When looking to purchase authentic baseball cards, your best options are reputable card shops, hobby shops, card shows and conventions, online sports card auction sites, and using a professional authenticator. Below are more details on each of these sources.
For local authentic baseball cards, your best bets are dedicated card and hobby shops. Many cities have local “brick and mortar” sports card shops run by experts who have been in the business for decades. These shop owners truly know their stuff and take pride in ensuring everything they sell is 100% authentic. They often have extensive collections of vintage cards for sale and can point you towards the best local and national card shows. Stopping in and getting to know your local shop owners is a great way to learn more about the hobby and get genuine advice when shopping for cards.
Card shows and conventions provide the opportunity to meet with many vintage and modern card dealers face-to-face in one location. The larger, more prominent shows especially take extra precautions to verify each dealer’s authenticity. They may inspect dealers’ supplies, check for altered or fake cards, and ban those who fail authentication. While the selection can’t be beaten at major shows, do still carefully inspect cards yourself as well. As with any secondary market, there is still a small risk of potentially forged cards existing. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true. Stick with well-established dealers who guarantee authenticity.
Online auction sites like eBay can provide great values if you know what to look for, but they also carry more risk of purchasing a fake if proper precautions aren’t taken. Only bid on cards from sellers with a long history of only selling authentic items and top feedback ratings. Carefully study photos at high magnification and ask sellers for additional pix if needed. Consider using a reputable third-party authentication service, more on that below. Some key things to check for are proper centering, corners, edges, and surface quality appropriate for the card’s age. Know the trends in commonly forged players so you’re especially careful buying expensive vintage stars.
Using a professional authenticator is highly recommended before purchasing valuable vintage cards, especially graded examples. Services like PSA, BGS, and SGC carefully examine each card submitted to verify it has not been tampered with and remained in the submitted condition. They also may be able to detect forgeries and alterations not obvious to the naked eye. While there is a fee, authentication provides resell ability and peace of mind of owning an absolutely genuine piece of history. Some services even warrant authenticity for the life of the item. High-end auction houses often require authentication as well.
When looking to buy authentic baseball cards, especially vintage examples, your best sources are local hobby shops, national card shows, established online sellers, and using a professional third-party authentication service for valuable pieces. Taking your time, doing research, and carefully inspecting cards are necessary to avoid potential fakes. Building relationships with reputable dealers through word of mouth is also very valuable in this hobby. When purchasing from the proper sources outlined here, you can be confident you are getting the real deals.
