I have been collecting football cards for over 25 years and I can think of many reasons why a new person should begin collecting football cards. While the cost of the cards have gone up and made it less affordable to collect football cards, the quality of the cards have gone up substantially and the value of the cards have risen much more than ever before.

Here are several reasons why to collect football cards:

1. Connection

• Kids can get connected with their favorite superstars of the NFL. Rookie football cards give young kids the opportunity to bond with their favorite player. Nothing was more important than getting a card of your favorite player when you were a child. Now since the NFL is the biggest game on the planet, it only makes sense to collect football cards.

2. Authenticity

• The invention of authentic DNA autograph and jersey cards have made it much easier as a collector to verify that collecting football cards with autographs can be easily verified. This really adds to the cards overall mystic and flair.

3. Value

• How many other investments today can you spend as little as $2-$3 for a pack of cards and get a shot at the next great rookie that will be worth hundreds and perhaps thousands. Unlike the lottery where your chances are next to nothing buying football cards can have great value. This year Matt Ryan is the hot rookie and you can have a change to own his rookie card for a very low cost right now.

4. Quality

• The quality standards of production in today's football cards are far superior to what they were in the earlier eras. A collector can expect to get cards that are razor sharp corners and edges, great graphics and high quality surface.

5. Cool Factor

• As a kid it is still super cool to have a rookie card of your favorite player. Whether or not that player is a superstar or every day player, the card is a great way to stay connected with the player. Now cards also have a WOW factor because of new inventions like game worn jersey cards, auto cards and patch cards. This gives a great reason for adults and children alike to collect football cards.

6. Investment

• Rookie football cards can be a great investment. Of course superstars like Adrian Peterson and Matt Ryan have immediately become high priced cards, especially if you have an auto, jersey or limited edition cards, but it is the other players that can become great investment. For example, you speculate that a player like Chris Johnson from Tennessee Titans may become the next Walter Payton. Right now you can buy his rookie cards at a fairly low price, hold onto them and then in turn sell them a couple years down the road when the values have skyrocketed. The return on investment is astronomical in these situations.

Regardless of what people say, there are still many reasons to collect football cards. The new inventions have made it fresh for all of the old collectors and kids can still be kids collecting football cards.