Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

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sierra11b
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Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by sierra11b » Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:43 am

I used to do it as a kid and still have many of my mid eighties to early nineties cards.

My uncle passed away last year and I inherited all his cards after all the nieces and nephews didn't want them. There's not many (4500 cards) but after doing some research he collected primarily '78,'79,'80 Topps and a lot of these cards look like they came out of a time capsule. He's got the cards he knew were worth a damn prior to the grading craze in sheets. Everything is mint and the box sets 85-90% complete of the same years which all appear like the day you opened that bubblegum pack.

You might be thinking who cares? It's not a Mantle rookie and I thought the same 48hrs ago, but after researching PSA graded cards, some of these '78-'80 Topps can reach the stratosphere and have solid records of recent comparable sales to back them. PSA/SCG keeps current record of EVERYTHING.

For example, a 1979 Ozzie Smith rookie graded PSA Gem 10 is appraised at $27500. And I have two. I can list many more but that's clearly the crown jewel here. Granted, my two will not get Gem10 rating because one is slightly off center and one's printed color is a bit lacking and way off... You basically have to have a lotto ticket card for that Gem10 rating. But one looks damn nice and has to be Grade8 which is a cool $110, the other being way off center explains why this card is so sought after... The printing was notorious.

I have 85% of all the potential meal ticket hall of fame cards ($30-$5000 GEM) listed on the PSA guides from '78-'80. You might be surprised if you ever dabbled in cards:

http://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/ba ... topps/1251
http://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/ba ... topps/1254
http://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/ba ... topps/1258

If they were in mediocre condition I might just save them but I feel there's a lot of money on the table given the NOS condition of these cards. My well off 90yr old grandfather - the man who gave them to me after my uncle's death and who is still as sharp as a tack - told me to sell whatever and save the money so I'm going to give it a shot. I even offered to refurbish his den if there' at my Father's house if there's an meat on the bone, but he insisted otherwise. :shrug:

It's going to be A LOT of work... Although I don't watch Pawnstars anymore, I get a real understanding when Rick said he's gotta pay for someone to catalog and list them. I'm not even getting paid by the hour and going through 4500 cards for the HOFers seems pretty daunting.

I'm thinking about submitting 10 choice cards @ $100 (+shipping and insurance back) to PSA and seeing what type of return I can get. See if pursuing the other cards would be worth it after getting their opinion on overall condition of the ten which matches the rest. I'll have to convert my ebay account into a sellers account as there just doesn't seem to be any way to move these outside auction.

Anyone have any experience with this? I will say that baseball cards have come a very long way since we were kids. It's great in a sense that they went with a currency/stamp grading scale which makes an otherwise $20 card VERY desirable if it's captivating and colorful, but it also turned it into a big boy hobby. I'm sure our generation could care less and would rather play Pokemon GO. :rolleyes:

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moishlashen
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by moishlashen » Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:30 am

Interesting. There are a bunch of resources for getting an idea of value-believe it or not Ebay is usually a particularly good source for card valuation.
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jimyritz
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by jimyritz » Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:52 am

Is there a Memorabilia or Card Collectors place near you?

What about something like this:

http://www.cardboardconnection.com/coll ... ard-buyers



Good luck..

Mike

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sierra11b
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by sierra11b » Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:14 pm

I may try that if my attempt to sell them graded individually fails.

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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by DON » Sat Jul 23, 2016 7:59 am

I just took a lot of what I had and dumped them in the garbage. All were hot rookies and up and coming, but that was from the early 90's. Very few left playing. Some stars, but nothing super major, some didn't pan out. All 4 major sports.

Over produced and no body cared.

Not sure of the grading of your cards, but many real collectors try to build the best set possible and stores only want the best possible. They work their way up by collecting average cards and replacing as needed to make it better.

If the card is a common player. Figure on maybe $.10 on the dollar book value from a dealer if they want it, but only if in demand. Stars pay better, but the further away from their rookie year. The lower the value.

The real collectible cards was when they were produced in a series. Series one may be cards from 1 - 100. Series 2 from 101 - 200. As the series went on. Stores didn't buy as much if they still had from the previous series.

Thats why a Mickey Mantle is rare and valuable. Only available from a series 6 box from 1952

That and at the end of the year when kids were at camp. Mothers threw them out :(

Not a lot of card stores around also, so no fighting or trying to out bid you on the cards. Big boom with the introduction of Upper Deck Baseball cards and then the market exploded and then turned into a glut of garbage

Good luck on the sales

DON

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dukerules
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by dukerules » Sat Jul 23, 2016 8:58 am

I've got literally thousands of cards, mostly baseball, from the 80s. Apart from a handful of HOFer rookie cards and some autographed memorabilia, I don't think the lot's worth anything at all.

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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by DON » Sat Jul 23, 2016 12:55 pm

dukerules wrote:I've got literally thousands of cards, mostly baseball, from the 80s. Apart from a handful of HOFer rookie cards and some autographed memorabilia, I don't think the lot's worth anything at all.
Last great year for BB cards was '85 Topps with Brett and Yount rookie cards. Two HOF's. Not sure who was in previous 80's card sets

After that. Upper Deck Griffey Jr. rookie

Dealers want the hot rookies or inserts ASAP, but when the next box design ships. Nobody cares about yesterdays stuff unless it falls into certain years with very popular old time players like Brett and Yount.

early 90's was the worst. Crazy money for insert sets and single inserts which are basically garbage and next to worthless.

Although I did buy a $5.00 pack of Topps basketball cards and got a rookie Shaquille O'Neal prism card I turned around and sold to a dealer for a $100

Week late a Topps gold pack and pulled a gold O'neal which I also got a $100 for.

Card shop on every corner back then. Today. I know of one. Little hole in the wall. All the big stores closed down

Today the inserts are more sought after than the card sets.

If your lucky. Maybe some Bretts and Younts in the hoard

DON

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dukerules
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by dukerules » Sat Jul 23, 2016 2:10 pm

I've got an unopened '89 Upper Deck wax box. Maybe I should crack it open. I bet there's a Griffey, Jr rookie card or two in there.

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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by Grahamcombat » Sat Jul 23, 2016 3:23 pm

dukerules wrote:I've got an unopened '89 Upper Deck wax box. Maybe I should crack it open. I bet there's a Griffey, Jr rookie card or two in there.
What do those Griffeys go for?


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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by DON » Sun Jul 24, 2016 6:20 am

Grahamcombat wrote:
dukerules wrote:I've got an unopened '89 Upper Deck wax box. Maybe I should crack it open. I bet there's a Griffey, Jr rookie card or two in there.
What do those Griffeys go for?


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Condition, condition, condition is everything.

Graded mint 10 sold for $3687 and down to $15.00. Depends on which company graded it and grading. Low priced cards not worth grading due to cost if you find anything off on the card (tiny corner ding, pin point mark on face etc.)

DON

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sierra11b
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Re: Any current sports card collectors here? I need help!

Post by sierra11b » Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:11 am

I just landed a new job after posting this so I haven't had time to send some of these off, but I do plan on sending off ten just to see if it's worth a damn to try the others

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