The Caribbean Collection: 1963 Topps Baseball Set | Just Collect Blog

Just Collect has had the great pleasure of purchasing collections from most of the 50 states across this great country in addition to buying cards from collectors in several provinces in Canada.  This 1963 Topps Baseball Set, bought from a private collector in Puerto Rico, extends our purchasing reach to now include a United States Territory.

We have been having numerous discussions with a private collector in Puerto Rico and recently, he agreed to forward some of his collection.  We were able to evaluate and reach agreement to purchase his complete 1963 Topps Baseball Set.  It is a testament to how our current customers and potential sellers have become accustomed to the professionalism and integrity that Just Collect has exhibited in the industry.  We've had collections sent to us from all over the United States, Canada, Australia, South America and now Puerto Rico for our quick and easy FREE APPRAISALS.  These collections have totaled into the hundreds of thousands.  Alas, we have not been able to buy every collection that we receive, but we buy many of them and those that we don't, are promptly returned to the owners at Just Collect's expense.

We are happy to have purchased this collection from our customer in Puerto Rico and we look forward to buying more of his collection as he decides to sell.

1963 Topps Baseball Set:

The 1963 Topps Baseball  Set features an upgrade of the gray stock that Topps had used in most of the previous years, switching to a cleaner, brighter, albeit a thinner white stock. There were many improvements in the set, but one of that really missed the mark was the Rookie Star cards which featured four players with "shrunken heads" floating in colored background and placed in a circles.

Like many of the sets in the early part of the 1960's, the 1963 Set is loaded with a wide range of stars, but none bigger than Mickey Mantle.  The set also included many aging stars that were soon to retire and were featured on one of their last Topps cards; Stan Musial, Duke Snider, Yogi Berra, Warren Spahn and Whitey Ford.  Others were the game's top stars, just reaching the prime of their career like Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Frank Robinson, Brook Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Roger Maris.

The premise of the mulit-player rookie card, which began with the "floating heads" rookie cards at the very end of the 1962 Topps Set, was to get more players into the set, without increasing the number of cards.  The 1963 Topps Rookie Star cards turned out to be a terrible concept as youngsters did not like them at all and would routinely trash the cards. This is a shame because one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game, Pete Rose, was featured with his face and Reds cap floating in a red circle on card #537.  This may be the most unceremonious rookie card of an all-time great.  Incredibly popular despite his ineligibility for the Hall of Fame for betting on baseball (yes, he did bet on baseball -- he's admitted it), Rose continues to be one of the most sought after rookie cards from the 1960's.

Pete Rose Rookie Card:

The Pete Rose card has seen a great deal of activity in the higher condition grades recently, including a huge spike over the summer, although they've returned to more rational and reasonable levels in the past few months.  With this increased interest, even lesser condition cards have demonstrated strong value as a VG (Very Good) card will typically sell for around $300-400.  Now that's pretty significant for a lower condition card, but the premiums have been almost staggering in the higher, investment grades which have been selling recently for:

• PSA 7 Near Mint:  $1750.00-2250.00
• PSA 8 Near Mint/Mint:  $5,000.00-$8,000.00 (this card peaked at $16,700 in May, 2016)
• PSA 9 Mint:  $85,000.00-150,000.00

Just Collect is Always Buying:

The 1963 Topps Baseball Set is one of our favorite sets from the 1960's and we're always looking to buy them in most conditions.  Just Collect is always searching for collections and will look to the far corners of the Earth to find them.  If you have a collection that you are considering selling, please contact Just Collect for a FREE appraisal and the highest purchase offer in the industry.