2025 is just around the corner (time is flying!) and we look back our favorite collections Just Collect has proudly purchased here in 2024.
As we get ready to watch the ball drop in Times Square and ring in a new year, we take a trip down memory lane at our five favorite collections we are fortunate to have purchased in 2024.
Our owner, Leighton, has been a treasure card hunter for his entire life. Leighton's son, Crosby, turned 9 in 2024 and had never travelled with dad to purchase collection. That all changed, and in a big way, with a trip to Boston for rare 1909-1911 T206 cards!
A gentleman named Kevin reached out from the Boston, Massachusetts area, telling us he had a collection of 1909-1911 T206 cards passed down from his grandfather. In the collection were legends like Cy Young and Ty Cobb. The incredible part about this collection of tobacco cards is that every single card has been in Kevin's family since the day the cards were made! For 113 years, these baseball cards have never been seen publicly. Think about everything in the world that has changed in last Century. Television was not invented. The Internet hadn't been thought of. Baseball games were played during the day because lights weren't installed. Kevin told us that his grandfather passed the cards down to him when Kevin was only 9 years old. Before Leighton gassed up my car and hit the road, he just knew that he couldn't make this trip without his 9-year-old son, Crosby!
You can read full story and watch the video HERE.
Speaking of T206 cards - this collection shook the entire sports card industry!
Tobacco companies used the back of each card to advertise their brand and placed one card inside of their products. In total, there are 16 different backs, one for each tobacco company. Cards with certain brands of tobacco being advertised on the backs of cards can be very tough to find.
PSA, one of the top grading companies did a bit of research on how many T206 cards have survived over the last 100 + years and the percentage of the cards with a certain back. PSA states that 75% of T206 cards have either Piedmont or Sweet Caporal backs. How rare are the Hindu backs? Roughly just 1 percent of surviving T206 cards have a Hindu back! ONE PERCENT.
When a collector reached out and told us here at Just Collect they had 1909-1911 T206 cards with Hindu backs, we couldn't wait to see. You won't believe where the cards were discovered either.
You can read full story and watch the video HERE.
A gentleman named Robert from Long Island saw our display of vintage cards at our booth in the Fanatics Fest convention, and knew he stopped by the right place. From his envelope, Robert pulled out an UNCUT SHEET of 1935 Goudey baseball cards. When Goudey designed their 1935 set, they created a card 2-3/8” by 2-7/8” in size with four players on one card. The 4-on-1 set officially named R321, were all intact on the original sheet! Best of all: this sheet features BABE RUTH.
How did Robert obtain one of the greatest finds our hobby has seen? You must watch the video and read the full story HERE.
Complete sets of the most important, vintage basketball cards ever produced have been discovered and proudly purchased by Just Collect. We flew across the Country for a collection that include rookie cards of basketball legends such as George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and more!
We could no longer see the fireplace in Darrell's living room. Where the fireplace was now stood a MOUNTAIN of cards. See that mountain of cards and these stellar complete sets in video and the full story HERE.
From 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks and Prospects are TEN, yes TEN rare autographed Aaron Judge minor league cards. Several years before Judge made his Major League debut, Bowman included a 21-year-old Judge in the 2013 release as a prospect. This set includes several variations of each card, some being quite rare.
High-end cards like Flawless, National Treasures, and Transcendent including 1/1 cards of the Yankees Captain and reigning AL MVP are in this collection you can see in the full story HERE.
We can't let the cat out of the bag just yet, but keep checking our blog for the NEXT big collection we are appraising! If you're interested in selling your collection, reach out any time for our FREE APPRAISAL! Whether you have a single vintage card or a collection far too big to fit in your house, 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.
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.
We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending. Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.
If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.
If you're near New York City and would like to meet in a public place, our owner, Leighton, would be happy to meet you; read all the information here.
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.
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.
Whether you have vintage cards or modern wax you want to sell, you can reach out to us any time!