[txconx]

My husband's been a collector for years and now wants me to look into selling off a large portion of the collection. We've never (no, not once!) sold or traded. Other than boxed sets, he hasn't even bought cards for years and he's never been to shows. I've just started to catalog the cards here.

So my questions...

Sell sets complete, or break them?

Is grading necessary? I kind of get the impression I don't need to have all the cards graded, but is it worth having them graded at all? He has complete sets of several years and I can't even imagine what it would cost to have a complete set graded.

If graded, which service? He wants me to use PSA because we live in Los Angeles and he seems to think they're going to let me sit there and watch them work and wait for them to finish then bring the cards home.

TIA.

[uvaspina]

Unless you're talking about pre-1980 sets, I wouldn't even think about grading anything (except for a handful of cards, like rookies of Ripken Jr., Mattingly, Clemens, etc.). Also, if most of the cards/sets are from 1980 to 1995 or so, you're probably not looking at any big dollar items. For the most part, you'd probably best of selling as sets. Look on ebay at completed auctions to see what your cards/sets are selling for and go from there.

If you have some nice high-end or vintage cards that you want to grade, you'll do ok with either Beckett or PSA. I'm not sure how PSA's drop-off service works, but I'm not sure that it's realistic to expect to have your cards slabbed while you wait--and it's relatively expensive. Research the two companies online to see what they offer and what makes the most sense for you. I know that both companies set up booths at the larger card shows. You can get your cards "pre-graded" on site, but will need to submit them to get them slabbed.

If you post more info on what you have, I (or others) might be able to give you some more detailed advice.

[txconx]

Thanks for the input.

A large part of the collection is pre-1980. There are complete sets of Topps for 1958 - 1963, as well as some duplicates for those years, and near-complete sets for earlier 1950s and later in the 1960s. I'm not sure what he has for the 70s. He also has a bunch of tobacco cards, but they're locked away and I haven't seen them in years -- it'll be awhile before I can get to that part of the collection.

He had a large collection when I met him in the early 80s and since then he's bought mostly the full boxed set for the year/maker so he does have post-1980 cards but they're still in the box, never opened.

[Vols-1]

If you have a large collection like that for sale then i would let the pros handle it. They will get more money on the average then you can. They can grade cards cheaper, break sets up easier, or even add cards to make a set. There are several on ebay, here's one in CA... http://www.pwccauctions.com

[chevy man 22]

You'd do good to find a checklist and/or price guide and figure out if you have any top name rookies from the 1958-1963 sets and if you do condition is key. If they appear in decent shape meaning the corners and edges aren't worn or rounded and the centering looks good then I might look into having them graded depending on the player. Most commons from that era might go from $2-$3 but the big names like Aaron, Dimaggio, etc... can bring a premium.

[petesahuttt]

I'd be very interested to see what you have for tobacco cards, as would many others I'm sure!

[txconx]

If you have a large collection like that for sale then i would let the pros handle it. They will get more money on the average then you can. They can grade cards cheaper, break sets up easier, or even add cards to make a set. There are several on ebay, here's one in CA... http://www.pwccauctions.com

Thanks - I'll check them out. They must be getting awesome deals from Ebay and Paypal - their commission fee is less than what Ebay charges me!

You guys are a great group and I knew I'd get a good discussion here. :-)

I'll definitely post some pictures of the tobacco cards once I find them.

[nyyankeesfan28]

Those are some amazing cards! Get them graded and sell through an auction house, not eBay.