OT for AKB: Appraising value of old baseball cards

[bwifan]

Here is a question for AKB... anyone remember the football player stamps you could get at Sunoco when you bought gas. I believe and you pasted them into a book. I still have those books and full teams from the 70s... no idea if they are worth anything anymore probably should do a little research see if they have any value

 

[katchthis]

And this was my bike but mine wasn't tricked out. I had soo much fun on that bike. It's a really good memory

Those Schwinns are worth bank.

 

[Lionguy32]

My card story...

I loved baseball cards as a kid in the mid-80s. But turned my nose down at basketball cards. Someone gave me a few packs and I put thumb pins through my favorite players on my cork board. 8 years later...I found the old pile of basketball cards. There it was...a Michael Jordan rookie card with a pin hole in the corner.

So close to an early retirement...

I got a bunch of basketball cards in the early 80's. One year Tops had the bright idea to put three small perforated cards on one standard size card. I was just a kid at the time and separated all of the cards. I am now sitting with at least five Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rookie cards that are probably worthless.

Along those lines, they issued hockey cards where you would scratch off a portion of the card like a lottery ticket to reveal the player's name. I have plenty of ruined Wayne Gretzky cards as evidence.

 

[mrtailgate]

Here is a question for AKB... anyone remember the football player stamps you could get at Sunoco when you bought gas. I believe and you pasted them into a book. I still have those books and full teams from the 70s... no idea if they are worth anything anymore probably should do a little research see if they have any val

I sold mine a couple of years back. They are worth more if they are still in the panels and not detached. I think I had maybe 25 and got around $75 for the lot.

 

[Sproul]

those would be some sweet sweet cards worth $$$$$. I've sent in lots of cards and have never had anything happen to them. My favorite to send to is SGC followed by BGS. I just feel PSA is way to freaking expensive to send cards to right now.

As for grading, they spend maybe 10 mins on a card to grade it so don't think they are some sort of end all be all...if you send your card to the same place three different times you may get three different grades..just being 100...in order to tell what your cards would grade look at the centering of the pic, the corners, the edges, and the surface..front and back. I could tell you what grades to expect pretty easily and to be honest grading vintage is almost necessary anymore to sell them for high prices because of counterfits...esp on Mantles, Roses, and Mays.

I don’t know why these companies have 8 month wait lists for standard service. Just hire some more people to work. It’s not rocket science.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

I have some amazing ABA cards - Dr. J., the Iceman, Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, etc. The ABA definitely had the best franchise names - San Diego Conquistadores, the Kentucky Colonels.

 

[Cpeplion]

I don’t know why these companies have 8 month wait lists for standard service. Just hire some more people to work. It’s not rocket science.

Tell me about it..but when Covid hit PSA and BGS got shut down, all the while people were still sending in cards..SGC stayed open but they are a small company and people started to send in so many cards to them that they just got overloaded. Lord knows they are still taking your $$ tho upon submission so it's not like they're hurting financially.

 

[Sportfan2017]

Thinking that cards of "Nobodies" is worthless is not true. I had a card shop for many years. During many years.......during the 50's to early to mid 70's.......Topps third Production of cards is much lower than the first two. I had many cards from the 50's and 60's and the "High Number cards" can be worth 30.00 each for just "Commons".... Buy a Recent Beckett Magazine to learn their accurate value. Most cards will get 50% of their actual value on the net. "High Number" cards will often exceed their book value because people need them to complete their sets. In Pa. I would suggest Dave Sczuba in Duncansville PA. He deals mostly in old cards and has done so for many years. You can also go to a Card Show. There are always vendors there that will offer you cash for your older cards. Getting your cards graded by a 3rd party can be a great idea if the cards are in really good condition. I have used all 3 of the big names. BGS, PSA, and SCG. I can tell you that PSA and BGS have a bit better reputation than SGC. That said SGC is much more respected than any other grader out there besides PSA and BGS. These are the 3 biggies. When I used them......they were 8-10:00 per cards to get graded. Not always the smartest course of action. A high quality scanner ....providing pics of the front and back can be just as profitable on Ebay than paying to get them graded and having them come back as 5's and 6 's. I have had hundreds of cards graded. If they don't come back at least a 7.....probably not worth it.....unless you are dealing with Clemente, Mays, Mantle and Aaron cards. Good Luck.

 

[CVLion]

My card story...

I loved baseball cards as a kid in the mid-80s. But turned my nose down at basketball cards. Someone gave me a few packs and I put thumb pins through my favorite players on my cork board. 8 years later...I found the old pile of basketball cards. There it was...a Michael Jordan rookie card with a pin hole in the corner.

