86-91 baseball cards worth anything?

[JimKiler]

I have baseball cards from the most overproduced era, 1986-1991. I have so many of these cards and I am sure 98-99% of them are worth next to nothing.

There are not many stores left and the one i called said they are not buying cards. Trying to find prices online costs money. Maybe i should check out a Beckett price guide but most of these cards probably do not have value.

Should i just recycle these?

 

[Fenixgoon]

you could always put them up on ebay for a few bucks just to get rid of them

 

[homebrew2ny]

Unfortunately you are correct that most all will be all but worthless. However, the potential .01% could be worth something, especially if some are grade worthy. For example, high grade 1986 Topps star cards could net you hundreds, even thousands for PSA 10 graded cards. Also, it greatly depends on the type of cards you have, I believe there are some nice autograph inserts from 1991 that could net you some good coin. By and large though, unless you have some flawless specimens graded gem mint, or scarce/rare inserts (which were only starting to be available in 1990/1991), you probably have some fire wood.

If you have any football and/or basketball from the same years, you could be on to something.

 

[rockyct]

The only cards that are worth anything are basically perfect, mint condition rookie cards of superstars. They do have to be almost perfect for them to be worth anything. A slight bended corner or two or a slight offset printing and you're looking at a couple bucks instead of $100. Autographed inserts are worth a few dollars or more if they are big enough players. Inserts aren't even really worth much unless they are big players and rare inserts. The serial numbering on inserts didn't start until later and even they aren't worth a whole lot.

You also have to remember that Beckett basically prices cards at the full, retail level that a store would charge a random customer who walks into a card shop. Online it's pretty easy to buy cards half off of Beckett or far less if you're talking non-super star players. Ebay really is your best option to sell any cards. "Mint condition" is such a loose term when someone has an auction so you aren't going to get much money unless they are graded.

Here are your steps: 1) find super-star cards or autographs (recycle rest), 2) see if they are rookie years of super-stars (recycle rest), 3) make sure rookie cards appear perfect enough for grading by looking for ANY flaws You can always show them to other card collectors or post pictures here if you need an opinion.

 

[JMapleton]

Cards from 1986 to about 1993 are literally probably the least valuable of all baseball cards. Literally almost worthless.

Most cards from that era were very poorly made. Glossy cards didn't really enter the scene until about 1994. And if you're talking baseball. Most players from that era have very poor public perceptions. That was the steroid era. Jose Canseco. Barry Bonds. Mark Mcgwire, etc.

The worst cards with the worst players.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I have hockey sets from that era. They are worth what they were back then ... about $100. I think my baseball cards are worthless though.

Atleast I wasn't my friend who's parents planned their kids college around buying a crate (yes a crate!) of new baseball cards because they should naturally go up 500% in value in 5 years.

I'd buy cards today but last time i looked, a pack of 7 cards (pieces of cardboard) cost over $1.

 

[Slew Foot]

Virtually everything from that era in baseball is worthless aside from a very few select special cards that the average collector wouldnt have and they have to be in near perfect condition as well. In short, you likely have garbage

 

[rockyct]

Cards from 1986 to about 1993 are literally probably the least valuable of all baseball cards. Literally almost worthless.

Most cards from that era were very poorly made. Glossy cards didn't really enter the scene until about 1994. And if you're talking baseball. Most players from that era have very poor public perceptions. That was the steroid era. Jose Canseco. Barry Bonds. Mark Mcgwire, etc.

The worst cards with the worst players.

I think generally the issue is that they made so much, there still is a glut of unopened product on the market over 20 years later. These cards wouldn't be worth a lot even if they made a tenth of what they did.

Oh, and if you got these cards in any way other than raw packs originally, just toss the whole lot right now.

 

[JMapleton]

I used to collect cards when I was younger (early 90s) and I've following the hobby on a off since just out of curiosity.

The card industry has changed a lot. People are beginning to realize that sports cards were just pieces of paper with some guys name on them, so their value is usually nil (unless we're talking older pre 1970 cards).

The card industry has gotten around this by vastly increasing the amount of autographed cards and now they're also doing "game used" cards by including small swatches of jerseys and other equipment on the actual card. This at least gives the card some hard value.

Card sets have gone really high end too. Some companies are producing packs of cards with only autos in them (you get like 5 cards per pack, all of them guaranteed to be either autographs or game used swatches), selling them for $50+ a pack. You can even score super rare autographs by old time players. Card companies will buy old autographs (like on old personal checks or documents), then cut them out and put them on a new card:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jackie-Robi...1248447586?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item19e6ec9862

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-98-UPP...97001657?pt=US_Basketball&hash=item4d16eb4eb9

Pretty much if you don't have an Auto or GU (Game used) card, you have a piece of cardboard.

