Collecting remains a serious game:
Adult hobbyists, dealers keep sports card trade flush
By Paul Harber, Globe Staff, 3/28/2004

"...Old cards maintain their value. Mickey Mantle's rookie card, a '52 Topps, sold on eBay on March 20 for $38,900. Prices for complete sets from that era continue to rise, selling for thousands of dollars.

Newer cards, on the other hand, have perceived value because of marketing strategies to ensure that demand exceeds supply. Companies are numbering cards and issuing short prints, cards that aren't printed as many times as common cards.

One new basketball card perceived to have value is the LeBron James rookie card by Upper Deck. It has a swatch of his uniform embedded in the card. There are only 25 of these, and each is embossed with a number, such as 1 of 25, 2 of 25, and so on, to create rarity. One of these was sold on eBay on March 19 for $1,900."