Would you sell your collection? Have you ever considered selling or apprasing your cards? What reasons might you consider for selling either a portion or the entirety of your collection?
Perhaps you might sell to help fund a college education for yourself or a family member. What if you needed to purchase or make an expensive repair to a car. Maybe your collection is valuable enough to provide for a down payment on a new home. There are many reasons that someone might consider for selling their collection.
A collector contacted us recently via email with a collection he had assembled that consisted of more than 250 different PSA graded baseball cards, with most being Hall of Famers. He noted in his email that he was looking to sell the collection because his wife thinks that they "need a new kitchen." He was able to forward us a spreadsheet with the entire collection and identified each of the grades for the cards. This made it very easy for our specialists to review the condition, determine the values and to prepare a very competitive purchase offer.
Nine Decades of Cards
The collection spanned across 80 years and 9 decades – from 1909 to 1989 – and ranged from PSA 2 to PSA 10. Obviously, with a collection this star-centric and of this magnitude, you'd expect to find some Mickey Mantle cards and there were plenty. Also, we found cards of Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Wee Willie Keeler, Pee Wee Reese, Rogers Hornsby, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and so many others. There were even more modern Hall of Fame rookie cards of Ken Griffey, George Brett, Greg Maddux, Wade Boggs, Goose Gossage, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Kirby Puckett and Eddie Murray to name just a few.
An Overview
Reviewing the details of the collection, there were cards from the first few decades of the 20th Century highlighted by examples of T205 Gold Border, T206 White Border and Strip Card issues, Pre-war (WWII) cards from the 1930s and early 1940s produced by Diamond Stars, Goudey and Play Ball as well as Post-war cards from the late 1940s to date manufactured by Leaf, Bowman and Topps
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Numbers, Numbers Everywhere
The collector built his spreadsheet using a myriad of columns and values derived from current, recent and average sales prices. While this provided some skewed valuations, we were able to discuss these variables with the seller and were able to reach a meeting of the minds with regard to true current market value and we were able to quickly reach an amenable agreement that was a WIN/WIN for both parties.
We hope that he and his wife enjoy the new kitchen that his collection helped purchase!
Why Would Someone "Wholesale" Their Collection
Some may question why a colelctor with a graded collection would selling to a dealer. The answer is rather simple and yet, complex. The simple answer is that selling everything all at once reduces the work of selling the collection in portions or individually. Additionally, not all dealers pay what are considered to be lowball "wholesale" prices. Many do, but not all. In some cases, Just Collect will pay as much as 70-80% of the NET RETAIL VALUE of a PSA or SGC graded card collections. That's far from what many would consider "wholesaling" or dumping a collection. When one factors in the time, effort and uncertain results of selling on their own, such a "wholesale" offer would be a welcomed option for most.
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
The "The New Kitchen PSA Collection: Mickey Mantle and Other HOFers" Video: