If you're a regular reader of our blog, you know that we love the stories behind the collection that we find – whether we purchase them or not. While we love to share the stories about the collections that we buy, we also have to filter through a bunch of "stories" about collections that people contact us trying to sell. From cards that were found in the attic that end up being obvious reprints to great-grandfathers leaving their childhood collection of cards that amounts to half a shoebox of 1988 Donruss commons, there are far more false alarms than great finds.
Sometimes, the story isn't exactly as it seems – some are greater than they appear and some are attempts at outright deceit. Whether innocent oversight or calculated naiveté, our specialists vet and filter lead after lead to try to whittle down the real facts of the collection and gather as much pertinent information as possible to provide honest and accurate information to both the seller and our vintage card specialists.
I'm Looking to Downsize
A gentleman from Big Sky Country contacted us not too long ago looking to gather some information about his collection. We receive a large amount of calls from people that are primarily looking for some direction with the cards that they have, regardless if they collected them, inherited them or found them. While we cannot forecast future value, we can, and we do help people assess the current value of their collection.
The gentleman that recently inquired about his collection had accumulated quite a massive amount of cards from the early 1950's and wanted to start liquidating some of his extras to downsize his collection and was interested in selling about 300 cards from 1952 and 1953 Topps. The seller said that he was initially considering sending the cards in for grading since he figured that grading the cards would make them more valuable – a common mistake that many people make. Spending money to get cards graded may be advantageous, but in many cases, it is actually throwing money down the drain.
We went through our simple process of providing a preliminary evaluation based upon images and a brief list. Once we were able to establish a baseline of value based upon condition, we would be able to talk some real dollars and cents.
Value is Based Upon Condition (Graded or not)
Now, whether he was actually planning on sending them in or just wanted to try to turn up the heat on us, it doesn't really matter. We assess and value cards based upon their condition, so we value and pay virtually the same for an ungraded card in Near Mint condition as we would for a card in a PSA 7 holder. And considering that most of this gentleman's collection was mid grade with a decent number of the cards exhibiting staining, grading the majority of this collection would've been a financial faux pas.
We agreed upon some preliminary values and potential purchase offers and the owner agreed to forward the cards to our Somerset, NJ office for an in-hand evaluation. Unfortunately, there were a few more stained cards than originally anticipated, but we completed the evaluation and reviewed our findings, the valuations and our offer with the seller and he agreed with both the assessment and the value, and was happy accepting our cash offer.
The collection featured cards from 1952 and 1953 Topps and although mostly commons and minor stars, there were a couple of bigger names, including Yogi Berra, Richie Ashburn and a few low numbers from 1952 Topps and Whitey Ford and a pair of Satchel Paige cards from 1953 Topps.
Also, included and evaluated was a Joe Page with the Johnny Sain bio error on the reverse.
Our Buying Philosophy
We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the past decade. Although we are known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage basketball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, also!
Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and soul into building their collection. So when you're ready to sell, Just Collect understands the feelings that you're going through and we will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.
We Are Always Buying
Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 1979 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss your collection and get our industry leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace.
Don't hesitate to check out our Google Reviews left by many of the great people that have considered selling collections to Just Collect.
The "Big Sky 1952 and 1953 Topps Collection" Video: