How much is my card worth?

Photograph it with SnapCardValue. The card's name, set, collector number and year are read from the photo, and a live market value is returned in seconds — based on realised sales, with the market's range shown so you see the spread, not just one number.

Because asking prices are hopes, not facts. Marketplace listings routinely sit far above what cards actually change hands for. Realised sales — what buyers genuinely paid — are the only honest basis for a value, and they are the discipline behind every figure we show.

Four forces: rarity (how many exist, and in what print run), condition (the gulf between mint and played is enormous), demand (play value, nostalgia, iconic characters), and authenticity. Two cards with the same name can differ a thousandfold once printing and condition are counted — which is why exact identification comes first.

The trade's shorthand: Near Mint (essentially unblemished), Lightly Played (minor edge or surface wear), Moderately Played (visible wear, perhaps light creasing), Heavily Played (major wear), and Damaged. Each step down cuts the price substantially. When in doubt, grade your card's condition one step more harshly than your heart wants to.

Grading services (PSA, Beckett, CGC and others) authenticate a card, assess its condition on a 1–10 scale, and seal it in a labelled case. It adds real value for vintage, rare and pristine cards — and costs more than it returns for ordinary ones. The sensible order: check the raw value first, then grade only when the numbers justify the fees.

PSA has the widest market recognition and typically the strongest resale premiums; Beckett (BGS) is prized for its sub-grades and its coveted black-label 10; CGC has grown quickly with competitive pricing. For most collectors selling mainstream cards, market recognition matters most — but all three are respected.

Very good when the photograph is: whole card in frame, in focus, decent light, no glare. The reading comes from what is printed on the card — name, set, collector number, year — the same details a human expert would check. A blurry or cropped photo is the main cause of a miss; retake and it usually resolves.

Yes. Sports cards are valued from live eBay listings — the median of the current market, with the trimmed range and the number of listings shown beside it. Because sports cards are the hardest category to price exactly (the same player exists in hundreds of parallels), these figures are clearly marked as estimates rather than firm market values. Sold-price data is on the roadmap.

Yes. Every scan is entered in your own catalogue, tied to your account, visible to no one else. We do not publish, share or sell your collection data. A collection is a private matter; we treat it as one.

Photos are used to identify the card, then not kept in your collection — what's saved is the identification itself: name, set, number, year, category. The full detail is in our privacy policy, written in plain language.

Values come from live market sources, with recent lookups served from a short-lived cache so frequently checked cards answer instantly. A card's figure refreshes as the market moves — scan again another day and you may see the market's new verdict.

Every card you scan is saved to your private catalogue with its identification, building a running record of what you hold. Collection-level totals and value tracking over time are on the roadmap — the catalogue you build now is the foundation for it.

Sell raw when the card is ordinary or the grading fees would eat the premium; grade first when the card is valuable, pristine and from a desirable set — authentication alone can lift buyer confidence and price. The raw market value tells you which side of that line you're on.

Sleeve immediately (penny sleeve, then a toploader or semi-rigid holder for anything meaningful), keep away from sunlight, humidity and temperature swings, and handle by the edges. For the genuinely valuable, a sealed case in a stable, dark place. Condition is value — storage is how you keep it.

Markets move. Reprints, tournament results, a character's surge in popularity, grading population changes and simple supply all shift prices week to week. The figure you see is the market's current verdict, not a fixed property of the card.

No. SnapCardValue reports market estimates for information — not appraisals, not investment advice, not an offer to buy. Cards are collectibles first; treat any investment angle with the same caution you'd apply to any speculative market.

Yes — you can try it free on the web at app.snapcardvalue.com, with free scans to start and your private catalogue included. iOS and Android apps launch in 2026, and a Pro tier with unlimited scans is planned for serious collectors.