One of the better 1960 Topps Baseball card sets in the hobby was broken up and sold recently with several cards either setting or approaching hobby records.
New Jersey-based Just Collect offered the set, which had been virtually a lifetime project for a collector who opted to sell after a move to the west coast. All 572 cards had been graded by PSA, with none rating lower than a NM/MT 8. In all, the set realized $40,118 when the eBay auctions drew to a close.
The set’s life began when the owner began pulling cards from wax packs in 1960 and continued with ongoing improvements in condition stretching over many years. He finally opted to part with it after a recent move from the midwest to the west coast.
The #350 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 sold for $2,050 while Willie McCovey’s #316 rookie card in PSA 8 also hit the four figure mark closing at $1,025. PSA 8 rated examples of Hank Aaron #300 and Willie Mays #200 combined with #148 Carl Yastrzemski’s rookie card to also surpass the $2000 threshold.
Some of the “common” cards which have proven difficult to grade at the “8” or above level and are rarely offered at auction drew out Set Registry participants. Card #170 Del Crandall received 23 bids and closed at an astounding $1,000.
“We also set a VCP record for #451 Curt Simmons at $779 and another record for #116 Jim Rivera selling for $648,” said Just Collect’s Leighton Sheldon. Several other commons sold individually for $300 and up (you can see what each card sold for here).
Just Collect has stepped up its efforts to purchase vintage PSA graded sets by offering collectors the chance to have their sets appraised free without having to ship them. The company then uses current market information to create an offer to buyers, sometimes in 24 hours or less. The 1960 set transaction required less than five business days to change hands. Just Collect also recently purchased all PSA 8 and higher sets of 1955 Topps All-American Football and 1973 Topps Baseball.