What do you do when you get a call about a bunch of high end graded rookie cards that someone is quickly looking to sell? Some people might jump through hoops or rush to meet with the seller. At Just Collect, we do our due diligence. What does that mean? It means that we make certain that the cards have not been stolen, make sure that the owner has the right and title to sell the cards and that the cards are legitimate and as described.
The initial call came in and stated that the collection consisted of several dozen rookie cards ranging from Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson to Mike Trout and Patrick Mahomes with plenty of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers in between. Many of the cards were said to have been professionally graded. We were able to get the owner to forward images of the collection and verified that the collection consisted of raw cards, cards graded by PSA, SGC and Beckett as well as several that were graded by somewhat less desirable companies such as Beckett's bulk service, BCCG, and the Canadian company, KSA.
Not All Third Party Graders Are Equal
Reviewing the collection, we were impressed with the inclusion of a PSA 7 Joe DiMaggio 1939 Play Ball, a PSA 7 1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson rookie card and a PSA 8 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie. Additionally, we were presented with several very highly graded KSA encapsulated Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan rookies and a few high graded BCCG 10 rookie cards Dan Marino and Tom Brady rookies. Additionally, there was a BCCG 7 1953 Mickey Mantle – which translates to a card that is "Very Good or Better." We will consider buying cards in the "secondary" company holders, but the cards contained within these holders are subject to extreme scrutiny and will be valued based upon the in-hand observation as if they were ungraded versus the assigned grade - not all grading companies are the same.
Our specialist spoke with the gentleman and discussed the collection and provided a preliminary evaluation that was itemized based upon the graded cards and they also had a very frank dialog about the cards in the other holders. The card owner expressed his opinions and thoughts and an appointment to meet at our Somerset, NJ office was arranged.
Some Beautiful Cards
Once we were able to meet at our office, we failed to reach agreement on a few of the cards in the collection, specifically the 1949 Jackie Robinson PSA 7 and 1963 Pete Rose PSA 8. This was understandable as the owner had recently purchased several of them at top dollar. His intention was to liquidate a portion of his collection to garner funds for an expansion of his current business. We reviewed the collection and were able to have a meeting of the minds on about 20 PSA, SGC, and BGS graded cards.
The Vintage highlights of the collection were:
1939 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio card graded PSA 7
1958 Topps Roger Maris Rookie card graded PSA 8.5
1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie card grade PSA 8
1973 Topps Mike Schmidt Rookie card graded PSA 9
1970 Topps Thurman Munson Rookie card graded SGC 9
Additionally, there were a few Modern cards that we were happy to acquire:
2011 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Rookie card graded PSA 10
2002 Topps Finest Lebron James Rookie card graded BGS 9.5
1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera Rookie card graded PSA 10
1996 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant Rookie card graded PSA 10
2000 Score Rookie Preview Auto Tom Brady Rookie card graded BVG 8.5
2003 Bowman Chrome Lebron James Rookie card graded BVG 9.5
Why Sell to a Reseller?
One question that always comes to mind is why wouldn't a collector sell the cards themselves on eBay? We're not giving away any secrets as the collector would probably net more than selling them to a reseller, so the question again is, "Why?" We've asked this of several collectors and the answer is almost always the same and ends up being that they don't have time to do all of the work, they don't want to wait for payments and they don't want to worry about someone returning an item for a refund months after receiving it. Selling their collection outright to Just Collect, even if for a little bit less than they could sell it on their own, still makes better sense for them in the long run.
If you're looking to turn your collection into quick cash, Just Collect is ready, willing and able to purchase your collection immediately. Contact us today to get started!
Schedule an Appointment to Meet Just Collect at a Show Near You
Just Collect travels to several shows on a regular basis. In the New York area, we often attend the White Plains Show at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. If you're in the New England area, you can make an appointment to meet with one of our specialists when we're in the area for the Shriner's Show at the Aleppo Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. We also visit the Metro-DC area when we attend the CSA Show in Chantilly, VA. If you're in the South Jersey or Delaware area, you can also schedule appointments while we're in the Philadelphia area when we do The Philly Show in Valley Forge, PA.
We set up at The National Sports Collectors Convention every year and this year. Next year, 2020, The National will be at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ. It has also been in Cleveland, Chicago and Baltimore in recent years. Additionally, we travel to the Sports Card and Memorabilia Expo in Mississauga, Ontario for those of you in the Toronto area that want to meet with us in Canada.
We would love to meet with you and schedule a private appointment to assess and value your collection while we are in your area, so please check out our show and travel schedule to see when Just Collect will be in your area!
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.
Won't They Be Worth More if I Grade Them Myself
We discuss all of the selling options with everyone that we meet with. In most cases, selling the collection on their own will put the most money on the bottom line, but it will also take an large commitment of time and energy and one that most are not ready or able to undertake. Another misconception is that grading the collection will return more money. When I hear people say, "You're just going to grade them and get ten times the money," I almost cringe. Grading a collection can be a money losing proposition, especially if you don't know what you're doing. And most times, we grade very few, if any cards, from average collections that we buy.
We value a collection based upon the condition and the value. If a card is worth $100 in a PSA 7 NM, we're going to value it at $100 whether it is ungraded or graded. You can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars grading your cards, but we're still valuing them the same and paying the same regardless of how much you've invested in grading them.
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.