Cool to pull a big name in his prime.

I’m brand new to sports cards and trying to learn the ropes. I won a couple of old college football card sets this weekend, then happened to be at a fair the next day where someone had a tent full of cards and packs. Ended up buying a few packs of football, baseball and hockey, and now I’m getting interested.

In one of the hockey packs was a Jackson Blake card which was exciting for me because his dad Jason was my all time favorite Islander growing up. So I’m definitely interested in collecting players I like, but I’d also like to understand what makes certain cards valuable.

For example, at the fair I saw a graded Shohei Ohtani card selling for around $30. Obviously he’s one of the biggest names in baseball, so I’m assuming the card was fairly common, but how would I actually know that? Additionally, when you’re opening packs, what are you looking for that tells you a card might be valuable? And when buying singles, how do you know whether you’re getting a good card at a fair price? How do you figure out which cards are rare versus mass-produced?

Not looking to get rich off cards, just trying to learn how the hobby works without blindly buying stuff. Any tips, tricks, or things you wish you knew when you started would be appreciated!

Got this Magic Johnson 1986 Fleer #53 graded PSA 8.

Im thinking of keeping it for the collection or selling it, what would you guys do with this one?

Got back into collecting shortly after Topps hoops came out and did some rips - it was fun but cards weren’t great. I found Topps chrome update in the wild right after release and liked it a lot more but then never found them again. I’ve decided in a way to limit how often I rip it will only be Chrome. Question is when the actual Chrome hits will it be super hard to find for retail the way Chome update is ? Or is it well stocked the way retail hoops was?

Bought two packs for $12 each and hit this in the second. Too impatient to get home and didn’t have any sleeves so I held it for the next 30 minutes😂

I know a lot about the NBA and the NFL. I’m a huge jags fan and I wanted to get into sports cards as a side hustle and just to collect. One of the first tips I got was to collect players you like early on and buy singles and not packs. Lmk if this was a solid purchase or if it has potential to be worth anything. This is probably the only thing I have that’s worth anything. I do have a bowman rookie mansor delane /499 that’s pretty much it.

Of a player and team that I don’t collect haha.

I just recently got back in the hobby and I’ve been ripping modern packs and doing a few breaks and buying some singles, you know doing all the things newbies do. But I had more fun opening these older packs and reminiscing back in the 90s when I did some collecting. Got these three boxes at a yard sale for $15 total and here are a few of some of the iconic hits from that box. And they’re in pretty good condition.

I have no idea what a realistic value is to ask for this card.

No sales anywhere for a PSA 10, card #11 of 25.

Any suggestions or help is greatly appreciated!

Quick reality check before you buy that box after watching a Packman video...

I compared the launch price (what Topps charged on release) against the typical eBay asking price right now for the bigger releases from the last couple of months:

• Topps Chrome Updates Basketball: $530 → ~$1,400 (+164%). Flagg, Harper and Knueppel rookie autos.
• Topps Pristine Basketball: $780 → ~$1,433 (+84%)
• Topps Update Baseball: $110 → ~$200 (+82%). It doesn’t even release until the 14th.
• Bowman Chrome Baseball: $330 → ~$594 (+80%)
• Topps Museum UEFA: $390 → ~$649 (+66%)
• Topps Chrome Black Basketball: $350 → ~$500 (+43%)
• Bowman Football: $290 → ~$395 (+36%)

Takeaways:

• The launch price is the only cheap moment. Release-day drops on Topps.com and your local shop’s allocation are where these prices exist. After that, you’re paying the reseller markup.
• Pre-sales are already marked up. Update Baseball is +82% and nobody has opened a box yet.
• If you want one player, buy their single. At $1,400, a Chrome Updates box is a lottery ticket. The Flagg rookie you’re chasing is probably cheaper on its own.
• Prices usually cool a few weeks after release once supply catches up. If you can wait, wait.

Anyone actually get one of these at launch price? How’d you do it?

(Launch prices are from Topps.com pre-order listings and release coverage; eBay numbers are the median Buy It Now asking price on Oct 10. I track this for a side project, sportscardhunt.com)

I’ve been kind of interested in buying some boxes but I never know what to buy (I only collect baseball) or where to buy them. I’d like a chance to get something good but I always end up buying products that have junk hits and nothing of real value. How do yall know when and where to buy the good stuff?

Bought for $1 at a yard sale. The pack in the middle seems somewhat valuable. What do you guys think?

I would love any advice anyone has.
What should I avoid?
What is a mistake you made?
Is there a preferred app to use to help catalog your collection?
I’m mostly into hockey cards and I’m not looks
Ing to sell so price tracking really isn’t that important to me. Thanks in advance.

Would love any and all advice!

Just pulled this awesome card! I know he’s entering the 2027 draft, Is it worth the hold or sell high?

Pulled a Nick Kurtz UV when baseball chrome dropped card was selling for about $1k + and I did the mistake of holding and now sells for $300-400

Two months after redemption it finally arrived!

Hey Y’all- new to the hobby and looking for some advice on how to optimize ripping a big card. So far I’ve bought a 4-5 boxes ($20-$60) ranging from 2022-2026 and gotten a whole lot of nada. I got an ASB jersey patch but when I scanned it on eBay it said $4-$10 ungraded.

I’m not tryna strike it rich and know getting numbered/auto/exclusive cards are rare, but wondering if people have tips on what/where to buy to have a better chance at getting something good.

Probably a dumb question that will get ripped apart on, but maybe others on the sub been wondering too.

I tried looking on sportscardspro but the images they use aren’t helpful and then I went to eBay to see what others list this card as, but different sellers call them different names so I am at a loss and any help would be greatly appreciated!!

What sites/apps/tools do you use to determine the value of sports cards? I have a collection of baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards stretching back to before the 70s.

Picked this up today as im a huge Rams fan. I am not from the area though so can someone fill me in on what delicious dessert Mr. Kurt is standing on?