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2009 OPC buybacks - 1971 OPC cards - I got a 1971 Steve Garvey OPC rookie
Willymac
Posts: 204 ✭✭✭
I will put a picture up later, but I am curious how rare the 1971 OPC buybacks are from the 2009 UD OPC set - I have not seen a single one sold on eBay.
Given the UD - Topps legal hubbub around that set might have impacted the set overall and maybe the buybacks were not supposed to happen and I got lucky (the stated odds at the time I think were only 1 per case, so getting the Steve Garvey RC is already crazy)
thanks!!
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I'd love to see a pic of the Garvey card!
That's one of the better buybacks that I've heard of being pulled. Congrats!
Thoughts on it?
Thanks! Prob the best buyback I have ever pulled
Not bad!
Is it marked in any way (stamped, embossed, serial numbered, etc) or does it just come with a separate certificate or is the certificate now the back of the buyback? Given that it is a pretty good buyback candidate, UD sure got cheap with the card they bought! That centering is just terrible. I'd still allow it into my collection though.
The certificate is attached to the back of the card....
I am yet to see another 1971 buyback from that 2009 OPC set on eBay....
Worth getting graded to highlight the buyback piece?
If the cert is now the card back, then why bother grading it? The card appears to be a lower to mid grade type condition (going by the centering, since I can't really see the condition of the card itself from the scan). I can't really advise without bias in this case, as personally, I have no interest in graded cards.
I also am not sure how well it might sell for, outside of the handful of hardcore Garvey collectors (me included) who would likely be the most interested in it. That is, if your plan is to sell it. If that is the case, then I'd say sell it raw.
Curious, what is the significance of 1971 with regard to the buybacks. Were they all supposed to be that year or were there other years available? Often times with buybacks, the selection is varied and the duplication is often fairly low. The older the card, the fewer they seem to include.
so the whole set is controversial - somehow UD go the naming rights to OPC and was going to do a 1971 design etc - then a lawsuit got involved, the design seemed to be changed at the last minute etc....now its about impossible to find unopened boxes if you look on places like eBay, and there are no other 1971 buyback inserts for sale anywhere I can find....
https://www.sportscardforum.com/articles/2009/06/unofficial-review-2009-o-pee-chee-baseball/
That is a nice looking set. Now I know what you are talking about. I fell for the Materials cards when I saw someone post a triple Dodger version in a blog. Had to chase down a copy for myself.
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Best bet for the value of the Garvey is to toss it up on ebay and see what happens. I'd be a bidder, but not sure how high I would ultimately go. I'd like to see better scans of it. So nothing to ID this as a buyback on the front and they have essentially glued the cert to the back of the card, is that correct?
I had to add this thought. You joined this board on Garvey's 71st birthday too. How's that for coincidence?
Given the interest from folks on this, I figured it would be fair to post atet I have put it up for sale on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233918493457
1) I have never seen anything like it, let alone may other buybacks from this series ever appear on ebay
2) I have NO idea of what this thing is worth....the odds of getting any buyback that year were 1 per case, let alone this card.
Are you sure the cert is attached? I suspect it isn’t, and the reason you can’t find any comps is because there isn’t anything to uniquely identify it as a buyback. I could be wrong though.
Cert is not attached, it is sealed in the bag. I have a Sittler buy back from 07 hockey
it is absolutely attached - just no stamp or anything on the front - should I pull down and get certified?
the card came in a pack not a bag
I would add to your ebay description that the back is glued to the front. If we don't know it here, then most of ebay won't know it either. You won't be able to edit your original description, but you will be able to add notes to it.
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What they probably meant is that some buybacks have been encased. In the ebay scan, it looks like the card is in a semi rigid holder, but there is also an inner sleeve. Is that smaller, inner sleeve removable so that you can tough the surface of the card or is it sealed in that plastic sleeve from the factory? If that were the case, that helps the validity of the buyback from fakes.
I ended up winning the card, so I am looking forward to getting it and inspecting it closer. I am not sure what to think about the price quite yet. I guess i will decide once I have it in hand and can get a better feel for what i bought. Thanks for listing it.
ahhh, pop 1 card most likely. would appeal to 71, garvey, buyback and 2009 ud insert collectors.
So, this card arrived. Here is a better description for those keeping track. Unfortunately this is the worst case scenario for buyback lovers. The certificate card is not attached in any way to the Garvey card itself. That in itself is not a bad thing, except that when the two cards are separated, nothing proves they belong together.
