Collecting trading cards is an active and engaging hobby that plenty of people like to venture into throughout their lives. Of course, everyone goes about their collection differently, whether they only get specific types of cards or they focus on older ones. For new collectors, getting into it all can be pretty difficult – no matter what kind of cards they are into. Anyone can become an effective and savvy collector with a little help. Therefore, here are some tips for trading card collectors.
Start off with collecting newer cards and then move backwards in time.
Without a doubt, it’s easier to collect newer card sets for whatever niche you happen to collect in (baseball, Pokemon, football, etc.). You should wait a bit to collect past sets of cards because they are more expensive and harder to find. By focusing on newer card sets, you are guaranteed to be able to find these sets for the months to come. Also, you will spend less money growing your collection than if you started right away with past card sets. Wait a few months or a couple years to get into the sets from the past.
Get educated on card values and how to find specific cards.
Well, you don’t need to be a card guru or anything like that, but it will help you with collecting if you have a general idea of how much cards are worth along with how you can locate the cards you need. This knowledge will be slightly different, depending upon what type of cards a person is collecting. Education is the key to being an effective and dedicated card collector. With that in mind, you can find all of this information from various sources, including trading card magazines, websites, and even books.
Start a running database of your trading card collection.
You will no doubt want to start a running database for your trading card collection as soon as you start collecting. For example, you can start a database using Microsoft Excel or you can create a hand-written database. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, but you should document what cards you have, their condition, and their rarity. Some people go even further by documenting potential value and more. So then, do whatever you feel is best and sort the database however you would like to.
Don’t get rid of duplicate cards – no matter how common they are.
Of course, you’re going to come across tons and tons of duplicate cards as you are growing your collection. You shouldn’t just get rid of all of these duplicate cards because they can serve a great purpose. At certain times, you can use all of these duplicates to trade up for a rarer card that you need. On top of that, duplicates can be used to replace parts of your main collection if anything happens to it.
Set a strict limit for how much you can spend on your collection each month.
One of the big mistakes that collectors make revolves around how much they spend on their collection. In some cases, a person will have no problem dropping hundreds of dollars on their trading card collection each month. This is fine for some, but most people can’t afford to do that, even though they do. You need to set a specific spending limit for each month with which you can spend on your collection. For most, $50 to $100 is a reasonable amount that is both low and manageable.
Stick to collecting only one category of trading cards.
Don’t try to collect every type of trading card out there. For most, dealing with one trading card group is enough. You can’t collect every baseball, football, hockey, Pokemon, and other sets of trading cards, so don’t try to. Sticking with a single category of cards is the best idea for your first few years of collecting. From there, you can move onto a second collection if you really want to, but most people do best while managing a single collection. Still, it’s up to you in the end.
Take care of your collection like it’s buried treasure.
Never treat your collection like anything other than a treasure. Obviously, you have to protect your collection with binders, protector pages, card sleeves, and anything else you can think of. Don’t risk losing your collection just because you aren’t protecting it enough. In the end, your collection should be treated like it is a prized possession and it should be exactly that.
Anyone can start collecting trading cards!
Starting a trading card collection isn’t that difficult to accomplish. In fact, it doesn’t even cost that much money. Anybody can collect trading cards and increase the size of their collection greatly each year. Trading cards are pretty fun to collect because so many different things have trading cards, whether it’s a sport, anime show, or something else. With that in mind, you have to know what you’re doing when you start your collection so that you don’t end up making some rookie mistakes.
For more information on trading cards, visit Trading Card Central, Tips for Collecting Baseball Cards, and Starting a Baseball Card Collection.
