A common phrase in business is that a loyal customer is your best customer and suggests that you're doing a good job. As a buyer, it is even more impressive when a collector reaches out to sell you more of their collection. It means that you've done right by them and that they're comfortable and trusting of your process. Just Collect has a great number of repeat customers that buy from us and we've had an amazing amount of success with sellers reaching out to us to purchase more of their collection and also refer us to their friends that may have collections that they're interested in selling. We attribute this to our process, being transparent and above board while providing fully detailed evaluations with the highest purchase offers in the hobby.
Complete Set Run
It has now been a little over two years since Just Collect purchased a significant collection from a local New Jersey dairy farmer. In the Spring of 2017, we purchased a 1954 Topps Set, a large assortment of stars and partial sets from 1950s and 1960 and numerous monster boxes containing tens of thousands of commons and minor stars from the late 1960's through 1977. The farmer mentioned that he had a run of sets and some other cards that he might eventually wish to sell. Well, he recently called us back and invited us to come to his farm to review and make an offer on the set run that he has assembled. We were happy to schedule an appointment and even happier to quickly reach agreement on value and a purchase price.
Unlike the previous collection, which was housed mostly in screw-downs, top-loaders and stored in shoeboxes, this portion of the collection was almost entirely organized in D-ring binders. Starting with the 1958 Topps Baseball Set, it was an absolute pleasure flipping through the pages and reviewing the condition of the collection and reminiscing about the players with the owner. More than half of the sets contained at least one Mickey Mantle card (1958 through 1969). Additionally, since the sets were complete, all of the stars and rookies were there from Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Pete Rose, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett and many others.
The condition of the cards varied from set to set and even within the set. Most sets were assembled by the farmer over the course of many years. A few of the sets were purchased complete, similar to the 1954 Set that we purchased from him in 2017.
The collection contained complete Topps Baseball Sets from 1958 through 1980. In addition to the full run of sets, there was another nearly complete 1964 Set missing about 10 cards, an extra 1971 Set, an extra 1980 Set and additional partial sets of 1974 and 1975. While there were not as many loose or single cards as in the previous portion of the collection there were still quite a few single cards, including a bunch of PSA graded cards -- mostly from 1963. The farmer thought they might've been to fill spots in the 1963 set, but when we looked, they were duplicates. Many of the cards were Phillies stars like Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts, but there were also some Yankees cards and a few key Hall of Fame rookie cards like Bob Gibson.
Another group in the collection consisted of oversized cards which included Salutation Exhibits, regular Exhibits, team issues, magazine inserts, Jay Publishing, 1964 Topps Giants and Topps Pin-ups.
Modern, Too
In addition to the vintage set run, the farmer would pick up lots at auction and would buy boxes at the local Target supermarket when the blaster boxes would be reduced to the discount bin -- usually 50% off. He had a few blaster boxes that he paid $10 or less for that had appreciated quite nicely and he was startled when we pointed out the value and what we would be able to pay for them -- including three blaster boxes of 2011 Bowman Chrome featuring Bryce Harper. He said that he wished that he had bought more, but they moved the sports card section to the back of the store and he never felt the need to go back there -- it was much easier when the cards where in front of the store near the check-out registers.
Missed Out on Mantle, So Jeter Was the Fall Back
He noted that since he missed out on Mickey Mantle when his buddy bought the 1952 Topps card decades ago, that Derek Jeter seemed like a Yankee to collect when he began winning World Series Championships. Although he grew up a Phillies fan and still roots for them, Jeter was accessible and available at shows and auctions that he would attend. There was a box of lesser value Jeter cards in the collection, but also mixed in were several rookie cards, including Score, Upper Deck and two ungraded SP cards and a BGS 9 SP. As we chatted, he mentioned that he recalled that he paid $125 for the BGS Jeter and was nearly floored when we told him that it was valued at 10x that in a BGS 9 and that it was currently well over $4000 in a PSA 9. It is always nice when someone is selling a collection and is realizing a nice profit. It is even nicer when they've called you because you've treated them so well in the past.
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, it will be at the Stephens Convention Center in the Rosemont section of Chicago, IL and it has also been in Cleveland, Atlantic City 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.