Shaq Rookies moving on up

VintagemanEd · February 8, 2020 8:42PM

It appears Shaq rookies are taking off or at least the Topps so far. They have jumped to over $50 in a psa 10. Wax/hobby boxes are still cheap but I doubt that last much longer. The Upper Decks should be next

chaz43 · February 8, 2020 9:04PM

Why do think shaq wax Topps Stadium club series 2 and Upper Deck high series will start moving up? To what pricing per box? thanks for your input.

chaz

chaz43 · February 8, 2020 9:04PM

Is it because the kids are starting to rip more packs in search of beam team??

chaz

ReggieCleveland · February 9, 2020 5:27AM

FFS, folks, PLEASE, do NOT rip packs looking for Beam Team. I mean, if you can find a factory sealed jumbo box, sure, but you're going to pay through the arse for it. Any non-sealed jumbo box you see was put together from packs left over from boxes that had their Beam Team cards already pulled. Don't waste your money. Just buy the Beam Team cards. Don't buy the jumbo packs.

Beam Teams are NOT available in regular wax packs.

Arthur

flcardtrader · February 9, 2020 6:59AM

Great input RC!

When I see sealed hobby boxes online, I see them with the familiar Topps insignia/name on the wrap itself.
When I see "sealed" jumbo boxes online, I see them in regular cello with no designation on the wrap itself.

Can someone confirm whether the jumbo boxes should have Topps on the wrap?

An example of the plain cello:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-94-Topps-Stadium-Club-Series-2-Jumbo-Packs-Basketball-Box-Factory-Sealed/401985873532?hash=item5d9839a67c:g:2~MAAOSwkwxd6Tm3

jordangretzkyfan · February 9, 2020 9:44AM

@ReggieCleveland said:
FFS, folks, PLEASE, do NOT rip packs looking for Beam Team. I mean, if you can find a factory sealed jumbo box, sure, but you're going to pay through the arse for it. Any non-sealed jumbo box you see was put together from packs left over from boxes that had their Beam Team cards already pulled. Don't waste your money. Just buy the Beam Team cards. Don't buy the jumbo packs.

Beam Teams are NOT available in regular wax packs.

Arthur

Arthur,

Beam Teams can be pulled out of standard 36 pack 92/93 Series II boxes and come at a rate of 1 per box. I have opened these over the years and am 100% sure of this. They were also in the jumbo boxes and came at a rate of 1-2 per jumbo box. The factory wrap from 92/93 is clear cellophane with small Topps logos in dark blue about 3 inches apart across the entire wrap of the box.

chaz43 · February 9, 2020 11:30AM

@ReggieCleveland said:
FFS, folks, PLEASE, do NOT rip packs looking for Beam Team. I mean, if you can find a factory sealed jumbo box, sure, but you're going to pay through the arse for it. Any non-sealed jumbo box you see was put together from packs left over from boxes that had their Beam Team cards already pulled. Don't waste your money. Just buy the Beam Team cards. Don't buy the jumbo packs.

Beam Teams are NOT available in regular wax packs.

Arthur

What are you talking about???? There is one Beam Team card in every series 2 box. Now, I don't know about series 1 but I am positive about factory sealed 1992 Topps Stadium Club series 2 Boxes.

chaz

chaz43 · February 9, 2020 11:34AM

I have on occasion pulled 2 Beam Team Cards out of one 1992 Topps Stadium Club Series 2 Factory Sealed wax boxes.

chaz

ReggieCleveland · February 9, 2020 1:09PM

Okay, mea culpa. I was wrong on that. But I still say stay away from any box that is not factory sealed from Topps.

Arthur

flcardtrader · February 9, 2020 2:46PM

Thanks for the education on these!

jordangretzkyfan · February 9, 2020 3:11PM

@ReggieCleveland said:
Okay, mea culpa. I was wrong on that. But I still say stay away from any box that is not factory sealed from Topps.

Arthur

Yes...this is great advice! You can tell which pack has the Beam Team in it, if you know what to look for. So as Arthur says, DO NOT waste any money on an unwrapped box.

