Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Baseball Card Testimonials from Dean’s Cards Customers

by Dean Hanley
Founder and Owner of Dean's Cards

Who can you trust when you buy baseball cards on the Internet? At a time when many people are concerned about the impersonal nature of doing business online, we are proud of the positive testimonials we continually get from customers who buy baseball cards from Dean’s Cards and sell baseball card collections to Dean’s Cards.
1952 Topps baseball card set custom built by hand for a Dean's Cards customer.
Since I began Dean’s Cards from my basement in 2001, our goal has been to surpass customer expectations in the quality of cards they receive from us and also to deliver personal customer service. We understand that baseball card collecting is a very personal hobby and each customer has different collecting needs. That’s why we developed a website that shows you actual images of the cards you buy to eliminate any surprises -- and it’s why we have grown to a staff of 14 people and 5,000 sq. ft. of office space to meet the growing service needs of collectors.

I am often humbled by the positive testimonials we receive from customers. If you are considering buying baseball cards or selling baseball cards, I encourage you to read our testimonials. Since I am a fellow collector, my goal was to create a store where I would love to shop and that also had the best selection of cards available anywhere.
Vintage baseball card complete sets assembled and sleeved for a Dean's Cards customer.
Dean's Cards works hard to earn the trust and respect of every customer. When it comes to buying vintage sports cards and magazines, I know that condition is critical. We would much rather "under grade" a card than "over grade" it. For that reason, we tend to grade the cards we sell more conservatively than most. Still, I also understand that judging a card's condition can sometimes be subjective, which is why we offer a 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee on all purchases.

Our goal at Dean's Cards is to provide you a simple, cost effective and enjoyable way to build your collections. If you want us to build a custom set of vintage baseball cards or you just need individual cards to complete your set, Dean’s Cards can offer you the following benefits:

  • The largest online vintage card inventory. When it comes to vintage card inventory, size definitely matters. Dean's Cards has the largest online selection of cards and magazines.  
  • Buy all your cards from one source. There are sites that allow hundreds of dealers to list the cards that they have to sell. The problem is that if you need to purchase 50 cards, you will probably be getting cards from three dozen different dealers with varying grading standards. You also have to pay three dozen different shipping charges. When buying from us you get consistent grading, one shipping charge, and a great customer service team.          
  • Scans of the actual cards you buy. When you search our website, you can see scans of the actual cards you buy. And you can compare the condition of cards in different grades to make a wise choice. 
  • Discounts on all orders over $50. The larger the order, the deeper the discount. For more information on our discounts click here.
  • Tough Grading Standards. Dean's Cards grades on par with the professional grading companies – but we go a key step beyond those standards. We take into account a card’s “eye appeal.”
  • 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. Just contact us within 10 days of your purchase date and we will refund your money or replace the card.

But our customers say it best! Dean's Cards is proud of the positive comments we get from customers who buy cards from us – and we look forward to building a long-term relationship with you so we can help you with all of your collecting needs.

We sell our cards at competitive prices -- and we offer top dollar if you're interested in selling your vintage cards.
Star cards in a collection recently sold to Dean's Cards.
Looking for our latest cards and sets added to inventory? Click here!

Please take a moment to read the testimonials below:
--> Testimonials from BUYERS of cards from Dean's Cards <--
--> Testimonials from SELLERS of cards from Dean's Cards <--

Dean Hanley, founder and owner of DeansCards.com, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of vintage baseball cards, other sports and non-sports cards and has a regular column in the Sports Collectors Digest and publishes articles on his blog. Dean has also written two books on vintage sports cards: The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955 and Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Sell Baseball Cards for Top Dollar at Dean's Cards: Seller Testimonials

By Dean Hanley
Founder and Owner, Dean’s Cards

Some collectors are understandably concerned about sending their baseball card collections to get a bid from us. But a recent experience from a collector in San Francisco, California will show you how easy the process is.
Part of the collection of star cards and Hall of Fsmers recently sold to Dean's Cards.
This collector did a Google search to find companies that would buy his star baseball cards that went back to the 1950s through the 1980s. He had virtually every baseball card star and Hall of Famer from this era in a rather large collection. He had never done business with Dean's Cards before this.

He completed the form on the sell your baseball cards page, we responded, and he sent us his cards to evaluate. We gave him our generous bid and he accepted it. We then sent the check the next day. So in a matter of days the transaction was complete.

Again, this is another example how we earn trust from baseball card collectors every day.

If you want to sell baseball cards or sell football cards, I encourage you to read testimonials from what baseball card and football card sellers have to say about working with Dean’s Cards. We are proud of the trust we have earned from customers who sell us baseball cards, going back to our founding in 2001.
More star cards from the collection recently sold to Dean's Cards.
Whether you are thinking of selling your boyhood baseball card collection or you have been handed the responsibility of liquidating the collection of a family member, it can be a very daunting task. While there is no shortage of dealers who will buy vintage baseball card collections, Dean's Cards is able to offer a higher percentage of the baseball card collection's actual value than most traditional baseball card dealers. Dean's Cards can usually pay more for vintage baseball card collections simply because what we buy goes directly into our own online inventory of more than 1.5 million baseball cards.

