Regardless of whether you are a die hard fan of sports or just looking to increase your collection of baseball trading cards, you should know that there is a wide variety of options available to you on eBay when it comes to buying graded baseball trading cards. Grading cards is serious business because having a trustworthy system for grading cards is an important thing when it comes to the baseball cards collecting hobby.

The most common grading system that is used when it comes to buying and selling baseball trading cards is the Professional Sports Authenticator or PSA system. If you are looking for assistance in grading your baseball trading cards, then this is a good authentication system on which to base your findings. It ranges from 10 down to 1, with the following specifications:

Grade 10 – Gem Mint Grade - This grade is for baseball trading cards that are as perfect as they can possibly be. Their corners are still sharp, their colors are still glossy, and there is no staining on marks on the card at all. Another characteristic of baseball trading cards that are Gem Mint grade is that their image is properly centered.

Grade 9 – Mint Grade - With this grade, the baseball trading cards only possess minor flaws, such as a slight imperfection in printing or an image that is slightly off center, but the card is otherwise in excellent condition.

Grade 8 – Near Mint-Mint Grade - In this grade, you have baseball trading cards that are excellent but they may have slight fraying or borders that are slightly off-white.

Grade 7 – Near Mint Grade - In this grade, a close inspection of the baseball trading card may reveal slight wear to the surface or corners that are slightly frayed. The image should be mostly glossy.

Grade 6 – Excellent-Mint Grade - Baseball trading cards receiving this grade may have surface wear that is visible or some sort of printing defect without costing any overall appeal.

Grade 5 – Excellent Grade – The baseball trading cards that receive this grade are in excellent condition but may have some minor corner rounding or chipping around the edges, and some noticeable but minor surface scratches may be present.

Grade 4 – Very Good-Excellent Grade - The baseball trading cards in this category may have slight surface wear and some slightly rounded corners but some of their original gloss intact.

Grade 3 – Very Good Grade - The baseball trading cards in this category may have some rounding of the corners and some slight scratching of the surface or scuffing.

Grade 2 – Good Grade - The baseball trading cards in this category may have apparent creases or rounded corners and gloss that is no longer present.

Grade 1 – Poor to Fair Grade - Finally, the baseball trading cards that fall into this category generally show advanced signs of wear including rounded corners, chipped and fraying edges, chipping, pitting and scuffing as well as a lack of gloss on the surface.

Photo Credits: Adam Jones, Ph.D.

Originally posted 2009-10-08 03:31:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: World -> Europe

Euro coins were first put into circulation in 2002 by the European Union. There are 8 coins: 1, 2 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, as well a the 100 and 200 cent coins, which equal 1 and 2 Euros, respectively. Because these aren’t just coins used as legal tender within one country but rather all of Europe, they have a common side that shows a map of Europe, and the other side of each Euro bears a design that represents the country of its origin.

Though Euro coins weren’t circulated until 2002, some were minted as early as 1999. Earlier versions of the 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces bore a map of Europe that made it appear all the countries were islands, as the borders between them were shown as actual breaks in the landmass. The 1 and 2 Euro coins showed Europe as a cohesive nation while still depicting borders between the countries. Each nation chooses its own reverse design, while the common side with its stars, bars and map of Europe remains the same throughout.

Euros coins are interesting for collectors because of this diversity. Some countries choose their national side to be the same on each coin like Belgium has, or each coin can bear a different design, like Italy’s. Belgian Euros actually draw a great deal on the nation’s previous coin designs while some countries like France use monuments and symbols with very stylized designs on their coins.

Additionally, there are certain rules the national designs must follow. The design must contain 12 stars, the year of issue and the engraver’s initials. The national side also can’t show the denomination of the coin because that’s on the common side, nor can it repeat the word Euro unless it’s written in another alphabet, like it is on the Greek coins.

The national side on Euro coins is also locked in until the end of 2008, with no changes allowed unless a monarch depicted on the coins dies or abdicates the throne. The Vatican coins were allows to change their national side when Pope John Paul II died in 1995. They issued a different coin while the throne was empty, then in 2006 they issued coins featuring the effigy of the new Pope, Pop Benedict XVI.

Commemorative coins are released regularly. In 2007 all countries that produce the Euro created a Treaty of Rome commemorative coin that was almost identical to that of every other country. Euro coins have also been designed to make it easy for blind or sight-impaired individuals to be able to distinguish between the coins. Each has a unique edge design that can be felt to identify the amount of currency, and the sizes go up with the value of the coin.

For coin collectors, Euro coins can be a fascinating part of their hobby with so many different coins featuring so many different designs. Online auctions like eBay are a popular place to acquire the coins, which are graded similarly to any collectible coins.

Photo Credits: Ivan Walsh

Originally posted 2008-10-23 14:00:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Stamps -> United States -> Possessions

If you’re a stamp collector or you want to start collecting stamps, there are many resources available to you to help you determine stamp value. Books, websites and organizations allow you to look up a stamp and determine the likely value of it based on the type of the stamp and its condition. How exactly a stamp’s value is determined might seem a vague process to you, but it’s actually a very detailed one.

Stamp value is determined by a variety of factors such as centering, gumming, the degree of cancellation, and the perforation condition.

How the stamp design is centered is the first marker of stamp value. There’s no system or scale for precisely grading how a stamp is centered, though, just a careful examination of the stamp lets you determine if the design is centered. Not surprisingly, this “eyeballing” approach leaves lots of room for some interpretation and argument. A professional who studies stamps, known as a philatelist, can judge the centering with a more practiced eyes.

If a glance tells you the design is off-center enough that the design is lost to the edge of the stamp and the perforation, the centering is considered to be poor. Average centering means that the design suffers from lack of space on one side or two, without the perforation cutting into the design. A fine to very fine center will have a more centered design, but with uneven borders ranging in degree. Superb centering is perfect, and much more valuable, while jumbo refers to stamps with over-sized margins, which generally carry the most stamp value.

Gumming also determines stamp value. The condition of the back of the stamp, whether the stamp has been hinged for collection, whether the gum is in its original condition or has been removed, all affect the price and can be a major factor in determining the value of early 19th century stamps.

The degree of cancellation is used to determine stamp value when the stamp is used and the gum is gone because of it. The cancellation or postage mark on the stamp either makes the stamp lightly canceled and more valuable, when the design still shows well, or heavily canceled, which means the design is obscured and rarely visible.

The condition of the perforation is also considered when determining stamp value. Some stamps aren’t perforated at all and need to be cut, while others are designed with a straight, cut edge. Perforations are judged by whether they show some design of the stamp next to it on a sheet, whether they’re shorter than normal, and whether or not the punch is good or bits of paper remain between the teeth of the perforation. The least valuable type is reperforated, where someone has trimmed and reperforated a stamp to give it a more uniform appearance.

Judge your stamp by these benchmarks and you’ll be better able to determine stamp value with a book, or when browsing for new stamps in stores or auctions.

Photo Credits: dbking

Originally posted 2008-10-11 05:00:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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