Noob seller looking for advice

[rbwalter]

I apologize in advance for asking the same questions that have probably been answered a million times. I've done quite a bit of searching and, to be honest, am a bit overwhelmed by all the information and differing opinions. Here's my story (feel free to skip the story if that ain't your thang):

I was pretty avid collector back in the early days of the junk wax era and I ended up taking possessions of my dad's old cards (1952 - 1956) as well as some cards from the 60s and 70s. I haven't really been into collecting for decades and my kids have never shown the slightest interest in the cards. So, I'm hoping to sell some (or all) of my cards to start a college fund for the grand kids.

I'm completely new to the nuances of modern selling. I bought and sold at card shows as well as hobby shops back in the 80s, but know nothing of grading, online selling, consignment shops, etc... So, I'm hoping to get some opinions on the best way to maximize my returns while minimizing my risk. Any thoughts on the following would be greatly appreciated:

1. My first foray into this was to contact Heritage Auctions to see about a "turnkey" experience of having somebody take my raw cards and do all the work. They (very politely) informed me that they only deal with high end stuff (each card $500+ and a minimum of $3,000+ overall). I may have that with my top 5 or 6 cards, but mostly my cards are of the "in a shoe box with rubber band" variety. I saw that PC Sportcards does that as well and seem to be a respected presence on this forum, but they'll only accept "raw cards are in at least nm/mt condition", so that's likely not an option. Is PWCC worth pursuing? They seem to have a slick selling platform, but a mixed reputation. Plus, they don't seem to deal directly with PSA (if that is best grading option for resell). Are there other option here I don't know about?

2. To continue part 1, is PSA still the best for resell value? It looks like SGC has a lot to offer these days, but researching 130point.com it seems that PSA still has a slight edge in sale price. But, it can be tough to compare since there are more factors than just who graded it.

3. What's the general consensus on grading through places like Boca Cards or Nashcards? I'm guessing the downside is the risk of having more people handling your cards.

Please don't skewer me too badly... ;)

Thanks in advance.

[rbwalter]

Thanks.

[mjohnatgt]

Depends on where you live, and depends on what your time horizon is. For many cards, especially those worth $5-50, you should really look into COMC. They have just added grading with CSG, and while it's not as valuable as PSA normally, at least your cards will be fairly rated and prove their condition. If the cards are mostly VG or so, there won't be nearly the difference in price than at the high end of the grading scale.

There are a couple of thousand-page threads down in the Online Selling forum that can teach you the ways to use the site.

[rbwalter]

Thanks. I'll check out COMC and I appreciate the advice.

[rainmaker]

If you want to share photos of the mantles, Jackie’s and Payton rc id be interested. Please send me a private message if so.

I think you could sell these on this board or net54 without much trouble. You aren’t looking at a life changing amount of $. It may be worth your while grading these top cards you posted but if they’re in typical condition as collected 60 years ago my guess it you’re looking at 2-5 psa. You’re nit really going to get much bang for your buck. A raw vg/ex card will sell for about the same maybe a hundred bucks cheaper than a graded vg/ex card.

I’d look to sell the higher demand cards first try to get value out of them. Then the rest as a lot. Would try the boards or perhaps a local show. The problem there is you’d be selling to a dealer most likely and would certainly not maximize your cash haul back.

[oplum29]

I apologize in advance for asking the same questions that have probably been answered a million times. I've done quite a bit of searching and, to be honest, am a bit overwhelmed by all the information and differing opinions. Here's my story (feel free to skip the story if that ain't your thang):

I was pretty avid collector back in the early days of the junk wax era and I ended up taking possessions of my dad's old cards (1952 - 1956) as well as some cards from the 60s and 70s. I haven't really been into collecting for decades and my kids have never shown the slightest interest in the cards. So, I'm hoping to sell some (or all) of my cards to start a college fund for the grand kids.

I'm completely new to the nuances of modern selling. I bought and sold at card shows as well as hobby shops back in the 80s, but know nothing of grading, online selling, consignment shops, etc... So, I'm hoping to get some opinions on the best way to maximize my returns while minimizing my risk. Any thoughts on the following would be greatly appreciated:

1. My first foray into this was to contact Heritage Auctions to see about a "turnkey" experience of having somebody take my raw cards and do all the work. They (very politely) informed me that they only deal with high end stuff (each card $500+ and a minimum of $3,000+ overall). I may have that with my top 5 or 6 cards, but mostly my cards are of the "in a shoe box with rubber band" variety. I saw that PC Sportcards does that as well and seem to be a respected presence on this forum, but they'll only accept "raw cards are in at least nm/mt condition", so that's likely not an option. Is PWCC worth pursuing? They seem to have a slick selling platform, but a mixed reputation. Plus, they don't seem to deal directly with PSA (if that is best grading option for resell). Are there other option here I don't know about?

2. To continue part 1, is PSA still the best for resell value? It looks like SGC has a lot to offer these days, but researching 130point.com it seems that PSA still has a slight edge in sale price. But, it can be tough to compare since there are more factors than just who graded it.

3. What's the general consensus on grading through places like Boca Cards or Nashcards? I'm guessing the downside is the risk of having more people handling your cards.

Please don't skewer me too badly... ;)

Thanks in advance.

you want advice? here's some advice

A
B
C

Always

Be

Closing

oh my bad....lol

[discodanman45]

SGC has a few advantages with vintage right now, the main being turnaround time and less chance of an upcharge. PSA vintage submissions are taking longer than modern submissions right now. You may lose some value not going with PSA, but a lot of people trust SGC right now. I also recommend going graded right now, it will make sure that you get a fair price and also the buyer gets a fairly judged card condition.

[mizzoujohn]

If you want to sell the whole collection at once and not deal with grading, have you looked at Greg Morris cards? I can signed a good amount of raw vintage to him and he gets really strong prices on eBay based on their large following. It by far offset their fees. That may be one direction to look for you, because you would be sending one box of cards away and receiving a check and that’s all you have to do.

[rbwalter]

If you want to sell the whole collection at once and not deal with grading, have you looked at Greg Morris cards? I can signed a good amount of raw vintage to him and he gets really strong prices on eBay based on their large following. It by far offset their fees. That may be one direction to look for you, because you would be sending one box of cards away and receiving a check and that’s all you have to do.

I just saw a mention of Greg Morris while searching the forums last night, but know very little of his services. That seems like an certainly interesting option and I'll definitely look into it. Thanks!