Baseball cards and other collectibles

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Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

Any baseball card collectors on the Swamp? If so, I have a question. My wife and I went to pawn shop last weekend just to look around, and they had a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card (Topps, 41T). It was graded as a 10, and they wanted $20. It looks like they're selling (book value) for about $6 in near mint to mint condition, but I don't know if that price is for graded or non-graded cards.

Should I buy the card solely because it's graded as a 10, even though the price is over the book value? Or should I steer clear since it's a Topps card?

I'm not sure I want to get into collecting baseball cards, but I just saw it was for sale and thought it would be cool to own a future HOFer's rookie card that's graded a 10.
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Re: Baseball cards

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Sabo wrote:Any baseball card collectors on the Swamp? If so, I have a question. My wife and I went to pawn shop last weekend just to look around, and they had a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card (Topps, 41T). It was graded as a 10, and they wanted $20. It looks like they're selling (book value) for about $6 in near mint to mint condition, but I don't know if that price is for graded or non-graded cards.

Should I buy the card solely because it's graded as a 10, even though the price is over the book value? Or should I steer clear since it's a Topps card?

I'm not sure I want to get into collecting baseball cards, but I just saw it was for sale and thought it would be cool to own a future HOFer's rookie card that's graded a 10.

If you want it, buy it.
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Re: Baseball cards

Post by Sabo »

Yeah, I know, but in this instance, I'm trying to decide if it's worth my time. I don't collect baseball cards (although I have several hundred packed away somewhere in this house from my youth), but I think this card could have some long-term potential since it's been graded a 10.

Former Swamper Mulligan, who has a very nice collection of cards, said the card's price might spike when Junior is inducted into the HOF. I guess I could always sell it during the spike and make a small profit.

Actually, I'm going to alter this thread's title so it's not just about baseball cards, but collectibles of any kind. What kind of collections do Swampers have? The only things I collect are John McPhee first editions, of which I have 12. I went to an antique mall a couple of months ago and found three McPhee first editions, all in excellent shape and with their dust covers, for $10 each.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by The Sybian »

Are you doing this to turn a profit or something? We are talking about a 24 year old item valued at $6, and whether or not it is going to hold it's value? If you think it is going to be a cool piece to display or look at or know you own and worth $20, pay it.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by ZMan »

The closest thing I have to a collection is a couple of boxes of old Magic: The Gathering cards. I think the oldest I go is the Ice Age expansion (I might have a few 3rd or 4th edition commons), so I doubt I have any bank breakers. I may have a few rares worth something, but I've never given thought to valuing them. I'd rather hold on to them and leave them to my kid than cash them in. I get hoardy like that.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by The Sybian »

ZMan wrote:The closest thing I have to a collection is a couple of boxes of old Magic: The Gathering cards. I think the oldest I go is the Ice Age expansion (I might have a few 3rd or 4th edition commons), so I doubt I have any bank breakers. I may have a few rares worth something, but I've never given thought to valuing them. I'd rather hold on to them and leave them to my kid than cash them in. I get hoardy like that.
I have more cases of baseball cards than I know what to do with. Too many of them are unorganized, too. Sad thing is, they were worth a lot more 25 years ago than they are today.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by DSafetyGuy »

I have a few boxes of baseball cards at my mother's house and I am certain there will be wisecracks from my stepfather about finally getting them out of their house after we move within driving distance this fall.

I wouldn't bother getting into baseball cards as either a hobby or an investment. While I understand the potential for some (small) financial gain in this case, it's just not worth it. Basically, the market became over-saturated in 1987 or 1988, which is right before that Griffey rookie card became available.

Even older cards are static or worse in value, as well. In those boxes of cards at my mom's house, I have some Paul Molitor/Alan Trammell rookie cards. They are currently at an average value of $31.68. I am pretty sure they carried a higher value years ago, including before Molitor became a Hall of Famer (although Griffey's popularity makes a difference). Tony Gwynn's 1983 Topps rookie card is about $15 and Wade Boggs is under $10. Those are both waaaaaay below what it was worth when I was still collecting and I got out before 1990.

