How well do you understand the difference between low grade cards and Altered cards? What kinds of flaws result in the dreaded "A" (authentic / altered) label? Take the quiz to find out! We have written about Low grade vs. Altered cards in the past, but don't...
Essays
Heading to The National: A Collector Reports
(Editor's note: this story on The National will be updated daily during the show, so check back often! Thanks to Mark for providing some on-the-ground reporting and observations! -Matt) Monday: Calm Before the Storm It’s the calm before the storm. Dealers are packed...
The Challenges, Frustrations, and Rewards of Vintage Set Building
First, a confession: I'm really not a vintage set builder. Until very recently, the last set I built was 1982 Topps. I built it . . . in 1982, age 9. But then 2 things happened. First, I realized that I was "sort of close" to completing a rare Cuban set that features...
10 Tips for Surviving (and Thriving!) at The National
We are just 2 days away from the start of The National, aka The National Sports Card Convention, in Cleveland, Ohio. Cardhound Matt does not get to go this year (first missed National in a few years), but we do hope to have some eyes and ears on the ground and provide...
Review: BCW Graded Card Hard Cases (fits SGC!)
If you are an SGC collector like me, you know that finding storage for their slabs is a challenge. They are just enough larger than PSA that the fit in most cases is just a bit too snug for my liking. And if your slabs are in sleeves, it's usually a no-go. Enter BCW...
Soaking a Sanella Ruth
This post marks the birth of the Cardhound Vintage Youtube channel. Give it a follow! Might as well start by featuring a cool card, a 1932 Sanella Ruth that an owner wanted removed from the album. Soaking cards out of albums isn't for the weak-willed. There's a lot to...
Understanding the Crack / Resubmit Grading Craze
OK, maybe crack / resubmit isn't a full-on craze. But if you're into vintage and grading, you at least have heard of folks cracking graded cards and resubmitting them. Sometimes a PSA 7 gets cracked and resubmitted in hopes of an 8. Sometimes an SGC 6 gets cracked...
Today is National “Thank Your Facebook Group Admin” Day!
I hereby declare today as "National Thank Your Facebook Group Admin Day"! The official date of this holiday is whatever day you are reading this post. I have spent the last several years administering vintage groups on Facebook --some smaller (such as my Negro League...
Collecting the Negro Leagues (on a budget)
In late May MLB announced the recognition of some Negro Leagues as Major Leagues. Since then, there has been a noticeable uptick in interest in Negro League collecting. My little Negro League Buy / Sell / Trade Facebook group is growing like never before. "Want to...
Help needed: $2m in cards stolen from Cardhound member
Well-known vintage dealer Ashsh Jai of Cardhound advertiser Legacy Cardz had approximately $2 million dollars of cards stolen during the Dallas show over the weekend. Photos and video have made the rounds across the internet but this is still unsolved, and Ash is...