If You Had 300k Desirable Cards of Stars/HOF'ers From 1945 to Ultra-Modern - How Would You Sort Them

[Savard18]

I know this seems like a fantastical er nonsense question - but say you found yourself in that position - and you were just one person in-charge of that amount of HOF'ers, Stars, Rookies etc, and you had boxes EVERYWHERE full of great stuff - what would you do, how would you proceed??

The pictures below are pictures of my "card room", and I could really use some advice with the best ways to sort/organize etc, and even strategies on how to sell, because THIS is what I'm dealing with - and the majority of these cards are NOT commons or junk nonsense except for vintage (pre-1980) - and even most of those are higher grade cards or high-numbers..

Look, it's madness, lol... Then collectors go "what do you have?" and I'm like "more than I don't", lol... It makes it really difficult to narrow stuff down... How do you respond to "what do you have?" when you have 200-250K stars, HOF'ers, rookies - it's like how does someone "browse" though this insanity online?? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I HAVE, hahaha..... And believe it or not - this is only HALF of it!! I have the other half in storage...

And you know what's crazy?? this all started because I pulled an Auston Matthews Young Gun back in 2016 (I pulled a few) but it all started with my nostalgia for hockey (and baseball) cards.. I bought a 2016-17 fat-pack for nostalgia reasons, I pulled a Matthews YG, sold it - reinvested the money into more cards, profited - reinvested - and now I have THIS, lol.... It was a good $6-7 dollar investment, but it's waaay too much for me to handle now, 8 years later.... And if it matters I bought the fat pack because I have a passion for the hobby ever since I was 7-8 years old, back in the 80's, collected into the late 90's and then got nostalgic in 2016, bought a fat pack - then here we are.... It's way more complicated than just that - but THAT is why it looks like someone dropped a payload explosive device on a sports card collection, lol....

[Savard18]

Random stack of hockey in top loaders:

How do you sort it???

[mooneyes]

Start with putting the Lemieux, Dryden and Roy rookies from last photo in a safe place, perhaps get them graded.
Also may want to check out that vintage Red Wing card in the 4th photo.

[Savard18]

Of course it's ALL "out of order", but what is the logical way to presume selling cards, when you're entire operation is chaos, haha...

Look, it's not that bad - I sell a lot of cards (that has never been the issue) and I know if I had a better system in place it would be more efficient and I could continue to progress - which of course is why I thought some of you may have some really good ideas... I'm open-minded, so perhaps someone out there has been in my position and figured something out - and if they wish to share - that would be awesomness.

[Savard18]

Start with putting the Lemieux, Dryden and Roy rookies from last photo in a safe place, perhaps get them graded.
Also may want to check out that vintage Red Wing card in the 4th photo.

I'm an expert... They're not slabbable cards... The Esposito Rookie is tho...

I'm a sports card expert dealing cards out of a house, if that makes any sense. lol..

[odjickfan]

I don't see an easy option out. Maybe you should go very slow with purchases for a while. Also, I hope that you kept bills for everything you bought. When you start selling all these, it will make some decent income, and you'll have to fill some papers and tell the IRS about the money you make.

[Savard18]

I don't see an easy option out. Maybe you should go very slow with purchases for a while. Also, I hope that you kept bills for everything you bought. When you start selling all these, it will make some decent income, and you'll have to fill some papers and tell the IRS about the money you make.

I appreciate the input Gino.... You know, I have to (or would like to) move cards in volume - which is what I did when I was a kid - I would make "mystery packs" to get rid of the excess to make room as I grew (my card business). I would put them in brown sandwich bags, or tin foil if it was on hand - then brick them up, get a table at the local card show and, I'd sell out of them before lunch - as I would try to sell the "higher end" cards of the day... haha.. Collectors would just stand there and buy them, pack after pack - like those people that do those scratch-off lotto tickets, haha,,, But unfortunately there is zero trust in the hobby (over the internet) and everyone assumes a "mystery pack" is a bunch of junk wax era commons, and I cant blame them, because there are indeed people selling junk that buy a million cards and think they can flip them.....

Anyway, I'm trying to put this insanity into order, lol - I just have no idea how to do it, lol...

[odjickfan]

I appreciate the input Gino.... You know, I have to (or would like to) move cards in volume - which is what I did when I was a kid - I would make "mystery packs" to get rid of the excess to make room as I grew (my card business). I would put them in brown sandwich bags, or tin foil if it was on hand - then brick them up, get a table at the local card show and, I'd sell out of them before lunch - as I would try to sell the "higher end" cards of the day... haha.. Collectors would just stand there and buy them, pack after pack - like those people that do those scratch-off lotto tickets, haha,,, But unfortunately there is zero trust in the hobby (over the internet) and everyone assumes a "mystery pack" is a bunch of junk wax era commons, and I cant blame them, because there are indeed people selling junk that buy a million cards and think they can flip them.....

Anyway, I'm trying to put this insanity into order, lol - I just have no idea how to do it, lol...

Maybe you can do it one box at a time? You sort it, make some ebay listings, send a bunch to COMC. With the money from your first COMC sales, you submit a second lot, and so on.

[Savard18]

Maybe you can do it one box at a time? You sort it, make some ebay listings, send a bunch to COMC. With the money from your first COMC sales, you submit a second lot, and so on.

I'm already doing the online thing, I've been selling on eBay for 20+ years.... And like I say - I don't have a problem selling cards - I just accumulate way more then I can sell... Look, this is a one man game and I can only put so much into it before I feel like I'm neglecting everyone else... Of course, you have those around me that believe I'm hording cards, lol...... Of course that's another hilarious situation within itself because my parents recently retired (at least my mom did) and they convinced me to sell my house so I could move into their house - rent free, everything free - because they own several properties around the country and they want to travel - and they want me here with my family holding down "home base" which is what I'm doing but obviously I brought my cards, lol... Look man, they know all about it - I've been flipping cards since my first pack back in 1987, lol, but now at 43, and what I have accumulated ever since 2016 when I got back into the hobby - it's just become such a diverse inventory I'm struggling to sort it in any way that makes logical sense, lol....

So yea, I just figured that perhaps someone that posts here may have been in my position before and conquered the absolute madness .....

If you want to have a look at my eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?item...=nickittysplit

[Savard18]

why the heck am I rookie?? - I've been having awesome conversations,,,, I'M not a "rookie"in any aspect... grrr