Collectors Guidance

[Fitzythird]

I have a collection that was given to me in lieu of payment for some work I did. It is 90% baseball cards with some other stuff mixed in. Mostly from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Lots of Griffey Jr.s, Clemens, Nolan Ryans....that sort of stuff. Most are in books in the plastic keepers but I have a bunch in boxes as well. Has to be at least a couple thousand cards.

I brought it to a collectibles guy and he wouldn't even look it over saying there was no longer a market for cards. This was about a year ago. I am on this forum and see that cannot possibly be the case?

Can anyone offer me some advice on what to do with this collection? Are there sought after cards that may be in here from the years mentioned? I am happy to look for cards if people are looking to add them to their collection.

P.S. I did pull an Al Kaline card out of it a few years ago and sold it on ebay for 99 bucks.....but the rest of the collection is still there. I just don't know enough about it and need some advice.

Thanks,
Fitzy

 

[IQless1]

It's tedious work, but selling them individually or in small groups gets you the most $$$. You typically have to list what cards they are and provide a pic, otherwise they won't sell. It's best to research what the cards are going for on sites like eBay, Amazon, etc....that way you have an idea on what you should get for them. It's also better to sell when the price is high enough that shipping isn't an issue. It doesn't make sense to most people to buy a single card here for 50 cents and pay $3 in shipping, so try to make groups worth more $$$, though some people will do that. It may help to sort them into teams, as a lot of people typically buy team-cards. I know, tedious is an understatement lol

If you're interested in selling the cards, post a few and see what kind of response you get. Include a pic and a description of the card. It helps to include the player's name, the card #, the team, etc.

Good luck.

 

[Fitzythird]

It's tedious work, but selling them individually or in small groups gets you the most $$$. You typically have to list what cards they are and provide a pic, otherwise they won't sell. It's best to research what the cards are going for on sites like eBay, Amazon, etc....that way you have an idea on what you should get for them. It's also better to sell when the price is high enough that shipping isn't an issue. It doesn't make sense to most people to buy a single card here for 50 cents and pay $3 in shipping, so try to make groups worth more $$$, though some people will do that. It may help to sort them into teams, as a lot of people typically buy team-cards. I know, tedious is an understatement lol

If you're interested in selling the cards, post a few and see what kind of response you get. Include a pic and a description of the card. It helps to include the player's name, the card #, the team, etc.

Good luck.

I really appreciate the help on this. Thinking of going through all those cards is making my hair hurt. I guess I will start sorting Red Sox and Yankees and go from there. Thanks again for getting back to me. I've already learned a ton just lurking around here today. I watched a box break on video and was like "wait....I want that card!" It was NASCAR and I've never even seen a NASCAR card but now I want some!

 

[cinderr]

It's tedious work, but selling them individually or in small groups gets you the most $$$. You typically have to list what cards they are and provide a pic, otherwise they won't sell. It's best to research what the cards are going for on sites like eBay, Amazon, etc....that way you have an idea on what you should get for them. It's also better to sell when the price is high enough that shipping isn't an issue. It doesn't make sense to most people to buy a single card here for 50 cents and pay $3 in shipping, so try to make groups worth more $$$, though some people will do that. It may help to sort them into teams, as a lot of people typically buy team-cards. I know, tedious is an understatement lol

If you're interested in selling the cards, post a few and see what kind of response you get. Include a pic and a description of the card. It helps to include the player's name, the card #, the team, etc.

Good luck.

I did not want to bother with ebay, I have trouble with them. I suppose I must go that route or let these cards collect dust for three more years! Thanks for the information.

I have a collection that was given to me in lieu of payment for some work I did. It is 90% baseball cards with some other stuff mixed in. Mostly from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Lots of Griffey Jr.s, Clemens, Nolan Ryans....that sort of stuff. Most are in books in the plastic keepers but I have a bunch in boxes as well. Has to be at least a couple thousand cards.

I brought it to a collectibles guy and he wouldn't even look it over saying there was no longer a market for cards. This was about a year ago. I am on this forum and see that cannot possibly be the case?

Can anyone offer me some advice on what to do with this collection? Are there sought after cards that may be in here from the years mentioned? I am happy to look for cards if people are looking to add them to their collection.

