Diamonds have the 4 C's: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat
Since its all a gamble, I propose my acronym for Cards is CRAPS:
Condition: Condition relative to rarity. Gem mint tens in junk era don't mean as much as a mid grade 2014 Cracker Jack.
Rarity: Rarity relative to Popularity of player. Demand and Supply. There are tons of 52 mantle's but because of the popularity of the card/player, there isn't enough to satiate demand.
Attractiveness: Relative popularity/beauty of the Type or Image. T206, Cracker Jacks, Goudey. Popular for a reason....beautiful cards.
Player: Probably 1 or 2 in importance with rarity.
Story: Every cards needs a story to be sold. Wagner has a tobacco issue until he decided to pop up on a 48 leaf card with it, Lajoie was a customer relations card, Babe the pitcher was a Red Sox curse...
End of the day, all a game of craps...
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