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No Sport, Just Cards

Recently, we purchased a 1940 Lone Ranger complete trading card set.  While in the scope of some of the great sets and collection that Just Collect has purchased over the past decade, this set may pale, it is a great reminder that Just Collect is also one of the most aggressive buyers of non-sport cards in the nation.  We are always looking for vintage non-sport set, singles and unopened packs and boxes.

A Little History

As early as the 19th Century, non-sports cards were issued as premiums for a variety of products promoting tobacco, and later candy and chewing gum, breakfast cereals, snack chips, soft drinks and even restaurants and odd-ball food and meat issues. Some are extremely rare and very highly sought after. Unfortunately, some are very common and hold little value. 19th Century tobacco companies issued premiums of stage actors, actresses, models, animals and historical sites among a litany of other subjects.

In the late 1930's, non-sport cards seemed to change. Comic book and fictional characters were taking hold. Radio serials were spawning a new generation of fictional heroes and the card manufactures were quick to utilize many of these as premiums to hawk their products. It wasn't long before Mickey Mouse, Superman, The Lone Ranger, and many others became cardboard fixtures.

Propaganda also found its way into the non-sports card arena. During World War II, Gum, Inc. (later Bowman) would roll out Horrors of War. Still one of the most popular non-sports issues ever, this set featured many cards and depictions that are a far cry from what would be considered politically correct given today's climate.

The 1950's gave new hope to the post-war generation and non-sports cards seemed to exemplify this hope. Through the 1950's and into the 1960's, space and astronaut cards, movie stars and teen heartthrobs, music and television stars, and even entire movies and television series became fixtures of the card manufacturers.

Just Collect Wants Non-Sports Cards

There are plenty of non-sports cards that have been issued over the past 80 years and Just Collect is interested in purchasing many of them.  Some of our most desired issues are prior to 1960 include:

• 1932 U.S. Caramel Presidents (aka "American Heroes Caramels")
• 1933 Goudey Indians (also reprinted and reissued in 1948)
• 1933 National Chicle Sky Birds
• 1933 Tootsie Circus (R152)
• 1935 Gum, Inc. Mickey Mouse
• 1936 Gum, Inc. G-Men and Heroes of the Law
• 1938 Gum, Inc. Horrors of War
• 1940 Gum, Inc. Superman
• 1951 Bowman Fight The Red Menace
• 1951 Bowman Space, Rockets & Jets
• 1952 Topps Look 'n See
• 1952 Bowman U.S. Presidents
• 1954 Topps Scoops
• 1956 Topps Davy Crockett
• 1956 Topps Elvis Presley
• 1956 Topps U.S. Presidents
• 1958 Topps Westerns
• 1958 Topps Zorro
• 1959 Fleer The 3 Stooges

There are plenty of issues that came out during the 1960's and 1970's and these are a few of our most wanted:

• 1962 Topps Civil War News
• 1962 Topps Mars Attacks
• 1963 Topps Astronauts
• 1963 Topps Beverly Hillbillies
• 1964 Leaf The Munsters
• 1964 Topps Beatles
• 1965 Philadelphia James Bond 007
• 1965 Topps Gilligan's Island
• 1966 Batman
• 1967 Leaf Star Trek
• 1967 Topps Wacky Packages Die Cut
• 1971 Topps Brady Bunch

We even have great interest in several modern sets and modern wax boxes, including:

• 1976 Topps Star Trek
• 1977 Topps Star Wars (Series 1-5)
• 1978 Donruss KISS
• 1985 Topps Garbage Pail Kids (1st Series)
• 1999 1st Edition Pokémon

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.  Next year, 2020, The National will be at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ.  It has also been in Cleveland, Chicago 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.