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Just Collect Helps 12-Year-Old Henry Purchase Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card

Tips and Ice Cream From Leighton to Henry and his Family

August 18, 2023

When a 12-year-old approached our booth at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago to inquire about the 1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky rookie card we offered for sale, we of course wanted to help! See how Leighton helped Henry take home his favorite card and the new tips to use for future purchases.

Our favorite moment at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago wasn't when we interviewed Derek Jeter. While it was wonderful seeing our friend and Topps artist, Andy Friedman, that doesn't top our list either. Not even Alex Giaimo having us on Carded with MLB was the top moment at the show for us! The number one moment at the National was when a 12-year-old collector named Henry wanted to buy our 1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky rookie card.

Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player to ever wear a pair of skates. When your nickname is The Great One, you let that do the talking for you. Gretzky's 1979 Topps rookie card is THE hockey card to own. You know this. We know this. Most collectors between 30-50 know this. We have never met a 12-year-old that knows this! Not until we met Henry at the National, that is.

When Henry approached our booth and asked about the Gretzky rookie, Leighton not only wanted to help Henry take home the card, he also wanted to teach a young collector two key tips to use for future purchases.

1. Always, politely, ask if the seller is flexible on the price.

2. Check the availability of the card

You often hear the word "comps" - comparable prices. When you see a card for sale at $100, you check the cards most recently sold for the "comp" price. Leighton teaches Henry that while the last card may have sold for $80, if there are no other cards available to purchase, the availability of the card will help set the price.

Watch as Leighton teaches the next generation of vintage collectors on how to purchase the dream card. You'll also be stunned to see what other vintage cards Henry owns!

Video credit to Ming Fai Chan, our videographer!

Henry

Congratulations on your new Wayne Gretzky rookie card, Henry! We hope you continue growing your collection, and hope to see you at the 2024 National! Leighton will treat you and the family to ice cream again in Cleveland. PS, kudos the younger brother for sporting a Christmas Vacation t-shirt; one of our favorite movies.

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.