Card collecting guides
Plain-English guides to what makes a card valuable, and how to check yours.
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How to Sell Trading Cards: Marketplaces, Fees and What to Expect
Where to sell Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and sports cards, how fees and postage eat into your money, and how to price, list and ship cards safely.
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Sleeves vs Top Loaders vs Card Savers: Which to Use
Penny sleeves, perfect fits, top loaders, card savers and magnetic cases explained: what each one does, when to use it and the mistakes that cost cards value.
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How to Store and Protect Valuable Trading Cards
Sleeves, toploaders, binders, boxes and the right room: a plain guide to storing Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and sports cards so they keep their condition.
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Are Sealed Booster Packs Worth More Than the Cards Inside?
Should you open that old booster pack or keep it sealed? How collectors weigh a sealed pack against the cards inside, and what to check before tearing it open.
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Yu-Gi-Oh! 1st Edition vs Unlimited: Does It Change the Value?
How to tell a 1st Edition Yu-Gi-Oh! card from an Unlimited or Limited Edition print, where to look on the card, and when the stamp really changes its value.
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What Makes a Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Valuable: Rarity Types Explained
Common, Super, Ultra, Secret, Ultimate, Ghost and Starlight Rare explained: how to spot each Yu-Gi-Oh! rarity and why it changes what a card is worth.
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Reserved List Magic Cards: What They Are and Why They Hold Value
What the Magic: The Gathering Reserved List is, which cards are on it, how to check your own cards and why a promise never to reprint them shapes their value.
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How to Read an MTG Card's Set Symbol, Rarity and Number
Learn to read a Magic: The Gathering card's set symbol, rarity colour and collector number, so you know exactly which printing you own and what it is worth.
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How to Read a Pokémon Card's Set Symbol and Collector Number
Learn where to find the set symbol, collector number and rarity mark on any Pokémon card, and how they help you identify the exact card and its true value.
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Holo vs Reverse Holo vs Full Art: Which Cards Are Worth More?
Learn how to tell a holo, reverse holo and full art card apart, and why the type of foil on a Pokémon, Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh! card changes what it is worth.
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Card Condition Explained: Mint, Near Mint, Played and Damaged
What mint, near mint, lightly played and damaged really mean for trading cards, how to check your own card's condition and why it changes what buyers pay.
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Market Price vs Asking Price: What Is Your Card Really Worth?
Asking prices tell you what sellers hope for. Sold prices tell you what buyers paid. Here is why market price is the honest way to value a trading card.
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How to Spot a Fake Yu-Gi-Oh! Card: A Collector's Checklist
Check the hologram, set code, card back, fonts and print quality to tell a real Yu-Gi-Oh! card from a fake before you buy, sell or trade one.
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How to Spot a Fake Magic: The Gathering Card
Simple checks to tell a real Magic: The Gathering card from a fake: the light test, print pattern, fonts, set symbols, holofoil stamps and card feel explained.
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How to Spot a Fake Pokémon Card in 60 Seconds
A quick, practical check for fake Pokémon cards: the back, the text, the colours, the holo foil, the feel and the edge. What to look for and what never to do.
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PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC: Which Grading Company to Use
PSA, BGS, CGC or SGC? A plain guide to how the big four card grading companies differ, which buyers prefer each one, and how to pick the right one for a card.
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What PSA Grades Mean and When Grading a Card Is Worth It
A plain guide to the PSA 1 to 10 grading scale, what graders look for, the qualifiers on the label, and how to decide whether a card is worth sending off.
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Shadowless vs Unlimited Base Set Pokémon: How to Tell
How to tell a shadowless Base Set Pokémon card from an unlimited one, the small print details to check, and why the difference changes what it is worth.
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How to Tell if a Pokémon Card Is First Edition
Learn how to spot a genuine 1st Edition Pokémon card: where the stamp sits, which sets had one, shadowless versus unlimited, and how to spot a faked stamp.
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