VintagemanEd · February 9, 2020 4:12PM

Good stuff! I think they increase across the board. jeter, lebron, Kobe (even before the tragedy) all have taken a jump. Regular Topps boxes should easily be $50+ and Stadium club $100 +

chaz43 · February 9, 2020 9:52PM

You would think that these boxes ( 1992 Topps Stadium club Series 2 & 1992 Upper Deck HIgh Series) would have taken off and be $3-400 per box by now after you see Shaq EVERY WHERE on TV and all the other projects he's got going on....

chaz

ReggieCleveland · February 10, 2020 5:05AM

@chaz43 said:
You would think that these boxes ( 1992 Topps Stadium club Series 2 & 1992 Upper Deck HIgh Series) would have taken off and be $3-400 per box by now after you see Shaq EVERY WHERE on TV and all the other projects he's got going on....

chaz

Did you and @VintagemanEd just go in on a few cases of these? This is a lot of pumping across two threads in one day.

Arthur

chaz43 · February 10, 2020 7:30AM

No, just wondering if it's a good time to invest in some boxes or not.

chaz

VintagemanEd · February 10, 2020 10:39AM

Oh I bought a few boxes since I literally just paid attention to prices of them a few days ago. I don’t do much basketball and the Kobe thing got me to watching his values and then I saw what Lebrons rookies are doing and then I searched for Shaq’s.

coinspacks · February 10, 2020 10:51AM

Add tim duncan to your list of cards on the rise.

VintagemanEd · February 10, 2020 11:09AM

Interesting

2dueces · February 10, 2020 1:04PM

What’s everyone’s view on Vince Carter rookies? I know for years his cards haven’t been extremely expensive. HOF for sure so?

chaz43 · February 10, 2020 1:23PM

Vinsanity was a great player but I just don't think he did it for long enough.... #19 on the all time points list but was a journeyman for a good part of his career. I don't think Carter's cards have the upside like Shaq for instance who is constantly in the "public eye" to put it mildly....

chaz

VintagemanEd · February 10, 2020 1:35PM

Vince gets in just because the bar has been lowered. He gets in on being a fan favorite nice guy and longevity. Not to mention his live as a beast of a dunker! But I agree that I don’t see a ton of upside on his cards

ReggieCleveland · February 10, 2020 2:29PM

19 points overall is a lock. He was a scoring machine for much of his career. He easily deserves to be in, IMO. His rookies being in the same year as Dirk and Pierce probably won't help though.

Arthur

rtimmer · February 10, 2020 8:36PM

@chaz43 said:
Vinsanity was a great player but I just don't think he did it for long enough.... #19 on the all time points list but was a journeyman for a good part of his career. I don't think Carter's cards have the upside like Shaq for instance who is constantly in the "public eye" to put it mildly....

chaz

Didn’t do it long enough? He’s the oldest guy in the league. I’d predict Vince is a first ballot Hall of Famer but easily gets in either way though.

1992, 1993 and 1998 boxes are super cheap in my opinion but I’d pass on the 97 Tim Duncan boxes as over valued.

VintagemanEd · February 11, 2020 10:05AM

Who is in 93?

ReggieCleveland · February 11, 2020 1:29PM

1993 was Webber, Hardaway, Mashburn, Baker, Van Exel, Houston, Cassell.

Arthur

rtimmer · February 11, 2020 3:10PM

@VintagemanEd said:
Who is in 93?

WEBBER and the first yr of refractors.

ndleo · February 11, 2020 6:32PM

Does the 1992 stadium club basketball have the same sticking issues that other high gloss cards from that era? I bought 6 boxes of 1993 Stadium Club and they were bricks.

ReggieCleveland · February 12, 2020 7:08AM

@ndleo said:
Does the 1992 stadium club basketball have the same sticking issues that other high gloss cards from that era? I bought 6 boxes of 1993 Stadium Club and they were bricks.

