Well, Trace ‘n Chase, the leading trading card and memorabilia company in Europe, based in Thessaloniki, is here to help all of you sports fans to get to know the amazing world of trading cards and discover unique collections and collectibles of great financial and emotional value.
Our first article was a general introduction to the market of sports cards and now that it’s time to start your own collection we got all the necessary tips to help you navigate into the immense world of what we call #thehobby.
In the meantime don’t forget the unique contest on Instagram that gives one lucky person a collector’s box of trading cards from the 2022-23 NBA Flux Blaster series!
Trading cards offer a great opportunity to spend quality time, building a collection together with your friends and your family, enriching your knowledge and connecting with people from all over the world while chatting about your favorite players, teams, sports, and unforgettable moments!
So where do I start?
Starting a collection can seem quite complicated at first as there are many different products and ways to collect. Every collector is different and it is important to ask yourself what your personal goals are.
Keep in mind that there are pretty much 3 different categories, pure collectors, flippers and investors:
- Some collect purely for the joy of the hobby. Its purpose is to collect the entire set of a series, their favorite players or their favorite teams.
- Others are driven solely by the cards’ monetary value potential and aim at how to sell their cards more efficiently and expensively. The so-called flippers!
- Some others, finally, see the hobby purely as an investment and collect cards with the mindset of surplus value and with the anticipation of the development of a player that will multiply the value of the card.
Of course, some do… a little bit of everything and today’s sports cards offer something for every age and every level of collector. A single card pack or box can range from €1 to over €1000. The higher the price, the more and bigger the so-called “hits”, i.e. the cards with autographs and pieces from the athlete’s shirt or clothing.
Starting a sports card collection can be a fun and rewarding hobby, so we are listing some basic steps you can take to get started too:
1. Targeted collection!
Before you start your own collection you need to ask yourself if you want to collect cards from a specific sport, from a specific team, a specific player, a specific series or a specific set. Narrowing down your targeting will make it easier to find the cards you really want and build your own unique collection.
2. Select the amount of money you want to allocate for your collection!
This can be either weekly/monthly/yearly or fluctuating but at regular intervals depending on the goal of your collection. Having a “budget” is always a safe guide to easily and practically balancing your expenses with having a hobby that doesn’t burden you financially.
3. Find out about the price variation depending on the item (box/card) you want to collect!
A little research online will help you form an idea about the value of different boxes and cards. As with all products on the market, different boxes have their pros and cons so the most important thing to consider is what you’re looking for in a box and what you’re willing to spend. These two things will likely shape almost every box purchase decision. If you like premium cards, the “hobby” boxes are probably the ones to go for, but if you’re a casual collector you have a variety of smaller range box options. One of the biggest questions that comes up about the various sports card products is what is the difference between various boxes so it’s crucial to categorize the box configurations that a product can have so that you can hunt down exactly what you want!
4. Find a trusted store to buy boxes and cards!
Contrary to the past and the pre-internet era, there are many options today for collectors to buy trading cards, including online retailers, local card shops and collecting communities. While it is always necessary to compare shop prices, it is equally important to be sure of its reliability, to be aware of shipping and customs charges, as well as the potential benefits of buying from it systematically (i.e. benefits with entry to member’s club). Somewhere here, of course, we have to bless our shop as Trace ‘n Chase offers a literally unique variety of products of the area throughout Europe, enabling collectors from everywhere to acquire their favorite products without the enormous burden of shipping cost and custom fees for products coming from overseas.
5. Protect your cards
Invest in protective materials and storage boxes to keep your cards in good condition. A common mistake made by collectors in their early stages of entry into the hobby is a lack of knowledge about the necessity of keeping a card in good condition. And this is because of its resale value which is completely intertwined with the quality of a card. There is a huge range of protective products for cards and collectibles and it’s honestly worth spending a fortune on them to keep your cards in good condition and unaffected by the inevitable wear and tear of time.
6. Join a community!
Be sure to join a trading card forum or community to connect with other collectors, learn more about the hobby, trade your cards, or find some cards at a better price than the trade. Social media and the internet overall offer countless opportunities for collectors to find small communities of people who share the same hobby and want to connect with each other because, as always, knowledge is power!
7. And most importantly, treat your hobby with much love and spend adequate time!
Trading cards and their value are a direct reflection of the performance and popularity of the player or team represented on the card and therefore when a player or team experiences a decline in performance or popularity, the value of their cards may decrease as result. The immediacy of this action requires that you have to be actively involved in the sports and the respective leagues in order to have the best possible picture of the product that affects the value of a card. Fortunately, most Eurohoops subscribers have the basketball DNA in them, so it’s not hard to identify the “next best thing” in basketball!
Thank you for reading this guide and please follow us on Instagram, X, TikTok, Linkedin, as well as on our YouTube Channel in order to learn everything about #thehobby!