Barry Sanders was one of the best running backs to ever play the game. Most rankings put Sanders in the top three overall, usually surrounded by other great runnings backs such as Jim Brown or Walter Payton. 

Unfortunately, Barry Sanders rookie cards were released during the peak of the junk era of sports cards, when massive overproduction was the norm.  

Thus, for investment purposes, his rookie cards are only suitable if seeking the highest graded copies possible.

Even then, the significant supplies make it hard to envision a future when his rookie cards increase massively in value.

Still, I wanted to provide some more thoughts on his available rookie cards, providing more information on card values, scarcity, and overall investment potential. 

When it comes to the best two sports athletes in the history of sports, only a handful typically come to mind. 

Throughout my life, I witnessed a few: Deion Sanders, Danny Ainge, even Brian Jordan. However, there is one player that rises to the top of them all: Bo Jackson.

It might seem like a no-brainer to invest in Bo Jackson’s rookie cards, but his cards were issued from 1986 to 1987, the peak of the Junk Era, and produced in the tens of millions.

Still, I wanted to review Bo’s rookie cards to see if there might be one or two that could be attractive investments for the long run.

Let’s dig in. 

The Joe Montana to Jerry Rice connection in the 1980s was one of the best-ever quarterback and wide receiver duos of all time. 

To date, even despite the rise of some star-studded wideouts, Rice remains the consensus #1 WR in the history of football. 

The Jerry Rice 1986 Topps Rookie card has seen renewed interest among football card collectors, mainly those copies in high grade, which have increased significantly in recent years. 

In this piece, we take a peek at the history of Jerry Rice as a player while examining his rookie card and future investment potential.

When card collectors ask me for the best cards to invest in, I always say ‘look for scarcity’ with the GOATs. 

Sure, modern card collectors will flock to the rookies of Kobe Bryant or Tom Brady, but, personally, I like the OLD stuff. 

It’s the old, vintage cards of guys like Babe Ruth, produced in shorter supplies, often left for dead, that I believe have the best chance of long-term investment potential.

I’ve covered some of the more affordable Babe Ruth cards in the past, but in this piece, I wanted to focus on the rookie card of Babe Ruth. 

I should note, Babe has both a pre-rookie and what is considered a TRUE rookie card, both of which I’ll cover in this article.

Kobe Bryant’s rookie cards remain among the highly sought-after basketball cards in the hobby.

His dominance on the court with the Lakers and tragic passing has renewed interest in Kobe’s rookie cards.  

Similar to Tom Brady’s rookie cards, we usually don’t discuss cards from the modern era, but there are a few players (aka GOATS) for which we make an exception.

In this piece, we discuss the best Kobe Bryant cards, reviewing Kobe Bryant’s rookie card values while discussing PSA population reports and the investment potential for each. 

We’ve written extensively about sports card grading and many of the controversies that have surrounded the space.

With the explosion in demand for card grading, collectors have faced long wait times and higher prices.

I felt like it was a good time to get a pulse of the collector community to get opinions on the best grading companies.

Let’s face it, a lot has changed, and new competitors have come into the market.

In what follows, I provide the results of our 2021 Sports Grading Collectors survey while also providing some of my experiences with the different grading companies. 

‘Deal or No Deal’ groups have become quite popular on Facebook. One of my collector friends sent me his thoughts on the format, which I’ve published here.  Note, if you’re a collector and would like to see your thoughts on our website, shoot me a line at chris@allvintagecards.com. 

Deal or No Deal Facebook groups annoy me. 

They wouldn’t if I didn’t belong to them, but I am a glutton for punishment.

Simply put, DOND listings are generally sucker bets.

Let me explain why.

The 1948 Leaf Baseball issue is probably one of my favorite vintage sets.  

The bright color images and the bold backgrounds make for one of the most attractive post-war designs, in my opinion. 

Some speculate that the Leaf set was issued in 1949, but many cards have a 1948 copyright on the back.

Also, note that the grading companies consider this a 1948 issue, so we will stay consistent and reference it as the ‘1948 Leaf Set’. 

The set’s importance lies in the fact that it was one of the major baseball issues released following World War II and the first full-color issue.

The beautiful colors provided collectors with a glimpse of what soon would become the norm with baseball cards.

In addition, the set is loaded with star power, including Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and even a rookie card for one Satchel Paige. 

Many collectors believe that the 1948 Bowman Baseball set preceded the Leaf issue; however, some of the key rookies from both sets share accolades as being a player’s first card.

Pete Rose was the epitome of hard-nosed baseball players. ‘Charlie Hustle’ earned his nickname for his tenacity on the field and his prowess at the plate.

Despite being banished from baseball due to gambling on games, Rose remains one of the most well-respected players of all time. 

And while Rose will never likely reach the Hall Of Fame, his 1963 Topps Rookie card remains one of the hobby’s most valuable cards. 

The Rose rookie card has always been one of my favorite baseball cards. I love the bright colors of the 1963 Topps set, and Rose’s tiny circular rookie headshot makes for one awesome-looking card.

Rose’s rookie has continued to appreciate in value as collectors and investors alike bid up high-grade copies. Ultimately, I still think despite the above-average supply, Rose’s rookie in higher grades remains an excellent investment.

The 1948 Bowman Baseball set is one of the more important baseball card issues in the history of the hobby.

It represents the first baseball card issue for Bowman, and the first baseball cards released following a seven-year hiatus of card issues post World War II. 

Bowman would go on to have a short-lived monopoly in the baseball card market, lasting from 1948 through 1951, ultimately ending when Topps came to town in 1952.