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1980 Topps Cello packs - Kmart version
frankhardy
Posts: 8,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have seen on eBay a few 1980 Topps cello packs from Kmart. Are these normal Topps cards with the Kmart insert card in the pack or are these special cards?
Shane
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Are you referring to the 3-card cello? These are normal 1980 Topps cards.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
I think so. The packs look very small.
Thanks
Shane
Those are normal Topps cards. You can also find them for 1980 in Squirt and Mrs. Butterworth versions. All of them (I believe) are three card cellos. Every card from the set is possible. I have seen ones with Henderson on the front. I have several with HOF'ers on them. Neat little collectibles. I haven't opened any of them to check condition, but I would imagine that with the tight wrapping at least the front ones are going to have corner problems.
kevin
My favorites are the 1980 Burger King version.
IT CAN'T BE A TRUE PLAYOFF UNLESS THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONS ARE INCLUDED
I like the Burger King ones as well, just for novelty. I think the 1981 Topps Coke sets are fun to collect, and actually can be challenging in nice shape. The little cello packs are brutal on corners. Just wish they had actually issued the Yankees team set as well.
kevin
Undervalued unopened IMO.
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
So they are regular issue Topps cards sealed in a promotional wrapper?
Or are they Topps cards like the 1978 Burger King Tigers and have different pictures/company logo?
saucywombat@hotmail.com
The 1980 Squirt, Kmart, and Mrs. Butterworth packs are 3 card cellos containing regular Topps cards that are indistinguishable from ones you would get in regular Topps packaging. The 1981 Topps Coke have different numbers, the Coke logo, and can easily be distinguished from regular 1981 Topps (like the Burger King packs from the 70's.)
kevin
I FINALLY was able to get all 11 in one purchase (in unopened packs) after many years of wondering if they'd ever show up all in one purchase.
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
Woah!!! That's quite the accomplishment! I have the Phillies, Astros, and Royals in opened and unopened form just from casually picking them up here and there. How cool that you found them in one shot! I think the unopened packs of those are pretty neat.
kevin
I know, there was never a problem with seeing one or two for sale but I didn't want to have to do any piecemeal crap. Now if only getting all the football ones in one purchase was that easy....
PS: I'm actually very very much in the Pepsi Generation (Diet Pepsi, so I can watch my figure)...I kinda feel like a traitor for getting Coke sets, but I do like the 1981 Topps design so...
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
Good info here guys. I bought a couple 60pk (3 Card packs) boxes from BBCE. The boxes are BBCE wrapped but otherwise white and non descript. Not sure whIch packs are in the boxes.
Thanks,
John
NJ80'sBBC...I have to ask...what is the grocery rack wrapped tray??? (I mean, what year?) I love grocery racks. They don't get enough love, in my opinion. Would love to see better shots of that if you have time.
Also, I find it interesting that your box has 60 packs. I have a box of Squirt packs, and I believe there are 48 packs in the box. Now you have me wanting to go back and check. But mine is just like yours, plain white. They also used the plain white ones for the 1981 Coke packs as well. The interesting thing about some of the boxes is that Topps used recycled sheets of cards from other series to make the boxes. I have one where the outside is the plain white, but the inside is the backs of a set of cards from The Black Hole (I think.) I have seen others as well. Probably Topps just using what they had available, and knowing that the boxes weren't intended for retail and would just be trashed.
kevin
Hi Kevin,
That’s some interesting intel on the recycling of card sheets by Topps. It’s commonly known that they reused boxes and packaging from previous years for packs and boxes (1981 and 1982 wax boxes to package out 1985 Topps Wax as a common example).
I found a couple of photos of my grocery rack box run but photo uploader is failing me at the moment. I was lucky enough to pick some of these up over the years. In addition to hoarding my favorite issues in unopened, I also try and collect all of the different variety of form factors in which the unopened was produced. Grocery rack boxes are tougher to find and display really well (though they don’t store very efficiently as you cannot stack them). Guess that retailers chucked the boxes and were left with excess racks making an abundance of the latter and a dearth of the former.
I have 1981, (2) 1982, (1) yellow 1983, (1) Red 1983, 1984 and 1985
John
It took me 6 years to land the red 1983 rack box. Was very happy to have found it as it is the only one that I have ever seen. That’s not to say that many have been sold, I just didn’t come across any since my return to the hobby in 2011. This was one of my white whales (yes, a modest one compared to some of the real players in the hobby, but huge to me).
John
Really really cool, John!!! I love grocery racks. Do you have the blue 1982s? I have a number of loose grocery racks from 1981-1986, but no "boxes" yet. Am hoping to snag one or two at the national if they are available. I am super jealous. Have you ever seen a 1986 grocery box? I am intrigued to see if anyone has one of the grocery rack display cases, or even a grocery rack display that has been opened with grocery racks in it. Topps made some pretty cool displays in the mid-80's, and the grocery rack displays were one of them. If you come across any of those or any spare grocery rack trays/boxes, let me know!
