We get phone calls and email all day long from people that collected in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Unfortunately, most of those calls and emails don't go as well as we'd wish since most of the sportscards from that era have little to know value.
Now don't going throwing away everything from the "Junk Wax" era, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, baseball cards produced from 1987 through the strike of 1994 have not fared well over the subsequent decades. The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. card that everyone thought would fund their retirement still has some value, but not nearly as much as they did during "The Kid's" heyday. A few cards from just before the strike have gained a strong foothold over the last 25 years, especially the 1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter card, but the value resides in them being in top condition - as can be seen in the "Case Study" section on our "Should I Get My Cards Graded" page.
Well, there's also good news. Astute collectors that bought select cards from the era and/or branched out and bought some cards from the years and decades prior, found that those purchased have appreciated quite nicely. Even moreso if the collection veered from the traditional baseball cards.
"We're Looking For an Appraisal"
The owners of one such collection recently contacted us and were interested in getting an appraisal on the collection. The collection was "too large to bring to the office," so we asked for some additional details and arranged to meet at their New Jersey location. Collected by a father and son in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the collection featured the standard fare which included 1986 and 1987 Topps sets, 1988 Donruss packs, and some 1989 Upper Deck foil packs. There were also 800 and 3200 count boxes filled with commons and minor stars from Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck Score, Action Packed and Pro Set. There were screw downs containing cards that probably didn't have much more value that their plastic encasement. However, this father and son duo also collected some older cards.
There's Value in Collecting More Than Just Baseball Cards
Together, they worked on building and completing a 1970 Topps Baseball Set. They also had made some significant headway into a 1964 Topps Baseball Set. They also assembled a nice run of Topps Football Sets from 1976 through 1989, a few mid 1970s Topps Basketball Sets and a nice assortment of Hall of Fame players and rookie cards.
One of the most interesting holdings in the collection was a nearly complete 1986 Fleer Basketball Set including the stickers. The set was assembled as they duo split a box with a friend in 1993 and built this near set. The near set included a very nice NM-MT Michael Jordan rookie card as well as two of the Jordan sticker cards. Most of the other major rookies and stars were included in the near set and presented as a pack fresh group with only the typical Fleer centering and a few light touches keeping this group from being MINT. Not bad for a box that they recalled splitting at a cost of a couple of hundred dollars.
Among the balance of the collection were quite a few star cards that dad had added while sharing the history with his son. The highlights included a very nice 1963 Topps Mickey Mantle card, a well centered 1969 Topps Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) rookie, a 1968 Topps Johnny Bench rookie and many of the key rookies from the late 1970's through the steroid era of the 1980s. There was plenty of rookie star power represented by Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken, Roger Clemens, Rickey Henderson, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Walt Frazier and many others.
Evaluation and Sale
After reviewing the collection and preparing a spreadsheet for the sets, singles, stars and the balance of the collection, we reviewd the collection with the son and presented our purchase offer. He made a call to his father and they discussed the offer and how the collection was evaluated and felt that they had been treated fairly and honestly and they happily agreed to sell their collection to Just Collect.
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, too!
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 souls into building their collections. 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 or 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.
The Father and Son Collection Video: