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There are many people that have collections that have cards that they consider damaged or destroyed.  The common thought is that such cards may be candidates for tossing in the trash because they have no value. Oh, but hold on! They might not be as worthless as you think!

Don't Trash Those Cards!

Stars Have Value

While it is true that seriously damaged cards lose much of their value and some are rendered relatively worthless, some have enough demand that they still retain some value. Cards of icons like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Mickey Mantle are highly desired and even in the worst of shape, they have value. So, before you toss your damaged cardboard in the trash can, check with Just Collect and make sure that you're not throwing money away!

Worth More Than Expected

As an example, this "Trash to Cash Realtor Collection" was one that the seller was hoping that he might be able to get $100 for, and he was afraid that may have been a reach. It was worth much more than that, even in the lesser and often terrible condition.

While we were purchasing a very nice collection in Massachusetts, the seller asked about whether there was any value to a 1933 Goudey Set that has the "Big League" banners cut off? He noted that all four Babe Ruth cards and both Lou Gehrig cards were in the set and had been trimmed. When we advised him that it was still worth several thousand dollars, he was very pleased. Especially, since he had purchased it as an afterthought, along with another collection he bought many years earlier. Unfortunately, he could not find the set while we were there purchasing the collection.

However, he was able to locate it shortly after we left and contacted us to discuss the collection and the retail value, which, despite all of the trimming, was still thousands of dollars. We reviewed the potential range of values and provided our FedEx account for free overnight shipping to our Somerset, NJ office to view it in person.  Once received, we were able to review the near set and we were able to give him our purchase offer, which he accepted.

You'd Grade Them?

Well, after we purchased the set, we figured that we'd be best served in getting a few of the key cards authenticated by PSA. Some might ask, "Why would you get something like that authenticated?" The answer is very simple. There are many unscrupulous people that sell cards that are doctored to look old or abused. The cards cost them almost nothing, but they can sell them for hundreds dollars because there are some unsuspecting people that won't know that the cards are fake and they think that they're buying a cards that is worth many times more. Before you say that people can't make that mistake, they must, otherwise the scammers wouldn't continue offering them.

As a result, many people have become wary of buying higher value, vintage cards, even those in lesser condition, because of the chance that they might be fake cards. Since many people won't buy valuable cards unless they are authenticated, even if they are in terrible condition, we opt to get many of them authenticated to provide assurance, peace of mind, and to appeal to a larger buying audience.

Those Are Fake! (Oh, No They're Not)

When we buy collections, we'll often post an image or two of high profile cards to Facebook and other social media outlets and the amount of responses saying the card is fake, counterfeit, or reprinted are surprisingly common. We can assure you that we are experts at identifying and authenticating cards and any ungraded cards that we feature on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or in our blogs are real -- even if they are not authenticated by PSA or SGC.

The Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig cards in this collection, even though they've been trimmed to a smaller size, are still worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars each and it is prudent of us to have them authenticated to help ensure that our buyers are comfortable that they are bidding on and/or are buying the real deal!

Video of "A Fishy Story: Tall Boys, Baseball and Non-Sport Collection"

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.