Adventures and advice in collecting Braves baseball cards in 2024

Sports cards have exploded as a hobby in recent years, which, in a lot of ways, has taken some of the fun out of what was once a niche hobby. While the problems of the "junk wax era" have been solved to a certain extent with the printing of shorter printed parallels and autographs, there are still way too many products, and a lot of them are prohibitively priced. However, that doesn't mean that fans of the Atlanta Braves who have the collecting itch are completely out of luck.

Unlike in other product years recently, the Braves don't have a big-time rookie that makes collecting extremely painful for the wallet. Michael Harris II was a chase rookie in 2023 products, but a down year for him after dealing with injuries has made his rookie cards more affordable. Ronald Acuna Jr. cards (especially his autos) are still very expensive, but you are also potentially buying near the bottom of his market, given that he barely played in 2024 due to his knee surgery. Ditto for Spencer Strider and Austin Riley. In a lot of ways, there isn't a better time to collect if you are a Braves fan.

That is if you know what to look for.

Braves fans need to know their budgets before jumping head first into baseball card collecting this year

Everyone has their own price range when it comes to hobbies and collecting. The best advice one can get is to make absolutely sure you are spending money you can afford to lose. Too many people buying sports cards treat them like purchasing lottery tickets and that is bad news. Know that it is likely you won't get get the full value of your money back if you are buying packs and boxes. Once you accept that and this is for fun, you will be in a much better spot especially if you DO get lucky and pull a big card.

For those on a budget, don't overextend yourself with luxury products. Just because a product is expensive doesn't mean you won't get screwed. Topps' flagship products like Series 1, Series 2, and Update (the latter of which is being released on October 16) all have budget-friendly options that still have a ton of really nice rookies and chase cards to hope for. Series 2, in particular, is extremely underrated given the short-printed top rookies in it as well as the Acuna 40/70 insert line that is both very short-printed and criminally undervalued by the market at the moment. I collected that whole insert line and absolutely loved doing it.

If you have a whimsical streak, 2024 Allen & Ginter releases at the end of October. It is relatively cheap and has some fun baseball and pop culture cards to hunt down. A&G isn't for everyone, but it is a fun product and is particularly good as an entry-level product and for those who have kids.

If you have more disposable income, avoid the ultra-premium 2024 products like Diamond Icons, Topps Sterling, etc. Those products do have life-changing cards, but they are also a great way to flush many, many hundreds of dollars down the toilet. Instead, grab a box of Bowman Draft when it comes out later this year, or stick to products like Topps Museum Collection or Topps Five Star. They are a bit pricier than they should be, but they have loads of Braves on their checklists and generally deliver a pretty decent return on investment.

Buy low on Braves guys in 2024 products because there are deals to be had

Generally, it is probably wise to avoid buying Ronald Acuna Jr. cards unless you have a very robust financial situation as his market is still pretty robust. However, there are deals out there on his 2024 cards, especially non-autographed cards, including the aforementioned 40/70 insert set in Series 2. Again, that insert line is pretty cheap and worth speculating on.

Beyond that, rookie cards for guys like Strider, Harris, and Riley are in a really good place right now for collectors of all price points. If you want to spend the least, buy them during the offseason, as that is when you will find the best deals. However, it feels likely that THIS offseason is going to be the best time to buy on those guys for the foreseeable future.

One Braves rookie worth mentioning is Spencer Schwellenbach. Apparently Topps decided not to feature him with rookie cards in this year's releases so you will have wait until 2025 to see those. However, he DOES have cheap autographs that can be bought if you are willing to buy unlicensed products like Elite Extra Edition, Leaf Draft, and Panini Prizm.

For those with a little more cash to burn, Schwellenbach's Bowman 1st autos (which some consider to be a player's TRUE rookie card these days) have parallels that have recently sold for under $100, and base autos that have been under $50, which could turn out to be a good deal based on how Schwellenbach ended the year.

Find shops you can trust to be fair and have consistent sources of products

It is so easy to just live on eBay or other auction sites as a collector these days, and frankly, it kinda stinks. Yes, you will probably find the best prices that way at first glance, but building a circle of friends who share your interests is a big part of why this hobby is so rewarding and the deals you get online can be offset by shipping costs, buyer's premiums, etc.

Unfortunately, a lot of brick-and-mortar card shops are a den of thieves these days, including in the Atlanta area which makes things tricky. A good rule of thumb is to walk into a shop and find cards you know the approximate value of ahead of time. If they are right in line or a little above, you are off to a good start. If cards aren't priced and/or end up being marked up in a big way, just walk away.

One source for Atlanta metro fans that fans should check out is the East Cobb Collectibles Show, which happens regularly pretty close to Truist Park. There are loads of vendors with a wide variety of offerings from vintage to modern to sealed stuff/supplies. The same warnings apply that you should do your research before buying something, but you will have a ton of options to choose from there at a show that is definitely trying to cater to Braves fans.

If vintage and/or grading is your thing, West Georgia Sportscards is a great option as the staff there really know their vintage stuff and regularly do grading submissions. Sports Odyssey in Douglasville is a hidden gem as well as they are an old school dig through boxes/baskets kind of place that has fun treasures to find all over the place without breaking the bank.

One new addition to my rotation is Draft Town Sports Cards in Sharpsburg. While they didn't have a ton of vintage offerings, what they did have was top-notch. The modern selection was surprisingly good, especially on the mid to high end, and they have loads of sealed products to choose from. On top of that, their pricing was very fair on singles which is becoming exceedingly rare with brick-and-mortar stores these days.

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