Why Are Rookie Cards Worth More Than Other Cards?
Why Are Rookie Cards Worth More Than Other Cards?
So much of card collecting is about predicting the future. If you can do it effectively, you’re likely to find yourself swimming in dollar bills. Unfortunately, seeing the future is a bit tricky to do. Read on to learn why rookie cards are worth more than other cards!
Worthless Rookie Cards
When you show someone a rookie card of a third-string linebacker from 1978, they aren’t going to drop everything to give you ten grand. Rookie cards, historically, are mostly failed investments. You buy up all the cards of a rookie you think is going to be amazing—and they turn out to be mediocre. Now you have a lot of cardboard and not much else.
While this is unfortunate, it sets the stage for rookies who end up standing out—what happens to their cards?
Valued Rookie Cards
Once people recognize a player for their incredible talent, they make sure to keep cards they find of them in pristine condition. However, many people didn’t show the same care to rookie cards—after all, why bother taking care of the card of some random rookie? That makes the cards that are in good shape even more valuable.
Once people caught on, snatching up all the rookie cards one could find for the rookies they thought would succeed became the “it” thing. This also worked to drive up their value—scarcity will do that! When those rookies were successful, some people found themselves on the receiving end of a whopping payday.
What You Can Do
Even though we talk a lot about vintage cards and cards from a few decades ago, there those who still keep an eye on today’s rookies. No one can know how the card collecting hobby will change in 10, 20, or 30 years, but it’s the hope of finding a valuable rookie card that keeps people coming back. When you get a good feeling about a rookie, consider snagging their card in one of our football, baseball, or basketball card breaks.
Now that you know why rookie cards are worth more than other cards, look through your old collection and see if you can find any rookie cards of players who outperformed expectations. You never know—you may just have a fortune in your hands!
