Thoughts on 1950s cards over the next 15 years?

[wfubob]

Hi all, great forum here. Seems the perfect place for any advice on my situation.

I was a casual baseball card collector as a kid of the 70s and 80s. Before my grandmother passed a few years ago, she said she couldn't leave much for her evenual grandkids, but gave me a box of pretty well-preserved cards that my father collected, with strict instructions to use them, whatever the worth might be, to help send my first child to college.

I had forgotten this until I came across them this weekend, ironically my son's 3rd birthday. As I went back through the cards, they are mostly '53 through '57 Topps, and '53 through '55 Bowmans, with a mix of stars and commons. (The '57 Topps and '53 Bowman colors are in especially nice condition to my uneducated eye). I'd guess about 700-800 cards in total.

I don't need the money, and actually would prefer to hold and preserve them to give to my kids someday as I will my personal collection, but want to fulfill my grandmother's wish. So I'm looking for thoughts from long-time collectors and experts around here. Given the vintage of the cards, would you advise someone in my shoes to sell them now, or hold them now and sell then? In other words, this is just a somewhat fun projection on what the market for this vintage will be over the next 15 years, when my oldest will start college. My initial thought is that those years would appeal to the baby boomers, so I'd be better off selling now.

Secondly, if I decide to sell now, what are your recommended outlets for individual card sales? I don't see myself taking the time to go rent a booth at a card show or anything like that.

Third, if I decide to sell in bulk now (i.e. not worry about maximizing proceeds) any advice on doing that would be welcome.

Finally, I spent a few hours this weekend surfing here and other places on the subject of grading. From my brief read, seems the advice would be, for these years, to go PSA (Beckett--I know, not BCCG!--for modern, SGC for pre-war?), and limit it to stars, and those that I think might get a 7+. Not that I've done enough research yet to know what a 7 might look like...

Obviously any educated feedback would require seeing the lot, so just interested in any general observations anyone would be kind enough to share. I'm in Atlanta, so if there are any recommendations of reputable and trustworthy folks here to talk to, I'd also appreciate that.

I did scan a few of the star cards last night, which are attached. I'd say the condition of these is generally indicative of the condition of all the cards in each of the years, with the exception of the 56T Mantle, which is much worse than the others (looks like my dad must have had it on the top of a rubber-band-secured stack at some point!).

I also am logging the inventory as a "public" collection into beckett.com (seemed like an easy format and I could eyeball the useless book values to begin to ID better cards). I have about 135 in so far. My username there is also wfubob if you have any interest at looking what I've logged in and you know how to view public collections (obviously ignore the condition column, as NM/M is the default on the site).

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Robert

[wfubob]

Sorry, obviously title should say "1950s" but can't seem to edit that!

[RobertGT]

You are lucky in that - based on your scans - this collection appears to have survived in fairly clean condition overall. That means grading will have to be in play if your goal is to maximize the value. With a collection of 800 or fewer cards, it shouldn't take too much time or require to much effort to break this down and piece it out if you desire. Here's how I would proceed:

A) Pull any star or Hall of Famer with a "book value" of over $100 and examine closely with intent to send to PSA (my preference, though some may disagree). This includes players such Mantle, Banks RC, Mays, Clemente, Aaron, Drysdale RC, Berra and more. Your goal for these is a 5 or better, as they will still bring decent money in that grade. Exclude anything with a crease, really bad centering or major defect -- sell those raw. If you get a 7s, 8s, or even one 9 you are golden.

B) Look for ultra-sharp/high-grade commons and low-pops to send in to PSA. Be careful with these, because if you send in commons and they come back 5s you likely will lose money on the grading fee. Your goal for these is a 7 or better. Look for very sharp corners, 60/40 centering or better and a clean surface. Commons in 8 or 9s from the years you have will bring nice money.

C) Sell the graded vintage you get back on eBay, either though straight auctions or Buy It Nows.

D) Piece out low-grade stars (single cards) and bulk common lots (no more than 50 cards per lot) in raw form at a local auction house that has a sports auction and a following of collectors. (or at least has sports knowledge). A good example of this is Hunt Auctions of Exton, PA. Alternatively, you can sell the raw stars and common lots on eBay yourself. They will bring about the same amount as a well-known auction house.

E) Do not consider selling the entire 800-count collection as one unit, especially as raw. You will be leaving money on the table.

