A Recently Purchased 1968 Topps Baseball Complete Set (With Some PSA-Worthy Cards)

[@GamalShealey]

baseball cardcollector and investor did an excellent job to swing and showing off his 1968 collection of baseball cards from 1968 lolLOL I think it tells me to want to find more 1968 Topps baseball cards and also back issue comicsComics or comic books and the other370 price guides

[@paulsantos7358]

Love seeing vintage sets in sheets. Old school collecting.

[@frankguastella3305]

Chris, the 1968 Detroit Tigers card has a high value because the Tigers won the World Series in 1968. Tiger team sets from 1968 also command a high value.

[@broth6]

nailed it

[@scrwwea_nhl_hut5288]

I was thinking the same thing as I watched the video. Ive seen graded team cards command pretty decent returns.

[@Famdoc1000]

1968 was my main collecting year. At one point, I had a half dozen of these sets, but have sold them off over the past few years. Most recent set sold by Heritage for me for $2800. I'd send the Koosman rookie card to SGC to avoid the MC qualifier. Could get a 5, which would sell for nearly a grand.

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

You’re absolutely correct; SGC downgrades for miscuts where at PSA you get the awful MC or they will not grade it at all. The Ryan even in a “3” grades worth grading!

[@sammyhill93]

Something about flipping through vintage sleeves is so magical 🤩 Speaking for all Sewalligans, it’s informative to hear your thought process and reasoning behind the decision-making. Thank you for the education this morning, Professor Sewall!

[@bruisermoore]

Stop being a brown noser, he’s not gonna give you a better grade on the quiz! 😂

[@mookiechillson]

One other note on that 68 set! There are Milton Bradley variations that are really hard to pick up unless you know what you’re looking for. I have picked up Seavers that sellers missed. Slightly different yellow backs. They’re more rare, worth a little more and Some collectors don’t know they have them!

[@spic0li]

Thats such a rare variant does it really have that much more value if most of the collector world doesn't even know or follow it in the set building field...

[@SkynyrdTim]

I know that the Casey Cox Milton Bradley (yellow team name) usually sells for $20 to $25 on eBay, so I would say they do have a much higher value than the regular Topps version. I have one in decent shape that I coud probably get $15 for with no effort.

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

Very rare and worth a lot more for some cards!

[@NuthinFancyCollectibles]

Nice set, Chris. Thanks for letting us see them. 1968 was a great year......I was born. 😉

[@greatnorthern706]

It took four ballots for Killebrew to get the nod for HOF. That is absolutely mind blowing. He should have been a no-brainer, but the small market bias was firmly in place.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Wow, would not have guessed that.

[@CoachTabe]

It took Joe Dimaggio three tries :)

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

Shows you how ridiculous some HOF balloteers were. Kilibrew was always feared by pitchers. He could knock the cover off a baseball!

[@markeastridge9649]

Baffles me when I hear that. 2 MVPs and 5 more top four finishes says enough.

[@NyckulasLowe]

Good stuff as always, Chris! I’m late to the party in terms of collecting as I’m in my early 40’s and have very little money but I’m working on building my first complete set (not sure how doable). 1954 Bowman 🤞 Your videos inspire me and I look forward to every Saturday morning when I get to sit down at work with my phone and coffee in hand to watch while I wait for customers to arrive!

[@robertarnold9594]

Nicholas, never too late to start, and it's never a race! Collect at your own pace, and enjoy the journey! Happy collecting!

[@ACD1994]

The good news is that the '54 Bowman has 220 something cards. In comparison, the '68 Topps has about 600.

[@bhfromnh3914]

I’m working on my set. I have half and all of the stars. Amazing! Congratulations

[@zeldafreak1975]

I own one of these myself. About the same condition. My Ryan isn't miscut, tho. I'd guess it would be around a psa5 or 6. Such an awesome set. Thanks for sharing!

[@gridironstars]

Nice breakdown on how to sell these vintage sets. Thanks Chris

[@lukezitlofsky5286]

Nice set, thanks for sharing :) The 68 Mantle was the only Mantle I ever had in my collection as a kid :)...wish I still had it :(

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

You got a winner there! What a beautiful set! I have a friend whose older brothers got a roller skating box full of absolutely beautiful 67/68/69 cards including 3 rookie Ryan’s in high grade. You can tell he didn’t look at them much by their condition. I’ve been trying to buy them for 20 years but he won’t sell them. It probly didn’t help my cause to tell him what he had! Nice set Chris!

[@jsommeljay100]

Huge thanks, Chris, always love watching and learning something!

