Contact Us

The Oregon Trail

History buffs will recall the tales of The Oregon Trail.  From the days of fur traders heading West on foot and on horseback in the early 1800s, trails were laid for western expansion.  As trails were cleared and wagons accessibility became more common in the mid-1800s, Forts throughout the central states became launching grounds for wagon trains of settlers and explores that would eventually reach the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the trail would become known as The Oregon Trail and would lead to several other trails that would lead to California and Bozeman.

It is estimated that more than 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families traveled the trail during the peak years from 1846-1869, helping establish settlements throughout the pacific Northwest.  The trans-continental railroad, completed in 1869, led to a decline in the use of the trail.  Eventually, interstate highways Route 80 and Route 84 have become the major thoroughfares running along most of the original route of The Oregon Trail.

We've travels these highways in search of collections and we're certain that collections have come to us via these same roadways!

Potential Concerns About Shipping

Performing appraisals often requires in-hand examination of a collection and the logistics of a large country sometimes make it improbable for a Just Collect specialist to travel to view a collection in person.  There are several reasons that Just Collect may not be able to travel for an in-person inspection.  Usually, it is that the preliminary valuation suggests that the collection will not have enough total value to warrant a trip.  Despite the economics, we still have interest in most of these collections and have become quite adept at ballparking a preliminary value and coordinating the shipment of collections to our Somerset, New Jersey office.

The owner of the collection that we'll be sharing with you this week was very hesitant about sending his collection to Just Collect.  While the collection certainly had some real value, in the thousands of dollars, it did not meet our threshold for traveling across the country to Oregon to view the collection in person.  Much like the pioneers that headed west on the Oregon Trail, we understand the concern some people might have with the unknown.  And sending a valuable collection through the mail might be one of those concerns.  But we wanted him to be comfortable sending it through the mail.

We Want You to be Comfortable

We do not attempt to twist someone's arm to send us a collection -- they have to be comfortable with our services and our history and we suggest that they do they research on our company and our history.  If someone is unsure, they should not be creating agita by sending their cards through the mail -- and we understand. If they do decide to send the collection to us, we have a tried and true system that ensures that the package in able to be tracked enroute and that the package has to be physically delivered to our office and signed for by an authorized representative.  We take every step  to ensure your peace of mind and to reduce the stress that may accompany sending a collection through the mail.

Just Collect has been in business for more than 10 years and we pride ourselves on having a stellar reputation with regard to collections that are forwarded to our offices.  We understand that we may not always be able to agree with a seller upon condition and/or value, but we can assure every single person sending their collection to us that it will be treated carefully, handled safely, will be reviewed in a timely manner and that a complete evaluation and purchase offer will be available within 48 hours of receipt.  If we are unable to reach a pirchase agreement, we repack the collection and ship securely and fully insured via our FedEx account with a signature release required.  There is no cost or obligation if we cannot reach an agreement.

To ease the mind of anyone considering sending us a collection, please feel free to research Just Collect on the Internet or review our Google Reviews.  

A Change of Heart

The gentleman that owned the collection, after some time and consideration, decided to send the collection to our office and allow us to review the collection in person, prepare a full evaluation and present him with an offer.  We completed the evaluation and presented with the offer quickly and the owner asked for some time to consider our purchase offer.  We secured the collection while we awaited his decision.  After several days of contemplation, the owner agreed to sell the collection to Just Collect and we promptly drafted his check and sent his payment!

The Beaver State Collection

The collection from Oregon consisted of more than 1000 cards from 1952 through 1961, but was primarily 1956 Topps through 1960 Topps.  The majority of the 1956 cards were in VG to EX condition, but had an initial placed on the back of almost all of them in blue ink. Obviously, someone was more concerned with being able to identify their cards than keeping their condition as pristine as possible.  Almost all of the stars from the set were present, including Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and so many others. 

Mickey Mantle

There were several cards of Mickey Mantle in the collection, including two of Mickey's most popular cards from 1956 and 1960 Topps, two years in which he led the American League in homeruns and in runs scored!

Mantle and Maris

The 1958 cards included the "M&M Boys," with Mickey in his Yankees glory and Roger Maris featured on his rookie card before being traded from Cleveland to Kansas City and then to the New York Yankees for the beginning of the 1960 season.  A season in which he won the first of his back-to-back MVP awards and started his Yankees career by hitting a single, double and two homeruns in his first game as a Yankee.

And Football, Too...

There was also a small group of football cards in the collection from the 1955 Topps All-American Football.  Featured were cards of Sammy Baugh, Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Sid Luckman, Otto Graham and Benny Friedman as well as two of the most valuable cards in the set, The Four Horseman which depicts Notrte Dame's Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden as well as the only Topps card of Packers Hall of Fame receiver Don Hutson.

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 Oregon Trail Collection" Video: