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Five 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Cards Purchased by Just Collect

Long-Time Mets Fan Traded and Flipped His Topps Cards as a Kid. Just Collect Had Nolan Ryan Autograph Each Card Through The Ryan Foundation!

January 29, 2024

A gentleman stopped by Just Collect, interested in selling his FIVE 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie cards. Yes, the long-time Mets fan walked into our store with a handful of Ryan rookies! We then used the Nolan Ryan foundation to have each rookie card autographed, and will show you how to get the legendary pitcher to sing your cards.

In 1968, a young Nolan Ryan played for the New York Mets. At age 21, Ryan was just starting to carve out his would-be Hall of Fame career. In 1966, Ryan pitched in a total of 2 games. Injuries, illness, and serving in the Army Reserve kept him from playing for the Mets in 1967, but in 1968, Nolan Ryan pitched in 21 games for the big league club.

The collector that stopped by our Just Collect store was ten years-old in 1968, and rooted for the relatively new New York Mets. The Mets joined MLB in 1962. When the young kind started following the Mets, he did what we all did at that age -fall in love with Topps baseball cards.

In 1968, Topps released a 598-card set. This set features legends of the game including Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente. Nolan Ryan's rookie card is in this set! Card #177 shows Nolan Ryan on the right, sharing his rookie card with another Mets pitcher, Jerry Koosman. 1968 Rookie Stars is sprawled on the top, the Mets team name to the left, and both pitchers looking like they're ready to give batters the business.

Nolan Ryan Rookie Cards

When these cards came out in 1968, for about five cents, you could pick up a wax pack that had five cards and that famous stick of gum. Days when a gallon of gas was only 34 cents, The Beatles dropped Hey Jude, and you rode your bike to the store for those baseball cards with other baseball cards IN your bike spokes! After ripping open the pack, maybe you traded with friends in the neighborhood or played a game of FLIP.

Standing in our store, the long-time Mets fan remembered doing those things as a young man, too. Rooting on his orange and blue, he liked to collect Nolan Ryan cards. Between trading and flipping, he held 15! Talk about being good at flipping... Today, the owner was interested in selling five of his Nolan Ryan rookie cards. As we held each Ryan, we thought about the 7 no-hitters, the 5,714 strikeouts, and of course the 1969 World Series championship Ryan helped deliver for the Mets the year after these cards were made.

We made a fair offer for the five cards, and the owner accepted. An easy, smooth process from walk-in to payment! If you choose to sell your cards to Just Collect, we pay you how you want to be paid - whether cash, company check, wire transfer, etc. If you have graded vintage cards by the thousands like our I Love Baseball Collection, a single card such as a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, or a few extra ungraded cards from your flipping/trading days like these Nolan Ryan cards, we'd love to hear from you!

AUTOGRAPHS THROUGH THE NOLAN RYAN FOUNDATION

One of the hottest trends in the hobby currently is having signed vintage cards, particularly rookie cards of Hall of Fame players. For many years, having athletes sign their rookie cards was frowned upon. After decades of not asking Mickey Mantle to sign his 1952 Topps rookie card, we bet you'd love one now - we certainly do.

After purchasing the Nolan Ryan rookie cards, we had Nolan Ryan sign three of the cards by using the Nolan Ryan Foundation.

Did you know that YOU could have Nolan Ryan sign your cards?

We sent our 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie cards, self-addressed stamped envelope (for return shipping), and our order form to the address below. The cost for one signed card is $75. For an additional inscription such as "HOF 99", the fee is another $50. Mr. Ryan signs the card in about 8 to 12 weeks. The fees are all put towards the Nolan Ryan Foundation and their scholarships.

Nolan Ryan Foundation
3400 E Palm Valley Blvd
Round Rock, TX 78665

Given the fees for players at most conventions, it is refreshing to see one of the greatest players in baseball history sign for under a hundred dollars and inking a beautiful, legible auto! You're saving on gas for the travel, admission prices, and no waiting in line.

Head to NolanRaynFoundation.org and click the autographs section to see all of the details!

Check out the autographs Nolan Ryan added to our newly-purchased cards from this collection:

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If you have signed, vintage cards or Hall of Fame rookie cards such as these Nolan Ryan cards (or that signed Mickey Mantle rookie!), we are always buying!

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 or using our website, too.

Travel to Us

If you can make the trip here like the son from my hometown did for this collection- we can make a deal at the office. We once met a father-son duo that drove eight hours from Virginia to meet us to sell a Michael Jordan rookie card stored in Tupperware since 1986 - great read here.

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.

SHIP your collection

If you choose to mail your cards for an appraisal, we will evaluate your cards for FREE still. If you choose not to sell the cards, we'll ship them back shipping fees paid by us! We can offer our FedEx account with 2-day shipping, fully insured, all covered by us. Simply contact the office to set up this option.

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.