[@briandelauro3471]

Really really appreciate all your insights on how you handle situations. It’s incredibly helpful. I have a 1979 Topps hockey set with a Gretzky that I’ll be selling at some point and this was really useful. Thanks again

[@craiggunter9630]

As a 1968 Set Registry collector, don't forget to take a peek at the hardest to find card of the entire 1960's Topps decade...the White Letter #400 Mike McCormick. This rarest of cards, if a WL, will fetch a pretty penny!

[@rjuleson]

I find it interesting that you put the bigger stars and grading contenders back into the sleeves. Great set.

[@josephbunevith7657]

Great set! Watching you put the cards back in the binder on the ring side made me die inside though!

[@frankchuang6390]

Nice pickup and good luck with the cards for grading! I recently completed a set that I've been working on for 2 years, 1956 Topps. I finally got the Mantle finish it. I've decided to keep the whole set raw though several key cards would probably grade well.

[@anthonyjoseph2353]

Chris, that was an awesome video. I'd like to see more videos like this -- evaluating a vintage set, which cards to PSA, and should you decide to break up the set or not -- absolutely captivating to watch this. Great job!

[@Studgunners]

Tigers won the World Series that year. Extremely popular team.

[@ilovecake1310]

Watching you get the Nolan Ryan out of its sleeve was awesome! I would love to see a video with you talking about how you handle cards. The way you tapped your wrist, never thought of that.

[@chrispatton95]

I thought everyone did that to retrieve the card from top loaders

[@jackiechapman8189]

Nice 68topps set Chris..😍 That Rose card has a funky cut but seems like an overall good set..🤗 Good luck with the cards you do submit.. Take care..👍❤🔥👊

[@vintageonvintage817]

Great looking set, looking forward to seeing the grades, how you decide to sell and the ultimate outcome! Good luck

[@MichaelBandanza-pc7ho]

Nice my dream is to have a complete set 1962 baseball cards probably cost to much

[@MichaelBandanza-pc7ho]

I have a lot of nice cards to sell like Barry bonds rookies and more

[@JohnMiller-jj9kx]

One of my top fav set of the 60s and my second 60s set I completed. Ya , the Tigers team card holds value pretty high, probably because they were the 68 champs. Great set!

[@tdsportscards]

With some of the small collections I've been buying, I've slowly been stashing nice looking 1960's and 1970's cards with the idea of doing a batch of nice sets and maybe getting a decade put together

[@williambartenslager4134]

1968 Tigers are popular as World Series champs, I’m working on a team set in PSA 9/10 right now. All the Tigers carry a premium in high grade, especially Lolich, Kaline, Matthews in addition to the team card.

[@rudistorm3348]

The Tigers won the world series in 68. Thats why it books for more

[@caesarvalentin6332]

I sold my 1968 set except Nolan Ryan. 90 percent near mint 10 percent excellent mint

[@bruisermoore]

Video idea! It would take too much time more than likely but when you were saying “there’s no home runs in this set”grading-wise, it made me think about what set has the most home runs combined from all of the players in the set. It would be cool to see the stat totals from sets. My guess would be a set in the late 60s/early 70s or a late 90s/early 2000s set towards the tail end of the steroid era.

[@SeaJayAudit]

Great set, Mr. Sewall. Looks like many of those cards could be COMC candidates if you don't feel like putting in the work to list them all individually.

[@bobo44donemilking51]

I love 68 set under valued set , about 10 years ago I bought a 68 tigers set that looked nice I sent some to PSA and got 2 cards that were PSA 10

[@stuke1976]

Nice looking set.

[@rookiecards4me258]

When it comes to vintage sets is there a huge difference if you were to go with SGC? Love the tuxedo!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

My experience is psa still outsells sgc on vintage

[@richardbianco9674]

Not by much but with psa getting a tad bit faster lately, and with him not being in a hurry, it would make sense. Although their 499 max cap with even the 19 a card service might need to be taken into consideration. Sgc is 1500 so these would all be only 15 to grade

[@joelrooks389]

Would you consider sending the key cards to SGC for grading?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

From a financial standpoint it makes far more sense to send them to PSA

[@farrenthorpe]

The Ernie Banks looks OC top to bottom. Does PSA care less about top-bottom centering?

[@luke5947]

A keeper 😎 ✌️ nice set

[@arpsmith]

That Tigers team card seems to have a premium price due to being a high number and the Tigers being the World Series champs.

[@billkhan3789]

On my extremely low budget, that card was a grail card. I always wanted one but I had never spent $25 on a single card when I first saw one in the 1990s. I began putting Tigers team sets together a couple years ago and finally got one in the VG-EX range for $15 that fits my collection perfectly. Then someone who knew I’m a Tigers collector gifted me one, so now I have two. The 1968 Tigers seem to have more of a World Series premium than other teams. Michigan must be a large state for collectors.

