Need advice on trading my entire vintage card collection

[AGuinness]

That's a junction in the road that many, if not all, collectors will come to. And finding the right balance of keeping what you have collected and the consideration of what would be best for your heir can be tough.
It strikes me that maybe there is an answer in between trading everything or keeping it all. First, even if your son is not a collector, there may be a set you have that he may want to keep (your first, your favorite, his birth year, etc.). While inheriting 50+ sets can be a burden for a non-collector, having one set that was nearest and dearest might be a great keepsake. You could then trade the remainder for some key cards in the hobby that would be easier to sell.
In the end, getting on the same page with your son about your collection - whether that's giving him enough info to be able to sell it all when he inherits it or even understanding that he doesn't want to deal with it and it would be better for you to handle it before then - would be a very productive step in the process.

[JollyElm]

I like what Dan suggested. Not necessarily selling to Greg Morris (have no opinion either way), but the general theory. Have someone else do the legwork and you can walk away with a pretty decent penny, allowing you to purchase the big cards you seek. Trading is always a very tough row to hoe, and trying to trade very valuable things for other valuable things is probably going to turn into a nightmare, especially since your 'target audience' is going to be exceptionally thin.

[judgebuck]

Mark,

I am 67 years old and have a collection much like yours. I've been trying to thin it out over the last few years by selling all sets after 1957. My son says it would be easier if he were left just several graded star cards.

I agree with the others that trading might not be wise. If you're trading with a dealer, the dealer will get the best of the deal. I agree with consigning to Greg Morris or PWCC and then taking the proceeds to buy graded vintage superstar cards.

David

[Exhibitman]

I'm only 53 but wanted to cut down the volume of my collection. What I decided to do was get rid of the bulk and replace it with cards I always liked and wanted to own. Not necessarily marquee cards, either. Start with a list of the cards you want. If you don't want to bust up the sets and do the eBay selling, which is where you will net the most, I'd say consign to LOTG. I did with much of my exhibit card sets. Al did very well by my sets. Then buy the cards you really want to own. To wit:






Having a more limited volume of cards is very liberating.

[toad strangler]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'm only 53 but wanted to cut down the volume of my collection. What I decided to do was get rid of the bulk and replace it with cards I always liked and wanted to own. Not necessarily marquee cards, either. Start with a list of the cards you want. If you don't want to bust up the sets and do the eBay selling, which is where you will net the most, I'd say consign to LOTG. I did with much of my exhibit card sets. Al did very well by my sets. Then buy the cards you really want to own. To wit:


Having a more limited volume of cards is very liberating.

At the age of 35 I realized my collecting habits weren't getting me anywhere. At the time I was not a believer in graded yet (around 2004 or so) and had mountains of "junk wax" all over the place. That's when I decided I needed a real focus and began collecting 1978 Topps in minimum PSA 9 grade. My pockets aren't deep enough to chase older vintage and I had a habit of collecting as many new children as I did cards lol. Anyway, so I purged the mountains of firewood I had and what a thrill it was to chase the best set of my childhood in high grade. So that's what my collection centers on. 1978 Topps. This will never be truly finished as I am slowly upgrading to PSA 10's but it's finished enough to feel a great accomplishment. I can now go after other graded endeavors although it won't be another monster complete set. So, yes it was very liberating to get out from underneath all of that junk (late 80's early 90's) which I had no idea what to do with.