How to Collect Rookie Cards in the World of Sports Cards

Buyer Beware!

Collecting sports cards can be very expensive if you are not selective about what you collect. If you try to simply collect everything that comes out, you had better have quite a stash put away, because there is simply to much product out there for you to do so cheaply. One way that you can reduce the cost of collecting is to create a focus for your collection of sports cards.

There are many different ways to focus your sports card collecting habits. One of the most popular themes you can use is to only collect rookie cards. That is first year cards of your favorite sports stars. The reason that this is so popular is because these cards tend to hold and gain value better than the regular cards. Collecting rookie cards can be tricky however, so be sure to follow some rules to insure that you are getting what you pay for.

The first rule when collecting rookies is to remember that not every card produced during a player's rookie year is a true rookie card. Only the regular issue card in a given set, that is not a part of a subset is a rookie card. A subset is a card that is thematic in nature, and usually it can be recognized as such in your price guide. If you use Beckett magazine to check your values, they let you know if a card is a true rookie card by the symbol "RC". This is the easiest method.

Another type of rookie card is a player's XRC card. This is an extended rookie card, and is desirable to most collector's as well. Though not as popular as the standard rookie cards, the extended rookie card is a great addition for a focused collection.

Rookie inserts are popular in today's sports card world because they often are inserted at a tougher ratio than the regular issue cards. Also, they might have an authentic signature, or a piece of game-used jersey of the player. Those cards with a piece of history such as this are very popular and should certainly be held onto.

Today's rookie cards are valuable additions to the collecting world of sports cards. You simply have to be careful about how much you pay, and who you are buying from. If you take some steps of precaution, you should be able to build a fine collection.