[@ikhbjhbkm5]

@@billkhan3789 But who won in 1967 because that's who the cards and stats depict.

[@rlsfrny]

@@ikhbjhbkm5 St. Louis beat Boston.

[@ACD1994]

I would just send in the key cards for grading. Maybe not the Ryan RC due to miscut? But, the Bench RC, Aaron, Clemente, Mays, Mantle, etc for sure.

[@danielbracco9997]

I like your idea of grading the big cards and selling as a set. I have a question that has been bugging me for years. How can a card be perfectly centered on the front but off center on the back and vice versa? Basically, how are cards made and cut at the factory? Great video!! I was 8 years old when this set came out!!!

[@RichardRennes]

The glossier fronts are different stock than the rest of the card, and are glued together to the top of the rougher card stock. They can be glued together off-centered/crooked from the machines, and then get cut down to regular card size. But since quality control was non-existant back then, those things were fairly common and no one at the factory cared.

[@danielbracco9997]

Thanks!!!

[@wrestlemania7ven]

The Tigers won the World Series in 1968 so the high number team card is highly prized

[@joedill4311]

It seems to me that from about 1968-1972ish Topps had a problem with keeping the back and front closely centered. Even in the 50's, it wasn't as prevalent as those Vietnam era sets. Its very odd, but its possible the places that printed these had poor qc.

[@alltimesportscards]

1973 is likely the worst from that era.

[@joedill4311]

@@alltimesportscards I've noticed it some on the '73 ser, but I had a really clean 1973 Topps set that didn't take alot of searching to complete in NRmt. Maybe I've just had good luck with '73s, but the 1970 and 1972 especially have been an absolute nightmare for so many years. I have complete sets, but each one has at least 20 cards that are nearly impossible to find with good centering. I prefer centering over anything else with that era, so I'm crazy about that aspect haha!

[@ASMRPeople]

1968 was the year the Detroit Tigers won the world series so that team card is a bit sought after. Tigers don't get the yankee or red soxs boost, but they're part of that second tier like cardinals or dodgers where they get a slight boost compared to a generic team.

[@ikhbjhbkm5]

Why would they go for cards representing the 1967 season then, pictures and stats? Seems obvious to me that the card set released in 68 would represent the 1967 season. Same goes for all years imo.

[@BigEd_R]

I am sure you answered this a hundred times. How come some players throughout the 60’s did not have team logos on their hats/uniforms? Seems like it’s not just rookies, I see vets too. Thx

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I actually do not know why that is.

[@evanfraser64]

I have a 1965 set I bought about 20 years back. I’m thinking of sending it raw to a channel sponsor raw that seems to get great prices on individual cards. You’re obviously expecting a better return by grading keys and selling as a set. Is that because of the condition of the more common cards?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I would consider that if the set was majority NM or better. But my set is more like EX on average.

[@xWJaguar29Wx]

It actually took until the fourth year of Killebrew’s eligibility to get into the HOF. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me!

[@mikezier2902]

As always love your videos

[@mikesbaseballcards]

Bought the complete 68T Set in December 2022

[@prestonporter7866]

I’ve actually built a master set of this with all variations and errors minus just one card-the Mike McCormick white letter error.

[@sw1217]

I'm curious to hear how this story ends.

[@markmorgan8907]

would be cool see how grades work out.

[@blueodum]

Make sure that you measure the cards before sending for grading - many cards from this set were cut a bit short at the factory.

[@brownjorden]

So my question is even with wrinkles do more people like the cards in a holder compared to out? Also, grading the vintage set makes it more valuable graded overall or at least all major cards and some minor? Regardless of the grade in some cases? Also I know more money for PSA however wouldn't SGC be almost comparable... so the money you lose not going PSA vs the time you get back from SGC to sell and flip your purchase. Is that something you think about?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Grading a few cards makes the set more valuable to a potential buyer because they seem some of the grades (as opposed to just taking someone's word for it on raw cards). Yes, I factor in SGC's turnaround time which is very impressive. But it still makes sense for me personally to use PSA. May not be the case for others.

[@ikhbjhbkm5]

You can keep your rookies, I'm more interested in the stars depicted in there best years. Yastrzemski, Aaron, Clemente Kaline, yes please!

[@richardbianco9674]

Break up value will most likely be way more than trying to sell in set form. That's what I'd do especially if sending some to psa first.

