Identifying Potentially Valuable Sports Cards

Look for Older or Multi-Color Memorabilia Cards

Memorabilia cards like this one with three or more colors generally sell for higher prices than plain, one-color swatch cards.

Nick Tylwalk

Memorabilia cards with pieces of jerseys or equipment worn by athletes are great, but it's a mistake to think they are automatically valuable. Products released in the past few years have flooded the hobby with single color jersey swatch cards, many of which are a tough sell.

Jersey cards from 1999-2000 have held some value because they were still a new phenomenon back then. For newer memorabilia cards, you want to look for swatches with several colors of material visible - often called patch or prime swatch cards. Collectors are sometimes willing to pay a premium for especially intricate or unique multi-color swatches.

• Quickly Examine the Condition of the Cards
• Check the Age of the Cards
• Look for Recent Autographs
• Look for Older or Multi-Color Memorabilia Cards
• Locate Possible Rookie Cards
• Find Any Cards With Low Print Runs
• Hold on to Cards of the Biggest Stars