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

com. Today, we are talking about collecting sports cards. Now, we are going to talk about collecting vintage sports cards.

Vintage cards are pure Americana. These cards can take you back to a different place and time, whether it would be the old flannel uniforms that the ball players wore in the 30s and 40s or the leather football helmets worn in the 50s, this is pure fun. If you're new to collecting vintage sports cards, it's probably best to start with a moderate-priced vintage set. You are also going to need to learn a little bit how to grade cards, and you probably want to find a few reliable dealers to buy your cards from to get you started.

The next step is to determine where to buy your sports cards. When I first started collecting back in the 1970s, the only place to get cards was at a sports collector's show. Those shows are a little bit harder to find today, but they can be fun. You get to interact with other collectors and see a wide variety of products. Also sports cards stores maybe available; not as quite as many as there were a few years ago, but that's another great place to interact with other collectors.

What you see a lot of collectors doing today, is buy it online. It's fast, easy, fun and there is quite a selection. If you buy it online, be careful; be sure to look at dealer's reputation. Make sure they offer money-back guarantee. Try to buy from as few dealers as possible to avoid different grading standards. Grading can be very subjective. I recommend finding a few trusted dealers and stick with them. It actually get you started all collecting vintage sports cards. Next, we are going to talk about maintaining, displaying, and protecting your sports card collection.