In the last few years the way value is determined for sports cards has changed, as it went from the Beckett style guide to an actual grading system.

 

The grading system was created as a way to wean away fake cards that were created in the ‘90s. Sports cards that are awarded a high number value between 1 and 10 pay a higher return than cards that are sold through the Beckett price guide.

The way the grading system works is people send their cards to one of three recognized companies PSA, KSA, and Beckett, who now has a grading firm as well, for a fee between 10 to 12 dollars a card to determine a value rating for the card, based on the quality and current shape of the material. The scale rates cards from 1-10, with a 10 being a pristine mint condition card. The cards are then put in a hard bond cased and given an identification number, to now duplicates can be made.

He says a Jaromir Jagr 1990/91 opechee premier rookie card on the Becket pricing guide is worth $20 while a card with a 10 rating from the grading system is worth $250.

And because graded cards are worth more most collectors only want to buy cards with value ratings of nine or ten, since the value drops of after this.

“Especially the newer stuff, if it’s graded eight or less pretty much nobody wants it, cause there are so many out there that are nines and tens,” says Price.

Unless their rookie cards of player like Gretzky or Lemieux’s or players from the 70s and 80s, than people will buy lower graded cards, just because you can’t find high graded cards since the conditions in making them were a lot more sensitive back then.

“Right now for me to buy Gretzky rookie or Mario Lemieux rookie or Patrick Roy I wouldn’t buy them Unless their graded, because then I know I am getting the real deal,” says collector Claude Menard who prefers to buy graded cards opposed to risk dealing with fake cards.

However, not all collectors are a fan of this system like Rob Price who feel the graders opinion is no more valid that a regular collector. He says with the grading system intact you kind of loose the old cache of trading and bardering to define your own type of value for the cards your dealing with, he is more a fan of the old with the Becket price guide which is the regular system cards have always been appraised off of.

Some major factors Graders’ look for in evaluating cards.

·      Corners – how sharp are the corners, Is still a true corner to them and that they haven’t started to get rounded.

·      Surface – If there are blemishes in the pictures, either on the front or back of the card.

·      Centering – If the border around the card is of centre, even a bit.

·      Clarity, How clear are the pictures in the card. New cards tend not to have this problem, but old ones definitely do.