/35, with more leeway provided as grades decrease to PSA Grade 1. 

Your grade will improve if the corners and edges of your card are sharp and untouched. Collectors will avoid any card with frayed edges or rounded off corners. Your card's surface condition is also relevant; flaws like discoloration, scratches, or stains will knock down the card's grade and make it look less Gem Mint. If all this is too much to remember, begin grading by uploading your baseball card on Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), or Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC). Note that market value shifts with demand. Still, have your card checked out. You might be sitting on a record-breaking card without even realizing it.