💥2025 Sports Card Grading & Analysis Guide, Rare Star Wars Memorabilia

Hey there,

Welcome to this special edition of The Collector's Playbook Newsletter, where we dive deep into the world of sports card grading and analysis. Today, we're focusing on baseball, basketball, football, and hockey cards, providing you with essential insights to make informed decisions in your collecting journey.

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KICK-OFF

Baseball Cards

Bowman Chrome

- Grading Difficulty: 7/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5x

- Key Damage Points: Surface damage, factory flaws, centering issues

- Liquidity: 10/10

Things to Know: Focus on true colors (base, refractor, blue /150, gold /50, orange /25, red /5, super fractor 1/1) for better returns. Other variations like green shimmer or purple are less desirable.

Topps Chrome

- Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2-2.5x

- Key Damage Points: Surface flaws, scratches

- Liquidity: 6/10

Things to Know: True colors (blue, orange, red, refractor) are preferred by collectors. The chrome surface makes these cards more susceptible to scratches.

Topps Update/Topps Series

- Grading Difficulty: 2/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5-3.5x

- Key Damage Points: Folded corners, centering issues (especially in lower numbered cards)

- Liquidity: 8/10

Things to Know: These cards are relatively easier to grade and have been highly profitable for many collectors.

Basketball Cards

Basketball Prizm

- Grading Difficulty: 6/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 3x+ (usually)

- Key Damage Points: Condition has worsened in recent years

- Liquidity: 10/10

Things to Know: Extremely popular since Luka Doncic's rookie year (2018). All variations perform well, with strong demand from overseas markets, especially in Asia.

Basketball Select

- Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5x

- Key Damage Points: Off-centering, chipped corners (especially on colored backs)

- Liquidity: 6/10

Things to Know: Three types: Courtside (most desirable), Premier, and Concourse. Liquidity has decreased recently, playing second fiddle to Prizm.

Basketball Contenders - Grading Difficulty: 6/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5x

- Key Damage Points: Centering issues, surface marks

- Liquidity: 7/10

Things to Know: Not as liquid as football contenders, but still profitable. Be cautious with numbered versions (/49 and /99) due to their scratch-prone shiny surfaces.

Basketball Optic

- - Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 3x usually

- Key Damage Points: Surface issues (especially on holos and colors), top-to-bottom centering

- Liquidity: 7/10

Things to Know: Non-autographed versions often perform better than autographed ones. Considered second to Prizm in basketball.

Basketball Optic Contenders

- Grading Difficulty: 8/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 3x

- Key Damage Points: Notorious for surface issues

- Liquidity: 8/10

Things to Know: High risk, high reward. Successful grading at a 35% clip can lead to significant profits.

Football Cards

Football Contenders

- Grading Difficulty: 4/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5x

- Key Damage Points: Slight off-centering, folded corners, surface issues on numbered versions

- Liquidity: 10/10

Things to Know: Simple, straightforward, and highly liquid. Be cautious with preview versions (/23) as they have sticker autographs and are less liquid.

Football Optic Contenders

- Grading Difficulty: 8/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5-3x

- Key Damage Points: Severe surface issues

- Liquidity: 8/10

Things to Know: More liquid than basketball Optic Contenders.

Football Optic

- Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 3x

- Key Damage Points: Top-to-bottom centering, surface issues on shinier cards

- Liquidity: 5/10

Things to Know: Less liquid than basketball but offers good opportunities in the $50-$200 range.

Football Select

- Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5-3x

- Key Damage Points: Chipping on colored variations, left-to-right centering issues

- Liquidity: 5/10

Things to Know: Three types: Field Level (most desirable), Premier, and Club.

Football Prizm

- Grading Difficulty: 7/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 3x+

- Key Damage Points: Centering issues, corner chipping on colored backs

- Liquidity: 9/10

Things to Know: Raw card prices can vary significantly based on centering due to potential PSA 10 profits. All variations sell well.

Hockey Cards

Young Guns

- Grading Difficulty: 5/10

- PSA 10 Margins: 2.5-3x

- Key Damage Points: Corner damage, chipped edges (due to colored designs)

- Liquidity: 9/10

Things to Know: The best gradable hockey product. Sells quickly, especially in hockey-focused Facebook groups. Many Canadian collectors don't grade due to cross-border shipping challenges, creating opportunities.

Conclusion

This guide should help you navigate the complex world of sports card collecting and grading. Remember, knowledge is power in this hobby, so use this information to make informed decisions and maximize your returns.  

Feel free to reach out ([email protected]) with any questions! 

Video of the Week

Paul Skenes 1/1 Platinum Rookie Cards

In this video, “Pedscardcollection” pulls a crazy card. Yes, he’s putting his fingers ALL OVER the cards, yes, he NEEDS gloves, and yes, Paul Skenes probably played 11 seasons and retired before my man rolled the card over… nevertheless, this is a great pull!!

Collectible of the Week

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While around 60 Stormtrooper helmets were made for the production of the first film, only six Sandtrooper helmets were made. Only three are known to have survived - this one, one in the Lucasfilm Archives, and one in the hands of a private collector - making this piece that directly screen-matches to such an iconic Star Wars scene an exceptionally rare piece from that galaxy far, far away.

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