Learn How To Collect Hockey Cards
When it comes to collecting hockey cards you've got plenty of choices be it Upper Deck, Tops, or a host of other cards. Collecting hockey cards is great fun whether you are young or old. Follow these Basic Tips to learn how to collecting hockey cards.
Starting a collection can be a bit confusing at first. What with so much concern about future value it can become stressful and take the fun out of it. So when you first start collecting focus on fun and as your collecting skills get better you can get more serious if you want.
First you need to know the types of hockey cards you can collect. Some like to collect just cards of their favorite player or players. This can be a fun and exciting way to collect. And you never know which card you have that could be worth a fortune down the road.
Some collectors go on the hunt for older cards attempting to build full sets or just chase down those rare cards for the right price. You might decide to collect cards only produced by a specific company such as upper deck, or you might try to find try to add to a collection started by a parent or grandparent. In the end it doesn't matter. Just pick your flavor and have some fun!
Because no matter what "serious" collectors tell you there really is no way to know what any card may be worth down the road. Sure some cards can be averaged based on the growth in value of similar cards from previous eras. But plenty depends on a players career moves, how he fares in real life, if he dies early, breaks some staggering record. It's really quite amazing what can increase the value of a card to some staggering dollar value.
For the most part hockey cards will appreciate slowly over time. And of course the better the condition the more they will be worth in the future. Sealed boxes of complete sets can become very valuable 50 years from now.
Always treat your collection as a fun hobby first and then as an investment. That way you won't spend all your time worrying about the investment value.
There is a industry grading system in place for all trading cards be it hockey cards or other cards. This is a general summery but each grade does consist of considerably more points. If this is of interest to you be sure to consult a collector site or dealer.
- 10 - Pristine - is virtually a perfect card with four perfect corners, perfect focus, and full original gloss.
- 9 - Mint - is a card that is in superb condition and exhibits only minor flaws such as light was stain or a minor printing imperfection.
- 8 - Near Mint - is a super high end card that appears a 9 at a glance but upon close inspection may have slight edge fray, or minor printing imperfections.
- 7 - Near Mint - shows slight surface wear visible upon close inspection. There may be slight fraying on some corners or some minor printing imperfections.
- 6 - Excellent Mint - may have visible surface wear which does not detract from the overall appearance. There may also be small printing defects light scratches visible upon close inspection.
- 5 - Excellent - card may show minor corner rounds, some surface wear, or some printing defects. There may be slight gloss loss or minor edge chipping.
- 4 - Very Good Excellent - cards can have slightly rounded corners, modest surface wear and perhaps light scratching but the original gloss is good.
- 3 - Very Good - there may be rounded corners, wear to the gloss, visible creasing, and off center.
- 2 - Good - cards shows noticeable wear to gloss finish, creases are apparent and corners may be rounded or edging damaged.
- 1 - Poor Fair - These cards will have heavy wear and their overall condition is poor. They have little value unless they are so rare there are no other examples available.
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