How To Make Your Own Football Cards?

Silver/gold numbers on football cards?

• What are the small silver and gold numbers on football cards indicating like 2/1990? I have tons of these cards but I'm not sure why it means. And what numbers make them more rare or less rare?

• Answer:

  These are known as serially-numbered cards. The lower the print run, the higher the value, though this whole segment of the market has been pretty watered down by overuse of the concept. It used to be that having a card limited to 2,000 or less was a big deal. Now it's nothing. There are just too darned many different cards like this, and it's just too much for all but the very diehard collector (who has to have every card there is for their favorite player). I see cards of star players that are limited to editions of 100 that sell for under $10. Cards numbered to very low print runs, 25 or less, do the best, but even this is all over the place pricewise. What can enhance the value of a numbered card is one of two things - having the #1 card is always better, and if you have the number that matches a player's uniform number, that increases the value. For example, any Michael Jordan card that has a serial #23 out of whatever print run will have Jordan collectors fighting over it - or the #45 for a card with him pictured wearing the 45. I have a Gretzky card #99/99, and I can probably sell it for 5 times the book price for one of that edition.