Vintage Football Collectors - Help Wanted, Especially interested in Dealer Perspective...
sjjs28
Posts: 460 ✭✭✭✭
Earlier this week my wife came home from work with two binders of vintage football cards and basketball/baseball cards. She received them from her supervisor - her boss said she received them from her mother.
Most of the collection was thrown out and that was her intention with these binders as well - but then she remembered that her employee's husband knew something about cards - So the binders came home and I need a little help!
I collect mostly high end baseball and graded only.
I know very little about football cards and even less about how condition factors into value.
And most importantly how dealers might value this offering.
My plan, such as it is, is to take the collection to the Philly Show in a couple of weeks and offer the cards to any and all dealers that post a "BUYING CARDS" banner. Top offer gets the lot.
I do not want to go into that auditorium un-informed - and that's where this knowledgeable FORUM comes into play.
Any information you can provide would be extremely helpful.
I will post scans of the key cards below -
Following the scans I will try to verbalize the balance of the collection as best I can.
Hopefully knowledgeable assemblage can offer some insight.
Next week I will be going thru a similar exercise with the basketball card collection (Lew Alcindor RC, Multiple Chamberlain's, Erving RC, West's Robertson's....) Much smaller than the football collection.
Still in the binder, Similar years and condition to the cards in the scan
Examples of
Butkus
Ditka
Adderly
Horning
Kenp
Olsen
Nitschke
Unitas
Two years of Posters (Namath, Starr, Unitas, Sayers. Hayes)
Too many others to list -
I have to figure that the scanned examples probably will drive the offer
Thanks for all your offered knowledge
Steve
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
Comments
You have some great cards there!
You will sell this lot quite easily at the show, but I wouldn't go that route. A dealer is not going to offer much for these.
I'm assuming you don't want to sell the cards yourself on ebay?
Just looking at the Namath and OJ rookies, you could have $2,000.00 in those 5 cards.
I would consign them (not to Probstein) you will get a much better result that way.
You might also consider a very nice thank you gift to your wife's supervisor!
Guess I neglected to say that I am trying to sell the cards for her -
It would be a wonderful gift though, wouldn't it!
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
Very Nice...🏈👍
Those are fantastic FB cards !!! She will be a very wealthy woman after you sell them for her.
I think you should get her opinion.
First, go through the cards and using ebays "sold items" search, determine an estimate of what the cards are worth, deduct for grading costs and an additional 25% for ebay fees and shipping charges.
Selling this way will take the most time and effort. You could also sell raw to save time.
Then, go to the card show and get a few offers.
Talk it over and decide how much time you want to spend on the project.
A dealer is not going to offer much for these cards, they have overhead and want to make a profit. Unless you guys just don't want to spend the time on making a lot more money, I would at least look into consigning with a reputable dealer, again, NOT Probstein.
Good luck!
I would certainly get at least the Namath rookie graded prior to selling. You would be leaving money on the table if you didn’t.
Why not to Probstein? I've never had an issue with him and used him several times. Listing and payment are all done in a timely manner with great communication. I'm assuming you've had a poor experience?
Consider contacting Greg Morris Cards, as well. This type of material would do very well in their raw card auctions.
Gobble.
Yes, he's the worst human being on the planet (well I guess maybe not quite the worst), he's famous for losing items and makes zero effort to correct the problem.
I had at least two people tell me they had similar experiences with him.
I 2nd this, these cards would be perfect for Greg Morris Cards. You will essentially be taken if you try to sell this at a show as a lot. That's for the dumb, uninformed, or lazy!
I would send the following cards to SGC.
Namath RC
Bradshaw RC
OJ RC
Jim Brown (all of them)
2nd year Namaths as well as any others from the 60's that might be a 5 or better
Sayers rc
$15 a card to grade and SGC is highly respected amongst vintage football collectors. The cards will look much better in the slabs and will sell much higher than raw.
I agree with everyone who says consider grading some of them. The 65 Namath rookie all day every day. Even in a low grade you are talking big money. I'd go Bradshaw too. Think it presents well despite the off-centeredness. The OJ's dont look as weathered as some of the others so you may get some decent or at least higher grades there.
The rest I think it comes down to what you can learn about sale prices of graded versions (which you can learn by searching sold items on eBay) and then its a judgement call on whether it feels like its worth the time. If you think you have a PSA 3 Bart Starr and they sell for $45, probably not worth grading. If you feel you have a PSA 5 Brown that goes for $150, probably yes.