We sincerely hope that we end up writing you a large check! This means you have some nice baseball cards, and we always need the inventory. If the amount that we offer for your baseball cards falls below your expectations, we will pay the postage to return the baseball card collection to you.
Collectors send their cards to Dean's Cards and we quickly provide a bid.
So when you’re ready to sell your baseball cards or sell your football cards, I encourage you to visit our “Sell Baseball Cards” page for more details and complete the form to describe your cards. I promise we will get back to you quickly.

We’re humbled by the trust baseball card collectors and football card collectors place with us and we look forward to you becoming a Dean’s Cards customer.

Click here to Sell your baseball cards

Click here to BUY baseball cards

Dean Hanley, founder and owner of DeansCards.com, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of vintage baseball cards, other sports and non-sports cards and has a regular column in the Sports Collectors Digest and publishes articles on his blog. Dean has also written two books on vintage sports cards: The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955 and Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Turkey Red T3 and T205 Gold Border Baseball Cards Available at Dean's Cards

by Dean Hanley
Founder and Owner, Dean's Cards
Turkey Red T3 and T205 cards can be seen on the Deans's Cards Recently Added Cards page.
Dean’s Cards recently added a wide variety of Pre-War baseball cards to our inventory of more than 1.5 million vintage cards. The new additions include cards for a number of Hall of Fame players, including a T205 Ty Cobb, a T205 Eddie Collins, and a T206 Cy Young.

But the most distinctive cards in our recently acquired Pre-War baseball cards are the 1911 Turkey Red T3 Cabinets, some of the most popular Pre-War cards sets ever printed. The Turkey Red set consists of 126 cabinets that measure a huge  5¾” by 8." Each card has a checklist or advertisement for Turkey Red tobacco on the back.

Unlike other tobacco T-cards at the time, Turkey Red T3 cards were not inserted into packages of cigarettes or loose tobacco. T3 cards are often referred to as “premiums,” meaning that they could be redeemed by sending in coupons from participating tobacco brands. The Turkey Red cards could be redeemed by sending in 10 coupons from Turkey Red cigarettes, 25 coupons from Old Mill cigarettes, or 25 coupons from Fez cigarettes.

Turkey Red cigarettes were manufactured by the American Tobacco Company, which made many of the tobacco cards in the early part of the 20th century. The name Turkey Red may have come from a red dye that was found in southwest Asia. Turkish cigarettes would continue to be popular all the way through World War I.

The Turkey Red Cabinets set also includes action shots. Because the cards are particularly hard to find, the Turkey Red reprint set is a cheaper and easier set to build. The Turkey Red Cabinets are some of the most popular reprints that DeansCards.com has in stock.

Fred Clarke, Hall of Famer, available at Dean's Cards.
The Turkey Red cards include a number of Hall of Fame players, which make the set even more desirable. Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, and Tris Speaker, who appears in significantly fewer baseball card sets than many other early baseball players, are all featured in the Turkey Red set. And the card for Fred Clarke, another Hall of Fame player, was recently added to our collection now available for purchase.

T205 Ty Cobb available at Dean's Cards.

The T205 baseball cards also now available for sale are easily identified by the cards’ distinctive gold borders, which also tend to chip easily.

Like the Turkey Red baseball card set, the T205 set was released by the American Tobacco Company.  It featured players from the National League, American League, and minor league. The cards also have the first ever facsimile autograph that is overlaid on the players’ pictures. The idea of including a facsimile autograph would be repeated again and again by Topps and several other companies.

The T205 baseball card set includes many expensive variations and star cards. Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young all have cards in the T205 set.

However, one of the most expensive cards in the set is the Dick Hoblitzell “no stats” variation. The statistics were usually printed between the short biographical paragraph and the cigarette advertisement. Several other cards were printed without the statistics, but Hoblitzell’s is the most expensive. Hoblitzell was the 21-year-old first baseman for the Reds.  Although he had a fairly unremarkable baseball career, this card is one of the most interesting of the Pre-War baseball cards era.

T205 Eddie Collins available at Dean's Cards.
T205 baseball cards can be extremely expensive, especially in nice condition. The reprints for the T205 cards are very popular and can be viewed by clicking here.

Dean’s Cards is always buying Turkey Red, T205 and all other Pre-War baseball cards. Please click here if you are interested in selling your Pre-War cards.

Click here to see our complete inventory of Turkey Red cards.

Click here to see our complete inventory of T205 Gold Border cards.


Dean Hanley, founder and owner of DeansCards.com, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of vintage baseball cards, other sports and non-sports cards and has a regular column in the Sports Collectors Digest and publishes articles on his blog. Dean has also written two books on vintage sports cards: The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955 and Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards.