Need Advice Regarding Selling My T206 Set

[OldMill]

Hello Folks,

I am in the process of getting my T206 set graded for eventual sale. Sadly, I am missing the Big 6, but I have the remainder of the set.

As you would expect, conditions vary from Nr Mt to Poor.

What do you propose is the best way to maximize the value I obtain for the set, while balancing the amount of time and effort I have to put into selling the cards? Should I put the entire set up for auction or should I sell each of the HOF's individually and then sell the commons in large lots?

I am looking forward to your thoughts.

Thanks in advance,

John

[E93]

Depending on how valuable your time is, you might not want to sell it one card at a time. If it averages vg/ex or better, you might consider one of the larger auction houses. They will also pay for the grading and you could save yourself some $ that way. You can also consider the multiple offers and inquiries you have probably already received since posting.
JimB

[OldMill]

Thanks E93. No offers yet!

I haven't had the cards graded, so maybe I should check with auctions houses first. I didn't think about them paying for the grading services.

Which auction houses have the best reputation / deal structure for sellers?

Thanks again.

John

[Phillies*phan]

I had a top ten set a few years ago when t206's where going for crazy prices. Best decision I ever made was to sell it at that time.
What I would do is sell anything less than vg-ex in large groups raw. All HOFers and southern leaguers, send to either psa or sgc, whichever is best right now.
How I sold mine was this. On the PSA website they give you access to most everyone's e-mail in the set registry. So, register your set on there and write up an e-mail and cut and paste it to a bunch of people on there. Tell them what the name of your set is and that it is for sale.
I did this in the summer of 2006 and within a week I sold 90% of my 400 cards to just a few people. All from the set registry without paying a dime in fees or Paypal. Had them all send me checks and didn't ship any cards till it cleared.

[OldMill]

PhilliesPhan,

You rock. That is very insightful.

I collected these cards in the 1970s and early 1980s and I have been out of the hobby since that time. As such, all of this is new to me.

I had planned to have PSA grade the cards. I spoke with the President (Joe) and he is a great guy.

Great suggestion. I will try this approach, as I don't have anything to lose. If I don't get traction within the PSA Registry, I can always pursue the auction approach.

Thanks!

John

[bbcard1]

If you piece it out, you should consider NOT grading the cards less than a solid G...I am working on a low grade set and prefer unslabbed and I think a lot of others do as well.

[Jim VB]

If you piece it out, you should consider NOT grading the cards less than a solid G...I am working on a low grade set and prefer unslabbed and I think a lot of others do as well.

I prefered raw cards when I built my set also, but to be fair I prefered them because they were available for less than comparable graded cards. That may play into this guy's answer because he is now a seller, not a buyer.

[rdixon1208]

I prefered raw cards when I built my set also, but to be fair I prefered them because they were available for less than comparable graded cards. That may play into this guy's answer because he is now a seller, not a buyer.

After grading fees are factored in, it may be more profitable to sell lower grade commons raw.

[bbcard1]

After grading fees are factored in, it may be more profitable to sell lower grade commons raw.

That's what I was trying to say...if a card is going to go for $10 to $25, why bother to send it in...not only do you spend money on grading that will not realize more money, but you also delay the proceeds without any real profit.

[joeadcock]

John

One consideration(already mentioned) above is one of the larger auctions. I sent a large group of T206 to REA this year and they broke it down into 2 large groupings(one strictly T206, the other combined with other prewar cards I had sent).

The lots sold for better than I imagined, though I had duplicates(including HOF's). .

This is just another suggestion based on my experiences.

Frank

[GoldenAge50s]

Is it STILL true that the auction houses will pay for grading--or is that a myth?

I have heard they will have it done, but charge you accordingly out of the sale proceeds.

What are the facts these days?

[OldMill]

My thanks to everyone who posted a reply and sent a private message.

I am leaning toward getting the VG+ cards graded and attempting to sell them via a eBay dealer who has a good customer satisfaction score.

However, I remain open to additional suggestions.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their thoughtful comments. I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

John

[chaddurbin]

phillies*phan seems to have the best suggestion. may take a little legwork on your part but you won't necessarily have someone else take about 15% out of your sales (8% ebay+3% paypal+ cosignment fees).

[sb1]

Yes, there are auction house's that pay grading fees without renumeration. We have sent several submissions in gratis for our upcoming auction.

Scott

[GoldenAge50s]

Thanks Scott--Glad to know the facts.

[rdixon1208]

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but we would love to see them in the B/S/T :)

[FUBAR]

if you are getting your t-206's graded, do yourself a favor and go with SGC. For aesthetic reasons alone, they have the nicest holders.

[Luke]

.

[scottglevy]

if you are getting your t-206's graded, do yourself a favor and go with SGC. For aesthetic reasons alone, they have the nicest holders.

Jim,

I have to respectfully disagree. If the primary reason for grading is resale (which is what it sounds like here) I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the seller would get more money for slabbed PSA cards than for comparably graded SGC cards.

In fact a group of T206 collectors (myself among them) recently bought and broke a T206 set that was mixed PSA and SGC. We purposely assigned a 10% discount to any commons that were SGC.

[tbob]

Jim,

I have to respectfully disagree. If the primary reason for grading is resale (which is what it sounds like here) I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the seller would get more money for slabbed PSA cards than for comparably graded SGC cards.

In fact a group of T206 collectors (myself among them) recently bought and broke a T206 set that was mixed PSA and SGC. We purposely assigned a 10% discount to any commons that were SGC.

As much as I like SGC (and use them exclusively), PSA graded pre-war cards still bring more than SGC IMHO. SGC is the choice among posters on this board, it seems, but a lot of collectors still prefer PSA although I think the gap has narrowed somewhat. SGC holders ARE much better looking aesthetically and you don't have sliding cards like some PSA holders. Plus I believe SGC does a better job spotting trimmed cards although I sometimes disagree with their assessments.

[ethicsprof]

i have to agree with Scot and Bob.
since you're talking money, you'd best do as they say methinks.

all the best,

barry

[T206Collector]

I had just planned to list about 20 T206 cards on ebay last night, all graded 4, 5 and 6. A few hours before I did that, I made a B/S/T post with all the cards, and asked for what I really wanted to sell each for. Within an hour or so, I had racked up $800+ in sales and only had to list 15 last night. It is a simple, low cost alternative and it takes almost no effort to list them here. Heck, I didn't even post scans -- I just emailed scans to people who were interested in specific cards. Then, a few hours later, I pulled down the B/S/T listing and put the remainder on ebay -- 1 card at a time, $.01 starting bid. We'll see how it goes when they end Sunday night...