Baseball trading cards have been encompassing for over 100 second childhood. They enjoy been collected by children, adults and anyone that has a amity for the pastime. Cards gain come in discrete shapes and sizes and are produced by many discrepant companies. They scope in equivalent from a penny Exceedingly hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are dozens of locations from which they can be bought or sold, and cards are as usual nowadays as they accept ever been.
What Are Baseball Trading Cards?
Although shapes and sizes keep changed over the oldness, baseball trading cards in 2009 are normally rectangular-shaped cards untrue away of cardboard or a plastic compound that acquire proportions of 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches. They recurrently accommodate an form of a player with his fame on the front, and obtain his seasonal statistics on the back.
History
Baseball trading cards bear been on all sides of owing to 1887 and retain away down indefinite transformations. From 1902 to 1935, cards were packaged with chewing tobacco, bubble gum and cracker jacks, and came in indefinite shapes and sizes. In 1936, the proportions were standardized for the most apportionment and keep stayed that fashion to the show time. In 1980, "inserts" or certain cards were created and place into some packs. The contain cards are substantially aggrandized rare than remainder of the cards in the set.
Value
Baseball card values are determined by condition, scarcity, age and the player. The most expensive card of all time is a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner. Only 50 to 200 were ever produced, making them extremely rare. The 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card is widely considered the second most popular card ever produced. Babe Ruth played for the (then) minor league Baltimore Orioles, and the card was printed by the Baltimore News. Another extremely popular card in this genre is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. The Mickey Mantle card has been sold several times for over $100,000.
These cards have been purchased by notable celebrities such as Wayne Gretzky for prices exceeding $400,000. The average value of each card can be found in one of the many pricing guides available, the most popular being Beckett Sports Card Monthly.
Famous Baseball Cards
While the most famous baseball card is the Honus Wagner, there are several other notable cards. Other famous cards include the 1951 Willie Mays, 1939 Ted Williams and 1949 Satchel Paige.Who makes them?
Baseball trading cards have been produced by many companies over the last 100 years. The most recognizable name is arguably the Topps company, which has produced baseball cards since 1950. Another popular baseball card producer is Upper Deck, which has produced high quality baseball cards since 1988. Panini America Inc., formerly known as the Donruss Corporation, has produced cards since 1954.