The collecting of swap cards, trading cards, sports cards, postcards, old photographs and related paper ephemera has been a hobby enjoyed by thousands the world over for many generations.

However outside a dedicated few collectors little information is available on how to go about collecting, looking after your collection, researching, dating and grading your individual cards, linking up and swapping with other collectors, and even making your life long or just beginning obsession a little more lucrative.

The sister obsession of stamp collecting has reams of information written almost daily, so this blog hopefully will become an aid, and a means of communication between all those who collect, have collected in the past,or who would love to begin collecting and are not sure how - and their are millions of us: from those who hauled a sweaty handful of dogeared cards to school each day, to those with albums lovingly filled with the things, a draw full, neglected but not forgotten, or even a select few mounted and preserved in perspex museum quality cases and mounted in pride of place in the family or trophy room.