Card prices move faster than almost anything else on this site, which means the method matters more than any number.
Decide raw or graded first
They are separate markets with separate buyers. Pricing a raw card against graded sales is the most common and most expensive mistake in this category, and it ends with a disappointed winner.
Then price the four
Centring, corners, edges, surface. A card with one weak corner is a different card. If you cannot see a fault, say what you examined and under what light — that sentence is worth money.
Where to start
Commons and base cards: lots, low start, quick pace. They build the room.
A card the room came for: start where you are content and use a reserve if a quiet night would hurt. Say there is one — a room that knows bids toward it.
Lots
Count them, say the sport and era, say the condition range honestly, and state what is not guaranteed. Never bury one good card in a lot hoping somebody misses it — somebody will notice, and the story travels further than the sale.
Pacing
A card needs twenty to forty seconds of being held still under decent light. That is the pace. Build the show around it rather than fighting it.
Questions people ask
Should I look up recent sales?
Yes, and match them on grade and service, not just on name. Comparing across grades is how people talk themselves into the wrong number.
Do predicted grades help a sale?
They raise the price and they raise the risk. If you say one, say clearly that it is an opinion.
Are big lots worth running?
Yes, as a way to fill a room between the cards people came for.