1964 Topps Coin Grading Yields Dividends

Content Originally Published by Sports Collectors Daily on Thursday October 21, 2010.

They sat on top of 1964 Topps baseball cards, tucked inside the nickel packs and probably became an instant curiosity.

Baseball…coins?

When the unique little metal insert hit store shelves 46 years ago, they were considered a bonus for youngsters.  Now, they’re sort of a bonus addition to your vintage set collection.  There are 164 different in the set, including Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and numerous other Hall of Famers.

While not particularly rare, they are difficult to find in high grade and when encapsulated with a mint or gem mint grade, the coins sell at a nice premium.

Maximizing the value of consignments is a big part of the business for dealers and New Jersey-based Just Collect recently came across a group of ‘64 Topps coins with potential.

“The consignment came from a family member of a collector who inherited them and assumed they were virtually worthless,” said company principal Scott Greenwald.   “We knew the coins were in very nice shape and agreed to get them graded with PSA as part of the deal.”

It was a smart move on both sides.  Just Collect graded 47 coins from the set of 164 and received 21 PSA 9s and 26 PSA 8s.

“We have sold 18 of the coins so far, realizing $510 for #97 Lou Brock PSA 9 and $338 for #68 Ron Santo PSA 9,” Greenwald revealed.  “The Brock is the second best PSA 9 price ever realized from this set, understandably beaten only by a Mickey Mantle PSA 9.”

Chasing 9s and 10s has become very competitive at the top of PSA’s Set Registry.  In addition to the Brock, other tough coins in the set include the Chuck Hinton All-Star (NL) with just two 9s in the population and no 10s, Frank Robinson, Jim Maloney and Bill White, all limited to just three 9s.

“If the consignor had sold the coins outright or sold them in a lot, all the coins would have sold for a few dollars a piece, totaling less than we sold the single Brock card for,” Greenwald explained.   ” Instead, by working with us, we immediately identified the need to grade the coins, and the consignor will realize a much higher bottom line payment.”

Adding high grade coins to the market is something collectors of the set also appreciate.

The best 1964 Topps Coin set in PSA’s records belongs to Jonathan Feucht, who has been honored with the “All-Time Finest Set” award.   His incredible set rates an average grade of 9.412, with nothing lower than a 9.

You can see what the other 1964 Topps Coins are doing by clicking here to see their current auctions.