Stories from the collector’s desk.
A place for the history, questions and choices behind trading cards.
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From the archive
When a 1999 booster box made headlines.
The attention around an early Pokémon box, and the questions a collector can take from it.
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Collecting ethics
Pack weighing, and the question of trust.
What should a seller disclose when the uncertainty of a sealed pack is part of its appeal?
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At the collector’s desk
The note you will be glad you kept.
A few lines can preserve the part of a collection a catalogue cannot describe.
Read moreFROM THE JOURNALMore on this topic.
Provenance & Ethics
What Evidence Supports the Authenticity of an Autograph on a Trading Card?
A practical guide to evaluating trading card autograph evidence through signature examination, multiple verified exemplars, issuer database checks and item-specific provenance.
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Collection Care
Relative Humidity for Trading Cards: A Practical Home Storage Guide
Several collector guides recommend approximately 45–55% relative humidity for trading cards. Using a hygrometer, limiting fluctuations and choosing a stable interior storage location can help reduce risks associated…
Read more ↗Grading
Trading Card Grading Scales: How Numbers, Labels and Subgrades Compare
Trading card grading scales may assess similar condition features, but their numbers, labels and reporting methods are not automatically interchangeable. Compare the complete label using the issuer’s definitions.
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Collection Care
How to Take Trading Card Condition Photographs for Reliable Records
Create reliable trading card condition records with stable framing, even lighting, complete front and back photographs, useful defect close-ups, full-size review, restrained corrections, and a stable identifier for…
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Provenance & Ethics
Trading Card Seller Checks: A Safer Online Buying Guide
Learn a repeatable process for reviewing a seller’s track record, verifying the exact card or sealed product, using protected payment services, saving transaction records, and inspecting the delivered…
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Collection Care
How to Choose Trading Card Sleeves for Play, Storage and Shipping
Choose trading card sleeves by checking the card’s dimensions and thickness, then matching the sleeve and supporting holder to play, storage, display, shipping or grading-submission preparation.
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