Newbie here, need some help with baseball cards

[buck8075]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and new selling baseball cards. I have about a shoebox and a half of baseball cards from when I was younger and from before my time. I was never a collector. I just bought cards as a kid and were given some by my dad. I need some help figuring where I should start with valuing them? I called some local card shops, they are charging $5 a card for review and appraisal! That would cost thousands! I also looked into a month subscription on Beckett, just enough time to look up all my cards, but someone told me if I have a real valuable card, it won't tell you that in Beckett. So, for example, a friend just told me that my 1987 Topps Barry Bonds card is worth a ton of money. I see them online anywhere from $7 all the way up to $18,000. I have two of them. How do I go about getting values on these cards? I understand if it is a very high priced card, I should have it graded, but where do I even start? Again, I have about a shoebox and a half of cards, some in plastic sleeves, most not. Any help on getting me started or pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

[doniceage]

Best thing is to do this.

1) Tell us the years you have what sport. I.E.

1987 Topps
1989 Donruss

Do this then we can tell you what cards you a might want to look for. Kind of like your buddy telling you the Barry Bonds is worth a ton. Tell him to go jump in a lake as your cards are not worth nothing until they sell. Until you hae the dollars in the hand the cards are worth nothing (just my opinion).

2) When you find the cards take a good scan and post the front and back in a thread. Some folks can give you a guess on a grade. Most of us will be able to say Yeah or Nay to grade. If none of those cards are grade worthy your probably sitting on just plain old cardboard.

Checkout this link out and look at what the Barry Bonds card sell for not listed at (a BIG BIG difference):
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&LH_Complete=1

I mean a PSA 9 sold for under 40 dollars and if your friend considers that big bucks well he different than most of us. So for 40 dollars you have to grade it and hope you get a 9. The big money is getting the 10's etc. Of course that is like hitting the lottery imo. So take a look at your cards after we tell you which ones might have value and post pictures. Then see if any of us can help you with the grading of your cards for a estimate to see if it is worthwhile. If you need help or want more information just holler.
@buck8075

[buck8075]

Thanks, good info. They are all baseball cards. I can't really tell the year/brand easily because it's just a big mixed box. I do have a 1987 Topps Box set. Other than that, all random. I guess what I could do is sort them into years and groups and go from there and post on here. Also, I have some cards that were "valuable" when I was younger, so those are in plastic sleeves, might not be worth much now but I'd like to find out. Things like Nolan Ryan, Don Mattingly, Jose Canseco that stand out in my mind from way back when lol.

[camsue]

@buck8075 agree 100% with the above. You may also consider the monthly or even partial month subscription to beckett i believe with the code they give it ends up like 11 dollars for a month. Hope this helps if you have any further questions please shoot me a message

[buck8075]

It's been many years since I used Beckett printed books. How does that work if the cards are not graded. Beckett prices are just general prices?

[camsue]

@buck8075 yes general prices low to high then the digital version of Beckett I believe still has a graded tab when you click on the card

[OriolesFan]

Just to let you know, you can find the info. of "brand" and "year" of the cards by looking at the "back" of the cards. That info. is usually on each type of baseball cards.

[pwaldo]

Your best bet would be to post pictures on here and people can give you a general idea of the value on the cards. Or you can look them up on eBay. Unless your card is professionally graded a perfect 10 it isn't going to be getting anywhere near those high end eBay prices. Check for ones that are near your condition as to the value. Unless you have a very valuable card or know how to spot a perfect looking card grading them would just be a waste of money IMO.

[michigandan]

Feel free to post some pictures, people can give you a better idea if they see them.

[buck8075]

Thanks everybody. I will go through the cards over the next few days and post some that I think might be valuable and see what everyone here thinks. Thanks!