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The Three Rivers Collection

Where the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River unite to form the Ohio River was a multi-use stadium opened in 1970 and proved to be a hotbed for both baseball and football for the next several years.
The Pittsburgh Pirates represented the National League in the World Series in 1971 and again in 1979, winning the World Championship both seasons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Chuck Knoll, went from a 1-13 season in 1969 to being the terrors of the NFL through the 1970s. They won the Super Bowl 4 times during the decade. The Steelers, led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw, hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after the 1975, 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons!

The Contact

We received a call from a gentleman that had grown up in the Pittsburgh area during this iconic era.  He rooted for the Pirates and Steelers and later for the Penguins in hockey and built a collection of many of the heroes of the era.

Luckily, the collection that he was interested in selling was entirely PSA graded, so he forwarded the list of cards and grades and our specialist put pen to paper and worked out the values and we made an offer that was eventually agreed upon.  Rather than shipping, because of the value, the collector wanted to deliver the collection to our Somerset, NJ office and also wanted to bring some additional cards that he had that he was interested in selling.

We met a few days later at our office, confirmed the collection and made an offer on the balance of the collection and now we present some of the collection to you.

Roberto Clemente Run

If you were growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1960's, odds are pretty strong that you were a Roberto Clemente fan. The collector of this group of cards was no exception. He put together a collection of PSA graded Roberto Clemente cards ranging 1957 through 1973 and ranging from PSA 7 to PSA 8. The only base cards missing from the Clemente collection were the 1955 Topps rookie, his second card from 1956 and cards from 1963 and 1972. All of the cards from 1960-1973 were graded PSA 8.

In addition to Clemente, there were a few other Pirates favorites including Willie Stargell and Andrew McCutchen.

Hall of Fame Rookies

The collection contained a few cards of players that were not Pittsburgh related. Many of them are arguably the greatest players at their respective positions. Jim Brown, perhaps the greatest running back in the history of professional football is featured on his 1958 Topps rookie card that was graded PSA 6 EX/MT. Dave "Deacon" Jones, one of the greatest defensive ends ever, stands out on his 1963 Topps rookie card graded PSA 8 NM/MT. Bears teammates Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus are found on their 1966 Philadelphia rookie cards graded PSA 7 NM and PSA 5 EX, respectively.

Controversy surrounds O.J. Simpson, but his 1970 rookie card is found here graded PSA 8 NM/MT while the Bears Walter Payton is captured on his 1976 rookie card which has been graded PSA 8 NM/MT. Tony Dorsett, a standout at the University of Pittsburgh before his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys is proudly represented on a PSA 9 MINT example of his 1978 rookie card. Two other All-Time great running backs were represented by Earl Campbell (1979 Topps) and Barry Sanders (1989 Score).

Other Hall of Fame Rookies

There were a few other rookies that had both a Pittsburgh vibe and a G.O.A.T. feel to them. Two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Dan Marino and John Elway, are featured on their 1984 Topps rookie in PSA 8 and PSA 9, respectively. The Steelers were well represented by: Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mel Blount, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, Mike Webster and John Stallworth.  And what Pittsburgh collection would be complete without a Mario Lemieux rookie card?  This one has one, too!

And there were a few other Steelers cards including Antonio Brown and Heath Miller.

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.