Grading just makes it easier to flip cards in my opinion. Every big consigner should be willing to sell a graded card. Raw is more of a maybe. This one yes that one no. It also can take the whole regret element out of it cause graded it has a clearer value. Raw you might question if you could have received more, asked for too little, etc.
Also think SGC might be a nice path based on price and quick turnaround even with the possibility of lower value.
Many thanks to all of the responders!
Guess I'll be stopping by the SGC Booth on the 21st at the Philly show...
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
really nice cards. I will be set up at booth 934 if you want to stop by.
thanks,
Bob
email bcmiller7@comcast.net
Good luck.
Nice little collection.
These stories always make me wonder what was thrown out from the collection. Sounds like these would've been tossed too if not for thinking of you.
It is mind boggling how it still happens in this day and age with so many resources to find values easily.
Good luck with the grading and sale of them!
In this instance it looks like it was all women involved.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
Also curious how it happens… anything old and collectible I would research before throwing out. Society at large probably doesn’t think how we do. I cringe to think what was thrown out in this collection…
Op- I’d send the entire lot to Greg Morris, let him consign then. People pay strong money for raw cards from them and you don’t have to deal with grading, etc.
I’d be interested in the 61 fleer basketball, making a fair offer if you’d like to PM me directly.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Greg Morris is the way to go if you are not going to sub yourself. I would love to look at them in person but after my 1985 Topps purchase my wife might kill me
I would be interested in several too
OJ’s Stars Sayers. Nice commons. Namaths (not the rookie)
Taking the advice from ARTVANDELAY....
I've decided to grade a handful of the cards thru SGC at the Philly Show.
From his post....
Namath RC
Bradshaw RC
4) OJ RC's
Jim Brown (all of them)
2nd year Namath's as well as any others from the 60's that might be a 5 or better
Sayers RC
And I've added a few more after sorting thru a short stack of basketball
Alcindor RC
5) 1969 Topps Chamberlains
Erving RC
and...
2) Csonka RC's (I know its not basketball, but I just found them and they're real nice)
If anybody communicates an interest,
I can bring the balance of the "collection" to the Philly show for review and offers.
I'll be sure to post scans of the resultant grades once they're in hand
And everything is going to be available for sale
FORUM GETS FIRST DIBS
Steve
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
The big money is in the Namath rookie and the Jim Brown cards, depending on the grades. Does she understand the collection is worth low 5 figures ?
This is 100% the right path to take. Get her full retail minus the consignment fees.
Sell to a dealer, and get much less.
Morris will get more raw then the cards will garner graded. IMO.
These should be sent to Greg Morris or just dropped off at the show. GM should be there. The Namath is the only card that warrants all of this grading talk. Most are low grade. Unless SJJS just wants to do a TON of work ??
Yup, grading is just throwing away money in this instance. For a collection? Sure, why not. For max resale, sell raw and let some other sucker get 3s and 4s.
You mentioned there was baseball in the batch in the original post? As a baseball collector yourself what was the plan on those? Buy them yourself? Anything nice?
The Unitas stuff might fetch something depending on year and condition. Butkus if rookie. Think the Sayers from same year is his rookie but a little roughed up.
Greg Morris is being mentioned here a lot as an option. Has he dropped his minimum value he will work with? I considered him about a year or two ago for some raw stuff but the value fell short of what he was asking. Dont see a mention of it on his site now.
To the individuals that have asked about side purchases
I would need to know what your minimal acceptable grade is... and how you factor in centering.
I'm still arranging/categorizing and subjectively grading the collection
Once that is done - I can forward what I have to provided emails (PM'ing them is the best way)
As I mentioned earlier - some are going to SGC on Saturday 21st at the Philly show.
I may not be ready to forward to Greg Morris (again, if he'll have them) for another week or two
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
On the 61s basketball be interested in anything grade wise.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Sorry Ahmanfan - presumably you didn't read my PM...
There are no 1961 Fleers as part of the collection.
sjjs28@comcast.net
Collector of 1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game and 1969 Topps Decals
Registered Sets: 1964 Stand Ups, 1965 Embossed, 1968 Topps Game, 1969 Topps Decals
No prob. Thx
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS