High grade coins from Topps 1964 set gaining steam

(This story originally appeared on www.sportscollectorsdaily.com)

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.

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