Collecting trading cards newbie

[Nightowl]

We don't get baseball cards in the shops in the UK so I've only seen them for sale online. There seem to be different types of packs though. Are the Topps 'Heritage' ones about historic players rather than current ones? Wondering which type of pack you buy if you want players from the current season? Also is it true that they only put the rare autographed etc cards in the big 'Hobby' boxes so you have no chance of finding anything really rare if you buy one of the cheaper packs?

[jaysblue]

12 hours ago, Nightowl said:

We don't get baseball cards in the shops in the UK so I've only seen them for sale online. There seem to be different types of packs though. Are the Topps 'Heritage' ones about historic players rather than current ones? Wondering which type of pack you buy if you want players from the current season? Also is it true that they only put the rare autographed etc cards in the big 'Hobby' boxes so you have no chance of finding anything really rare if you buy one of the cheaper packs?

I used to be into collecting hockey and baseball cards, but now the system is kind of rigged IMO against the collector. It's not worth getting into it if you're planning to make money from it. Like you said, you have to purchase a big 'Hobby' box to find that special rare card. Afterwards, you have to get it graded by a company like PSA which will cost $100. Unlikely to grade a 10 or 9.5 since they try to limit how many 10's there are. If you plan to sell it, other collectors will never give you "book value" for the card. If you sell it to a card shop, they likely only give you 60% of the card value because they have to turn around and sell it. Selling cards privately on FB Marketplace or eBay can be tough, since you have to price it right and at the end of the day the value of the card is in the eye of the beholder. 

[BTS]

15 hours ago, Nightowl said:

We don't get baseball cards in the shops in the UK so I've only seen them for sale online. There seem to be different types of packs though. Are the Topps 'Heritage' ones about historic players rather than current ones? Wondering which type of pack you buy if you want players from the current season? Also is it true that they only put the rare autographed etc cards in the big 'Hobby' boxes so you have no chance of finding anything really rare if you buy one of the cheaper packs?

Not sure about your other questions, but Topps Heritage has both current and former players. What Heritage does is release cards in the style of past sets. So 2025 Heritage has the design of 1976 Topps. 

[Nightowl]

Thanks for the advice. Not motivated by the prospect of finding a rarity BTW, just curious about how it works. Might get someone to grab me some next time they're over there. Costs a lot to order them online in UK compared to buying them in Canada or US. 

[Laika]

On 5/4/2025 at 7:33 PM, Nightowl said:

Thanks for the advice. Not motivated by the prospect of finding a rarity BTW, just curious about how it works. Might get someone to grab me some next time they're over there. Costs a lot to order them online in UK compared to buying them in Canada or US. 

Ripping packs and boxes is fun but a total financial rip off. 

Generally, it is smarter to just buy single cards of the players you want to collect.