Dean Hanley: Hi! I am Dean Hanley, owner of deanscards.

com. Today, we are talking about how to collect sports cards. Right now, we are going to talk about what to collect. Although there're lots of sports, baseball is probably the most popular. The bottom line is collect what you like, collect what's fun. There are basically three types of collectors in sports cards. The first is the set collector; this is the individual that tries to get every card from a particular set. This can be fun and challenging, you can go with a vintage set or modern sets. But there were many sets to choose from all in that. Then there are collectors who collect their favorite players. Some players have over 10,000 cards so this can be quite a challenge. This particular set is of Nolan Ryan and you can see reprints and reproductions in his original cards. So, putting together a set like this can take years and years to accomplish and could be quite challenging and fun. The next decision to make is what era or year to collect.

Many people prefer to collect vintage cards; these are cards from before 1970 to go all the way back to the 1800s. As you go back, the cards tend to get more expensive and you'll find them in varying degrees of conditions: some where beat up, some were in fairly decent condition.

Of course, the cards that are in pristine condition cost more money so that's the decision that will depend a lot on your budget. Also, a lot of people collect cards from the modern era. These are cards that have been out over the last 30 years and there is quite a few options as to what to collect on cards like these. Some of these years have had over 300 sets produced so you have a lot options to choose from and a lot of directions to go with this. The next thing to decide when collecting sports cards is what your budget is. As a rule, the older the card the more expensive it is. So, if you are first starting out, you might want to start with a moderately priced set and something that's fairly easy to complete. The second factor is the time. If you are looking for an old vintage set in pristine condition, this can be very tough to find even if you do have the money; it can take years to complete. So, that's what to keep in mind when deciding what to collect and next, we are going to talk about collecting modern cards.