If you own a Baseball card collection that contains and Babe Ruth Baseball Cards you might want to look in to having those cards Professionally Graded. Having a card graded can help you in many ways especially in determining if the card is real or fake. Baseball Card Grading is a very easy process. A graded card also helps you determine how much a card is worth based on the grade that the card receives. If you had a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card it might be worth a few hundred dollars ungraded. That same card graded in lets say a NM-7 Grade or NM-MT 8 grade might be worth a few thousand dollars. It really dosnt matter if you are a big card dealer or just a novice collector having a baseball card graded is an intelligent thing to do if you what too preserve you baseball cards for the future or just want to know what they are worth. We will discuss in the post some of the grading card companies that are out there and what too look for when having a Baseball card graded.
Grading Card Companies
There are a few baseball card grading companies that do quite a good job when it comes to grading and authenticating baseball cards. The biggest thing to take into consideration is price and reputation. You will have to way the choices for yourself but we will talk about some of the grading companies that we have used in the past and why.
PSA Grading
PSA has been around for a very long time and is one of the leading Grading card companies in the United States. PSA is located in California and have a strong following when it comes to Vintage Baseball Cards. Here is a lsit of some of the Pros and Cons of sending your cards to PSA.
Pros: * Great Reputation and one of the best known companies in the Industry
* Experts on Vintage Cards and have a strong customer following
Cons: * PSA is extremely Pricey. About $15-$35 per card plus you have to be a member of the membership club which cost another $99.00
* Slow Turn Around times. What they post on the form is not accurate either.
Beckett Grading is another known company. They are mostly know for their price guide which has been around for ages.
Pros: * Beckett is a trusted name in the Indutsry
* Beckett is pretty good about turnaround time
Cons: * Beckett grading can be a little inaccurate when it comes to grading. There BCCG service is what of the most inaccurate in the industry.
* Beckett charges about $10-$35 per card to have graded based on the turnaround time
GMA Grading has been around since 2001 which is fairly new to the industry but have made a name for themselves from having there cards appear on Home Shopping Network
Pros: * GMA Grading has the best turnaround time in the industry. 5 Business Days
* GMA has the best pricing compared to Becket and PSA at only $2.00 per card
Cons: * GMA does not have the followers as does PSA or Beckett.
Please take your time to review the Pro and Cons to determine which grading card company best serves you. They all do a great job and each one has its benefits. If you have Babe Ruth Baseball Cards that you want to get graded don’t be afraid to use these companies.
If you are in the market of buying a Babe Ruth Baseball Card you might want to know how to tell if a card is counterfeit. Babe Ruth Baseball Cards are some of the most valuable Baseball Cards in the card market so counterfeit cards have been popping up everywhere. We will go through some of the things you can look for when buying a Babe Ruth Baseball to help you from purchasing a fake.
Old Babe Ruth Baseball Cards are not Glossy
One of the best ways to tell if an old Babe Ruth Baseball Card is fake is by the paper stock. I had a guy come to me at a recent show with a box full of cards for sale. Some of the cards were from the mid 80’s and some were suppose to be old and vintage cards form the 30’s and 40’s. The cards from the 30’s and 40’s were in screw downs and the cards from the 1980’s were in top loaders. When I asked to look at the Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey card the customer got a little nervous and was hesitant. After a short pause he said go ahead. I opened the case carefully and as I opened the case the customer started talking to me about my cards that I had for sale in my display case. A very interesting way of trying to divert my attention. As I proceeded to look at the card the guy just wouldn’t shut up and kept on asking me questions about my cards. I finally told him that if he wanted to sell me the cards he would have to wait with his questions. As I held the Babe Ruth Baseball Card in my hand I noticed the card was glossy. Cards in the early 30’s and 40’s were not glossy. As a matter of fact their were no glossy cards until 1989. So the first rule to watch out for is NO Gloss.
Babe Ruth Baseball Cards don’t smell like Coffee Grounds
When a card is printed it looks new coming off the press. Someone who is trying to sell you an old, vintage, counterfeit, Baseball card will have to try to mask this fresh new look to pull off the scam. One way to make a card look old an worn is by rubbing down the corners of the card, another way is to put the card in Coca Cola. That’s right Coca-Cola! Cards that card put in the Cola and than are put to the side to dry for a few days will look faded and used. Part of the reason is because the new cardboard soaks up the liquid which will make the card thicker and look much older. Some of the old Baseball Cards were printed on a thick yellowish paper stock so the Coca-Cola look will give it the same effect. Another cool trick to make a card look old and faded is by pitting the card in some coffee grounds. Coffee Grounds were used many times by the Mafia to make counterfeit bills look old and faded in the 60’s and 70’s. This works the same with baseball cards. If the card smells like coffee back away my friend back away.
I hope these tips will help you next time you go to a flea market or garage sale. I can’t tell you how many numerous customers I have had who believed they had a found gold mine from a box of Baseball cards they bought in the garage sale for $100.00 If you are looking to invest in an old or vintage Babe Ruth Baseball Cards pay attention to these bits of information, They might be the difference between a real score or a real ripoff.
Babe Ruth Baseball cards are the most coveted cards in the sports card industry. Owning a Babe Ruth card means you own a piece of America’s national pastime. Babe Ruth has become the most iconic athlete in sports history and his merchandise has become extremely valuable over the years. Babe Ruth’s legacy continues today and his cards are out performing some of the greatest stock in the stock market. In this post we will discuss some of the most recent sales and sales records that have been broken in the past year. If you are a Babe Ruth Baseball Card enthusiast you have come the right place.
Babe Ruth 1914 Baltimore Sun Rookie
In a recent Robert Edward’s auction the 1914 Babe Ruth minor league rookie card sold for $270,053.00 That is the highest that this Babe Ruth Baseball Cards has ever realized. The scarcity of the card and value leave it only second to the well know Honus Wagner T206 card. The card depicts Babe Ruth in his minor league uniform pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Some experts believe this card is the most meaningful card in the industry because it shows Babe Ruth before the most famous trade between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in which Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. This infamous move by the Red Sox changed the time line of history as the New York Yankees went on too win numerous Pennants and World Series titles with the help of the Babe. Analysts believe that this Babe Ruth baseball card even at $270,000 is a good investment in the long ter, I guess that is a lot of money to pay for a piece of card board but I guess money is made out of paper so what’s the difference.
We will continue to update the site with other online auctions results as well as some of the more well known auction houses. We will add a post tomorrow with more results of Babe Ruth Baseball Card auctions.