For seniors

[theshleps]

I turned 72 today. Decent health. I have noticed over the years people reaching a point where they decide to sell there collections. I am curious for all you 60+ folks if you are committed to collect and keep purchasing until you die or if you think there might come a time to liquidate. I am just as active in collecting as ever but you start contemplating these things. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts

[jimq16415]

I'm early 60s with 2 pretty bad strokes in the past year. Definitely been selling non-graded things and trying to make sure the wife knows how/where to get rid of what's left.

I still buy stuff but I'm a lot more selective about it and normally get them graded right away.

[commishbob]

I'm 70. I contemplated selling off my collection for a few years. I knew my wife and kids would have no idea where to begin if I left them this stuff but I was dreading the process. I pictured selling sets one-by-one, weeks of scanning, and quibbling over price/condition and it didn't seem like fun negotiating a couple dozen or so vintage set sales.

A few months ago I received a 'We're buying' flyer in the mail from a well-known dealer so I called and when their buyers came through Texas last month they visited my place, looked at what I had, and made a cash offer that I accepted. I know I left money on the table doing it that way but avoiding the hassle of multiple drawn-out sales, shipping, Pay Pay fees, and potential scam buyers made it worthwhile. Everyone's milage will vary of course.

I kept some things that had more meaning to me than value, my Baltimore Colts card collection, TCMA sets, non-sports sets from the 60s, and a few others. I also kept one project to work on to keep my fingers in the collecting aspect of the hobby... my 1975 Topps mini set is about 60% done and it contains cards that members here very generously contributed without asking for anything in return. I figure it will be the perfect 'post-collecting' project.

Because every thread needs a card:

[SyrNy1960]

I’m 63 and retired last year. When I hit 60, I sold 90 percent of my collection. I have 10 really nice pieces that I kept to enjoy, without the thought of selling. We never know when our day will come, and I don’t want to burden my wife with my collection to deal with. I’ve enjoyed 40+ years of collecting. I used the money for upgrades on our home. Never regretted it! I still dabble a bit, but nothing too much.

[Wihawk]

Happy Birthday Michael!

I'm 63 and continue to purchase though less expensive items than I used to buy. I've trained myself to being more content with lesser grade cards and not so focused on star players, it helps satisfy my collecting urge.

[tlake22]

I can tell you 1st hand as a coin dealer after someone passes, the heirs just want to be rid of that stuff. I sold off my autograph collection 3 years ago. I'm 57 now. Not to offend anyone here, but noone in your family wants your cards. Sell it now and spend the money on them building memories.

[mrmopar]

I have wondered about that myself and how it might go down. Someone like Kit Young, who travels and buys (of course, pretty sure he is older than me...but he is running a business and I am not). I wonder how often he looks at stuff and the seller and he just can't come up with an agreeable price. Time is money and wouldn't want to waste time, but also not wanting to blowout my collection just to take the easy route either.

I would say my collection is sizable, but not hoarder show worthy. I stopped buying wax in the late 90s and have focused my buying on things I like ever since, mostly targeted ebay buying. Got rid of some bulk, but added some back through some shop/local market bulk buys for the fun of going through it, not expecting anything too valuable. I like odd stuff, so I have a variety of small sets, and non-standard Topps stuff. I focused on Dodgers and certain players I liked or sets. Have a decent bit of vintage and a few high demand cards, but missing a lot of keys too. Lots of autographs, mostly cards, 3x5s and other flats.

I would absolutely love to weed through a collection like mine, but not sure how deep a buyer like you describe would go and it would take some real time to really dig in and get a good idea of what treasures were contained within.

How big was your collection? How much time did the buyer spend and how deep did they dive? I could see a scenario play out where a typical card shop type guy flips open a few 5K boxes, pulls out a few stacks randomly and that is their assessment.

Originally Posted by commishbob

I'm 70. I contemplated selling off my collection for a few years. I knew my wife and kids would have no idea where to begin if I left them this stuff but I was dreading the process. I pictured selling sets one-by-one, weeks of scanning, and quibbling over price/condition and it didn't seem like fun negotiating a couple dozen or so vintage set sales.

A few months ago I received a 'We're buying' flyer in the mail from a well-known dealer so I called and when their buyers came through Texas last month they visited my place, looked at what I had, and made a cash offer that I accepted. I know I left money on the table doing it that way but avoiding the hassle of multiple drawn-out sales, shipping, Pay Pay fees, and potential scam buyers made it worthwhile. Everyone's milage will vary of course.

I kept some things that had more meaning to me than value, my Baltimore Colts card collection, TCMA sets, non-sports sets from the 60s, and a few others. I also kept one project to work on to keep my fingers in the collecting aspect of the hobby... my 1975 Topps mini set is about 60% done and it contains cards that members here very generously contributed without asking for anything in return. I figure it will be the perfect 'post-collecting' project.

Because every thread needs a card:

[rjackson44]

ill collect till i die my mom collects art, antiques,my sister vintage basketball and hockey ,,im ok with that ...

[JCRedbird]

Bought packs of baseball cards since I was a kid and fortunately kept what I had. Nearly 70 now and have been collecting in earnest for over 50 years. Man has the hobby changed! I remember when finding a card you didn't have was more important than finding a star card, especially for the really old stuff. I never thought I'd sell but now I've got to admit, I'm thinking about it. Got some dishes my mom collected and they are in a box in the garage...where they've been for 20 years. Got a coin collection my dad had. Been in a tub for 10 years. I think my cards may have the same destiny. I've got a pretty extensive collection with complete sets back into the 50's and several notebooks of vintage cards. I've loved the chase and I've loved learning about the cards--who produced them and for what reason and the nuances of each set (why do some sets not have certain numbers, etc). But now I'm trying to decide if the financial comfort that a sale would give me outweighs pulling a notebook off the shelf and reliving "the good ole days". Any opinions on who to deal with if I opt to sell? Some I've looked at are Deans, Baseball Card Market, American Legends, Greg Morris, etc.