After looking up those prices (for the first time in years), I suspect the collection will have more value to me in nostalgia than in cash.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by TT2.0 »

the steroid era killed my entire collection i think. haven't dug it out, but i've got pages of bonds, mcgwires, sosas, palmeiros, ripkens, and the like. rookies, mints, etc. i also have over 240 steve finley cards. i'm oddly proud of that.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by blundercrush »

Sabo,

I remember seeing somewhere that the Ken Griffey Jr rookie as extra super common so I wouldn't get your hopes up that it will go up any time soon.

As to the magic cards, with a recent explosion in popularity you might want to check those cards again. If you have Ice Age cards era cards some of them have gone through the roof. Force of Will is an uncommon and is 100$. It is the exception for an uncommon obviously but that card was "insanely expensive" at 60$ a couple years ago.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going back there today and see if I can talk down the price some.

Last weekend, the Indians had an Albert Belle bobblehead day, and I'm hoping someone brought it into the shop and sold it. I'm not a huge bobblehead guy (I have six or seven, and all are Reds players), but I really want the Belle one. Why? Just take a look.

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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by HDO45331 »

I have an old collection, from 1972-3. Maybe not worth much, but worth a lot to me.

I have Mickey Mantle's Topps card from 1969, which has his complete stats. My favorite.

I also have some cards from the Dayton Dragons, a Reds Class A team. These include a few Joey Votto cards, among others.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by BTTG »

Ah, baseball cards, one of the first episodes of obsessive-compulsive behaviour in Little BTTG's life. I still have most of the cards released between 1984-1987, before Upper Deck came along and basically ruined everything by turning baseball cards in to a hyper-competitive bubble that inevitably burst.

Funnily enough, I was explaining this to my father-in-law yesterday, at the London Map Fair. Map collecting is Big BTTG's new obsession, though I don't have nearly the resources necessary to get really rare and amazing stuff. Still, fairs are awesome ways to at least get to look at cool shit like this and this.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Scottie »

I bought a copy of Faulkner's Light In August at a church thrift store a few days ago for two bucks (two bucks!). No idea what that's worth yet but it is old enough that it might be a valuable edition. Anyway . . . this card was in it, presumably as a book mark. I also have no idea what this is worth; I don't know a thing about card prices. It's condition is very good. Not mint but rather well preserved; presumably because it was safely stuck inside of a book for half a century. Now, Gus Zernial is a somewhat obscure player but I was struck by how frankly weird it is. Very odd. Six baseballs glued (?) to a bat and an "OK" or "zero" sign?

Image

That's not my card but rather a pic of the same card I snagged off of the net and that is in similar condition. And I say "somewhat obscure" because he did, after all, win an American League home run title one year and finished one shy of winning it another year. And the year he did win the HR title, the guys behind him were named Ted Williams, Vic Wertz, Al Rosen, Yogi Berra and such.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Johnnie »

When I was young I watched my dad collect cards because he had all of those really valuable ones from when he was a kid. Lots of time and money spent collecting that ultimately went nowhere.

Then there was this one day in 1998 that I discovered Magic cards and I wanted to not only collect, but play. My mother looked at this as sunk cost and pointless. Maybe she viewed my dad's collecting in much the same way, but I'll never know.

What I did know was that what I was doing required money. Lots of it. Naturally I was always a step off. Not having a job meant that I had to beg them for money for packs of those cards. Well, a few short years later I grad high school and join the military. My playing and collecting data are over.

