The Legendary Signatures Inc Collection

How much is my card worth?

This is typically one of the first questions asked by any prospective card collector. They come across a box of old sports cards put away in an attic or a garage when they were young and suddenly the question becomes......"how much is my card or this collection of cards worth?"

The short answer here is your card is worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. This may seem trite but it is exactly true. Guides and price lists are wonderful guidelines to use to gain some insight on the potential value of a card but until or unless someone else hands over hard cash in exchange for it there is no guarantee of value.

Having said that, card collecting has been a popular pastime for decades and therefore many collectors and dealers readily participate in transactions daily providing a fairly reasonable amount of information you can access to determine the value of your holdings.

Price Guides - There are several firms which publish pricing information for trading cards. Beckett Publications has long been a leading producer of trading card price guides and their monthly guides and products are found both online and on newsstands. There are many other annual guides .

Auction Results - Another excellent source of pricing information is to review auction results. These prices reflect amounts exchanged in actual transactions. This data can be used to assess one's own cards and to gain a better understanding of what a card(s) actually will sell for in the market.

One word of caution......auction results must be reviewed in a careful manner because cards can and do sell for more or less than their typical value from time to time and this can distort the value of this information. It is more relevant what a card normally sells for as opposed to an extremely high price created by two competing bidders or an extremely low price created by a poorly run auction or held during an inopportune time which suppressed bidding.

Dealers - Card shops and card shows are great places to locate experienced dealers that you can discuss your collection with. While no dealer is likely to sort through your 10,000 count box of cards, most will gladly review a handful of cards with you and offer their expertise. Dealers make a market in trading cards as their profession and are typically more knowledgable than most. As the collector, you can draw from this experience.

Collectors - In almost any hobby, the collectors are the ones who know the most. Their passion drives them to become highly educated about the items they collect and therefore an expert collector is a terrific asset to any novice. Networking through card shops, shows, clubs, and online forums is a good way to meet other collectors and through these associations you can garner a better idea of what your cards are truly worth.

Utilizing the above information a collector can gain knowledge and experience which will allow him/her to assess the value of their holdings.