P.S. I did pull an Al Kaline card out of it a few years ago and sold it on ebay for 99 bucks.....but the rest of the collection is still there. I just don't know enough about it and need some advice.

Thanks,
Fitzy

I have a collection that was given to me in lieu of payment for some work I did. It is 90% baseball cards with some other stuff mixed in. Mostly from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Lots of Griffey Jr.s, Clemens, Nolan Ryans....that sort of stuff. Most are in books in the plastic keepers but I have a bunch in boxes as well. Has to be at least a couple thousand cards.

I brought it to a collectibles guy and he wouldn't even look it over saying there was no longer a market for cards. This was about a year ago. I am on this forum and see that cannot possibly be the case?

Can anyone offer me some advice on what to do with this collection? Are there sought after cards that may be in here from the years mentioned? I am happy to look for cards if people are looking to add them to their collection.

P.S. I did pull an Al Kaline card out of it a few years ago and sold it on ebay for 99 bucks.....but the rest of the collection is still there. I just don't know enough about it and need some advice.

Thanks,
Fitzy

I didn't have any luck at a shop either. They wouldn't answer my messages to begin with. I mean they are a CARD SHOP! I finally went in and they were not very welcoming. Hell with them!

 

[Taliasen]

I would be interested if you find a Rickey Henderson Rc.

 

[IQless1]

I did not want to bother with ebay, I have trouble with them. I suppose I must go that route or let these cards collect dust for three more years! Thanks for the information.

I just meant do the research on there (and other sites) to see what they are going for. Right now, the market is really soft for bulk cards, meaning few are buying them for decent prices there.

If you post them here people would probably be interested, but it's in your best interests to have a feel for what the cards are worth, or people will take advantage of you. That's why I mentioned places like eBay, Amazon, COMC, etc...they generally have the cards you have, and you can get an idea of what they are worth.

Generally, eBay asks for 50% BV, though some try to get the full value, or more. Amazon and COMC is closer to BV than eBay, in general, so what I do is look for EVERY listing I can.

For me personally, that isn't the be all of pricing. If I have a card that I like, or value more than what the numbers are telling me it's worth, I try to discourage people from even attempting to buy or trade for it.

As for card shops and bulk collector's/dealers....they pay minimum value, usually less than 25%...usually MUCH less.

The best bet is to appeal directly to collector's of particular types of cards, a certain player (like Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretsky or Nolan Ryan, for examples) or teams.

 

[IQless1]

If I had the $$$, I'd be buying cards like crazy right now.

Why?

Because the market is so soft.

I remember a time when gold was at around $250 an ounce, but I didn't have $$$ to buy any. It was a while back, maybe twenty-five years or more, but I could have made a killing on it lol

Same thing with a rare comic back when I was a kid, The news said it sold for $18,000 and my family thought I was nuts for saying I'd buy that in a second, if I had the cash. I was proved right when the thing sold for over a million just twenty years or so later.

I know when to buy, I just don't have the $$$ lol...I DID manage to secure some silver about ten years ago, and doubled my money on it a year or two ago when I sold it, so that's something, anyway.

That said, cards are NOT going to realize that kind of potential, at least not most of them. It's a gamble, to be sure, on just which rookie is going to become a star, so the best bet is established stars from recent years. Still, it's a good time to buy any cards cheap, and some twenty years from now you'd have a tidy little nest-egg, I'm sure...as long as you understand it's a gamble, and you need to place your "bets" wisely.

 

[Fitzythird]

I would be interested if you find a Rickey Henderson Rc.

I think I may have a couple from a couple of different vendors. Are there vendors you prefer over others? I know I sound like a broken record but I am trying to get to the storage facility to grab the rest of some cards I know are in there. I will try to locate some Ricky rookies this week.

 

[Taliasen]

Rickey Henderson only had 1 rookie card. 1980 Topps #482

 

[nonsiccus]

I really appreciate the help on this. Thinking of going through all those cards is making my hair hurt.

I'm about to go through this same challenge. I dug up some old cards and am really wondering if I will ever have enough time to put a sizeable dent in to the pile haha. The forum regulars here are super helpful and I'm glad that I have someone knowledgeable holding my hand through it, because I would be pretty dismayed if I accidentally got rid of something that was really worth holding on to.