 

[JMapleton]

I think generally the issue is that they made so much, there still is a glut of unopened product on the market over 20 years later. These cards wouldn't be worth a lot even if they made a tenth of what they did.

And the overproduction. I agree. But yeah, whether they made 500,000 Barry Bonds cards from 1992 or 50,000, they're still not going to be worth hardly anything.

 

[JimKiler]

You guys all have valid points. I have so many cards that sorting through them does not interest me at all. Plus suppose I do find a card worth more than $1 i then have to exert time to find someone willing to buy said cards.

I know I had the 89 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Junior card but I sold it off long ago. I think that was my most expensive baseball card. I have a few sets, like 1987 Topps, 1989 Fleer so those might be worth keeping.

I do not want to ship these so maybe a craigslist ad will be my best bet and if that does not work i will recycle all those cardboard cards.

I also have Maxx race cards for 1988 & 1989 and supposedly Dale Earnhardt's cards were worth $100 or more for a while but per eBay the whole set for 1988 sold for $25.

With comics going digital and the world going digital, i wonder how much longer people will even want sports cards and comics in a physical form. I am thinking it is better to sell now while there is still a market than hold them for another 20-40 years.

 

[purbeast0]

I used to collect cards when I was younger (early 90s) and I've following the hobby on a off since just out of curiosity.

The card industry has changed a lot. People are beginning to realize that sports cards were just pieces of paper with some guys name on them, so their value is usually nil (unless we're talking older pre 1970 cards).

The card industry has gotten around this by vastly increasing the amount of autographed cards and now they're also doing "game used" cards by including small swatches of jerseys and other equipment on the actual card. This at least gives the card some hard value.

Card sets have gone really high end too. Some companies are producing packs of cards with only autos in them (you get like 5 cards per pack, all of them guaranteed to be either autographs or game used swatches), selling them for $50+ a pack. You can even score super rare autographs by old time players. Card companies will buy old autographs (like on old personal checks or documents), then cut them out and put them on a new card:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jackie-Robi...1248447586?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item19e6ec9862

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-98-UPP...97001657?pt=US_Basketball&hash=item4d16eb4eb9

Pretty much if you don't have an Auto or GU (Game used) card, you have a piece of cardboard.

that is actually really freaking cool.

i have so many baseball, basketball, and marvel/comic cards still. probably worth $5 total for all of them. although, i do have like 50+ jordan cards, so those are probably worth something. not nearly as much as they were back then though.

 

[purbeast0]

You guys all have valid points. I have so many cards that sorting through them does not interest me at all. Plus suppose I do find a card worth more than $1 i then have to exert time to find someone willing to buy said cards.

I know I had the 89 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Junior card but I sold it off long ago. I think that was my most expensive baseball card. I have a few sets, like 1987 Topps, 1989 Fleer so those might be worth keeping.

I do not want to ship these so maybe a craigslist ad will be my best bet and if that does not work i will recycle all those cardboard cards.

I also have Maxx race cards for 1988 & 1989 and supposedly Dale Earnhardt's cards were worth $100 or more for a while but per eBay the whole set for 1988 sold for $25.

With comics going digital and the world going digital, i wonder how much longer people will even want sports cards and comics in a physical form. I am thinking it is better to sell now while there is still a market than hold them for another 20-40 years.

i remember that rookie card back then, like the year it was out or a few years later, was worth $75 - $100 or so.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-Upper-...1370855307?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item3f2ef6a38b

now, 20 years later, it is worth less than that lol.

 

[Triumph]

Cards from 1986 to about 1993 are literally probably the least valuable of all baseball cards. Literally almost worthless.

Most cards from that era were very poorly made. Glossy cards didn't really enter the scene until about 1994. And if you're talking baseball. Most players from that era have very poor public perceptions. That was the steroid era. Jose Canseco. Barry Bonds. Mark Mcgwire, etc.

The worst cards with the worst players.

My childhood. Crushed by this post.

 

[cyclohexane]

All cards are worthless - genius marketing gimmick by the corporations

 

[DAGTA]

you could always put them up on ebay for a few bucks just to get rid of them

This is what I did a few years ago when moving. Ended up taking a large loss compared to what I spent over the years, but I didn't want to pay to store them.

I kept a handful of cards that I think will retain value.

 

[Ns1]

Conversely, would it theoretically be a good time to "invest"? Buy cheap quality cards on eBay, store in storage for 50 years, profit???

