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A collection of vintage baseball cards stored in a cigar box from the 1930's-1940's came into our offices today. Inside were stacks of Play Ball baseball cards like Ted Williams and vintage non-sports cards like Superman. Check out the newest collection proudly purchased by us: The Perfecto Cigar Box Play Ball Collection.

A gentleman had inherited a collection of cards from his father many years ago. Back in the 1930's and 1940's his father collected a variety of sports cards and non-sports cards. When the father passed away, the cards were left to each of his two sons. Neither son collected cards and weren't sure what to do with the collection, so one of the sons stored the cards in his closet for quite some time. This happens often in the hobby; the sons had no emotional attachment to the cards. There are simply items that your parents may have collected that you have no interest or knowledge of, and the same may happen to your children with your collectables. We all have different interests, and those interest could be vastly different from your parents.

Recently the son thought about the cards stashed in his closet and what to do with the old collection. The son did what many possible sellers do in this scenario: he did a Google search for "how to sell my baseball cards." The gentleman found our site, Just Collect; we are one the largest buyers in the world for vintage cards. After calling (732) 828-2261 to set up an appraisal here in our New Jersey office, I realized this gentleman was from my hometown of Perth Amboy, NJ! I was raised in this town from the age of 7 until my late 30's, so I was quite interested in seeing a collection of cards from the place I grew up in.

THE PERFECTO CIGAR BOX PLAY BALL COLLECTION

When the gentleman arrived to Just Collect, I was excited to see not only the cards themselves, but HOW the cards were stored. The cards came in a vintage cigar box straight from the 1930's! The Phillies Perfect box still has the original price tag for a cigar of just 5 cents. When I opened the box, a great variety of cards from the 1930's and 1940's were inside.

You recognize the guy right on top here - Ted Williams. The "Splendid Splinter" was a first-ballot baseball hall of famer with 521 career home runs and a lifetime average of .344. These cards are from the 1941 Playball set; the same year Teddy Ballgame batted .406 (the last player still to bat over .400 for the season)! What stands this set out in US history is that this was the last major release until World War II was over. For a penny you could pick up a pack of two cards (and a stick of gum) to look for your favorite baseball players including Williams. This collection has two Ted Williams cards from the 1941 Playball set as well as two Pee-Wee Reese rookie cards, SIX Lefty Gomez cards, and Hank Greenberg. Other Hall of Fame players from the 1941 Playball set in this cigar box were Mell Ott, Bill Dickey, Jimmy Foxx, and Red Ruffing. Most of these star cards had multiple copies of each!

There were also a handful stars and Hall of Famers from the 1940 Playball set. The black and white cards in the bottom row above are from the 1940 release and you can spot Hank Greenberg on the far right. Greenberg was a two-time MVP (1935, and 1940) and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. In the top row you will find cards from the 1933 Goudey baseball set. You might recall the Once Bitten Collection Just Collect purchased that included a mysteriously-bitten Babe Ruth card from the 1933 Goudey set.

As I looked further down in the cigar box, I found vintage non-sports cards. Here you can see 1933 Goudey Indian Gum cards that depict Native American chiefs, Generals, Wild West figures, and more. Next are a favorite of mine - 1940 Superman cards! Only a handful of the 72 cards in the 1940 Superman set are present in this collection, but they're always fun to find. The front of each card looks like you're reading an old Action Comics issue. More non-sports cards were found in the box including 1938 Horrors of War cards. You will probably never find a set released again like the Horrors of War cards; these cards contain violent graphics illustrating war settings.

The cards being stored in a cigar box from the 1930's made me think about a time when there was no television and not everyone owned a car. Back when you could buy a house for about $3,000. I wondered if the father began his collection of cards around the age of 18 given the cigar box, or did his dad, the owner's grandfather, collected a few cards and passed those down. One thing was certain - I had to make an offer for not just the cards, but the cigar box, too! The box and cards go hand in hand with this collection. If you find an old cigar box, make sure to check inside! You could find cards in unexpected places.

Video of The Perfecto Cigar Box Play Ball Collection

THE APPRAISAL AND PURCHASE

Your local card shop is generally not well equipped to appraise or purchase vintage collections like this unless they have vintage expertise on staff like we do. The retail stores are focused on selling modern products and simply don't have the time or the knowledge to carefully evaluate vintage collections. This is where I'm happy to help you. My name is John, vintage card specialist and acquisitions manager at Just Collect. If you have a collection you're interested in getting appraised or selling, I'd love to hear from you.  Please reach out to me at John@Justcollect.com.

I took my time to carefully review the vintage collection. After a few days of research, I called the owner to make a fair offer on the collection. His brother happened to be visiting at the time and the gentleman wanted permission to sell the collection that belonged to their dad. Neither son had an emotional attachment and were happy to sell the collection. I made a fair offer that the sons accepted. Shortly afterward the agreement to purchase the collection, the gentleman came to Just Collect to pick up his check. When you sell a collection to Just Collect, we pay you how you want to be paid! We could write you a check, pay you in cash, a money order, wire transfer, or I can buy you a box of your favorite cigars if that's the payment you prefer!  

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 or 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. Check out the Just Collect Buy List.

We always offer a FREE APPRAISAL for your collection here at the Just Collect site. Just click here:

We offer may ways to evaluate your cards other than shipping or using our website, too.

• Come to convention

We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending.  Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.

• Meet in-person

If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.

• Meet in New York City

We have another location in New York you can meet us at; read all the information here.

OUR BUYING PHILOSOPHY

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the last 25 years. Although Just Collect is known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage baseball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, too!  

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 souls into building their collections. So when you're ready to sell, we understand the feelings that you're going through and 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.

CONTACT US ANY TIME

Whether you have vintage cards or modern wax you want to sell, you can reach out to us any time! 

• JustCollect.com
• (732) 828-2261
• info@justcollect.com
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