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COLLECTING GUIDES
Finding cards you want to add to your collection is only the first step of the journey. Managing your collection is an adventure in and of itself!
Although there are many facets to collecting, learning how to RESEARCH, BUY, TRACK, and SELL your collection will give you the tools to succeed.
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What Sports Cards Should You Collect?
Standing in front of thousands of sports cards – whether at a card show, local shop, or scrolling through an online marketplace – can be ove
5 min read
11 Sports Card Pairing Ideas for Your Collection
Every great collection tells a story. But what if you could make that story even richer and more captivating? By pairing sports cards with p
4 min read
How to Use 'Estimate Value' In Your Card Ladder Collection
I jumped on Card Ladder early because it made updating and tracking my collection’s value a breeze. As the platform grew and added new featu
5 min read
The Paradox of Choice in Sports Card Collecting
# of Parallels in 2005 Topps Chrome Baseball: 4
# of Parallels in 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball: 37
Topps Chrome, a beloved product across
6 min read
Spotting Shilled Sports Card Auctions on eBay
A “shilled auction” is a listing where a seller, a friend of the seller, or another party with a vested interest in a card’s market price in
6 min read
Improve your Online Sports Card Searches with Boolean Operators
Searching for sports cards on platforms like eBay, COMC, or even Google can be overwhelming. With thousands of listings, it’s easy to get lo
4 min read
The Sports Card Ownership Tracker
The Sports Card Ownership Tracker is an easy-to-use template designed to help you track who owns the cards you are interested in. Whether yo
2 min read
How to Safely Ship Sports Cards with USPS, UPS, and FedEx
Shipping sports cards can be nerve-wracking. Should you be upfront about the package's contents, or will that put your valuable card at risk
3 min read
What is a Sports Card Market Cap?
Market capitalization, commonly called market cap, is a financial indicator that measures a company’s value. It’s a simple metric investors
4 min read
The Scarcity Index: How Scarce Are Your Sports Cards?
Rarity is a flawed metric. A card serial-numbered to 10 might sell 25 times in a year, while another card numbered to 50 might not sell for
4 min read
The Art of Creative Neglect in Sports Card Collecting
I love to learn and I enjoy sharing what I know. The reason I built The Smarter Collector in the first place was to share the lessons I’ve l
4 min read
The Psychology of 1/1 Sports Card Collectors
1/1 cards used to be special. The concept of a 1/1 was first introduced to the hobby in 1997 when Skybox released the 1/1 “Masterpiece” para
6 min read
Why Comparable Sales are an Imperfect Metric for Sports Card Market Value
Today, much of the hobby revolves around the concept of the “Most Recent Comp.” Many collectors believe a card’s comparable sales and its ma
5 min read
Top 10 Santa Claus Sports Cards: The Must-Have Picks for Holiday Collectors
When it comes to iconic names, there's one every collector knows—but it might not be who you think. It’s not Mickey Mantle, Michael Jordan,
5 min read
Level Up Your Spreadsheet Game with the Sports Card Deal Funding & Consignment Template
Have you ever bought a sports card without a clear plan for how to fund it? I don't mean buying a card you can't afford - I mean figuring ou
3 min read
How to Find the Total Graded Population of a Sports Card
Sports card research is built upon two key pillars: rarity and price. While we've covered pricing in our How to Value Your Sports Cards coll
2 min read
When to Stop a Player Collection – And Why It’s Okay to Move On
Collecting cards of your favorite player is more than a hobby; it’s a deeply personal way to connect with the sport you love. But what happe
5 min read
Where to Sell Your Sports Cards
Where should you sell your sports cards? From eBay to auction houses, discover the best platforms for your collection and selling goals.
5 min read
How to Talk to Your Spouse About Buying Sports Cards: A Guide to Navigating the Conversation
The day has come. Like an oasis rising in the middle of a desert, your dream card has finally come to auction. After years of waiting for th
5 min read
How to Talk to Sports Card Dealers at Card Shows
Not sure how to approach dealers at card shows? Learn tips, icebreakers, and etiquette to help you engage confidently and find great cards.
3 min read
Is Selling Low End Sports Cards Worth It?
There is money to be made selling low-end sports cards. Buying collections or bulk lots and parsing out singles to sell individually can be
4 min read
How to Get Comfortable with Big Sports Card Purchases
When I started collecting again in 2017, I was buying $20 blaster boxes of Allen & Ginter at Target. I was also picking up singles on COMC a
7 min read
How to Keep Collecting When Your Budget Tightens
Adapt your sports card collection to life changes with a new budget, clear goals, and a renewed focus on what matters most to you.
4 min read
A Visual Guide to Exquisite and The Cup Limited Logos
Limited Logos is one of the most important and recognizable patch autograph inserts in sports cards. First introduced in the 2003-04 Exquisi
7 min read
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