Phil Pettersson has gone to Overtime Cards and Collectibles every week since he started getting back into sports card collecting and selling in 2003.

Sometimes, he buys boxes, which usually have about 18 to 24 packs a box, depending on how expensive the box is. The packs have about 9 to 15 sports cards each. Sometimes, he just buys individual packs and sometimes, it pays off.

"That's the lure of it - to open each pack," Pettersson said. "To me, [what keeps me coming back] is the rush of opening packs and getting something great."

Pettersson got something really great earlier this year. He pulled a 2005-2006, autographed - with jersey memorabilia - LeBron James card, one of only 25 made in the world. He could put it on eBay and get more than 10 times as much as he paid for it. But this one has some sentimental value.

"That is one I want to pass down to my kids," Pettersson said. "Some people think it's childish, but it's an exciting hobby. Some people try it and don't really care for it. Some do it and fall in love with it."

Card collecting today is like fantasy football or baseball - a pastime that brings the average fan closer to the athletes. But the hobby has changed since its original purpose for promoters to advertise their products and to keep cigarettes from being crushed in the pack when tobacco companies started distributing them.

The hobby is not just for kids anymore. It has become an activity for the well-to-do as prices have increased and the stakes have been raised because manufacturers are making cards more rare.

"The average starting cost for a basic box of cards is $65-$90. The high end, 10 years ago, was $40 to $50," said Heidi Storrs, owner of Overtime Cards and Collectibles. "Ten years ago, a $5 or $10 item was a premium item to buy. They don't have anything in that price range anymore. It's more for the affluent."

While that might be true for the new cards, it stands true for old cards, as well. Last week, a Honus Wagner baseball card sold for a world-record $2.8 million to a private collector. The card of the eight-time National League batting average leader is so rare because it is believed that only 50 exist today.

The rarity, or lack thereof, of certain cards have caused the sports card market to fluctuate. In the early 1990s, manufacturers overproduced cards and made them virtually worthless. Pettersson said he has a Shaquille O'Neal rookie card that isn't worth much more than what he bought it for. But a Deron Williams rookie card is a different story.

"In the late '80s, cards went from something you just traded to having some value. Then 15 years ago, there were more products being sold just because the card companies started mass-producing the cards," said Mitch Pixton, a 22-year employee for the House of Cards and Coins. "It's like the stock market; supply and demand. If the manufacturer only puts out 900 of one card, you got a billion people that are collecting and they all have to fight over 900."

Now, cards are not only more rare, but they also have added features. They are autographed and come with a piece of memorabilia, like a piece of the ball the athlete touched or a piece of his jersey.

"They beefed up the quality of the content of the product to justify what they're charging," Storrs said. "Most of the time, it's an extension of being a fan of a sport or athlete."

But one thing that hasn't changed about sports cards is the lure of the gamble and opening a package to see if you've made a profit. It's the only form of legal gambling in the state.

Getting those butterflies and shaky hands is what keeps Toby Camp, who has been collecting for 25 years, coming back. That's what he felt last year when he opened a package and got an autographed Reggie Bush rookie card with a piece of game-used jersey worth $1,700. That card was one of the most coveted ones last year.

"The big draw is you could get a Pete Maravich autograph card. You could pull a Babe [Ruth]. I know somebody who pulled a [Joe] DiMaggio," Storrs said. "It's like the Willy Wonka golden ticket."

The market has seen its ups and downs, but what will keep it going are the adamant, die-hard fans who come to the card shop every week to see what's new. Both Pettersson and Camp say if you're in for the money, you're in it for the wrong reason.

"It brings me back [to my youth]," Camp said. "People may say it's for kids. I kind of agree but a lot of the men are still a kid at heart. That's what I am."

mthach@sltrib.com

1909

The year Honus Wagner's valuable card was printed.

50

Number in

existence.

2.8

Million dollars. How much a Wagner card sold for at auction.