Collection Call
I received a website inquiry — which have steadily increased in frequency — to look at a collection about an hour away. After quickly responding to the email, I received a text with a few pictures.
Why we bring a partner
For collection valuations, I bring in a partner, for a few reasons.
Security. Fairly obvious, but having another adult present is good for all involved.
Liquidity. You never know what the value is going to be. If the buy requires liquidity, I may need another resource.
Risk mitigation. Most often the cards are raw, and thus significant grading risk. Splitting that risk is easier to digest.
And lastly, another opinion never hurts.
We met the client at their apartment, and the cards had been meticulously cared for — thousands were sleeved. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the collection was from the early 1990s and of little value.
That being said, we did walk away with some interesting pieces for resale and our PCs: a rare Derek Jeter, a 1991 Upper Deck Joe Namath auto, and a Michael Jordan that we'll send to be conditioned.
While we had no interest in buying the entire lot, we did want to give the guy some money, and also make the 3 hours worth the investment. The total deal paid out $900 — which was really the best we could have done with the few cards we walked away with. We did commit to helping him offload his bulk with our contacts.