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Trading cards
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Collecting trading cards has been a great hobby for many people for well over one hundred years. Perhaps the most popular type of trading card is the baseball card, but there are many other types including other sports (such as football, basketball, soccer, and hockey) as well as game cards and entertainment cards.
Sports Cards
The most popular type of trading cards is the sports card. A typical sports card will have a picture of the athlete on the front and then a list of their statistics on the back. Of course there are all sorts of variations including team cards, all-star cards, and more. The most popular sports cards to collect are baseball cards, but many people also like football, hockey, basketball, and racing cards.
Gaming Cards
Another popular type of trading card is the gaming card. This includes games such as Pokeman, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, and VS System.
Other types of Trading Cards
You don't have to be into sports or games to enjoy trading cards. There are cards you can collect on all sorts of stuff including music, movies, television, history, and comic books.
What kind should I collect?
We think the most important thing about collecting trading cards is that you have fun. Collect cards you think are neat and that interest you. If you like a certain basketball team, then try to collect all the player cards from the current team. Then maybe try for getting your favorite players. See if you can get their whole set.
How are trading cards made?
Trading cards are printed on thick paper or paperboard. Companies use giant printing presses to print large sheets of the same card. Then the sheets are cut up into individual cards using a special machine.
The most important part of making a good card is the picture and the design. Some cards just a simple picture of the player, but others will have cool graphics including reflective ink and 3D images.
Brands
There are a number of companies that make trading cards. These are also called "brands". Some of the most popular brands include Topps, Nintendo, Digimon, Konami, and Upper Deck.
Are my cards worth any money?
How much each card is worth depends on the condition, the rarity, and the popularity of the card. With your parents help you can check on the internet to see what they might be worth.
Condition
The better the condition the card is in, the more it will be worth. If you are collecting your cards in order to sell them later, you will want to take good care of them.
There are different ratings used to determine a card's condition. They include:
- Pristine or Gem Mint - A perfect card.
- Mint condition - Can have one minor flaw visible on close inspection.
- Near Mint - Noticeable, but minor, imperfections or wear on the card. Slight surface wear on close inspection.
- Excellent - Noticeable imperfections or moderate wear on the card. Some surface wear as well as rounding of the corners.
- Very Good - Heavy imperfections or heavy wear on the card. Visible surface wear and some rounding of the corners. Minor scuffing or very minor tear.
- Good - Severe imperfections or wear on the card. No gloss. Noticeable scuffing, creases, or tear.
- Poor - Destructive imperfections or wear on the card. No gloss. Heavy scuffing, very rounded corners, severe tear or heavy creases.
How should I store my cards?
There are a lot of ways to store your cards. You can put soft sleeves on them to protect them. You can also use an album and get plastic pages where the cards fit right in. This is a great way to be able to browse through your cards and show your friends. If you have more valuable cards you can use sturdy screw down cases to protect them.
Go here for free software to track your sports card collection.
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