I know the Members Only sets from that year have a reputation for being bricked so I have to imagine that the possibility exists. The "wax" packs from 1992, however, were not airtight so they may have a chance. I'm not a certified veterinarian so I'm not sure exactly what having access to open air would have on the chemical bond that occurred in high heat/humidity storage.

Arthur

ndleo · February 12, 2020 8:23AM

@ReggieCleveland said:

@ndleo said:
Does the 1992 stadium club basketball have the same sticking issues that other high gloss cards from that era? I bought 6 boxes of 1993 Stadium Club and they were bricks.

I know the Members Only sets from that year have a reputation for being bricked so I have to imagine that the possibility exists. The "wax" packs from 1992, however, were not airtight so they may have a chance. I'm not a certified veterinarian so I'm not sure exactly what having access to open air would have on the chemical bond that occurred in high heat/humidity storage.

Arthur

Thanks Arthur. I did open a jumbo box about 5 years ago and the cards were fine. However the cards are packed looser than the "wax" box.

As far as the Jumbo Boxes being sealed, I haven't seen one with the Topps logo wrap. Every one I have seen has been unwrapped..

chaz43 · February 12, 2020 8:41AM

@rtimmer said:

@chaz43 said:
Vinsanity was a great player but I just don't think he did it for long enough.... #19 on the all time points list but was a journeyman for a good part of his career. I don't think Carter's cards have the upside like Shaq for instance who is constantly in the "public eye" to put it mildly....

chaz

Didn’t do it long enough? He’s the oldest guy in the league. I’d predict Vince is a first ballot Hall of Famer but easily gets in either way though.

1992, 1993 and 1998 boxes are super cheap in my opinion but I’d pass on the 97 Tim Duncan boxes as over valued.

I never said he wasn't a hall of famer. His upside is not that great for card value as compared to ShaqDaddy. You see shaq everywhere....where is Vin???

chaz

chaz43 · February 12, 2020 8:45AM

@ndleo said:
Does the 1992 stadium club basketball have the same sticking issues that other high gloss cards from that era? I bought 6 boxes of 1993 Stadium Club and they were bricks.

Regular 1992 Topps Stadium Club Series 2 wax is fine (no problems with sticking). It's got the Shaq and Jordan beam team cards along with other Hall of Famers.

chaz

ReggieCleveland · February 12, 2020 9:08AM

@ndleo said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@ndleo said:
Does the 1992 stadium club basketball have the same sticking issues that other high gloss cards from that era? I bought 6 boxes of 1993 Stadium Club and they were bricks.

I know the Members Only sets from that year have a reputation for being bricked so I have to imagine that the possibility exists. The "wax" packs from 1992, however, were not airtight so they may have a chance. I'm not a certified veterinarian so I'm not sure exactly what having access to open air would have on the chemical bond that occurred in high heat/humidity storage.

Arthur

As far as the Jumbo Boxes being sealed, I haven't seen one with the Topps logo wrap. Every one I have seen has been unwrapped..

Those boxes have been mined for Beam Teams for the past 28 years. A sealed jumbo box is a hobby unicorn. I would stay far away from unsealed jumbo boxes. They invariably get bid up to a premium as though there could be Beam Team cards inside and there's almost certainly no chance that there is.

Arthur

BPorter26 · February 12, 2020 11:03AM

I purchased the members only set a couple of years ago in which majority of the cards locked together in a brick form. It was a little difficult to separate them. The beam teams on the other hand were not in the brink form and come out of the box unmarked. The Shaq and Jordan graded out in 9's. I'm been fortunate over the years to pull to Shaq beam teamer out of wax pack twice. The first was in 92 and that card is long gone, but I was able to pull another Shaq again in either 2016 or 17. This time I graded the card and it popped a 10. Since it's a pack pull, that will probably go to the grave with me.

