Other Information Sources

Information sources

There are several resources, both printed and online, that can make collecting nonsport trading cards easier.

The major formal source of information is Non-Sport Update, (NSU) a 6 issues per year magazine. NSU includes a comprehensive price guide for cards as well as articles and promo cards. Many retailers and conventions advertise in NSU, providing further links to information.

NSU also host a moderated (semi-independent) discussion group, Card Talk. The members of this group are informed, helpful and supportive of newbies. Members of the forum also post their trading lists, so it is easy to find potential trading partners.

Other useful reference sites include:

• Jeff Allender's House of Checklists: A comprehensive list of card sets with information about the date and manufacturer, together with a checklist of all available cards and their odds.
• ST-Cards Signature Base: Florian Moeckel's database of autograph cards, accessible by card set or signer.
• LOTR Sketch Cards: MarleyEds' collation of sketch card images from Lord of the Rings Evolution and Masterpieces.

Sketch card galleries for some of my favourite sets:

• Lord of the Rings: Sketch cards from Topps's Lord of the Rings Evolution and Masterpieces.
• Star Wars: Sketch cards from Topps's Star Wars card sets, including the 30th anniversary set.

Key sites for DC comics information include:

• DC Direct: the merchandising arm of DC Comics.
• JLA Collectibles: Michael Koolman's list of Justice League collectibles.
• Batman Cards: BatmanCity's comprehensive list of Batman trading cards covering both comic and movie versions.

Manufacturers

Manufacturer web sites contain information about forthcoming releases, freebies and images and checklists for recent releases. Two companies are particular favourites of collectors for their quality and customer service:

• Rittenhouse mostly produce science fiction card sets (eg Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica) and comics sets (DC and Marvel) but also do other television series and movies (eg 007, Xena).
• Breygent are oriented to pop culture icons (eg classic movies).

Software

I use a range of software to help me manage my cards collection.

• Collectorz Comic Collector: I started using this software for my comics collection. It is very easy to customise so I also use it for cards. It can be used to record various details as well as images of the cards.
• Web Album Generator: A very easy to use tool to create image galleries or digital photo albums.
• Deluxe Menu: Used for navigation on this site.