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Card collector guides

Plain advice for collectors, players and parents. No price predictions, no hype.

Trading cards sorted into piles on a table at home before selling How to sell your card collection Sort it, find the cards that matter, and choose between a local shop, online marketplaces and card shows. Graded trading cards sealed in clear plastic slabs with grade labels Card grading, explained What PSA, Beckett, SGC and CGC actually do, what drives a grade, and when grading is worth it. A phone on a tripod filming a sealed box of trading cards being opened What is a box break? How pick-your-team and random breaks work, buying a spot at a shop or online, and what to check first. Penny sleeves, toploaders and a binder page of trading cards on a table How to store and protect cards Penny sleeves, toploaders, semi-rigids, binders and boxes, plus the heat and humidity mistakes to avoid. Players at long tables during a weeknight trading card game tournament Your first locals tournament What weekly store events and prereleases are like, what to bring, and the etiquette nobody tells you. A parent and child opening a pack of trading cards together Starting a card collection Pick a game, decide between packs and singles, set a budget, and find a local shop to help.

City guides

The cities with the most card shops in the directory, with each city's shops, the games they carry and the shops that buy collections.

Find a shop

Card shops by state Shops by game Shops that buy cards