19 Superstar Card Lot Of Sportflics 1986 and 87 All NM or better

Description

19 Superstar Card Lot Of Sportflics 1986 and 87 All NM or better. T HE CARDs: Sportflics cards were the height of baseball card technology back in 1986. The hobby was vibrant but with a focus on the collector. I even have all of my Current Card Prices pamphlets. The earliest price guides in the hobby. Hello! Last month I began listing the very first of thousands of cards I plan to sell on Ebay from my life-long collection. It is a collection I devoted so much of my youth to in the early 80's. Please read "my story" below. Today's auction will focus on the great rivals to Topps - Fleer and Donruss. And while most of us were, by habit, loyal to Topps, when Donruss came out with their 1984 set, everything changed. T HE CARDs: Sportflics cards were the height of baseball card technology back in 1986. This is a superstar lot, I showed the back of the cards so you can read player names. THE WONDERFUL 80's: Ah, they 80's - the prime decade of my time in the hobby and, predictably, I think it was the best time. The hobby was vibrant but with a focus on the collector. No grading companies - we were on our own - gloriously on our own! I have so many cards from this period that I really don't know how to go about this without it being all-consuming. I am going to try to list a few of the star cards from 1980 until 1986, my last year opening packs. I did go to a few shows during and after college and even purchased a handful of cards. And yes, I too was blown away by Upper Deck in 1989, but by then, my collecting years were winding down. These past few weeks have been the first time I've dived back into the many 80's cards I've had since, well, the 80's. After going through them all these years later, one thing has become very clear - the early 80's were a DISASTER for centering. In some cases, I can only find one centered card out of the dozens I might own of that particular card. Also, the card stock was terrible, as was the print quality. On the plus side, it makes the rare centered, sharp and clean card a true relic! And having a really nice one can be a wonderful long-term investment, relative to its value today. So in short, while I often have dozens of each of these cards from the 80's, the ones I am listing over the next few months are the best of the lot. Every card I own from the early 80's are sharp and pack-fresh, but very few will be as centered as these. *** MY STORY: With a real sense of bittersweetness, I'm finally putting my childhood collection up for sale. I was a devoted baseball card kid from the moment I opened my first pack in 1977 until I left for college in 1986. During those years, I built a massive collection and even became one of the youngest to have a dealer table at one of the original New York card shows - the Adria Hotel in Queens, New York. I even have all of my Current Card Prices pamphlets. The earliest price guides in the hobby. (And yes, mint 1952 Mickey Mantle rookies were selling for $500 then) I spent half my childhood inside the legendary Mike's Comic Hut in Flushing, Queens - just a few minutes from Shea Stadium. Every penny I made from 6 years as a paperboy (delivering the Daily News) was spent at his store or buying endless packs from my corner store. A few years after college, Mike called personally to sell me a part of his collection as he was closing the shop - I had no idea he was battling cancer, and he passed not long after. Those cards hold special meaning, some of which will stay with me forever. Like Mike, along the way I had a few old-school mentors, and one in particular taught me to look for centering long before most collectors cared about anything beyond corners. My collection is a true reflection of that insistence for centered cards. Many of these cards are in really beautiful condition and include hundreds of thousands of cards between 1952 to 1986. As the years passed and I graduated college, I poked around a few card shows. By then grading had just arrived. I even purchased a 1961 Wille Mays from a company called SBC (I still have it) but it instantly felt somehow that the card seemed trapped inside the plastic and strange that I could never actually touch the card. Seems funny hearing that today, but I realized right then that the hobby had passed me by. But I never sold a thing. I kept everything, admired it over the years, and held onto the joy it brought me. Now, with my 2nd child heading off to college and retirement on the horizon, it feels like the right moment to let these cards find new homes. They were a huge part of my life, and I hope they bring someone else the same excitement they once brought me. It is a wonderful hobby. *** THE PROCESS: The photo of the card in this listing is the exact one you'll receive. At first, I tried scanning the cards, which was fast and simple, but they may have obscured potential defects. So instead, I have taken very detailed high-res photos of every card, their corners and surface. In fact, some of these photos, especially corner shots, can be so zoomed in that they reflect imperfections otherwise not visible. In other words, many cards often look nicer to the naked eye than in the photo. I will do my best to point out any hidden surface issues on the cards, but otherwise please refer to the photos, especially the one that used the light to reflect off the surface. Also, please be mindful of any print marks on the card by carefully examining the photos. Also, I've been asked a few times whether I'm listing the best examples of each card now or saving stronger ones for later. The truth is, there has been no set formula to how I post. I'm intentionally keeping things mixed: some auctions, some Buy-It-Now's. Sometimes I'll lead with a really sharp card, other times I'll hold the best one back to keep interest going. I've even taken a couple of requests and listed those on the spot. So in short, there's no grand strategy, just a balanced, steady flow as I work through the collection. *** SELLING INFORMATION: Before deciding on Ebay, I did some homework and spoke to a dealer or two. They insisted I'd be leaving a lot of money on the table by not grading. I even took a handful of my cards in-person to PSA in Jersey City and they offered me a decent (but still incredibly expensive) grading package. But in the end, I've decided I'm going to sell my collection as I built it - with my own eye for the beauty in a card. Not grading has not been an easy decision nor one I have taken lightly, as I realize that some of these cards have a chance at a high grade, which can create wild swings in the value. However, t hese cards entered my collection ungraded and they will leave it that way. Every card I own has been in my collection for decades and are authentic and untrimmed. Trimming did exist, even in those early days, but they were pretty crude and easy to detect. I have closely examined and sized-up every card myself. All cards over $250 go to Ebay Authenticity where I stand behind a 100% guarantee that the card is authentic and untrimmed. Finally, I am going to kick this off by selling my more modest cards, starting with the final years I collected (early to mid 80's) to get a taste of what the market offers and the logistics of Ebay. I have a very large quantity of sports cards and this venture might ultimately prove to be overwhelming - so I will take it slow and try to build up my feedback score while occasionally listing some marquee cards. The process is really time consuming so far but I'm looking forward to this adventure! *** SHIPPING AND RETURNS Auction Wins: Winner pays $4.95 for a secured bubble mailer. Any additional cards won are included FREE via my combined shipping policy (see below) Some select cheaper 70/80's cards may be listed at $1.95 envelope shipping. If you win 3 of these or more, shipping will be upgraded to the $4.95 bubble mailer. In short, you will never charged more that the $4.95 shipping fee no matter how many cards you win. FREE Combined Shipping: Every additional card won during the same 24 hour period ships for FREE ! (I only list .99 starting auctions once a week or so). So w hether you win 1 card or 100, your shipping stays at the price of your first card. I will absorb the additional shipping and insurance costs beyond the $4.95 price. Please request or wait for an invoice before paying to receive the shipping discount. Buy-It-Now (BIN): Shipping price also just $4.95 unless otherwise stated. For higher-value items, small increments may be added for additional insurance and security. Please check each individual listing. Ebay Authentication: If you win a few cards, but one or more have to go to Ebay authentication, they will have their own shipping rate as the card will be sent to a different destination. Lots/Sets/Boxes/Packs: Please refer to each individual listing. I will still do my best to partially combine shipping even when you purchase more than one bulk item. Local Pickup allowed! I am located on 14th street in Manhattan for anyone who wishes to pickup items in person. Returns? No returns. All items are sold "as is" and final. However, for purposes of the Ebay authenticity program (cards +$250), I fully guarantee that every card is authentic, untrimmed and properly described. In the event that Ebay finds otherwise, the seller can of course opt to have the purchased reversed and money returned.