Not sure what the OP was talking about when he said the cert was "attached" to the back of the card, other than both cards came sandwiched together in a clear soft sleeve. Upon removal of the soft sleeve, the OPC card and the certificate were separate. The cert is blank backed. the OPC card itself is a regular card with the back in tact. Here is the issue...that certificate could pair with ANY card and you'd never know the difference. Buy a cheap buyback, pair it with the most expensive OPC card you can find and nobody is any wiser. I did see on baseballcardpedia that the buybacks were supposedly issued by slipping the card and cert into a penny sleeve, so there is that to help reinforce the story.
Unless I got taken, and all buybacks are just like this, this is a total fail on the part of UD to execute this idea. Think 1991 Topps buyback sweepstakes. Nothing like beating the odds and pulling a rare buyback card, only to discover it looks no different than the card when issued. In this case again, no sealed holder, embossing, serializing, stamping, nothing.
I do hope that the OP was in fact the original owner and pulled this exact Garvey card from a pack and I am now the 2nd owner, but as I have mentioned, there is no possible way to certify this story with what I received. If not, I now have a buyback cert and a decent, but poorly centered OPC Garvey rookie. Still a fair deal at the ending auction price of just over $30. I can't complain, but definitely glad it didn't cost me more.
Say what..... Did you expect that the 71 Garvey was going to be altered and branded in some way so that it would pair up with the cert. It's a buyback, you get an old card that was issued once upon a time, and now the "winner" receives an old card. Other than encasing in such a permanent way so that there could be no separation and the buyback could not be enjoyed as a normal 1971 card, I can't see how the two could be linked for eternity. Unless they add a PSA like auto sticker to the back of the card (altering it),
And yes, one could add the buy back "cert" to any random card... So the moral of the story is that the "buyback" adds no value to the underlying card. Literally the truest form of buy the card, not the holder
usually there's some type of embossing to where a cert wouldn't even be needed is what mopar is saying.
for example:
but i do agree, it was clearly stated that the cert was permanently affixed earlier in the thread. the fact that it wasn't is super shady, imo. definitely cause for concern and a valid reason to return. especially if that cert has no reference to it being related to the card in question.
for record purposes.
I was tracking the auction and forgot about it.
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
I pointed out earlier that the card is likely separate but sealed in the sleeve. The key is to not cut the sleeve open.
Didn’t feel like arguing with the OP but that is how these came.
Should add if it didn’t come in a sealed sleeve, both card and cert, then it has been cut open. The complete item is cert and card with top sealed sleeve
if it came in a sealed soft sleeve then different story.
First off, whatever was said in this thread doesn't transfer as far as description for the eBay listing. eBay isn't going to read the forum to decide the case.
Having said that, the actual eBay listing does have an added part of the description that the cert is attached to the back of the card. My favorite part of the listing.... "This is rare beyond comprehension."
How did we determine it was a 1 of 1?
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
Not sure if there is any way to prove these are 1:1 but for the hockey ones they are quite rare. I have a Sittler like the Garvey but it is auto’d and there are only a handful of other sales of the type. I’d be confident my Sittler is 1:1, although I don’t think it matters as there isn’t much demand
This is like an argument over the shade of lipstick on the pig!
sorry lost track of this thread - haven't had a chance to reply to the other "lovely" comments - yes I pulled it myself - have a bunch of 2009 opc...and this was the ONLY buyback I pulled - apparently inserted 1 per case....so yes it is RARE (to whoever loved that part of my posting- note I didn't say "priceless" or throw a stock chart in my listing or scream "invest" like I see all over the place now....
you got a good deal and I am glad you got it as I think you reached out years ago when I posted questions about it....thought it may be you with the screen name you had :-)
you did not get taken - just a shame they didn't do more to identify the cards....
I really think they missed a chance to do something cool with that set - but I think they were also rushing it out due to the potential lawsuit and then it got all screwed up when it was filed....
I have been picking up some of the jersey cards (some jeters and verlanders etc) from that year as I think the print runs are way below what folks think....and in time they will be rare AND valuable...
@mrmpoar
are you saying the card was not attached to the cert? I pulled the card and put it in a sleeve - I have never separated the two.....nor did I ever pull on them to try.....IIRC it came in a pack like another card - no little baggie etc...I would have never opened it if it was....I still have 70's 3d cereal cards still in the plastic and a Barry bonds ice cream card still attached to the box....
to the rest of the "advisors" commenting like this is some conspiracy by me to make $30 - I dont appreciate the insinuations from the other folks about what they think they know (I am sure many folks could sit here all day responding to legitimate stupid things you experts say but choose not to)...remember this whole series was borked, so unless you have a baseball buyback card from this series in a bag (please show me if you do because the ONLY other buyback I have seen was a Rollie Finders auto....in 12 years of looking on ebay for one to figure out WTH I pulled) and you pulled it from a pack originally, speculate all you want but dont speak like they are facts....
really not in need of scamming someone out of $30....
