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Back in the day, card collecting was only a hobby, something you do out of fun. Fast forward to the present, and card collectors are looking at their hobby through a completely different lens.

This is because aside from bringing tons of fun, collecting autographed entertainment trading cards is now a great investment.

Although the world is still in the early stages of the hobby’s yet another golden age, savvy investors who followed a data-driven approach to collecting cards can expect to make lots of profit in the coming years.

If you are still unconvinced, below are a few reasons why autographed entertainment trading cards are considered an excellent investment opportunity right now.

Autographs Add Value

The autographs themselves add more value to these cards. Collectors love looking for autographed cards in new releases. For investors, collecting cards with autographs also guarantees a degree of scarcity and price appreciation in the future. This is because well-established players, in particular, only sign a limited number of autographs annually, making their signed cards somewhat rare.

Once card companies cannot get enough autographs to cater to the demand, they will broaden their checklist. This means a fewer number of players will sign cards for them to put only a set number of autographs in each card box.

This strategy won’t have any impact on you if you are buying the secondary market’s key players. However, if you buy and rip boxes open with the hopes to find a star autograph, you will have a hard time finding them because of the increased print runs and demand.

Card Grading Guarantees Quality

Card grading wasn’t really a thing in the past until BGS and PSA happened that changed the hobby for good. Grading helps ensure the quality of the traded card, which makes it easier to make safe purchases through online platforms.

Grading itself can also add scarcity since it’s not easy to get a card with a grade of BGS 9.5 or PSA 10. BGS and PSA disclose the number of cards they grade at every level, and this gives everyone an idea of the total size of the population. This is especially the case for those older cards, with the most excellent condition ones expected to have already been graded by now.

Card Makers integrated Scarcity into Their Products

Cards from the late 80s to early 90s don’t have such high values because card manufacturers overprinted them. The supply also increased when the demand for these cards increased back then, with card companies seeing it as a form of easy money. However, when the demand waned and the supply reached absurd levels, the bottom just fell out of the market.

These days, card collectors enjoy some protection from this scenario, specifically higher-end autographed entertainment trading cards. Scarcity was made possible when serial numbered cards were introduced that ensure that print runs of the said cards are restricted.

As you might already know, scarcity in all forms of investing is the secret to price appreciation, and this principle is also applicable here. There are card brands where each card has a serial number. Although these cards are not cheap, the key cards in these sets are most likely to increase in value because of their protection against overprinting.

Start investing in autographed entertainment cards today and experience their perks in the near future!