[@joeym2675]

You never mentioned the Becket and why you were using it! I haven’t even looked for those in 20-30 years I’m about the same age as you Chris, do they still sell them and do you buy monthly subscription? Just wondering if I should look further into them myself?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I use it for convenience - looking what are the key cards of a set, knowing where the high numbers start, etc. I dont really use it much for the pricing.

[@joeym2675]

@@collectorinvestordealer great idea! Thanks for the info! So I assume they do still sale them probably have to do a monthly subscription? I’m not really knowledgeable on vintage other than the Greats so I’m looking for something to help me with what cards to search for and watch for in listings for sale! I got out of collecting from the mid 90s until about 2019. But I’ve built my collection from nothing back to half of what I had before! Which my ex wife burned up or sold for her new fold habits! So anyway I can gain knowledge and not waste my money and time is a Big Help!!! Thanks for all you do for the Hobby And the Collecting community!!!

[@scratchthrift3370]

Do you ever consider sending vintage cards like this to SGC. I almost exclusively use SGC. Better turnaround times, better cost of grading, better customer service and for vintage their values hold pretty close to PSA

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I occasionally use SGC but have found PSA cards much easier to sell

[@Gs-kg6ce]

Can you explain why psa over sgc ? I know psa has higher resale value but much longer return time and higher grading fee . Do set collectors prefer psa ?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

PSA has a higher resale value but also they are much easier to sell. SGC cards do not move as fast as there are just a lot more collectors who prefer PSA.

[@buschleaguers75]

the mantle, mays, killabrew looked good from the video...did you send that one off to psa?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yeah that is going to PSA

[@XZOL445]

When something is rated "5th best set in the PSA registry". Does that mean every single card must be PSA graded? I'm guessing it must, but can't find an answer.

[@richardbianco9674]

Yes that is what that means

[@RichardRennes]

If someone says "... highest G.P.A. set on the PSA registry" when selling a set, it will usually mean every card is graded, but if the PSA site says that, not all instances will the set be complete. PSa gives specific cards "weight", depending on rarity, value, and amount of high graded copies of the card. For example, (using a OPC hockey set) if you had PSA 10`s of JUST the 6 big cards in the 1971-72 OPC set (Dryden RC, Lafleur RC, Dionne RC, Orr, and the 2 checklists), you would probably have one of the top 10 G.P.A. sets on PSA`s site, WITHOUT having any other cards in the set graded at all. Because PSA would give those 6 cards so much "weight" due to value, and rarity of being 10`s. For baseball, probably without exception, it usually means every card is graded, as there are so many baseball cards printed and graded.

[@ACD1994]

It means there's 4 people ahead of them that can say their set is ''superior.''

[@RichardRennes]

But this doesn`t answer his actual question. My comment above explains this.@@ACD1994

[@georgetravlos1499]

Why are the hats of the Oakland A's and the Houston Astros blacked out?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Good question, I’m not sure

[@ACD1994]

I guess the A’s caps getting blacked out was based on the move from KC to Oakland, and not wanting the old KC images on the cards representing Oakland players.

[@walterdudedonny]

Colt 45's in Houston.

[@johnwithee1091]

is card number 3 a Milton Bradly card?

[@doktorcopernikuss]

Nice spot. It looks so!

[@jackgabbard5720]

I know price isn't top on your list but how do you find legitimate prices on cards do you use ebay or is there a book for modern prices I dont trust beckett

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Ebay sold listings is the easiest free way to look up card values

[@chrisc4264]

Love the 68 set. As a Ryan collector especially.. However , I will disagree with you about grading. Until we hold PSA accountable for all their corruption, fraud, upcharging, and POP report manipulation, mothing will ever change in the grading market. SGC has some quality vintage cards that have sold even higher than PSA, including a 52 Mantle. Money shouldn't be the be all end all to the last dime when a company is morally and ethically bankrupt. Grading in general still seems like just a cash grab. To each their own.

[@jackiechapman8189]

1st..🎉😊

[@larrygitlin6017]

First!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

We have a winner!

[@markmorgan8907]

can PSA be trusted when grading vintage . Seems like PSA goes out of its way to down grade vintage over modern ..iffy at best .

[@chrisc4264]

No they cannot. I refuse to use PSA after getting charged for a card they didn't even grade. IF I ever grade again , SGC I'd use

[@in2rock275]

I have never sent a card in for grading as I fear grading companies might "swap" cards. Anyone know if this has ever happened? Nice purchase BTW.

[@ACD1994]

I don't know about graders swapping out cards, but there are sadly shady dealers/sellers who do .

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I have sent in many thousands of cards and never had a card swapped that I am aware of

[@peteharwan553]

Breaking up a complete pre-70's set just...seems wrong. I don't like it.