Guide
Inherited cards: first 48 hours
Do no harm, document, and avoid the attic heat mistake.
Inheriting a card collection puts you in a situation most people aren't prepared for: unfamiliar items that might be worth a lot, or might be worth nothing, and no easy way to tell. The first 48 hours set up either a good outcome or an avoidable loss.
The do-no-harm rule
Before you sort, move, or handle anything, photograph it in place. This sounds slow — it's not. Five minutes of wide-angle photos of bins, binders, and storage areas creates a baseline you'll reference repeatedly and a record of original condition.
The most common first-48-hour mistake is stacking loose cards face-down on a table. This bends corners, scratches surfaces, and mixes stacks that were organized by the original collector. Don't do it.
What to document immediately
1. **All storage containers.** Bins, binders, boxes, tins. Photo each container closed, then open. 2. **Any visible standouts.** Holographic cards (they shimmer when tilted), cards in hard cases or toploaders, anything in a special sleeve. These often represent the highest value. 3. **Storage conditions.** Note if the area smelled musty, felt humid, showed watermarks, or was in a hot attic. This affects condition — and therefore value — significantly. 4. **Rough count.** You don't need to count every card. Estimate bin or binder sizes ("roughly 5 binders, 500–800 cards each").
What not to do
**Don't do the "corner bend test."** Some online guides suggest bending a card corner to check print quality. This destroys cards. Never bend.
**Don't try to peel apart stuck cards.** If any cards are stuck together from humidity or age, leave them. A buyer or conservator can assess. Pulling them apart tears the card face.
**Don't separate and sort unless you know what you're doing.** Sorting by set, era, or character takes experience. If you mix up a 1st Edition holo with unlimited copies without recognizing the difference, you lose the value signal. Leave organization as-is.
When to get a professional assessment
If you found:
- Cards in hard plastic cases or graded slabs (a company name on the slab label: PSA, CGC, BGS) - Cards in team bags or toploaders (signs of someone who treated them carefully) - Visible "shadowless" or "1st Edition" stamps (even if you don't know what they mean)
...you likely have something worth more than bulk. Take extra photos, store somewhere stable, and contact a buyer before moving anything.
Stable storage until you're ready
A clean, dry room at normal indoor temperature (65–75°F) is fine for a few weeks. Keep cards off the floor and away from direct sun or heat vents. A plastic bin with a loose lid (not sealed airtight, which traps humidity) works well.
What to send us
You don't need to know what you have to start a quote. Send wide photos of the storage setup, note anything that looked different or special, and we'll guide the next steps from there.