The Backyard Batting Cage

Baseball cards have been around for at least 100 years.  Early cards had sketches of the baseball players on them and were in color.  They often came with a wad of chewing tobacco.  They featured the player, the name of their team and their statistics.  They also said how long he had been playing the game. 

Today’s baseball cards are a far cry from the cards of the late 19th century.  They are in full color with photographs and often have holograms.  They also feature the statistics of the player, where he went to school, how long he was in the minor leagues and how long he had been playing for the majors.  It will list the different teams that he played on and when he was drafted into the major leagues.

Old baseball cards are worth money, but not necessarily because of the player.  Because the more popular player get more cards minted, their cards may not be worth as much as a player who has had only a few cards minted.  Baseball cards of obscure players have fetched millions of dollars in some cases. 

The old Babe Ruth cards were ones that were worth a pretty penny and fetched a good auction sum, but because Babe Ruth was such a popular player, these cards did not fetch as much money as other players.  Ted Williams has a card that is worth several thousand dollars. If you are going to look for baseball cards of value, you need to look for Rookie cards.  Rookie cards are made when the player is in their first year in the majors. These are the cards that tend to become the most valuable. 

Today, baseball cards come in packages with a stick of gum.  There is usually a statistic card thrown in with the pack.  Baseball card collectors are very picky - cards not only have to be of value, but they have to be in what is known as “mint” condition.  A corner torn or bent will devalue the card severely. For this reason, baseball card collecting has become more of an adult hobby than one for kids.  Kids used to trade baseball cards to friend and pitch them when they were young in contests.  In a way, they were treated almost like marbles.  Today, because of all the attention that has been brought to baseball cards and their potential value, most people are putting baseball cards in protective binders and sleeves to keep them in mint condition.  Baseball card collecting is now big business and not just for kids anymore.