HOW TO: COLLECT A PLAYER USING PSA’S POPULATION REPORT
SMR Collectibles provides custom portfolio building services for collectors interested in a particular player or category such as 80’s rookies or modern superstars. One method we utilize is the PSA Population Report, which lists the number of cards in each grade for a given card. The Population Report allows you to make sure the card you are choosing to purchase has enough copies that it will be easy to locate. A higher population also makes it easier to track the value of the card and sell the card if you choose. Similar to a financial investment, you may want to go after a card with ample liquidity.
Let’s go through an example using Luka Doncic. For our purposes here, I will choose a number of cards with various price points. For simplicity, prices will be taken directly from the PSA Sports Market Report. There are other cards to consider that have lower circulation totals but may be of more interest to you. A low population doesn’t necessarily mean a card will be hard to find or sell, but population is an important consideration if you are interested in frequently looking up comps to value your collection.
Below are some of the most widely distributed Luka cards:
Card Grade Population Price
2018 Certified #280 GEM-MT 10 279 $375
2018 Donruss #177 GEM-MT 10 5809 $350
2018 Donruss Optic #177 MINT 9 4157 $250
2018 Hoops #268 MINT 9 1733 $100
2018 Prizm #280 NM-MT 8 721 $400
2018 Prizm #280 MINT 9 11174 $650
2018 Silver Prizm #280 MINT 9 1930 $2700
2019 Select #67 MINT 9 265 $40
Price and Population Numbers are Current as of 3/22/21.
The above information is useful in determining what cards to pursue that will fit in your budget. Additionally, as your collection builds you can compete with other collectors for the highest graded set in the PSA Set Registry.
The process of evaluating and adding to a collection is a time consuming and arduous task. SMR Collectibles can aid you in this process by providing an efficient and transparent service. Please give us a call or send an e-mail if you are interested in learning more.