(First: I'm totally biased here, as the admin of two different Facebook groups that specialize in vintage baseball cards! I'll be clear about which groups I run in the text...) If you collect vintage actively you probably do at least some of your buying and selling...
Essays
What Changes Would You Like to See at SGC Sooner than Later?
In the wake of SGC being acquired by PSA parent company Collectors, which was announced at the end of February 2024, SGC President Peter Steinberg talked up the new relationship as a way to "continue to improve SGC’s products and services that collectors have come to...
Eye Appeal and Subjectivity: Is the Human Element a Necessary Part of Vintage Sports Card Grading? PSA Says Yes.
PSA Statement on Eye Appeal and Subjectivity in Card Grading While perusing PSA's web site the other day I saw a blurb I had not noticed before. On the page that explains their grading standards, towards the bottom, there is a button titled "The Importance of Eye...
State of the Vintage Sports Card Market, Summer 2024 Edition
"So, how's the market?" "Hey Matt, the vintage sports card market seems a bit soft. Do you agree?" I get asked this question often. As an active collector, group admin, and Cardhound web site guy, I guess I'm relatively "in touch" with the market. And like any other...
Vintage FAQ: Understanding “A” Grades from SGC and PSA
So, you send in an SGC submission and receive a dreaded and unexpected "A" grade. Or maybe a card comes back from PSA not slabbed at all, and you wonder why. Unfortunately, understanding "A" grades isn't easy. And making sure your cards will be slabbed even if altered...
How-To: Remove Surface Wax / Gum Residue from Vintage Sports Cards
I'm always surprised when I see cards listed for sale at a discount due to surface wax. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for these deals just because I like cleaning them up! Surface wax removal is quick and easy, and the results can be really impressive. Take a look and then...
Rare Air? Rarity, Scarcity, and Value for Vintage Sports Cards
What do we mean by "rare"? "Rare." It's a word that gets tossed around often in vintage circles. Is rarity in the eye of the beholder? Is it set-dependent, or some kind of absolute? If only 10 known examples of a card exist, is it rare? How about 100? 1,000? In this...
How-To: Use a Group Submitter for Vintage Card Grading
(Disclosure: I will use Boca Card Subs in the example for this post, in part because I wrote this while preparing an actual card grading submission. Boca is a supporter of Cardhound Vintage but this is not a paid spot or promotional piece. I use Boca because in my...
Boomer Bust: What happens to Vintage values when all of the Boomers sell out?
(Disclosure: there is no paid content in this blog.) What’s the Boomer Bust? We have all heard the Boomer Bust theory: “Vintage sports card values will tank once all the Boomers are gone.” As a claim, it does have some logical appeal: the Boomers are the largest U.S....
How to Cardhound: A User’s Guide to Cardhound Vintage
I founded Cardhound after years of running vintage groups both large (50k+ members) and small (500+ members). Cardhound will not replace Facebook, eBay, or your other choice vintage sites and groups. But it can live alongside those resources and enrich your...