What football cards are worth: how to find out what your cards are worth

Most football cards and stickers are worth little, even old ones. The ones that are worth something are early cards of the very biggest players, rookie cards, autographed and low-numbered cards of stars, and old stickers that were never stuck in. Here is how to find out what you have, which cards collectors look for and how to find what identical cards actually sold for.

Quick facts

What decides	Which card it is, which player and what condition
Most sought after	Early cards and rookie cards of the biggest players
Modern trading cards	Autographed cards, numbered parallels and rookie cards
Stickers	Unstuck, flawless copies are the rare ones
Trading card games	The value lies in the rare card types
The value	What identical cards actually sold for, not what someone is asking

Cards that are usually worth something

• Early cards of legends. Cards and stickers from a player's first years, printed before anyone knew who he would become. Few have survived in fine condition.
• Rookie cards of stars. The player's first official card in a major series. See the guide to rookie cards.
• Autographed cards. Cards from packs where the manufacturer certifies the autograph.
• Low-numbered parallels. Cards with a printed print run, where a low second number means few copies. See the guide to parallels and numbered cards.
• Old stickers that were never stuck in. Most ended up in an album, so loose, flawless copies are rare.
• Complete old albums. Especially the first World Cup albums, in fine condition.

Cards that are rarely worth much

• Ordinary base cards from modern series, of players who did not have a big career.
• Stickers that have been stuck into an album, when the album is not complete.
• Worn cards with white edges, bent corners or creases, even when the player is famous.
• Ordinary cards from the trading card game series, where the value lies in the rare card types.

The early cards of the biggest players

Many great players have several candidates for their first card, and collectors do not always agree on which one counts. These are usually mentioned first.

Pelé	Card no. 635 from Alfabilder's series from the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the most recognised early card of him. There are also Brazilian cards from 1957 and 1958.
Diego Maradona	Sticker no. 312 in Panini's Italian album Calciatori 1979-80, in an Argentinos Juniors shirt. There are even earlier Argentine cards.
Lionel Messi	Card no. 71 bis in Panini's Spanish series Megacracks 2004-05, from his early days at Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo	Sticker no. 306 in Panini's Portuguese album Futebol 2002-03 and card no. 137 in Mega Craques, both from his time at Sporting.

Alfabilder and the 1958 World Cup

One of the best-known football cards in the world is Swedish. Alfabilder came with the Alfa Bobbykola and Alfa pastill pastille boxes, and from 1949 to the early 1960s they came as sports cards, first with football players and later also with ice hockey players. For the 1958 World Cup in Sweden a separate series came out with players and teams from the tournament. It includes Pelé, seventeen years old and the youngest player in the tournament, and the back is in Swedish. Internationally the series is often called 1958 Alifabolaget.

If you find Alfabilder at home, it is worth finding out exactly which series and which number they have. Old Swedish sports cards are sold and collected, and condition matters a lot here too.

Stickers and albums

Panini was founded in 1961 in Modena, and the first album covered the Italian league in the 1961-62 season. The first World Cup album was Mexico 70, and a complete copy of it is among the most sought-after items in all of sticker collecting. What old stickers have in common is that most were stuck in. A loose, flawless sticker of a star player is therefore rarer than the same sticker in an album.

A complete album in good condition is what is in demand, and then the condition of the cover, the pages and every sticker counts. Also be aware that classic albums have been reissued, so an album that looks old is not necessarily an original. More about collecting in the guide to stickers and albums.

Trading card games: Match Attax and Adrenalyn XL

Match Attax from Topps and Adrenalyn XL from Panini are trading card games, made to be collected, swapped and played with. Most cards in a pack are ordinary cards, and the value lies in the card types that are rare in the packs, such as limited editions and special cards. Later editions also include autographed and parallel versions of some cards. The difference from trading cards is explained in the guide to football cards.

How to find out the value, step by step

1. Identify the card. Series, season and card number are usually on the back.
2. Check the version. Is it a parallel, is it numbered, is it autographed, is it a rookie card?
3. Assess the condition honestly. Centring, corners, edges and surface, in strong light. See the guide to card condition.
4. Look up sold copies. On Tradera you can filter for sold listings, and other marketplaces have similar filters for completed sales.
5. Compare the same version in the same condition. A graded card and an ungraded one are two different items.

Asking prices in listings tell you what the seller hopes for, not what the card is worth. It is the completed sales that show the value. The method is described in the guide to what a card is worth.

Condition and grading

Grading companies assess centring, corners, edges and surface and give a grade on a scale of 1 to 10. On an expensive card the grade can decide most of the price, and with old cards a copy in top condition is the rare one. Grading only pays off when the card is worth enough and the condition is good. See the grading guide.

Common misconceptions

• That a rookie card always means the player's very first card. Many stars have several candidates.
• That stickers are not real collectibles. Several of the most sought-after early cards are stickers.
• That it does not matter whether the sticker has been stuck in.
• That an asking price is the value.
• That an old album is always an original.

Frequently asked questions

• What are my old football cards worth? It depends on which cards they are, which players and what condition. Start by identifying the cards and compare with sold copies.
• Are Match Attax cards worth anything? The value lies in the rare card types, such as limited editions and special cards. The ordinary cards are made to be swapped and played with.
• Are old stickers worth anything? Sometimes, especially unstuck stickers of great players and complete old albums.
• What is Pelé's best-known early card? Card no. 635 in Alfabilder's World Cup series from 1958.
• Do you buy cards? No, we do not buy cards.

Read more about football card series, rookie cards and how to sell cards.

Shop: football cards at Bangerpack.

Written by those of us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.