There's no official cutoff, but collectors generally call cards from roughly the pre-1980s to early-1990s era "vintage" and newer cards "modern." Vintage cards are scarcer (lower print runs, fewer survivors in good shape), so condition and authenticity carry huge weight and top copies can be very valuable. Modern cards were often printed in large quantities, so value concentrates in true rookies, low-numbered parallels, autographs, and high grades. Vintage rewards scarcity and history; modern rewards hitting the right chase cards and grades. Both have strong markets. Shops that specialize in older cardboard are tagged for vintage in our directory.
Updated Jul 13, 2026