What coins are hidden in the Spanish galleon San José?
The San José carried colonial coinage from the Lima Mint when it sank off Colombia in 1708. New research identifies 1707 gold 8-escudos cobs, while three recovered macuquinas are now being conserved. Here is what the coins reveal, why Peru matters, and why a future auction remains highly unlikely.
2026-09-11
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Latin America and Spanish coins: a guide for beginners
Spanish imperial coins connect mints in Spain with the viceroyalties of Mexico, Peru, New Granada and the Río de la Plata. This guide explains how to recognise reales, escudos, cobs and milled pieces, read mint marks and dates, judge condition, check provenance and buy with history in mind.
Selling ungraded vs. graded sports cards: what to consider?
Whether to submit a sports card for grading or sell it raw depends on more than condition. Four sales of the same 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, from a disclosed trim job to a raw find kept for seventy years, show what a PSA or CGC holder actually adds: authentication a buyer cannot check themselves. This guide covers the cost, the wait, and when raw still wins.
2026-09-10
The 10 most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards of all time
Alpha Black Lotus leads the ten most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards ever sold at public auction, its signed PSA 10 copy making £444,408 in 2023. The rest of the list runs through the Power Nine, from Mox Jet’s record £84,918 to a rare Alpha Lord of the Pit, each verified against its own PWCC Premier Auction result, with sale dates and grades for every card.
The 10 most valuable Yu-Gi-Oh cards of all time
A one-of-a-kind Make-A-Wish card, three separate Blue-Eyes White Dragon records and a string of banned tournament prizes: these are the ten Yu-Gi-Oh cards that have sold for more than any others, each verified against the original eBay or Fanatics Collect listing. From Cyber-Stein to Tyler the Great Warrior, find out exactly what collectors have paid, and why.
The 10 most valuable American football trading cards
Which American football cards have actually made the most money under the hammer, rather than in a private deal nobody can check? We ranked the ten highest verified auction prices, from a six-figure 1958 Jim Brown rookie to a Patrick Mahomes rookie patch autograph numbered to fifteen copies, and explain why grade and scarcity matter more than the name on the card.
2026-09-09
The 10 most valuable basketball trading cards of all time
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James dominate our countdown of the 10 most valuable basketball trading cards ever sold, led by a $12.9 million dual Logoman patch card that broke every previous sports card record. From one-of-one autographed patches to a pristine 1986 Fleer rookie, we verify every price against the auction house that handled the sale.
The 10 most valuable hockey trading cards of all time
Wayne Gretzky rookie cards hold the two highest prices any hockey card has ever fetched, one sold privately for 2.6 million pounds, but the gap beneath them tells its own story. From a Boston Bruins test print to a one-of-one Connor McDavid rookie, these ten verified sales trace how a single 1979 photograph still outprices everything the hobby has made since.
The most relevant non-sport trading card franchises
Pokémon is only the beginning. From a $16.5 million Pikachu card to record-breaking Star Wars, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh! sales, non-sport trading cards are one of the fastest-growing corners of the collecting hobby. This guide ranks the five franchises setting the pace, plus honourable mentions including Garbage Pail Kids and Disney, with every price verified against the original auction listing.
The 10 most valuable baseball trading cards of all time
From a tobacco card printed before the First World War to a single signed rookie from 2009, these are the ten most valuable baseball cards ever sold. Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps rookie leads at $12.6 million, with two different Honus Wagner T206 cards and three Babe Ruth issues also breaking seven figures along the way.
2026-09-08
The 10 most valuable boxing trading cards of all time
Muhammad Ali’s earliest trading card, a hand-cut 1960 magazine insert from his Olympic year, tops this countdown of boxing’s ten most valuable cards, outselling even a one-of-one Mike Tyson autograph. Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano and the sport’s first Black heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, all feature, with prices ranging from three to six figures at auction.
Graded trading cards: PSA vs SGC
PSA and SGC grade the same trading cards on similar numeric scales, yet their fees, turnaround times and bidder confidence can differ sharply. This guide compares PSA and SGC pricing tier by tier, explains how their grading scales differ, and uses real Robert Edward Auctions sales of one 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle to show what an identical grade from each company has sold for.
2026-09-07
Guide to the T206 Honus Wagner and pre-war cards
The T206 Honus Wagner is baseball’s most famous pre-war card: fewer than sixty survive, and one sold for £4.8 million in 2021. This guide explains why the American Tobacco Company withdrew Wagner’s card in 1909, how population reports measure real scarcity, what other pre-war cards became rare by accident, and how to spot the trimming that catches out unwary buyers.
Professional sports trading cards: a guide for beginners
A practical starting guide for anyone new to sports card collecting: what really decides a card’s value, whether to specialise in one sport, and which cards, from affordable vintage commons to modern rookies, make sensible first buys. Real auction results, including a $168,000 Michael Jordan rookie, show why grading and condition, not fame, set the price.
First day covers explained: the story on every envelope
Every first day cover is really three records in one: a stamp, a postmark proving exactly when it entered use, and often an illustrated cachet explaining why. This guide traces the practice from the Penny Black’s first days in May 1840 to what actually separates a keepsake worth a few pounds from a certified rarity that has sold at auction for £44,000.
