Clear answers.
Before you begin.

Cardalog helps collectors, families, executors, and estate professionals understand, organize, and maintain sports card collections. We provide assessments, full or targeted cataloging, grading preparation, collection updates, and family walkthroughs. Each job has an agreed scope and deliverable.

Start with what you need to decide. A Collection Assessment is a survey with a written summary and recommended next step; it may be enough on its own. It does not include an itemized inventory. A Full Sort and Screen handles every card, itemizes the agreed subset, and counts and organizes the remainder. If you have an inventory or selected grading candidates, tell us before paying to repeat work. You do not have to purchase every service.

Yes, tell us what it contains and what you now need to decide. We will discuss whether the record is suitable and what, if any, additional work needs to be scoped. An existing inventory does not automatically need a repeat full sort.

A readable record and clear container labels belong to the agreed cataloging work. We can also document new owner instructions and walk an authorized family member through the collection and its records. Additional sessions and new work are quoted separately. Correcting errors in our original work is not an additional paid service.

Yes. Targeted cataloging can cover selected cards, a box, or a set. We agree which cards will be examined and itemized, and what photographs, condition notes, and labels you need. It is quoted by scope and does not require a full collection sort. An assessment remains a survey, not a substitute for itemized cataloging.

Yes. We can add acquisitions, record removals, update storage locations, or record returned grades. We reuse suitable existing records and agree which changes to verify and document. Updates are quoted as needed, with no subscription required. Work already included in your grading engagement is not charged again. Correcting an error in our original work is included.

Targeted cataloging, collection updates, and additional family sessions receive a fixed quote based on the agreed work. The quote identifies the cards or records involved, the deliverable, the service fee, and any separately approved supplies, shipping, or third-party charges. If the request changes, we agree any additional work and cost before proceeding. Fees reflect effort, not card values or sale proceeds. The advertised assessment remains $350 flat, full sorting starts at $900, and grading preparation is quoted per card.

No. Cardalog does not buy or sell cards, prepare sales documentation, list cards, arrange buyers, or manage sales. We do not accept sales commissions or referral fees. Our fees cover the agreed collection services, not a share of card values or sale proceeds.

It depends on the service. An assessment is a survey, not an itemized inventory. Under a Full Sort and Screen, every card is handled; cards meeting the agreed value threshold are itemized with condition notes, comparable sales, and photographs, while the remainder is counted, characterized, boxed, and labeled.

No. Cardalog provides market-value estimates based on recent comparable sales. Our reports are not certified appraisals and should not be used for estate-tax filings, insurance scheduling, charitable deductions, court proceedings, or another purpose requiring a qualified appraisal. If a qualified appraisal is required, you will need to engage an appropriately credentialed appraiser separately.

We review recent comparable sales and consider the card, set, year, scarcity, and apparent condition. Collectibles markets change, so an estimate reflects the market at the time of the report and is not a guarantee of what an item will sell for.

Yes, provided the person has legal authority to act for the collection or estate. We may ask for letters of administration, court appointment, or other documentation before accepting property. We cannot take custody when ownership or authority is disputed.

A rough card or box count, the sports and eras represented, any existing records, your general location, your timeline, and what you are trying to decide. Please do not send sensitive storage details in an initial inquiry. For estate property, we will also ask who has authority to act. The initial conversation is free.

We record the date and time, container descriptions, approximate counts, visible condition, intake photographs, agreed service, and the value you declare. You and Cardalog sign a Chain of Custody Receipt, and each party keeps a copy.

Property in our custody is kept in a secured, access-controlled area protected by monitored security. We maintain intake photographs, custody records, work records, and return documentation so that each transfer of responsibility is recorded.

Yes. Cardalog maintains specialty collectibles dealer insurance covering documented client-owned collectibles while they are in our care, custody, and control, subject to the policy’s terms, limits, and exclusions. Before accepting a collection, we record its declared value and confirm that it fits within our available coverage.

Coverage does not include every possible loss. For example, mysterious disappearance and damage occurring while an item is being worked on may be excluded. Cards held by a third-party grading company are subject to that company’s custody terms and insurance coverage.

The declared value is the total value you assign to the property when Cardalog takes custody. It helps determine the coverage applied to the engagement and limits what may be recovered from Cardalog in the event of a covered loss. Understating it may reduce recovery, so it should be considered carefully and recorded accurately.

Shipping must be agreed to in writing before anything is sent. When shipping is appropriate, we require insured, tracked, signature-required carrier service and confirm the return method in advance. Transit coverage remains subject to carrier and policy limits.

Yes. Before any card leaves our custody, you receive a separate authorization listing the grading company, service level, cards, declared values, estimated grader fees, Cardalog’s preparation fee, and shipping costs. Grading fees are passed through at the grader’s published rates.

No. The grading company alone determines grades, service eligibility, fees, and turnaround time. A card may receive a lower grade than expected, be rejected, or be labeled altered or non-gradable. Delays of several months are possible. The grading authorization states how Cardalog will provide status updates while a submission is outstanding.

We limit access to customer information and do not use reports or photographs as work samples without separate authorization. Our Privacy Policy explains what the website and inquiry form collect, how information is used and shared, and how to request access, correction, or deletion.

We agree on the return method in writing. At handback, the Return of Property Receipt records the containers, separately returned graded cards, reports, spreadsheets, photographs, grading results, and condition notes. For a carrier return, signed delivery confirmation documents the handback.