So close to an early retirement...

Oh, another “ouch!” Thanks for sharing

 

[CVLion]

Not for cards from the 50s. Nothing is worthless from that era

I’m hoping so!

I’m also thinking that 1959 must be the year when my dad started working at the soda fountain, because SO many of these cards seem to be from that year. He was 13 years old that summer. I have no idea if it would have been legal for him to work a job at that age back then, but it seems that’s what happened, haha.

 

[CVLion]

I used my cards for this kinda stuff .....

Haha, luckily none of these cards went through that kind of treatment! Although I have to wonder if there were any that did get sent through a bicycle wheel and discarded that would have been valuable today... maybe some of the doubles.

I’ll have to ask my aunt... as his little sister, she may even have been the one doing it.

 

[CVLion]

Oh, wow, those are great books to have even if they aren't in great shape. First Doc Ock should be worth something even in fair condition.

I remember the Impossible Man story from a reprint in Marvel Treasury Edition. I actually enjoyed that story, it's a fun one. John Byrne brought Impy back to the FF for a stretch in the late 80's -- he was fun for a while then wore thin.

And I always have a soft spot for Paste Pot Pete. Lamest supervillain in the entire Marvel canon. (Really sticky glue! He can repackage himself as Trapster all he wants, he'll always be Paste Pot Pete to me.) And I remember the Strange Tales issue you have from when it was reprinted in the short-lived "Human Torch" title in the 70's.

The first Doc Ock with Stan’s signature is now possibly my most prized possession. It is professionally framed in a shadow box together with a picture of my son and I with Stan, along with the program and our badges from Awesome Con 2017 where we him. It’s all under special glass that keeps UV rays from fading the contents. The framing and the cost to meet Stan and get that signature probably totaled north of $600 altogether, but I can’t put a price on our memories of that day.

Yeah, I find the Impossible Man character amusing but as you do, only for a limited time... which is why he never became a high-profile villain. He was sort of Marvel’s answer to DC’s Mr. Mxyzptlk or Bat-Mite... annoying novelty characters to trot out every once in a while.

I believe that when Paste-Pot Pete still had his original name, there was once a story where Spider-Man could barely fight him because he couldn’t stop laughing at the guy... lol

 

[CVLion]

those would be some sweet sweet cards worth $$$$$. I've sent in lots of cards and have never had anything happen to them. My favorite to send to is SGC followed by BGS. I just feel PSA is way to freaking expensive to send cards to right now.

As for grading, they spend maybe 10 mins on a card to grade it so don't think they are some sort of end all be all...if you send your card to the same place three different times you may get three different grades..just being 100...in order to tell what your cards would grade look at the centering of the pic, the corners, the edges, and the surface..front and back. I could tell you what grades to expect pretty easily and to be honest grading vintage is almost necessary anymore to sell them for high prices because of counterfits...esp on Mantles, Roses, and Mays.

Yeah, it seems like grading the cards must be a rather profitable venture for as quick and simple the actual process must be for them, just as you described. I’ll definitely be thinking things over carefully before making any decisions on investing in that. Thanks!

 

[CVLion]

Thinking that cards of "Nobodies" is worthless is not true. I had a card shop for many years. During many years.......during the 50's to early to mid 70's.......Topps third Production of cards is much lower than the first two. I had many cards from the 50's and 60's and the "High Number cards" can be worth 30.00 each for just "Commons".... Buy a Recent Beckett Magazine to learn their accurate value. Most cards will get 50% of their actual value on the net. "High Number" cards will often exceed their book value because people need them to complete their sets. In Pa. I would suggest Dave Sczuba in Duncansville PA. He deals mostly in old cards and has done so for many years. You can also go to a Card Show. There are always vendors there that will offer you cash for your older cards. Getting your cards graded by a 3rd party can be a great idea if the cards are in really good condition. I have used all 3 of the big names. BGS, PSA, and SCG. I can tell you that PSA and BGS have a bit better reputation than SGC. That said SGC is much more respected than any other grader out there besides PSA and BGS. These are the 3 biggies. When I used them......they were 8-10:00 per cards to get graded. Not always the smartest course of action. A high quality scanner ....providing pics of the front and back can be just as profitable on Ebay than paying to get them graded and having them come back as 5's and 6 's. I have had hundreds of cards graded. If they don't come back at least a 7.....probably not worth it.....unless you are dealing with Clemente, Mays, Mantle and Aaron cards. Good Luck.

