Every collector has this one card that drew them to this exciting hobby. We've created this guide to the best trading cards to collect for newbies. The information in this guide will help you become a seasoned card collector.
If you've just begun your card collection journey, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, and sports cards offer lots of memorable sets and cards to suit every collector. In this article, we'll explain why these options are best for you as a beginner and include how we selected the cards. We'll also include expert tips for finding, collecting, and tracking your cards.
Here’s how our experts selected the best cards to collect this month:
Before choosing the best trading cards to collect, we check auction sales data. This helps us see the current price for our preferred card and the PSA score.
For instance, a Yu-Gi-Oh! card may have a PSA score of 10 this month, and after a while, it may come down to 9. The lower the PSA score, the lower the price.
A card’s price is often the first indicator of its worth. Therefore, we always check the current estimated price of a card to know if it’s an amount that suits our budget.
Note that some sellers use another account to buy their card listed at a high price to create an illusion that the card is highly sought after. Therefore, the price is suitable. So, you need to be careful of any price you see.
Some cards often come up when longtime collectors talk about the hobby. For instance, the Michael Jordan (#57 Fleer 1986) card brought back attention to basketball card trading due to its widespread distribution. We often consider cards with such history as it increases their desirability and price.
Scarce cards often attract more attention, but finding one requires lots of patience. More importantly, if you eventually find them, they’re often very expensive. For instance, the Bobby Orr Rookie (1966-67 Topps) card may sell up to $240,000. Therefore, we always pay attention to the scarcity level when searching for the best trading cards.
Some cards feature artworks and paintings from artists instead of full-color photographs. Cards painted or drawn by a popular artist also increase in value.
Therefore, artwork is another important factor we consider when choosing the best card breaks.
The era the card was manufactured also plays a big role, especially for traders who enjoy collecting vintage cards.
Cards collected in certain eras have more resale value. That’s why we prioritize this factor when selecting trading cards.
A card’s character can significantly increase its worth and price. For instance, in the 1957 Topps football card set, the Johnny Unitas card’s highest price was $288,000. Interestingly, the Paul Hornung card also in that set has the highest price of $50,323.
Some cards quickly become collectors’ favorites due to a few details that make them different from others in the set. We usually hunt for those as collecting them can mean higher amounts and possibly bigger returns when you decide to sell them.
This helps us confirm whether a scarcity is true or the work of a mischief maker. We also check the PSA score for grading issues. Furthermore, it helps track the prices the cards have been sold for.
Card collectors have many reliable sources to consult and verify a card’s price, scarcity level, and quality. We always confirm these details before picking the best trading cards to collect.
Trading cards are often arranged by categories. Below, we’ll discuss the top card categories and how to collect them:
Exodia and Blue-Eyes White Dragon are two of the cards that come to mind whenever collectors talk about Yu-Gi-Oh!’s first cards. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that they made our expert’s list in the table below:
| Rank | Card | Number | Estimated Value | Reason for selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue-Eyes White Dragon | LOB-001 | $8,000 | Nostalgia |
| 2 | Exodia the Forbidden One | LOB-124 | $650 | Fan favorite throughout the anime |
| 3 | Stardust Dragon | TDGS-EN040 | $1,900+ | Recent rise in value |
One Piece collectors never seem to stay excited about one release for long. As soon as the hype about a set eases up, everyone starts talking about the next one. The table below contains some memorable One Piece cards to add to your collection:
| Rank | Card | Number | Estimated Value | Reason for selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monkey D. Luffy – Awakening of the New Era | #OP-05-119 | $4,000 – $5,700+ | Low PSA 10 population |
| 2 | Roronoa Zoro – Wings of the Captain | #OP-06-118 | $1,700 – $2,000+ | Collectible and playable |
| 3 | Shanks – Romance Dawn | #OP-01-120 | $1,200 – $1,500+ | Recent rise in value |
Now that we’re done with the best non-sports cards to collect, here’s a section for sports card collectors. This table below contains our top three sports cards recommended by our experts:
| Rank | Card | Number | Estimated Value | Reason for selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Orr – Rookie (1966-67 Topps) | #35 | $2,000 – $240,000 | Rookie of the Year |
| 2 | Michael Jordan – 1986 Fleer | #57 | $2,000 – $250,000 | GOAT |
| 3 | LeBron James – 2003-04 Topps Chrome | #111 | $1,800 – $15,000+ | Recent rise in value |
Now that you’ve seen the best trading cards to collect, you may be eager to start. Here are our expert tips for finding, collecting, and tracking your trading cards:
We’ve written many guides on card collections. It’s best to read these guides to know the best cards to collect and obtain other necessary information about these cards, including their current estimated market price, scarcity, and historical significance.
After our first few sports card rips, we quickly realized that sleeves and toploaders were as important as our cards.
If you prefer card breaks that send you physical cards, consider these tools. Toploaders come in hard plastics to prevent your card from creasing or bending. On the other hand, sleeves protect your cards from surface scratches.
Protecting your cards with sleeves and toploaders helps them maintain good quality and potentially better returns when you decide to sell.
Based on our experience as seasoned card collectors, we’ve discovered that there are many software tools you can use to track the prices of cards in your collection.
Some software tracks multi-category card portfolios which may include sports, non-sports, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and One Piece cards. On the other hand, some are specifically for one card category.
Before beginning your card collection journey, you need to understand the difference between graded and ungraded cards. Graded cards are simply those that have been authenticated by experts and have PSA scores ranging from 1 to 10.
Ungraded cards, also referred to as raw cards, are still in their original state. These types of cards are usually stored in sleeves, compared to graded cards that are sealed in plastic holders to prevent any tampering.
As you might have guessed, graded cards are usually more pricey than ungraded ones due to the PSA score and authentication.
Many card collectors try their hands at a little bit of everything before discovering the type of cards they enjoy collecting. Once you find a niche, it’s best to stick to it. For instance, if you prefer collecting the best sports trading cards, you can focus on cards like LeBron James (2003-04 Topps Chrome), Bobby Orr #35 Rookie (1966-67 Topps), and Michael Jordan #57 Rookie (1986-87 Fleer).
But if you lean more towards Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, you can go for Blue-Eyes White Dragon (LOB-001) – Legend of the Blue Eyes, Exodia the Forbidden One (LOB-124) – Legend of the Blue Eyes, and Stardust Dragon Ghost Rare (TDGS-EN040) – The Duelist Genesis.
Ask five collectors their top favorite cards, and likely you’ll hear five different answers. That’s because the best trading cards are a matter of choice. If you’re a new card collector, we’ve included factors you may want to consider before collecting trading cards.
Remember, your aim is to collect cards that you can eventually sell for higher returns, so you need to tread carefully. We’ve included our top three categories to consider as a new card collector. Most importantly, we’ve also recommended some cards under each category.
You’ll find more information about the best trading cards on our dedicated guides.
The best trading cards to collect as a beginner depend on your choice. We’ve added quite a few here. Choose some to add to your collections.
Some cards we’ve recommended here are scarce and would likely turn in good returns when you decide to sell them. The Bobby Orr – Rookie #35 (1966-67 Topps) and Michael Jordan (#57 1986 Fleer) are our top picks.
Based on our experience, the answer is yes. But focus on rare, high-end graded editions, as game cards like Yu-Gi-Oh! often lose their value faster due to aggressive reprinting.
One Piece has lots of trading cards for all types of collectors. But Monkey D. Luffy (OP-05-119 Awakening of the New Era), Roronoa Zoro (OP-06-118 Wings of the Captain), and Shanks (OP-01-120 Romance Dawn) are our top picks.
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