What should you look for when collecting professional baseball cards?A professional baseball card is correlated in value to how good that player performed on the field. The best players’ cards generally fetch the highest value on the open market. If you are trading cards with or selling a card to a collector who is fond of a particular player, this player’s card may go for higher than the market value. In this way, a baseball card’s value is very much in the eye of the beholder. Many valuable sports collectibles are sold in auction. As a result, value is also subject to the widespread popularity of this player. In some instances, notoriety or newsworthiness may equally suffice for talent.The quality of the card from a physical standpoint is also of key consideration when assessing a card’s value. Only mint condition cards will trade at price anywhere near the list estimates, as seriously damaged cards, particularly those that suffer from limited readability or greatly diminished picture quality, result it less overall value. For this reason, any valuable card should be kept in plastic covering as rough, open-faced handling can start to decrease a card’s value over time.Rarity is also of utmost importance. Older, retired players less likely to have cards still in circulation make for valuable finds. For example, Ken Griffey Jr. though a great player in his time, is likely to sell for less than say a Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle original card as very few cards from that era are still around. With any player value will likely increase if a card is a limited print. Card manufactures limit the printing of many special edition cards, intentionally skewing these values upwards. Similarly, rookie cards, or cards originating in a player’s rookie season, are of the most value as they are limited in nature.