Thank you so much, this is all very helpful information! A personal recommendation such as for Mr. Czuba was exactly what I was hoping for. I was able to Google his shop. I will definitely reach out to him and plan a drive up to Duncansville to seek his opinion as part of my due diligence on estimating the value of this collection.

 

[LundyPSU]

I used to get packs of cards early '80's, then again in early '90's. Still get them occasionally for fun with my two kids. But now I more focused on older individual graded cards for my collection.

 

[jrl5019]

I sold some old cards (40’s-70’s) about 5 years back. The market is all over the place. Even if it is graded and gets appraised you will struggle to get that price out of it. If you sell to a dealer they will take 30-40% off the price because they need to make money on the deal too. Auction houses charge upwards of 20-25%. If you come across something rare that has value I would try to sell privately or on eBay.

 

[kgilbert78]

I sold some old cards (40’s-70’s) about 5 years back. The market is all over the place. Even if it is graded and gets appraised you will struggle to get that price out of it. If you sell to a dealer they will take 30-40% off the price because they need to make money on the deal too. Auction houses charge upwards of 20-25%. If you come across something rare that has value I would try to sell privately or on eBay.

The trick auction houses have figured out is that they charge both the seller and the buyer.

 

[CVLion]

I sold some old cards (40’s-70’s) about 5 years back. The market is all over the place. Even if it is graded and gets appraised you will struggle to get that price out of it. If you sell to a dealer they will take 30-40% off the price because they need to make money on the deal too. Auction houses charge upwards of 20-25%. If you come across something rare that has value I would try to sell privately or on eBay.

The trick auction houses have figured out is that they charge both the seller and the buyer.

I have purchased items on eBay but never sold anything. Does anyone know what they might charge?

 

[manatree]

I know a lot of people whine about dealers, auction services, ebay, etc. for their fees and less than retail offers. However, it is going to take a lot of work & time to get them sold by yourself.

As a 70s & 80s kid, my favorite year of cards were the 1978 Topps, as they had a baseball printed on the back. You shuffled the cards and took turns drawing one card at a time and turned it over to see your batter's result. Strike, walk, double, fly out, etc. Since you quickly learned which players had the best results, (Nolan Ryan was a home run) we would shuffle the cards and put them in a bag so you couldn't try and stack the deck. A lot of fun, but not very condusive to keeping the cards in good condition.

 

[Sportfan2017]

Thank you so much, this is all very helpful information! A personal recommendation such as for Mr. Czuba was exactly what I was hoping for. I was able to Google his shop. I will definitely reach out to him and plan a drive up to Duncansville to seek his opinion as part of my due diligence on estimating the value of this collection.

I have dealt with Dave many times. He is a very connected dealer......knows a lot of the biggest names that deal with mostly older cards. He would be my first stop. Good Luck

 

[kgilbert78]

I have purchased items on eBay but never sold anything. Does anyone know what they might charge?

You can look it up on their FAQ,s a I recall. It's been a while--I know between ebay charges and PayPal charges, I could sell an item for 99 cents and add postage and make about 5-10 cents. Total. So, I don't sell much anymore.

 

[zubrus1]

I have purchased items on eBay but never sold anything. Does anyone know what they might charge?

They charge 10% with a max of $750.

paypal where buyers pay then hit you for another 2.9%.

 

[odshowtime]

Strange Tales #110 (cover story is Human Torch vs The Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete of all characters lol

Paste-Pot Pete is a little bitch.

 

[yeahtoasty]

Paste-Pot Pete is a little bitch.

This thread inspired me to go create a twitter account for Paste Pot Pete, but unfortunately someone beat me to it.

I'd like to see a battle between Paste Pot Pete and the original Tarantula. Those are two impressive super powers there -- really sticky paste vs. pointy shoes.

 

[CVLion]

I have dealt with Dave many times. He is a very connected dealer......knows a lot of the biggest names that deal with mostly older cards. He would be my first stop. Good Luck

You can look it up on their FAQ,s a I recall. It's been a while--I know between ebay charges and PayPal charges, I could sell an item for 99 cents and add postage and make about 5-10 cents. Total. So, I don't sell much anymore.

They charge 10% with a max of $750.

paypal where buyers pay then hit you for another 2.9%.

Thanks again — I really appreciate all the feedback everyone has been sharing!

 

[CVLion]

Paste-Pot Pete is a little bitch.

This thread inspired me to go create a twitter account for Paste Pot Pete, but unfortunately someone beat me to it.

I'd like to see a battle between Paste Pot Pete and the original Tarantula. Those are two impressive super powers there -- really sticky paste vs. pointy shoes.