3 questions to whoever.
1 n
2 n
3 n
ok, i thought i read above that someone said they came sealed in a clear penny sleeve or something?
it was a week or so ago, so maybe i misread...
I have a Sittler auto from hockey of the same year that came in a sealed baggie. I can take a pic later.
Either my card is the outlier or other opened the baggie because lots of examples including the sittler on ebay that are out of the bag.
I did not open any bag - came in a pack with the other cards - maybe the autos are in a bag to protect them....again the baseball release was a mess
Ok so I was doubting myself and walked over to my sittler. The baggie is in fact NOT sealed but there is an oval hologram on the back of the card that associates it to the companion card. Entirely possible they only did this for the auto buy backs
I don’t think anyone was accusing you of anything, but as several of us suspected, the cert was not attached, making it impossible to tell the card from a normal 71.
As you state, it’s unfortunate they didn’t stamp them or something, but that’s the way it is.
phew!
so i'm not crazy (in this instance), got it!
so, yeah. basically these type buy backs are a complete gamble. nothing to associate the cert w the card and technically that cert could be sold over and over again for any card claimed to be a buy back.
i don't think this is an instance of op being nefarious.
i think mopar got exactly what was advertised.
and i personally would stay away from anything like this.
I still think some of the SP cards (mini's, various border colors etc) and jerseys will be interesting in time - dont think there are any rookies in the set that matter....but def a rare set and multiple jersey cards with multiple likely HOF'ers on them....
Sorry, have not checked this site for a bit.
First off, It was not my intention to cast Willymac in any bad light whatsoever. Other than the comment about the cards being attached, which seemed odd to me, but feasible just the same, I let it go and was going to be a bidder regardless. As I said, I feel it was a fail on UDs part, not the seller. I made the assumption everything was on the up and up. I am perfectly happy with the purchase and am not trying to return it. Now if it had gone for $100+ or something like that, we probably would have had a conversation and then decided what the right move would have been.
I could not find enough about the set, specifically the buybacks, other than baseballcardpedia said the cards came in a sleeve together (buyback and cert). To preserve the authenticity, UD SHOULD HAVE sealed the sleeve (best idea), attached the cert to the card (worst idea) or something in between like foil stamping, serial numbering, hologram or somehow permanently marking the buyback so that it was clear that the card was truly the one they bought back. I say this because most buybacks are not rare in general. Even the illustrious 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, for example, is a relatively plentiful card. What makes a buyback special or rare is the fact that only a limited number of them were purchased and "rebranded" for the product. Topps has done this bunches of times with various stamping and embossing. Some people dig them, others think they ruin the cards. they can sell for $100s or lots with 20-30+ cards have gone unnoticed for $10. Regardless of what you think, you can't deny that a regular Topps (or OPC in this case) card that is repurchased, stamped and reissued is MUCH MORE UNIQUE than the millions of it's surviving unstamped counterparts. If you like that sort of thing, it's worth it.
As to the 1/1 claim, it's all speculation on the part of the OP, but I would tend to agree that the likelihood of this card being a very low print run (single digit copies) or even a 1/1 is very good. There are more valuable cards in the set and even "better" rookie cards depending on how you see it (HOFers Bert Blyleven & Ted Simmons for example as opposed to the "Hall of Very Good" player that Garvey is often described as, although he was always one of the top $ cards from the set when he was still playing and well after he retired). However, we also know that the card makers are not buying 1000s of high value cards in total for their buyback promotions, let alone 100s of any key card. The odds of pulling one tells you that right off the bat, as these are advertised as hobby pack "case hits", see the attached blurb from baseballcardpedia.
As a Garvey collector, this is THE buyback card I would want from that set, or any set for that matter. For $30, I'll take the gamble and consider it the real deal and feel like I did get a good deal on it.
Makes you wonder where they even got the buyback checklist and the issued numbers though. I guess if all you are doing are case hits, it stands to reason that if you beat the odds, you should pull a half way decent card. All those listed are stars, as opposed to the oodles of common Topps buybacks you see each year among the handful of stars. Even that Roy White card is nice, because it is a cool horizontal action shot! The Munson would have been a great score for sure.
Weird, I had a 1969 OPC Aaron buyback and the certificate was not attached to the card.