The debate rages forever. Is wrestling a sport or is it entertainment? When I was a kid, my friends that loved wrestling swore that it was as sport and some even insisted that the action was real. Today, I think that most reasonable people can agree that the outcomes in professional wrestling are predetermined and the matches are choreographed, but while it still may not be considered a sport by some, there is little doubt that the wrestlers are indeed athletes.
Many wrestlers were successful athletes in other sports, so not recognizing their athletic feats is silly. How many 250-300 pound men do you know that can jump from the top of the turnbuckle while launching themselves into another wrestler and get up and walk away. Heck, most men that I know would have a hard time climbing the ropes, let alone jumping 8-10 feet in the air.
Wrestling Isn't New
There are many other wrestling sets and sets that include wrestlers, including 19th Century issues including Allen & Ginter, Goodwin Champions and many specialty issues. Some of the more notable sets that were dedicated to wrestlers post WWII included the 1955 Parkhurst Wrestling Set issued in Canada, the 1982-83 Wrestling All Stars Set highlighted by this blog and the 1985 Topps WWF Set which included 66 cards and 22 stickers.
The Wrestling All-Star set was advertised by Pro Wrestling Enterprises as "The first set ever of real professional wrestling trading cards with full color photos of thirty-six top stars". If you were a reader of the Wrestling News Magazine or just spotted the advertisement while waiting on a doctor's appointment, you could've owned these sets by simply sending a $5.00 payment and you would receive a complete set of 36 cards which were tightly, too tightly often times, sealed in plastic. Sister publication, The Wrestling Revue also carried ads for the cards.
Issued in three different sets of 36 cards (yes, I know we mentioned 33 cards in the video - Ooops) during 1982 and 1983, the sets are identifiable by the reverse. Each set has a specific reverse color and the copyright notes 1982 Series A, 1982 Series B or 1983 Series A. You can find the checklist for each of the three series further down in this blog.
Some serious collectors of this issue have suggested that there may have been less than 2,000 sets issued (some argue there may have been even less) and that Wrestling News continued to advertise them for several years. Little did anyone know the value that these sets would reach.
The 1982 Series A Set is the one that most collectors flock to. The inclusion of Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan are the primary draws, but there are so many other stars including legends like Dusty Rhodes, Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair and Jerry Lawler.
While the 1982 Series A Set was only advertised for a short period, the 1982 Series B and the 1983 Series A were advertised for another couple of years.
The least popular of the sets is the 1982 Series B, but that doesn't mean that they're worthless. Far from it! Factory sealed Series B Sets will still command hundreds of dollars and inlcuded the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Sergeant Slaughter, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, former Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Tito Santana and The Iron Sheik.
The 1983 Series A Series, which is a bit easier to find in both unopened and in higher grade condition, featured Jimmy Hart, Fred Blassie, Captain Lou Albano, The Grand Wizard and Sheik Al-Kaissey (aka The Iron Sheik) are some of the most famous managers in the history of wrestling and all appear in the 1983 set.
1982 Series A
1 Andre the Giant
2 Hulk Hogan
3 Mil Mascaras
4 Ted DiBiase
5 Junk Yard Dog
6 Dusty Rhodes
7 Jack Brisco
8 Harley Race
9 Dory Funk Jr.
10 Terry Funk
11 Nick Bockwinkel
12 Bob Backlund
13 Bruno Sammartino
14 Pedro Morales
15 Don Muraco
16 Bill Dundee
17 Steve Olsonoski
18 Tommy Rich
19 Angelo Mosca
20 Bruiser Brody
21 The Fabulous Moolah
22 Wahoo McDaniel
23 Billy Robinson
24 Ivan Koloff
25 Tony Atlas
26 Pat Patterson
27 Ric Flair
28 Ivan Putski
29 Dick Murdoch
30 The Crusher
31 Ken Patera
32 Ernie Ladd
33 Dick the Bruiser
34 Jerry Lawler
35 Cowboy Bill Watts
36 The Destroyer
1982 Series B
1 Rick Martel
2 Tony Garea
3 Bob Roop
4 Greg Gagne
5 Jim Brunzell
6 Jay Strongbow
7 Kerry Von Erich
8 S.D. Jones
9 Brad Rheingans
10 Killer Kahn
11 Ricky Steamboat
12 Paul Orndorff
13 Tito Santana
14 Sergeant Slaughter
15 Verne Gagne
16 Bobby Heenan
17 Jerry Blackwell
18 Les Thornton
19 Adrian Adonis
20 Jesse Ventura
21 Buck Zum Hofe
22 Jimmy Valiant
23 Steve Keirn
24 Ray Stevens
25 The Iron Shiek
26 Mr. Wrestling II
27 Col. Buck Robley
28 Bobby Duncum
29 Mike George
30 Dino Bravo
31 Baron Von Raschke
32 Bobo Brazil
33 Greg Valentine
34 Joyce Grable
35 Sweet Brown Sugar
36 Dutch Mantell
1983 Series A
1 "Superstar" Graham
2 Tiger Mask
3 Sheik El Kaissey
4 Sgt. Jacques Goulet
5 Curt Hennig
6 Tully Blanchard
7 Superfly Jimmy Snuka
8 Gino Hernandez
9 Lou Thesz
10 Hacksaw Jim Duggan
11 Mr. Olympia
12 "Iron" Mike Sharpe
13 Jimmy Hart
14 Spike Huber
15 Steve Regal
16 Buddy Rogers
17 Jules Strongbow
18 Salvatore Bellomo
19 Bob Sweetan
20 Scott Casey
21 The Grappler
22 Big John Studd
23 Buddy Rose
24 Rocky Johnson
25 Jake Roberts
26 The Super Destroyer
27 Antonio Inoki
28 Dick Slater
29 Ken Lucas
30 Ricky Morton
31 Fred Blassie
32 Lou Albano
33 The Grand Wizard
34 Candi Divine
35 Austin Idol
36 Matt Borne
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 "Wrestling All Stars" Video: