With over three decades of experience in appraising and acquiring quality sports card collections, Triple SSS Sports Cards is a trusted name in the collectibles market. Based in the Detroit metropolitan area, the company specializes in pre-1975 sports cards, offering an extensive inventory of PSA- and SGC-graded pieces. Owned and operated by Mike and Mark Skerbe, Triple SSS Sports Cards provides fair evaluations, reflecting current market trends, and regularly travels to assess large collections. Their expertise extends beyond cards to the broader collectibles market, including high-end auctions and memorabilia from historic events like the Super Bowl.
Investors have turned to stocks, bonds, and real estate for generations to grow their wealth. However, an alternative form of investment has gained traction—sports cards. Once seen as childhood collectibles traded on playgrounds and stored in shoeboxes, investors and collectors now sell them at auction houses and others display them like fine art.
Sports cards are typically small, rectangular pieces of thick paperboard featuring a professional athlete’s image, stats, and team branding. They exist in nearly every major sport—baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. What sets them apart is their potential to appreciate in value over time.
Vintage cards, usually defined as those produced before the 1990s, have become especially prized for their historical significance and scarcity. Cards featuring legends like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Michael Jordan, or Joe Montana often command high prices due to their limited availability and the players’ enduring fame.
The market itself has grown tremendously. Kings Research, a global research firm, valued the sports card trading industry at $9.69 billion in 2022 and projected it could more than double to $20.48 billion by 2030. The potential for massive returns has driven part of the rise. One of the most famous examples is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which was once worth $50,000 but sold for a staggering $12.6 million in 2022—setting a new record for the most expensive sports card ever sold.
Investors and collectors today aren’t just buying cards of established legends. Many invest in rookie cards of newly signed athletes—players whose breakout performances could turn them into future icons. If a young athlete rises to stardom, the value of their card can increase dramatically in just a few years. Investors see this as an opportunity to “get in early” on talent before the broader market catches on.
There’s also the appeal of passive income. Some collectors lease their rarest cards to museums, memorabilia exhibits, or corporate sponsors, who pay millions to display them at events or showrooms. This turns the card into a money-making asset without needing to sell it—a desirable option for investors who want to keep their collection intact.
That said, not every sports card holds or gains value. Several key factors influence a card’s worth. First, player popularity is a major driver. Cards featuring household names like Tom Brady, LeBron James, or Shohei Ohtani tend to remain in high demand. However, lesser-known players can also see a sharp rise in value if they suddenly capture the public’s attention with standout performances.
Second, rarity plays a big role. Limited-edition cards, rookie-year issues, and short-printed series have a higher likelihood of appreciating. The fewer copies that exist, the more investors are willing to pay. For example, due to scarcity, a unique Patrick Mahomes card fetched $4.1 million in 2021. Finally, the condition is critical. Professional grading services like PSA or Beckett assign scores from 1 to 10 based on corners, centering, and surface quality. Even minor flaws—like print defects—can slash a card’s value, so investors often go to great lengths to store and protect their investments.
Of course, investing in sports cards is not risk-free. No matter how hyped, modern cards can become virtually worthless if a player’s performance slumps, injuries cut their careers short, or market demand shifts. New cards can also flood the market, diluting value and making it harder to profit. Like any speculative investment, it’s important to research, diversify, and manage expectations.