Purchasing Unopened to rip questions

msubearfan

I’m sure this has been discussed before so I apologize if this has been discussed recently. I’m wanting to purchase something early 80s unopened to rip. Thinking something like 83, 84, or 85 Topps or 84 Donruss.

Would you ever purchase something like this that wasn’t BBCE authenticated? And is buying FASC worth the extra cost? For the Topps stuff, is there a certain pack type better than others in terms of centering?

Thanks,
Mark

jordangretzkyfan

In my experience, highest grade cards come out of rack, followed by cello, wax and then vending boxes. The best value per card comes from vending, since people pay a premium for the nicer display aesthetics for the wax and cello boxes. I would only buy from BBCE unless you know the other dealer well or can inspect the packs prior to purchase. Early 1980s stuff can be tampered with and is starting to rise in value enough that more bogus stuff will surface. If buying rack or cello, FASC is worth the premium so you have a shot at stars on top. FASC will also ensure the star runs have not been cherry picked.

msubearfan

@jordangretzkyfan said:
In my experience, highest grade cards come out of rack, followed by cello, wax and then vending boxes. The best value per card comes from vending, since people pay a premium for the nicer display aesthetics for the wax and cello boxes. I would only buy from BBCE unless you know the other dealer well or can inspect the packs prior to purchase. Early 1980s stuff can be tampered with and is starting to rise in value enough that more bogus stuff will surface. If buying rack or cello, FASC is worth the premium so you have a shot at stars on top. FASC will also ensure the star runs have not been cherry picked.

Thank you! Very helpful.

phelda

I like 1983 because of the big 3 rookies Gwynn, Sandberg and Boggs, also it is one of my favorite set designs. 1985 Topps comes in second for me, but the quality control on that can be brutal. McGwire, Clemens, Puckett, Gooden, Eric Davis in PSA 10 go for nice money. Common PSA 10's in 1985 are also still big money. The Puckett PSA 10 has had a great run from 2 years. It was a $100 PSA 10, now over $250-$350. McGwire PSA 10 is back in the thousand dollar range. Mattingly and Gooden are at $175 each, Ryan is $150. Plenty of money to be made if that is the goal in 1985. 1984 Topps for me is fairly boring and in my opinion over priced, although I love the card design and generally the card quality is good. Rack is definitely the best option for card quality. Vending is good value, but I never have great luck. 1984 Donruss is super fun to open, but its Mattingly or bust on that one. Common PSA 10 from 1984 Donruss used to be big money, but no longer. And with the days of $6 grading bulk specials gone, the risk is too high. My vote: 1st place 1983 Topps, 2nd place 1985 Topps, then 1984 Donruss and last 1984 Topps

Gemyanks10

@phelda said:
I like 1983 because of the big 3 rookies Gwynn, Sandberg and Boggs, also it is one of my favorite set designs. 1985 Topps comes in second for me, but the quality control on that can be brutal. McGwire, Clemens, Puckett, Gooden, Eric Davis in PSA 10 go for nice money. Common PSA 10's in 1985 are also still big money. The Puckett PSA 10 has had a great run from 2 years. It was a $100 PSA 10, now over $250-$350. McGwire PSA 10 is back in the thousand dollar range. Mattingly and Gooden are at $175 each, Ryan is $150. Plenty of money to be made if that is the goal in 1985. 1984 Topps for me is fairly boring and in my opinion over priced, although I love the card design and generally the card quality is good. Rack is definitely the best option for card quality. Vending is good value, but I never have great luck. 1984 Donruss is super fun to open, but its Mattingly or bust on that one. Common PSA 10 from 1984 Donruss used to be big money, but no longer. And with the days of $6 grading bulk specials gone, the risk is too high. My vote: 1st place 1983 Topps, 2nd place 1985 Topps, then 1984 Donruss and last 1984 Topps

Why do you think PSA 10’s from 84 Donruss have gone down? Just curious. Has overall interest in the set waned? This was the year I was born and have procrastinated starting a graded set of this for a long time. It’s a beautiful set for sure. Has the PSA 10 population been flooded by bulk submitters maybe?

ArtVandelay

If you are having fun then I definitely am all about ripping away. If you are trying to get your money back or make a profit it will not be happening ripping 80's or anything before it for that matter. The cost always outweighs the chance of hitting something solid.

You have much better odds buying spots on a break of modern cards like NT and Flawless.

phelda

1984 Donruss PSA 10's (besides Mattingly of course) have dropped due to a few factors, one the population has exploded (there are now over 28,000 PSA 10 singles graded), two the days of cheap bulk PSA grading specials are over, and three, although it is a very popular registry set, interest has slowed. But since you are thinking of starting a set, this is good news since the cost should be much lower for you to build the set.

TheThrill22

@jordangretzkyfan said:
In my experience, highest grade cards come out of rack, followed by cello, wax and then vending boxes. The best value per card comes from vending, since people pay a premium for the nicer display aesthetics for the wax and cello boxes. I would only buy from BBCE unless you know the other dealer well or can inspect the packs prior to purchase. Early 1980s stuff can be tampered with and is starting to rise in value enough that more bogus stuff will surface. If buying rack or cello, FASC is worth the premium so you have a shot at stars on top. FASC will also ensure the star runs have not been cherry picked.

I agree, especially with the rack information. I bought a box of '84 Topps from BBCE and there were two Mattingly on top racks.