Baseball has gained popularity over time. When it became a prominent sport, people developed an interest in collecting memorabilia of their favorite teams and players.
Fans, hobbyists, and collectors dedicated themselves to ensuring they possess priceless baseball cards.
But what to do with old baseball cards now that they are not as popular and in demand as in the 1950s?
Simple! You can donate, sell, barter, repurpose, or keep these cards. And here is how.
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Things You Can Do With Your Old Baseball Cards
You know a sport is iconic if there is a boost in demand for its collectibles. Baseball became more popular during the late 1860s, and baseball cards entered the scheme with the hopes of marketing advertisements to the crowd.
From the 80s and 90s, baseball cards were very popular! They were cardboard, silk, or plastic trading cards with photos of players and logos of their teams. Some cards also featured stadiums or celebrities.
If you are one of the avid fans that collected old sports cards back in the 1980s, you might find your collection gathering dust in the corner of your room.
So, here are some things you can do to your old common baseball cards:
1. Selling Baseball Cards
The first thing that comes to mind when trying to get rid of baseball cards is to sell them. But are baseball cards worth money?
Some collectors are still out there looking for these items to build their collection. Hence, you can sell baseball cards to them!
You can put up a garage sale to showcase what cards you have. Or, you can go online or on Reddit to look for potential buyers. The internet marketplace can give you a broader reach to aim for more people’s attention!
Selling your old trading cards is all about marketing them well. You can list them on sites like eBay Classified and Craigslist.
Plus, you can also get creative with selling. You can opt to advertise your cards per piece. Or, if you just want to give all your collectibles a new home, you can try selling baseball cards in bulk.
2. Donating Baseball Cards
If you are feeling generous or just want to get your hands off of your baseball cards, you can always donate them to charity. Some foster homes would have kids who would love to see baseball cards in real life.
Other local fundraisers might give your baseball cards more value. Look around you or scout locally for a non-profit organization that will hold auctions for a cause. Your baseball cards might end up being donated to a good cause!
3. Bartering Baseball Cards
By definition, bartering is all about exchanging one item for another that’s hopefully equivalent in value. Like traders bartering their goods back in the day, you can also find someone willing to accept your prized baseball card collection in return for something they have!
Some trading card organization function locally or internationally to help collectors and hobbyists find a match for bartering their goods.
But, there might be some technical problems with this option, such as shipping costs if you trade items with someone from a different country. But, it can still be a viable choice if you are seeking another collectible in exchange for what you have now.
4. Repurposing Baseball Cards
Baseball cards contain vintage photos of some of the most iconic baseball players that ever played in the big leagues. If you feel creative, you can repurpose baseball cards and either keep them as home décor or even attach them to magnets for your fridge.
Creative things to do with your old but wanted sports cards is to make them look presentable. For example, you can invest a little time and money to make a photobook; put together all the cards that you have.
Lastly, you can make home decors by piecing together the cards creatively on a wooden cork board.
An avid baseball fan would genuinely appreciate having one of these repurposed card collections for their personal use!
5. Keeping Baseball Cards
It would not hurt if you held onto your card collection for a few more years.
Your cards may have some sentimental value to you if you’ve kept them for a long time already. And it is understandable if you find it difficult to let go, even if the cards don’t have much use today.
Keep your collection as a way to make its spirit live on with you. Times have changed, and with the digital era, baseball cards might not really be what this new generation wants to spend money on.
Before Selling Your Cards, Do Not Forget to Do These
We mentioned that a common way to deal with collected baseball cards is to sell them. But be cautious because you cannot just sell your cards without comprehensive planning.
It would be best to get an idea of what your cards are worth to gauge where you can sell them and how much money you would get.
1. Examine Your Baseball Cards
Aside from the photos of the players and the logo of the team, your baseball cards hold much more information than that. You can look at the back of each card where statistics are listed and check the year of manufacturing.
Cards are usually sold a year after the newest stat it has. So, if your card has 1960 on it, it was most likely printed and sold by 1961.
By knowing the year, you can gauge your card’s era. It can be pre-war (before the 1940s), vintage (between 1945 to 1980), or modern (1980 onwards).
If you plan to make an online listing to sell your collectible, you can put this information in the ad for your potential buyer’s benefit.
2. Check Your Cards’ Conditions
Since the cards are from a few years back, conditions could have deteriorated in storage. And, poorly kept cards are less likely to be bought by collectors out there!
But do not feel discouraged if your stash is a bit worn out. Even if you kept the memorabilia well in your room, the manufacturing methods during the 1950s are not on par with what we have now.
So, expect the cards to be faded, have miscuts, or have a few printing defects.
Still, if there’s too much damage, your collection may be unmarketable.
3. Research!
If you are into baseball, you would surely know which players are more in-demand than others.
But researching here would be all about market trends. eBay is still one of the go-to sites for selling collectibles, so see what customers recently bought there and how much the sellers earned.
Along with your research, try to orient yourself with payment schemes like Paypal, Payoneer, or bank transfer fees so that you can make the most out of your potential sale.
Conclusion
This article showed you what to do with old baseball cards. Among the above tips, selling them seemed to be the route most old collectors go for. If you plan to market your cards, make sure to assess and grade their values.
However, if selling is not your thing, you can repurpose your collectibles, donate them, or just hang onto them for a few more years.
Once you have decided how to deal with your cards, it is time to get moving!
A powerful swing and the ball is flying across the field, just one hit, and we might never forget the thrill it brings. I do not know about you, but I never do. Every baseball game is the chance to compete with others and cooperate with your teammate. It is among my biggest passions.