Then a couple years ago I rediscover the game and all those cards I direly wanted had exploded in price. The $400 Black Lotus now goes for upwards of $5,000. You can pull cards from packs that are immediately $100. The packs go for $4. So yea, everyone collecting baseball cards should have been collecting magic cards. It's funny how that works out.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by devilfluff »

I had one of those $5000 cards. Bought it for $200. I obviously didn't hold onto it long enough...
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by A_B »

Scottie wrote:I bought a copy of Faulkner's Light In August at a church thrift store a few days ago for two bucks (two bucks!). No idea what that's worth yet but it is old enough that it might be a valuable edition. Anyway . . . this card was in it, presumably as a book mark. I also have no idea what this is worth; I don't know a thing about card prices. It's condition is very good. Not mint but rather well preserved; presumably because it was safely stuck inside of a book for half a century. Now, Gus Zernial is a somewhat obscure player but I was struck by how frankly weird it is. Very odd. Six baseballs glued (?) to a bat and an "OK" or "zero" sign?

Image

That's not my card but rather a pic of the same card I snagged off of the net and that is in similar condition. And I say "somewhat obscure" because he did, after all, win an American League home run title one year and finished one shy of winning it another year. And the year he did win the HR title, the guys behind him were named Ted Williams, Vic Wertz, Al Rosen, Yogi Berra and such.
From the Wiki:

"Zernial is featured in one of the most unusual baseball cards of all time. His 1952 Topps card shows Zernial holding a bat that has six baseballs attached to it.[2] This photo recognized that he had tied an American League record by hitting six home runs in three consecutive games from May 13–16, 1951. The day after the picture was taken, he hit his seventh home run in a fourth consecutive games."
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Johnnie »

devilfluff wrote:I had one of those $5000 cards. Bought it for $200. I obviously didn't hold onto it long enough...
Nope. And here's the thing too. I remember going to baseball card conventions, KMart early bird openings, Building 19 in Somerville where my dad actually housed his cards under the large tables where they sold them (No shit. He'd go in there and basically build collections and then store them in plain sight. It was genius. And thievery.), and he befriended people all over the place in hopes of snagging stuff that could eventually be worth the money. The time wasted looking up card prices in Beckett Monthly was another adventure. He even bought memorabilia too. Dimaggio signed ball and hat. Williams signed ball. But then my parents fell on hard times and they had to sell the stuff.

And Christ! The amount of hours we spent watching this fucking jackoff have a conniption fit to sell stuff! Who else remembers this guy? YouTube "Don West Shop at Home" and waste some time. It'll be worth your while.



So compare that game of chasing fortune when, realistically, what I was on, unknowingly of course, was the real path. Magic came out in 1993. I jumped in during a prime time. The "Power 9" were worth less that those chase rare Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey rookie cards. Dual lands and other cards traded for $15 a pop. And there was even the onset of holographic cards similar to the ultra rare "refractors" from sets like Topps Finest. Stuff was plentiful and available. Hell, even Boston was a hotbed of professional Magic players. Money could be made.

But it wasn't really looked at as anything more than an expensive hobby. (But tell me about a hobby that isn't expensive.) So then, being unaware of the real community of Magic and the neckbeards it attracted I kind of fell out of it. Plus I have a hard time deciphering and understanding strategy games on a level higher than basic concepts. Really, I'm bad at a lot of things like that. Brain teasers, Risk, Chess, Mensa tests..etc. If it weren't for the fact I could memorize 8 algorithms I wouldn't be able to solve a Rubik's Cube. I basically cheat. But I digress.

When I hopped back in, loaded with ammunition (read: money and opportunity), I figured I could get somewhere. But no. I looked at the market and wow did everything seem to just exponentially increase in value. Cards out of the packs right now are routinely $20-$40 for high value cards and double the price for their "foil" counterparts. Take the most current set to come out: Theros (a set based on Roman mythology, but in its own universe.) Check out the foils. Upwards of $40-$80 for some. SO you can imagine what cards from the past are worth. And the game is only 20 years old! Just crazy.

But yea. That's my trip down memory lane merged with my nerdness.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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My entire retirement is invested in Beanie Babies.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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brian wrote:My entire retirement is invested in Beanie Babies.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by kranepool »

Sabo wrote:Albert Belle bobblehead day...
Image
Read a Deadspin piece on him recently.