I’ve always wondered how The Porcupine never caught on as a great villain... lol

 

[CVLion]

The Porcupine

 

[LionJim]

I’ve always wondered how The Porcupine never caught on as a great villain... lol

Does anyone remember a Marvel SV whose superpower was the ability to copy anyone else’s physical prowess? Meaning, if he’d seen Sauqon’s run against USC he’s be able to do it himself?

I’m guessing he was in a FF or Spiderman storyline.

I was a big X-Men reader during the Claremont-Byrne glory days. This guy was definitely too low rent for the X-Men of that time.

 

[CVLion]

Does anyone remember a Marvel SV whose superpower was the ability to copy anyone else’s physical prowess? Meaning, if he’d seen Sauqon’s run against USC he’s be able to do it himself?

I’m guessing he was in a FF or Spiderman storyline.

I was a big X-Men reader during the Claremont-Byrne glory days. This guy was definitely too low rent for the X-Men of that time.

I believe you’re thinking of Taskmaster. Some version of that villain is slated to appear in the not-yet-released Black Widow movie.

 

[LionJim]

I believe you’re thinking of Taskmaster. Some version of that villain is slated to appear in the not-yet-released Black Widow movie.

Yeah, hits all the right notes, including the time-frame.

Taskmaster (character) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Woodpecker]

Well this is interesting - in going through my collection, which includes some football cards, I just discovered a complete set of 1994 Penn State Football Second Mile cards, still sealed. I think there are 25 or so. The top one is Kerry Collins and the bottom one is Jeff Perry. I'm not sure who else is in there and I'm not sure what they might be worth yet. I did find this.

 

[Midnighter2]

This might be worth checking out - Bill Simmons' 'The Ringer' network just started a podcast on sports card collecting; more information below. Their podcasts are usually really good so might be worth checking out if you have some interest.

Introducing ‘Sports Cards Nonsense’

The sports card market is booming, and The Ringer’s newest show, ‘Sports Cards Nonsense,’ is here to tell you which cards to buy, which to sell, and how current sports events and trends are shaping the business’s landscape

www.theringer.com

 

[CVLion]

Well this is interesting - in going through my collection, which includes some football cards, I just discovered a complete set of 1994 Penn State Football Second Mile cards, still sealed. I think there are 25 or so. The top one is Kerry Collins and the bottom one is Jeff Perry. I'm not sure who else is in there and I'm not sure what they might be worth yet. I did find this.

Interesting indeed... that is a damn good team to have as a set!

 

[CVLion]

This might be worth checking out - Bill Simmons' 'The Ringer' network just started a podcast on sports card collecting; more information below. Their podcasts are usually really good so might be worth checking out if you have some interest.

Introducing ‘Sports Cards Nonsense’

The sports card market is booming, and The Ringer’s newest show, ‘Sports Cards Nonsense,’ is here to tell you which cards to buy, which to sell, and how current sports events and trends are shaping the business’s landscape

www.theringer.com

Thank you, that’s a good tip! I will check it out when I can find a moment for it, and see if I learn some helpful info.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Interesting info in here. Thanks all!

I'd love to unload some of my cards from what I collected as a kid. I have a handful of pretty good ones. The 1989 Griffey Upper Deck rookie card. The 1985 Topps McGwire USA Olympic card. A bunch of late 50s/1960s cards of guys like Mays, Mantle, Ed Mathews, Killebrew, Maris, etc. Rookie cards of Bonds, Maddux, Clemens, ARod, Sandberg, Dawson, etc. etc. etc.

I really have no need or even interest in them anymore, but don't want to sell them for peanuts. Interesting to see the range on Ebay, for instance, on some of these cards. That '89 Upper Deck Griffey, for instance, ranges from $20 to the thousands. I'm not going to get thousands for it, but I'd prefer to get more than $20.

 

[zubrus1]

Interesting info in here. Thanks all!

I'd love to unload some of my cards from what I collected as a kid. I have a handful of pretty good ones. The 1989 Griffey Upper Deck rookie card. The 1985 Topps McGwire USA Olympic card. A bunch of late 50s/1960s cards of guys like Mays, Mantle, Ed Mathews, Killebrew, Maris, etc. Rookie cards of Bonds, Maddux, Clemens, ARod, Sandberg, Dawson, etc. etc. etc.

I really have no need or even interest in them anymore, but don't want to sell them for peanuts. Interesting to see the range on Ebay, for instance, on some of these cards. That '89 Upper Deck Griffey, for instance, ranges from $20 to the thousands. I'm not going to get thousands for it, but I'd prefer to get more than $20.

I am constantly looking to buy cards, it’s my hobby. Also happy to help you navigate selling as it’s a pain sometimes!