Good luck.
Rob

[wfubob]

Thank you Rob for your thoughts. That process makes good sense.

What are "low-pops"? Google was not my usual friend on that one.

Any thoughts on timing, i.e. value of this vintage today versus holding for awhile over my investment horizon of 15 years? While I don't have to maximize value, I am a private weath manager in my day job, so can't help but think that way . I have my own thoughts on what having $1 today will be worth in 15 years invested in his college 529 plan (at least my clients hope so!).

Relatedly, anyone know of any resources that track year to year values of cards, be it individual cards or whole sets?

[RobertGT]

I think most would agree that, generally speaking, we are in a down market for cards right now. Whether that is because of the economy or other factors (old-time collector's dying off, no new collectors coming into the hobby, etc.) is anyone's guess. So if you can afford to hold them, now might not be the best time to sell. However, without the benefit of a crystal ball, it is impossible to say whether the market will get better next year or continue on its downward trajectory for another 20 years.

The one thing I can say for certainty is that high-grade vintage will always be in short supply and in high demand, so based on your scans I think you are in a good position to reap some decent rewards -- no matter what the market looks like. Some of the cards you have will always bring a nice buck, as they are classic cards that collectors of all ages want.

A "low pop" simply refers to a PSA or SGC card, whether it be a common or star, that is extremely difficult to find in high PSA grades due to a number of factors (almost always found off-center due to where it was on the printing sheet, etc.). So a "low population" 1957 Topps PSA 9 common card of a player you never heard of could bring $1K or more because there are only five or so PSA 9s of that particular card in existence (simple supply and demand). So if you have some "low pops" you will want to get them graded, as high-end set registry people will be looking for them. You can look up the population reports on the PSA website - I believe that function is now free for everybody.
Best,
Rob

[doug.goodman]

I say put them back in the box and don't open until the kid is a junior in highschool.

Doug

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by wfubob

Relatedly, anyone know of any resources that track year to year values of cards, be it individual cards or whole sets?

I've only used VCP once, for one day, but doesn't it show historical values for realized prices of graded cards?

[johnmh71]

I also think you should hold onto them. You have some really nice cards.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by wfubob

Before my grandmother passed a few years ago, she said she couldn't leave much for her evenual grandkids, but gave me a box of pretty well-preserved cards that my father collected, with strict instructions to use them, whatever the worth might be, to help send my first child to college.

What would happen if you didn't comply with those instructions - if you either kept the cards for your own personal collection (with no intention of selling them), or gave them to your child once he turned 18? Is there a stipulation in your grandmother's will mandating you to sell the cards for your child's benefit?

[wfubob]

So I've had so much fun re-discovering the collector that has been buried in me for 25+ years, I've decided that I'm going to "buy" the cards from my wonderful grandmother, with her proceeds going straight to my son's 529 plan. Then I'm going to start set building, starting with the '53 Bowman color and '57 Topps. The former is a beautiful set and the latter is the one I have the most of in very nice condition. Thanks to all on here for the advice.

To establish grandma's proceeds, I sent 46 star cards off to PSA yesterday. As for the rest, I'd appreciate any ballparks on common values for the following sets. I'm going to assume a 5-6 grade on average.

53, 54, 55, 56, and 57 Topps
53, 54, 55 Bowman

Again, really appreciate the forum here, and look forward to buying your cards on the cheap

[mintacular]

pm sent...

[Leon]

Originally Posted by wfubob

So I've had so much fun re-discovering the collector that has been buried in me for 25+ years, I've decided that I'm going to "buy" the cards from my wonderful grandmother, with her proceeds going straight to my son's 529 plan. Then I'm going to start set building, starting with the '53 Bowman color and '57 Topps. The former is a beautiful set and the latter is the one I have the most of in very nice condition. Thanks to all on here for the advice.

To establish grandma's proceeds, I sent 46 star cards off to PSA yesterday. As for the rest, I'd appreciate any ballparks on common values for the following sets. I'm going to assume a 5-6 grade on average.

53, 54, 55, 56, and 57 Topps
53, 54, 55 Bowman

Again, really appreciate the forum here, and look forward to buying your cards on the cheap

great decisions....always nice to have more addicts....uh, I mean collectors, among us......happy collecting!!! (your grandma would be proud too)