To be able to answer the question of how much are baseball cards worth, I think we have to explore to whom are baseball cards meant? At first, I think about when I fell in love with baseball cards, and that was when I was a kid. Is that who the cards are meant? It seems, thinking of packaging, placement on the shelves, and the stick of gum inside (old school, I know), that they were intended for kids. If we go far enough back, however, some of the most famous (and expensive) baseball cards came out of cigarette packs. That changes the audience a little, even in those times. This makes the answer simple; baseball cards are for baseball fans.
I love the idea, though, that cards are a great way to introduce kids to the game. I happened upon a blaster box (I'm not even sure I know what that means) of 2021 Topps Baseball cards at Target a few weeks ago, and with the excitement of the new baseball season and a few extra dollars in my pocket, I picked it up. But who seemed to be as excited about the purchase was my nine-year-old daughter. She knows I love the Cubs and watching baseball, so she seemed interested. She convinced me to let her open the packs with her. So what is the value of baseball cards? I have no idea in this case. How do you put value on your child asking to spend time with you to open baseball cards? Dare I say that these packs of cards are priceless when it inspires time with our own children?
As she was opening the cards, she was tossing them in a pile on the ground, then sliding them together and using the floor to create a nice stack. The instinct in me was to say, "Careful! Don't bend the corners!" I stopped myself, what was I thinking? This is supposed to be fun. She is supposed to enjoy looking at them, opening them, organizing them, not get yelled at because she isn't being "careful" enough. Heck, I used to stick them in the spokes of my bike!! What is the value of a baseball card? The value is looking at them, checking stats and stories on the backs, organizing them then reorganizing them, talking about the players and the teams.
I am sure this treatment makes some collectors cringe, but what is the value of a baseball card? Ninety-five percent of the cards will be worth less than twenty-five cents years from now! Heck, my Topps Rookie Ken Griffey Jr. card from the 1990 set is only worth $1.00. Is that what that card is worth? Heck no! That card is worth the stories and my history with the card, my history of watching Ken Griffey Jr. play baseball, my history of trading that card with friends. That card and set is a history book when I open it up with my kids. I share those cards and tell stories of the season and the players. They look at the backs of the cards to discover which players were the greats of my time growing up. What is that worth? More than any money, that is no doubt.
When the season starts, I can't wait to put these new cards into sleeves and a binder. But this year, my daughter will organize them. Knowing her, she will ignore the numbers on the back. She will probably organize them by team, or by position, or maybe by which uniforms she likes best. But the most important part to me, is that she wants to organize them with me. What is the value of that?
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