Road Trip versus a Road Show
What determines whether Just Collect will go on the road to buy a collection? Typically, Just Collect will evaluate a collection and if the collection projects to be in the range of $20,000 or more, we will pack up and travel to see the collection in the United States, Canada and even overseas. We may even host a Road Show when we're in town. Smaller or relatively local collections will also allow Just Collect to make a Road Trip to view and purchase a collection.
So, whether a Road Trip, a Road Show or a Mail In, Just Collect can accommodate almost any collection.
Virginia is for Card Lovers
We received a call from a gentleman that grew up in New Jersey, but had moved to Virginia decades ago and raised his family. He decided that it might be time to sell his childhood baseball card collection. He searched through the Internet and reached out and contacted several of the companies that he felt most comfortable with. Several were interested in his collection, but most wanted him to ship the collection to them and then they would let him know what they believed that the cards were worth. He was hesitant to put his cards in the mail -- not an unusual concern for many.
He talked with one of Just Collect's customer service specialists and after forwarding some images, we prepared a preliminary evaluation and discussed the value of the collection, and the process of how we evaluate and base our purchase offers. While we discussed the possibility of going to visit him in Virginia, he noted he and his wife were taking a road trip to Canada and they would like to stop by your office on their way to have our vintage card specialist review the collection in person. We were happy to set an appointment and meet with the couple during their trip.
Building the Collection
The collection was started when the collector' was about 11 years old and was growing up in suburban New Jersey, about a half hour drive from Yankee Stadium. He believed that he initially began buying cards in 1955 and also really being excited when he would find his favorite Yankees. He also remembered trading for a few other older cards. His favorite player? Mickey Mantle and the 1953 Topps card in this collection was one that he traded heavily to get from his friends. His favorite non-Yankee was Ted Williams.
The collecting stopped abruptly when the gentleman became a teenager and based upon the cards, that was during the early part of the summer of 1957.
A Few Years - Stacks of Stars
The collection was predominantly 1955-1957, there was a 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle and about 75 cards from 1954. Within the small assortment of 1954 Topps cards was a very nice Hank Aaron rookie card, Willie Mays, two Tommy Lasorda rookies and three Ted Williams cards (one #1 and two #250).
The collection seemed to begin in earnest in 1955 with a nice assortment of 1955 Topps and Bowman cards. The big boys from 1955 Topps were all there. The was a really well centered Sandy Koufax rookie, THREE Roberto Clemente rookies and FOUR Harmon Killebrew rookies! Oh, and SIX Willie Mays cards!
The cards varied in condition and it was explained that some were obtained by trading with friends and those were the ones typically in lesser condition as his buddies didn't seem to worry about keeping the cards as nicely as he did. When he was looking at the cards, they were stashed away in cigar boxes.
The best part of the collection was the quality of many of the commons from 1956 Topps and 1957 Topps. It was obvious that as the collector got a little older, he traded less and kept his cards in nice condition. He told us that when he stopped collecting, he put his cards away and they've been stashed away for more than 50 years until he decided it was time to take them out and investigate the plausibility of selling them.
Although the cards were not MINT, they ranged from Very Good to Near Mint in the 1956 and 1957 lots and this group accounted for more than half of the collection. One of the most fun things is handling vintage cards that still have a very fresh feel. If you have ever done it, you'll know exactly that feeling that we're talking about. There's just a special feel to it.
Even better is while thumbing through the stars and finding multiple Mickey Mantle cards!
WIN/WIN
After reviewing the collection, Just Collect made an offer that was met with agreement and the sale was completed and the couple was on their was to visit family in Nova Scotia, Canada. We noted that by coming to visit us at our office, it not only saved our specialist having to be out of the office traveling to visit him, but it also added hundreds of dollars to his bottom line as we did not have those additional expenses to factor into the purchase offer. It certainly was a WIN/WIN for both the collector and Just Collect!
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 Virginia to New Jersey Road Trip Collection" Video: