Best Sports Cards to Invest In: Should You Buy Vintage or Modern Sports Cards?

Bring this up in any group of collectors and watch as absolutely everyone fails to come to an agreement. Some will tell you that vintage is the only thing that holds real value in the hobby, while someone else might already be ripping into a fresh hobby case chasing this year’s rookies.

Neither of them is wrong; they just want different things out of sports card investing. 

So instead of picking a winner, it helps you figure out which side actually fits how you collect. Find out everything you need to know about discovering the best sports cards to invest in with this Giant Sports Cards guide.

What Counts as Vintage?

There’s no official line, but most people would put vintage at the 1970s and earlier. Then comes the stretch from the late ‘80s into the mid-’90s that collectors call the junk wax era. Companies would print these cards by the truckload, and outside of a few exceptions, most of them are worth close to nothing today.

Modern usually refers to the last twenty years or so. In other words, the era associated with:

• Serial numbering
• On-card autos
• Jersey swatches embedded right in the card

Why Collectors Love Vintage

In terms of the best sports cards to invest in, old cards have something you can’t fake: they’ve stood the test of time. A star Topps sports card from the 1950s made it through decades of flipping, being tossed around in shoeboxes during moves, and more. Who doesn’t want a classic Mickey Mantle?

A Mantle or an Aaron naturally won’t have the same appeal when it comes to sports card investing. High-grade copies of the right vintage cards have held up through decades of ups and downs in the market.

The Challenges of Vintage Collecting

Vintage just asks more of you. Condition drives everything here, and clean, high-grade examples tend to get pricey fast. If you’re looking for the best sports cards to invest in, you also need to be wary of fakes or doctored cards, which tend to be a bigger problem in vintage. Most buyers stick to established sports card stores for all their pickups.

Why Modern Sports Cards Are a Top Choice

Modern is where the fun lives, and it’s a lot easier to get into, too. Nothing in vintage matches the feeling of tearing open the latest sealed Topps baseball card box and hitting a numbered rookie autograph right off the bat.

There are more practical upsides too. Newer cards are simpler to authenticate and grade since the print details are all documented. If we’re talking about the best sports cards to invest in, the volatility can be a huge plus too. When a young player takes off, his cards can move fast. One breakout season from a basketball rookie can flip a market overnight.

The Flip Side

The flip side in terms of sports card investing is that it cuts both ways. That same rookie might never pan out, and print runs on modern products often dwarf anything from the vintage years. That’s why vintage football card values tend to be incomparable to their modern counterparts.

The Right Answer

The right answer? You don’t need to choose one! A robust collection incorporates the old and new, balancing the volatility of new releases with the stability that comes from the best vintage sports cards to invest in.

If you’re looking for something affordable that can offer the rush of opening packs and real rookie upside, modern’s going to be more your lane. If you have a larger corpus to invest with, you can’t go wrong with vintage.

No matter what you end up choosing, Giant Sports Cards has you covered with the new sports card releases, free shipping on orders over $199, and a rewards program that helps you save on every order. Unbox Your Love Of The Game™ today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are junk wax era cards ever worth buying?

Junk wax pieces will rarely come up if we’re talking about the best sports cards to invest in, but there are exceptions. A Ken Griffey Jr. or a Fleer Michael Jordan piece is a wonderful example due to its rarity.

Is a vintage sports card always the safer long-term investment?

Not always. Sports card investing for vintage pieces comes down to stability, since the player’s career is already settled. That said, ‘vintage’ alone isn’t a guarantee. Card condition also matters enormously, along with the right players.

Do I need to get modern cards graded to hold their value?

The best sports cards to invest in should be graded, but it ultimately depends on the card. Numbered rookies and sought-after parallels are high-end pulls that can have their value increased since a strong grade removes doubt about card condition. Grading might not be worth it for common base cards.