Collecting on A Budget Part II
I liked writing about ideas for card collecting on a budget so much a few weeks ago that I decided to run it back. I had a few ideas I wish I had added, and the nice part of writing one’s own column is that one can do as one pleases. So, collecting on a budget, part II, it is. Read on for more ideas on building a fun collection without breaking the bank.
Rookie Debuts
Topps Rookie Debut cards are a personal favorite. These “secondary” rookies carry much lower price tags, but often are much more attractive than their “true” rookie Flagship counterparts. The fact that it highlights a player's debut is a bonus that adds to the collectability of the card IMO.
If a regular rookie, or parallel, is out of your budget, Topps RC Debuts often can be had for under 50% of the price of the main Topps rookies. You can even find raw Rookie Debuts for under $5 for some superstar players. Juan Soto for $2? Sounds good. Bobby Witt for $2? Sure thing. Even Ohtani will only set you back $30.
Combo Cards
Combo cards, cards that feature more than one player on the same card, have long been part of the hobby. One would think that having more stars on a card is great for card value. One would be wrong. Most of the time, collectors prefer cards that feature just one player. Whether that’s because the original combo cards were all secondary or subset cards, or because it’s hard enough to feature one player on the limited trading card real estate, I don’t know. It does mean that there are awesome combo cards out there to be had. Ohtani cards too expensive? Check out some of his cards that feature fellow big leaguers.
Topps has really created some gems of combo cards in the past decade. Most of their combo cards in Flagship have Stadium Club or SP quality photography, and even parallels of stars can often be had for a pittance.
One can even have a blast chasing vintage combo cards. League Leaders cards, in particular, offer collectors a chance to maximize their bang for their bucks. Take the 1962 AL Home Run Leader card that has Maris and Mantle after their great home run chase (along with Killebrew and Jim Gentile). Raw copies in worn shape, but with good eye appeal, sell for between $20 and $30. That’s not bad at all.
Game Used Cards
I think one of the things a time-travelling collector from 1999 would be most surprised at in 2025 is how cheap game-used cards are. Sweet-looking Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. game-used cards often go for under $20.
The market collapsed completely on game-used cards, but they are still cool pieces of memorabilia, and it’s not hard at all to amass a cool game-used collection for under $100.
Final Year Cards
Everyone collects rookies, and that’s cool. So are final year cards. Particularly, Flagship Topps/Chrome ones that have a player’s final career stats. Topps often nails the photo selection for final year cards, with Derek Jeter’s and Albert Pujols’ being personal favorites.
Some collectors chase final year cards, but it’s a small group, so collecting final year cards isn’t an expensive proposition. Going after parallels is an option for those looking for more of a challenge. Graded copies make for nice display pieces, but prices can sometimes be prohibitive compared to raw copies, as pop counts are low because these cards aren’t heavily graded.
Complete Sets
This is the idea I was kicking myself for not including the first time. Sets, particularly sets that are at least six months old and being auctioned, are often a great way to get cards on the cheap. Many sets sell for near the same price, or occasionally lower, than the price of the key card in the set.
Throw in the fact that a set builder has also done the work of assembling the thing, and sets are a good way to build a collection without going broke.
Wrap Up
My guess is I’ll think of something in a few minutes, and we’ll get a Part III in a month or so. Let me know if you’ve got any great ideas for collecting on a budget in the comments.