Then a family friend did some birthday-party-related shenanigans for his family this weekend in Scottsdale.

He got fat.

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Post by rass »

I forget who it was here (Kranepool?) who first referenced Baseball Card Vandals, but thanks again.

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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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rass wrote:

link
Remember 1999?
Frances and Harold Mountain divorced four months ago. According to the divorce decree, the parties were supposed to divide their Beanie Baby collection, estimated to be worth between $2,500 and $5,000.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by EdRomero »

Anyone have experience selling old cards? My brother and I don't know what to do with my father's old collection that we inherited, including a few 1952 Willie Mays cards. Neither of us collect anymore, but I don't want to get ripped off either.
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Post by wlu_lax6 »

Market appears to be very volatile for slumping stars who are finding form.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

This might be the greatest story ever told.

"You're the guy with the ball to the crotch."
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Post by Johnnie »

EdRomero wrote: Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:07 pm Anyone have experience selling old cards? My brother and I don't know what to do with my father's old collection that we inherited, including a few 1952 Willie Mays cards. Neither of us collect anymore, but I don't want to get ripped off either.
Sorry that this is a response to a months old post, but if my experience selling my Magic collection is any indicator, stores that but collections of cards like that will pay half at best in cash.

I think getting things graded appropriately and selling via eBay would be most lucrative, but also the most time consuming.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by rass »

Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:15 am This might be the greatest story ever told.

"You're the guy with the ball to the crotch."
That was great.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by EdRomero »

Johnnie wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:59 am
EdRomero wrote: Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:07 pm Anyone have experience selling old cards? My brother and I don't know what to do with my father's old collection that we inherited, including a few 1952 Willie Mays cards. Neither of us collect anymore, but I don't want to get ripped off either.
Sorry that this is a response to a months old post, but if my experience selling my Magic collection is any indicator, stores that but collections of cards like that will pay half at best in cash.

I think getting things graded appropriately and selling via eBay would be most lucrative, but also the most time consuming.
Thanks. My strategy of doing absolutely nothing sounds good then. Maybe my nieces' grandchildren can figure out something in 50 years
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by EdRomero »

If I had a time machine to give my 16 year old self advice, stop "investing" in baseball/basketball/football/hockey cards would be pretty high on the list.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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rass wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2019 9:29 am
Sabo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:15 am This might be the greatest story ever told.

"You're the guy with the ball to the crotch."
That was great.
Laughing my head off - imagine that scene in the clubhouse.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

I've been going through a bunch of stuff in my basement and found my baseball card collection. Most of it are common cards from the 1980s, but I have a 1989 Topps box set that is unfortunately opened.

I guess my question is, should I even bother taking these cards to a card shop to see if they're worth anything? Or should I just put them between my bike spokes and call it a day?

I have no desire to go through all of them, but maybe some card dealer might and will give me $20 for all of them.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

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Sabo wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:11 pm I've been going through a bunch of stuff in my basement and found my baseball card collection. Most of it are common cards from the 1980s, but I have a 1989 Topps box set that is unfortunately opened.

I guess my question is, should I even bother taking these cards to a card shop to see if they're worth anything? Or should I just put them between my bike spokes and call it a day?

I have no desire to go through all of them, but maybe some card dealer might and will give me $20 for all of them.
My best friend Chad -- who you met at the 2006 MAC championship game and maybe a couple of other times -- runs on online card business on eBay*. I can put you together with him if you want. I don't know what the going rate is, but the fact it is opened might not be as big a deal as you think. And since you guys know each other he can probably give you a decent price since he knows you didn't rifle through it to extract the valuable cards like he would have to do with a rando.

ETA: * - He's also one of the world's best fantasy golf players. He regularly plays several $1,000 heads-up matches every weekend, though obviously not now. Given that, he's throwing himself back into the baseball card biz full-time to keep the money coming in, so this is actually a good time to hit him up if you're interested in selling.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

brian wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:15 pm
Sabo wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:11 pm I've been going through a bunch of stuff in my basement and found my baseball card collection. Most of it are common cards from the 1980s, but I have a 1989 Topps box set that is unfortunately opened.