I am doing as you are -- trying to get a pack, box, and case of every form Topps issued certain years in. I am almost there in 1986, and then will start moving backward. I probably will shed the case requirement from my goal, and just focus on boxes. If I am only focused on boxes, I just need the grocery boxes for the early 80's and then I will be complete with a both packs and boxes of wax, rack, cello, and grocery rack for each year from 1981-1986.
kevin
Thanks Kevin! Like you I dig all the different unopened boxes. I still don’t have a 1986 grocery box. And have never come across the 82 blue box. Do you have a substantial amount of these packs?
I wish you best of luck at the National. Will def think of you if I run into some empty boxes.
I was lucky to hit a mini jackpot (3 boxes) with a local guy several years back. Have the case boxes too.
The main Topps boxes that I’m missing are 1980 rack, 1980 Grocery Rack, 1981 Super Cello. And 1986 grocery rack. I have a bunch of 1986 super Cello packs but no box there either.
Oddly enough I just finally got an 85 vending box.
Do you collect Fleer and Donruss issues too?
Neat! I have the 86 super cello box as well as some loose packs. If you want to sell your loose packs let me know. One of the packs in my box has the Pete Rose card on top. The 86 grocery rack seems to be a unicorn. I do collect Fleer and Donruss as well, just not as much as Topps. I grew up on mostly Topps, so I lean that way. But have a little bit of the others.
kevin
BBCE had at least one 1980 3 card cello box with 60 packs for sale a while ago. They noted in the listing that it was typical to have 48 in a box but this one had 60 for some reason. I think this might have been the Kmart version.
John,
Just got a 1986 Topps grocery box. Am super stoked. Question for you: do all of your grocery boxes have the same tray? From your photos it sure looks like it. Do they all have the same product code and date on the bottom, or are they different?
kevin
Hi Kevin,
Congrats!!! What a thrill it is to land items like this.
I will check when I get home later. Where did you get the 86 grocery rack box? And the super Cello box?
These are unicorns! Have never seen them for sale. I can tell you enjoy the chase of these rarities as much as I do.
John
If this is the one that was on eBay about a week ago, I saw it and wanted to pull the trigger, but I knew someone on this board had expressed sincere interest in owning one. So I passed it up and let it fall to fate, hoping it would land in the right hands. I'm relieved to know it did. Congrats on the pick up.
Andy
Andy,
Yep, this is the one that was on ebay. Thank you so much. I do appreciate it. I saw it and didn't even hesitate, clicked the buy it now and never looked back. I have it in hand already. It has a ton of packs with stars on the front, Clemens, Boggs x 2, Ripken, All-Stars etc. I just can't stop looking at it. But sincerely, thank you for letting it pass. It has found a nice safe home, and isn't going anywhere for a very long time. Nor will it be ripped. It will sit safely in its unmolested state for me to enjoy. I can post photos if anyone is interested.
Thanks again,
kevin
John,
I got both on ebay. The jumbo cello box was being sold by a seller who actually had 2 of them. I just didn't realize at the time how rare it was, and only jumped on one. I think I paid $20, and he threw in a 1992 Topps box as well. The grocery rack box I got a few days ago on ebay, and paid the seller's buy it now price of $50 plus about 10 in shipping. Worth every penny. I have about 15 or so loose jumbo cellos from 1986 as well, but haven't seen many more. They don't have any gum in them, if you were curious. Just 50 cards in a brick. I know a guy who has another box and one partial box, but he hasn't wanted to sell yet. If I come across an extra I will let you know. I do love the pursuit of the odd and rare for the early-mid 80's. Just something fun to do.
kevin
Kevin,
I'm so glad you got it. I knew someone on here was looking for it. The seller mentioned in his description that the box was from his "private collection" and that he "PULLED IT OUT OF [HIS] OWN CASE," which implies he may have more. It may be worth a PM to him. Can you look on the box that the racks sit in and tell me if there is a year printed on it? I wonder if there is a difference between a 1986 and a 1985 box for these grocery racks. Thanks!
Andy
Andy, I have messaged him with no response. But I will try again! I am also curious about the date on the bottom of the trays. So far, every one of them that I have seen, no matter the year of the packs, has a 1980 copyright on the bottom. My 1986 does as well. If you look at all of the ones on ebay, including the ones that have been BBCE wrapped, they all have the old Topps logo and (at least on the ones where it is visible) appear to have the 1980 copyright.
kevin
@tulsaboy Congratulations on the grocery box! That's a cool item that I will now be looking to acquire myself!
FYI - I finally got around to updating my thread on uncut sheets with pictures of the "super exceptionally ultra rare" 1986 sheets - just for you. Haha! Enjoy!
FYI...here is a pic or 2 of the 86 grocery box.
Kevin