Where to start????

[Big Secz]

So I've been "out of the game" for quite some time. I think the last card I bought was in 2000 and wasn't sure about the hobby that much back then. Now things have changed significantly. So I'd like to know if you all can help demystify the hobby.

Which brands are the best to collect?

Which types of cards are the best to collect (i.e. inserts, RCs, etc)?

Are graded cards worth the money or just a gimmic?

What should I focus on collecting?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

[bscook86]

here are some even bigger questions:

how much do you have to spend? that can definitely determine what brands you can collect.

What type of collector would you like to be? there are a few types, prospectors who buy young/low and hope for the player to become good so that they can sell high. theres the hof collector who collects players who are already in the hall of fame. theres vintage collectors who collect certain era of sports cards. theres new age collectors who do the new, flashy types of cards.

graded cards can be tricky. with newer cards you dont want low grades, in my own opinion i stay with 9 or better grading. gives you the best amount of monetary return.

your focus? what do you want to collect? do you have a favorite player? a favorite team? a favorite position in the sports world?

It really just all depends on you bro, hope this helped. feel free to send me a personal message if you need anything else. especially if you can decide what you would like to start collecting

brad

So I've been "out of the game" for quite some time. I think the last card I bought was in 2000 and wasn't sure about the hobby that much back then. Now things have changed significantly. So I'd like to know if you all can help demystify the hobby.

Which brands are the best to collect?

Which types of cards are the best to collect (i.e. inserts, RCs, etc)?

Are graded cards worth the money or just a gimmic?

What should I focus on collecting?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

[jeffgordon]

here are some even bigger questions:

how much do you have to spend? that can definitely determine what brands you can collect.

What type of collector would you like to be? there are a few types, prospectors who buy young/low and hope for the player to become good so that they can sell high. theres the hof collector who collects players who are already in the hall of fame. theres vintage collectors who collect certain era of sports cards. theres new age collectors who do the new, flashy types of cards.

graded cards can be tricky. with newer cards you dont want low grades, in my own opinion i stay with 9 or better grading. gives you the best amount of monetary return.

your focus? what do you want to collect? do you have a favorite player? a favorite team? a favorite position in the sports world?

It really just all depends on you bro, hope this helped. feel free to send me a personal message if you need anything else. especially if you can decide what you would like to start collecting

brad

well said. Are you into collecting for (making money) or are you collecting for the fun of it. The card world is getting more expensive these days. It seems to me that some people are in it to make money. To me card prices are getting rediculous these days. Some packs of cards are going for anywhere from $100's up to around $600-$700 a pack. The market is becoming more flooded with game used and auto cards. Do you have a favorite sport team, player? These days there are a lot fakes/ counter fits out there you really need to know what you are looking at and dealing with.