Collecting sports cards is a hobby that usually begins at a very young age, where there was not much money involved. Given your age and the money factor, you ended up choosing the cheaper bargains, often scouring both the local hobby store and garage sales, going for the cheapest basketball cards to add to your collection. However, today, now that you are both older and have the extra cash ready to spend, those high end rare basketball cards are looking better than old cardboard. However, adding vintage sports cards to your basketball card collection will take some searching and patience. Buying high end collectibles is a big gamble because you might end up paying more and not getting your money’s worth. Take time to understand the product, do appropriate research before actually investing in it and adding it to your basketball card collection. If you are a professional basketball card collector and look for trading opportunities, you need to be more cautious.

So, what is the high end collectibles market in basketball cards and are they really worth the money? Well, if you are interested in speculating in the current market, take a look at the 2006-07 Bowman Sterling Basketball and 2006-07 Chronology Basketball sets. These two basketball card collectibles may be worth the money you are investing and could form a part of your basketball card collection. The 2006-07 Bowman Sterling Basketball box contains six packs of five cards and a box topper pack that contains an extra card. Each pack is supposed to contain two regular rookie cards, one autographed rookie card, one relic rookie card and a veteran card. Autographed rookie cards may be worth the price and has demand in all seasons The advantage of this box is that though it is in the higher end series and you might not get what you want, it still leaves you satisfied with what you have. The second high end collectible for your basketball card collection is the 2006-07 Chronology Basketball which contains cards in tins and there are eight tins in a case. Each tin contains autographed cards of players of the past, present and the future basketball players. As an additional bargain these tins contain redemption cards for the most sought after present day rookie cards.

At the other end of the market are true vintage collectibles. For example, a Michael Jordan rookie is valuable, but isn’t really a vintage collectible. Before the sports card market for basketball took off, in the 1980’s is when you would start. We’ll cover this in a future article.

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Basketball card collecting enthusiasts normally seek rare cards that add both value and a special touch to their collection. In this context, what can be more special than the rookie card of a baseball player? It is the first card of a player manufactured in the year of his debut and is the only one of its kind. Most companies manufacture very few rookie player cards and hence they are not as easily available as the other cards of the same player. With respect to basketball, rookie cards are a definite collector’s item and should be a part of every basketball card collection. Given the fact that fewer card manufacturing companies produce basketball cards than baseball cards, it is obvious that these rare rookie cards form an inherent part of that special basketball card collection.

Rookie basketball cards of new players are definitely a gamble as they will become valuable, only if the player does extremely well. It also depends on various factors like the basketball player performance, fan popularity and even his personality. However, despite the odds, avid collectors feel that no basketball card collection can be complete without the latest rookie cards in it. Like all other sports card collecting, even in basketball, the primary reason to collect is because they love their player or team, connect with them and want a piece of the action.

A few rookie cards to look out for your basketball collection include Kevin Durrant, Greg Oden, Joakim Noah, Brandon Wright, Nick Young, Yi Jianlian, Corey Brewer, Mike Conley Jr., Acie Law and Al Horford. These are promising young players who have been drafted by the NBA, a lot of things have been said about them in the media. Each player has his own strengths and weaknesses that stake the odds in his favor. Of course there are many other company checklists that you should study and do research before making your final buy of rookie basketball cards.

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For all those basketball fans out there, nothing is more special than having a classic basketball card collection featuring your favorite players. A basketball player card is both a matter of pride as well as sentiment and it binds the sports fan to his or her favorite basketball player. While the general rule is to buy the basketball cards of your favorite players and enjoy collecting it, no true basketball card collection is complete without its vintage cards or historic sets. If a basketball card collection were to contain all the top player cards in their rookie years, it would be highly desired by avid basketball card collectors. However, the drawback is given the multiple companies producing basketball cards, it is not possible to have all the basketball players in a single pack and you may have to go on a hunting spree to collect all the basketball cards of your favorite players from different sources.

Twenty years ago, however, that was not the case. There was only one company, Fleer, that manufactured basketball cards. It was during this time that great champions like Michael Jordan entered the NBA along with others and dazzled basketball fans with his skills. However, before Fleer entered into the basketball card manufacturing business, Star company manufactured rookie cards of these players. Despite this, today the most sought after cards for a complete basketball card collection is the Fleer Historic Set of 1986-87 and the most sought after rookie card is the Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card. The Jordan rookie card is the most sought after basketball card for basketball fans, bar none.

Apart from Michael Jordan, this Historic Set of Fleer features other great players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Dr. J Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The Historic Set from Fleer is also a great addition to your basketball card collection because it contains other great rookies like Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Chris Mulin among others. The near mint condition cards from this set are definitely an asset to your existing basketball card collection.

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An ardent basketball fan and card collector need not despair anymore when trying to find a card for their collection. Their favorite cards can be accessed and bought very easily through the Internet. Sitting right at home or at the office, you can buy the basketball card you want, at the price you want, with just a small click. This has become possible because most card manufacturing companies have either started their own websites or are auctioning or selling through retailers. The Internet has become quite popular and almost every collector uses this medium either to locate, search, buy or sell basketball cards.

It has been seen that leading card manufacturers like Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer etc have their own websites that sell basketball cards in sets to buyers. They announce the various card sets that are popular and by checking with the price guides and other checklist reviews you can buy the set of cards that you like most. This is a good option for people who have started recently collecting basketball cards as these sites provide indepth review, analysis and information related to basketball cards, not to mention value and price.

Among the online retail units that sell basketball cards, Naxcom is rated the best by both dealers as well as buyers. Other online retail card units like the House of cards or DCS Sports Cards, Games and Cards are also a good place to buy basketball cards. These outlets buy the cards from the manufacturing companies and sell it through their sites. They offer shipping of the cards to your place of residence, thereby making the entire card purchase simple.  This option is great for collectors who are very busy and cannot spare much time researching basketball cards.

Lastly, basketball cards, like all other sports cards, are auctioned through the Internet through auction sites like Ebay and uBid. If you want an individual card to complete your existing collection, then Ebay is your best bet. However, if you want card sets directly from the retailers and that too at an attractive bargain then you should try uBid

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Basketball card collecting is an age old hobby that has brought together many basketball fans. Card collectors often form a community of their own, discussing and trading their sports cards amongst themselves. If you are planning to collect or sell basketball cards, it is necessary to know the value of the card, as the value will determine its price. This is of great importance as trading basketball cards can be risky and one needs to be cautious. The question now is, how is the value of a basketball card determined? The following steps will help and guide you in determining the value of your basketball card.

First, the condition of your basketball card plays a very important role in determining its value. Any card that is kept in impeccable condition will be valuable and fetch a high price for the seller. So it is important to determine the condition of the card before actually selling it. Condition of the card can be easily determined by a local card shop dealer or any online site which guides you to determine the condition of basketball card yourself. There are fixed criteria on which condition of the basketball card is determined and the approximate value it can fetch.

Secondly, the year of the card is very important as older vintage cards are more valuable when compared to newer ones. Also, if you possess a rookie card, then its value increases as rookie cards of players are in greater demand. Similarly, if your card is from a rare and limited edition, then its scarcity will increase the value of the basketball card. To get more information regarding the basketball card history, origin and other details, do as much as research possible.

Lastly, the best way to identify the exact value of the basketball card is to subscribe and read price guides that talk about the value of the card. Also internet auction sites are another resource that gives you information about the value of your card and can be a valuable tool in determining the value of your basketball card. To find a price, find a card similar to your card listed on Ebay and track it. Once the auction has expired, take a look at the final price for the basketball card to get an idea of its value.

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