I guess my question is, should I even bother taking these cards to a card shop to see if they're worth anything? Or should I just put them between my bike spokes and call it a day?

I have no desire to go through all of them, but maybe some card dealer might and will give me $20 for all of them.
My best friend Chad -- who you met at the 2006 MAC championship game and maybe a couple of other times -- runs on online card business on eBay*. I can put you together with him if you want. I don't know what the going rate is, but the fact it is opened might not be as big a deal as you think. And since you guys know each other he can probably give you a decent price since he knows you didn't rifle through it to extract the valuable cards like he would have to do with a rando.

ETA: * - He's also one of the world's best fantasy golf players. He regularly plays several $1,000 heads-up matches every weekend, though obviously not now. Given that, he's throwing himself back into the baseball card biz full-time to keep the money coming in, so this is actually a good time to hit him up if you're interested in selling.
Thanks, brian. I vaguely remember him. I know the set isn't worth as much because it's opened, but I don't recall removing any of the cards from it. It's probably not worth much, but I'm willing to sell them if he's willing to buy them.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by brian »

Sent you guys an email. If you work something out, great. If not, no harm done. He won't dick you over on price though. He's trying to make a buck obviously, but he's not going to do it by ripping you off.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by Sabo »

brian wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:19 pm Sent you guys an email. If you work something out, great. If not, no harm done. He won't dick you over on price though. He's trying to make a buck obviously, but he's not going to do it by ripping you off.
And that's perfectly fine. I'm just wanting to get rid of shit, and if he's willing to give me some money for it, I won't complain.

Thanks for the help!
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by The Sybian »

Sabo wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:23 pm
brian wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:19 pm Sent you guys an email. If you work something out, great. If not, no harm done. He won't dick you over on price though. He's trying to make a buck obviously, but he's not going to do it by ripping you off.
And that's perfectly fine. I'm just wanting to get rid of shit, and if he's willing to give me some money for it, I won't complain.

Thanks for the help!
Pull up a Beckett's value guide from 1989 and refuse to budge from that price.

About 10 years ago I was looking at the value of baseball and hockey cards from the 80s and 90s. They were worth more then than now. Our generation treated them like an investment and listened to our fathers bitch about their mothers throwing away cards that were worth thousands of dollars.
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by MaxWebster »

bump.

Apologies if I've already mentioned this here as I'm all over the place lately but there does seem to be a serious and weird spike in the business of selling/buying old cards over the past ~6 months. Recent articles in both the NYTimes and Athletic, a piece on NPR.... anyways I'm unfortunately at the point where I could use some money and am seriously considering parting with some of the old 1956-1958 cards my dad gave me when I was a kid. I don't think any are mint but the stars (e.g. Mantle/Williams/Aaron/Mays...) are in pretty decent shape.

Unfortunately as I've been doing a little research it kinda seems like sending in *one* valuable card to PSA (who is the standard-bearer for grading?) in and of itself can cost $1000s and there's such a backlog that you may not get it back for 9 months. Wtf.

Anyways long boring story short, similar boat to Romero (although 1952? holy moly dude) - just not sure where to go so am in a holding pattern. Don't really want to take it to the hobby shop a town over, they'll probably try to exchange me a signed Marcel Dionne sweater for it (to be fair, i've seen it and it's gorgeous....)

EdRomero wrote: Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:07 pm Anyone have experience selling old cards? My brother and I don't know what to do with my father's old collection that we inherited, including a few 1952 Willie Mays cards. Neither of us collect anymore, but I don't want to get ripped off either.
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rass
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Re: Baseball cards and other collectibles

Post by rass »

rass wrote: Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:21 am I forget who it was here (Kranepool?) who first referenced Baseball Card Vandals, but thanks again.

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