 

[JimKiler]

Conversely, would it theoretically be a good time to "invest"? Buy cheap quality cards on eBay, store in storage for 50 years, profit???

I would still argue with kids these days they do not want physical media, they will want digital stuff. Also you have to invest in something that will grow in value and as we saw with the late 80's if everyone buys it then no one wants it in 50 years. A lot of the cards worth money like Honus Wagner are valuable because they are rare not because the player was an all star.

Think about who would buy them in 50 years.

I wonder what my desert storm cards are worth...

 

[Theb]

I still have a shoebox full of cards in the garage. I'm keeping it for nostalgia.

Conversely, would it theoretically be a good time to "invest"? Buy cheap quality cards on eBay, store in storage for 50 years, profit???

I'd be shocked if the value ever came back. I don't see the demand ever rising. Back in the day the cards had a utility, you had a picture of the player and their stats, both of those things are easy to find online now, and the market is flooded even though people are practically giving the cards away. The late 80s to early 90s prices were a bubble.

 

[drbrock]

I have at least 3-4k individual cards. Just like comic books from that era. They are overproduced and basically worth nothing. I only collect rare comics from the golden age now. Sometimes I do buy very rare comics from recent times. When DC did their reboot and had the variant covers I bought one of those. Already doubled my money on that one.

No plans on selling my baseball cards. Just going to keep them and look at them once every 10 years. My parents must have paid a fortune when I was kid for worthless cardboard now....

 

[JimKiler]

my sister in law is going to have a garage sale this summer, I plan to sell the whole lot of cards sans a couple complete sets and some hometown cards, Go Twins!. I will see if I can unload 10K cards for $25. If that does not work i will recycle them.

Shocking that craigslist is littered with people selling their baseball cards. Anyone want to guess what time period most of those listings are for?

 

[dmw16]

I am in the same spot. As a child of the 80's and 90's I was into baseball cards. The ironic thing is, once an item is labeled a collectible the future versions aren't really collectible since everyone keeps them.

I was cleaning out my office closet getting it ready to be the nursery for our new baby boy arriving here in a few weeks and found a bin of old cards. I'm sure they are worth nothing, but I can't bring myself to put them in the recycling bin. But on the other hand I don't really want to store them.

Maybe I'll pick out a few and dump the rest.

Are hockey cards worth anything?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

All cards are worthless - genius marketing gimmick by the corporations

Something is worth what someone is willing to pay. If I find a rock in my back yard and can sell it to someone for $100, it is worth $100.

I have various cards from the late 70s to the early to mid 90s (mainly football cards). I did have a few baseball card sets from the late 80s but I honestly don't remember whatever happened to them.

Football is my favorite sport and I really enjoy the older cards. This glossy crap on ridiculous stock that they pack 5 to 7 per pack isn't cutting it for me. I miss the days of the Topps football cards which were 12-15 per pack with a hard piece of gum for under fifty cents. I'm not sure cards like that are produced nowadays or I'd still collect for the fun of it.

As others have said, cards exploded in the late 80s so their value is pretty low. Football cards exploded starting in 1989 when Score, Fleer, and Pro Set entered the market and overproduced cards (Pro Set was guilty of this and it eventually caused them to go out of business).

 

[WT]

My childhood. Crushed by this post.

Likewise. I'm sitting on about 5-6 complete sets of '82-84 Topps, '84 Donruss (the shiz back in the day of collecting) and other assorted sets from that era.

The book value/Ebay sale prices are pathetic, and I feel like my 'investment' at my young age of 12-15 at that time, and ALL THOSE YARDS I MOWED just to go get another pack at the store ...

:'(

 

[Homerboy]

I'm knee deep in the baseball card world right now -- I have a 12yr old son that does nothing but baseball -- and by that virtue, baseball cards.

The cards from the 80s/90s are more or less worthless. Everyone in their 30s and 40s has boxes full of them, and there is still a glut of them unopened available on the market.

The "new" thing is cards is limited edition prints (1/XX). Auto-cards, relic cards... something to make those pulls extra special. Those cards can range in value of a few bucks, to literally 10s of thousands of dollars for a card you just pulled out of a brand new pack (buddy sold a Andrew Luck for $17K on Ebay, and still is sitting on Babe Ruth bat knob card).

The hobby is somewhat still fun, but in reality it has completely shifted away from buying a waxpack with gum for $.25 to packs and hits that only the people doing it as a business can afford. It is not a kids' hobby anymore -- it is only for those that have the money to make money (or gamble away).