We at Just Collect love being able to make multiple purchases from the same sellers. We've had some success with several sellers across the country that have returned to sell more of their collection. We've shared some of the stories with in previous blogs. This collection is one that was several years in the making.
Last Fall, we were able to meet with a seller from New England and purchase a portion of his collection as highlighted in our December Blog "The New England Antique Dealer's Kin Collection." Today's Blog provides the second half of the collection that we were able to buy this Spring while we were in Massachusetts attending a sports card convention.
We get many leads on a daily basis and handling them, you start to get a feeling of how to handle people. Some just want to get a price and sell, some want to share their story and be heard, some want to get the information and begin the process of analyzing and comparing the data and some people just want to get their foot in the water, but are in no hurry to move forward. We're glad that we were able to meet this seller's needs and allow him the time to process, sort and come to a final decision.
The Collection: Part Two
The original collection that we purchased last Fall consisted of mostly pre-war material including lots of tobacco cards with T206's which included Ty Cobb and Cy Young, T205's, T201's and some T202's as well as some silks and also some blankets. There was a smattering of post wars cards as well, most notably the Topps rookie cards of the No-Hitter Kings, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan.
This portion of the collection, however, featured primarily post-war cards and was mostly player runs of the stars of the day. The player runs were highlighted by Mickey Mantle. Mantle was featured on a wide array of Topps cards from 1958 through 1968, including many of the multi-player cards.
Some key rookie cards from the run included 1957 Topps Brooks Robinson, 1961 Juan Marichal, Ron Santo and Billy Williams, 1962 Lou Brock, 1964 Tony Larussa, 1965 Joe Morgan, Steve Carlton and Tony Perez, 1966 Fergie Jenkins, 1968 Johnny Bench and several others that are noted below.
In addition to the rookie cards, there were some nice players runs of stars such as the previously mentioned Mickey Mantle and also Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Tom Seaver, Pete Rose, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew and many others.
Although the collection was mostly 1950's Topps cards, there were some other cards including a 1933 Jimmie Foxx and a 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie card. There was also a Babe Ruth card from the 1960 Fleer Baseball Greats issue as well as a smattering of other Fleer and Bowman cards.
In addition to the many player runs, there were some 1954 Topps cards including he rookie cards of Tigers great Al Kaline, Cubs back-to-back MVP winner Ernie Banks, Dodgers managerial legend Tommy Lasorda and also one of the two Ted Williams cards that bookended the 1954 Topps set with #1 and #250!
From the last of the large Topps card issues, the collection included another 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie card, a second year 1955 Hank Aaron and a Willie Mays card from the 1956 Topps issue.
Although there were not that many cards from the 1960's, there were a couple example from 1967 that were highlighted by the rookie cards of Tom Seaver and Rod Carew.
Patience
This collection was an exercise in patience and sometimes, the key to being able to buy collections, especially one
like this, is knowing when to be patient. This collection took nearly two years from first contact to the closure of the first portion. It took several additional months for him to decide to sell the most recent portion. We don't know what the future holds with what else he has, but we'll be patient and take things as they come.
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 IX Center in Cleveland, OH and it has been in Chicago, 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.
The "The New England Antique Collection - Part Two" Video: