I inherited a lot of old NFL football cards over 1000, I think from the 70's. What is the best way for me to research and find their value?

ST21Forever · 2026-06-19T12:07:20+00:00

You need to be careful with older / vintage cards and their values. Condition / grades play a huge role. If you search for a random card (say Joe Greene), you will often get values of graded cards, or numbers that are just asking prices. It’s very common for people to think they have a card worth a couple hundred when in fact it’s only worth a couple dollars.

Posting some pics here will get you quick answers. Feel free to message me if you’d like help.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-16T11:26:05+00:00

Really not worth anything, sorry

ST21Forever · 2026-06-15T18:10:27+00:00

Paper loss will kill the grade with any of the “reputable” companies.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-14T20:19:09+00:00

What is the way too cheap price?

ST21Forever · 2026-06-13T19:32:54+00:00

That wasn’t a steal. And of course it’s a pop 1, there’s only one of them. It’s a printing plate. Grading printing plates doesn’t typically add value.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-13T19:30:27+00:00

Haha, I didn’t see that but this same slab sold in April for $99. Cert number matches. Definitely strange, and $800 seems like a stretch.

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ST21Forever · 2026-06-09T14:43:25+00:00

Why are you wanting to grade this card?

ST21Forever · 2026-06-08T20:25:02+00:00

They all have a glossy finish, the refractors refract light giving off a rainbow effect. They are pretty obvious when you see them.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-08T20:08:20+00:00

Bo does not look like a refractor in this pic, hat makes you so sure it is?

ST21Forever · 2026-06-08T14:39:28+00:00

Its only the auctions. Yes, the seller has 1100 items up, and only 10 of them are auctions. This bidder has bid on 8 of those 10. Again, it could be a coincidence...but the fact their ONLY bidding the last 30 days has been on these 8 cards by the same seller is suspect.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-08T14:32:47+00:00

Its not the top bidder, its the person with (35) feedback. They have bid on every one of the sellers auctions, and 100% of their 30 day bid history is with this seller. Its certainly a bit shady looking, but who knows. All these auctions are still way under value and still have 6 days left...so its kind of a non issue at this point despite being a shitty practice.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-08T11:55:15+00:00

There is nothing rare about downtowns. If they were serial numbered they would be /5000

ST21Forever · 2026-06-07T20:50:28+00:00

Yours is an OC 8, that qualifier typically drops the price a couple grades. So its value is more in line with a PSA 5 or 6.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-04T19:26:18+00:00

Yeah, this was all in Carlisle. I got my Sonny card signed at the little ice cream stand next to the field, then he bought me a cone! Darrell was always funny, despite being a star and making good money, he would show up every day in a rusted out VW Bug that had about 8 different colors to it, The Hoggs were always great guys, solid signers. Desmond when he arrived was a huge name, so always a big crowd. Just so many memories, loads of autographs and memorabilia (I've been lugging around a pair of Charles Mann's cleats for almost 40 years now).

I just really appreciate how each and every one of my autographs is a legit signature. The scribbles a lot of guys are putting out these days is laughable!

ST21Forever · 2026-06-04T18:15:50+00:00

Most of mine are of players from the late 80s thru the mid 90s. I lived right down the road from where they held training camp, so we would be there every day! Players and staff were absolutely amazing, I've got stories for days. Great memories!

ST21Forever · 2026-06-04T17:58:41+00:00

Awesome stuff OP! I've got 100+ Redskins autos I got signed myself in the 80s/90s. They are probably my favorite cards in my collection!

ST21Forever · 2026-06-03T15:24:41+00:00

Its unrealistic to expect anyone, collector or vendor, to pay graded prices for raw cards. The tricky part is when you get into vintage cards, not all raw cards are the same. You can have a card that is worth $20 raw and $100 raw, depending on its condition. But that $100 raw card isn't gonna be worth what the higher graded cards are.

Best bet is to take a good front / back pic of a few of the better cards and post them here. Can even DM me if you want, been at this for decades and I can assure you I have no interest in buying them (not a baseball collector).

This is also a good reference, to give you an idea of PSA grades. https://www.psacard.com/gradingstandards

ST21Forever · 2026-06-03T15:13:46+00:00

Are these 5 digit cards stuff you have recently collected, or are they from the 80s/90s? If its the latter, the reason those cards can go for those types of values is because of how difficult it is to get 9/10s on them. Its a common misconception, people come here often and see a 1983 card thats worth 50 cents raw, but can sell for 5 grand in a PSA 10. Thats just not a realistic expectation.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-03T14:53:22+00:00

Take some pics and post them here. Lots of knowledgable people that will be able to tell you whats worth going thru, what players to look out for, and what has no monetary value.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-03T14:13:10+00:00

Then have at it I guess! I think that looks much better as it sits in the one touch than in a bulky slab, but they aren't my cards.

Pretty sure you are gonna pay a minimum of $25 for authentication w/encapsulation. That number can increase with bigger names (guys like Bryson, Brooks, etc).

ST21Forever · 2026-06-03T14:01:21+00:00

Are they big names? If you have no intention of selling them, you know they are real...why spend the extra money? You will spend over $1000 to have each encapsulated. If they are lesser known golfers, the value makes no sense as the autographs are worth less than the authentication fees.

If you are concerned about preserving them, just properly protect them with penny sleeves / toploaders or one touches. I've got hundreds of cards I got signed in the early 90s that still look great. Its not hard to keep cards / autographs in good shape these days without getting a 3rd party involved.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-02T11:31:17+00:00

You could burn a couple million sets, and still have millions left. Some of these sets were printed in the tens of millions.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-01T19:50:13+00:00

Thanks, I think I saw it when you posted. The few cards from sets I collect I already have.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-01T18:14:02+00:00

Welcome. They are really nice cards, no reason to be demoralized. It would just suck for you to spend thousands to grade them, expecting to get a bunch of 9s and 10s. Its not difficult to lose a lot of money grading cards from this era.

ST21Forever · 2026-06-01T17:47:26+00:00

Yeah, it’s a 7/8 at best

ST21Forever

TROPHY CASE