I've opened a lot of 92 TSC over the years and have seen two beam team cards come out of boxes several times, but normally you'll get one. I wouldn't touch a box that's does not have the Topps security wrap on it. I've also seen an uptick over the last year in this product . The Shaq Beam team card is very inconsistent when it comes to sales. I've seen a pack pull sell for $600-$700 and as low as a recent sale for $350. There's still a ton of the product still out there that is untouched. The good thing for now is the beam team pop is relatively low. Wax there has been 1422 graded with 106 being 10's & Members Only 392 with 53 being 10's

Here's my pack pull

ReggieCleveland · February 12, 2020 11:28AM

Yeah, I grew concerned about the bricking of the MO sets a few years ago and picked this up cheap.

Arthur

ndleo · February 12, 2020 1:58PM

That Shaq Beam Team is one of my favorite cards. It came out at the sweet spot of my hobby love. Most of the 1980's were all about Topps baseball (and 1984 Donruss), but 1989-early 1990's brought a huge wave of new products across all sports.
I actually collected all four sports for about 5 years.

rtimmer · March 14, 2020 9:05AM

Picked up these 2 to spend my weekend inside

jordangretzkyfan · March 14, 2020 11:10AM

@rtimmer said:
Picked up these 2 to spend my weekend inside

Sweet... looking forward to seeing you pull a Shaq or MJ Beam Team!

craig44 · March 15, 2020 6:55AM

Good luck! I vividly remember my younger brother pulling the Barkley beam team back in 92. To say I was green with envy is an understatement.

ReggieCleveland · March 15, 2020 7:21AM

I bet those smell gooood. I can almost imagine the smell of 1992 Stadium Club and Upper Deck.

That's not weird, right? I'll let myself out.

Arthur

rtimmer · March 15, 2020 6:38PM

Here’s the first box

ahopkins · March 16, 2020 5:44PM

To a deluxe apartment in the sky?

rtimmer · March 17, 2020 8:23AM

Here’s the stadium club box which was much better

jordangretzkyfan · March 17, 2020 8:56AM

Centering looks good on those Beam Team cards. If the corners and surfaces are sharp, I would say you will double your money when they PSA 10.

erikthredd · March 17, 2020 10:04AM

@rtimmer said:
Here’s the first box

To this day I still think that the Jordan on the right has one of the coolest MJ oncard images ever.

rtimmer · May 9, 2020 1:07PM

@rtimmer said:

1992, 1993 and 1998 boxes are super cheap in my opinion but I’d pass on the 97 Tim Duncan boxes as over valued.

First I want to thank Ed for starting this post boy did he get it right predicting Shaq cards were starting to move up.

Second talk about a value added post quoted above... 😀

In Feb you could pick up a 1993 Finest box for $300 and today they are $1000, 92 upper deck went from $50 to $150 and Stadium club from $60 to $260, and 1998 Topps Chrome went from $300 to $450.

rtimmer · May 9, 2020 1:11PM

@ReggieCleveland said:

As far as the Jumbo Boxes being sealed, I haven't seen one with the Topps logo wrap. Every one I have seen has been unwrapped..

Those boxes have been mined for Beam Teams for the past 28 years. A sealed jumbo box is a hobby unicorn. I would stay far away from unsealed jumbo boxes. They invariably get bid up to a premium as though there could be Beam Team cards inside and there's almost certainly no chance that there is.

Arthur

Great advice that I chose to ignore this weekend. I had four jumbo boxes that were not wrapped I sold two and kept two to open or sell later. Here’s the first one that I opened:

AnkurJ · May 9, 2020 2:34PM

Picked this one up recently

BPorter26 · May 9, 2020 3:27PM

This had to be 4 or 5 years ago, there’s a honey hole my buddy and I go to once in awhile. This store has wax from the 80’s to current. It’s pretty depleted if you go today, but once in awhile you can still find some hidden gems. Anyway we purchased 4 boxes of 92-93 TSC series 2 basketball for $20 a box. Mid way through the first box I pull the Shaq beam team and seconds later he hits the Jordan beam. You want to talk about two 40 year olds acting like kids again. The moment was priceless. Lets move forward three months later I popped a 10 on the Shaq and he popped a 10 on the Jordan. I don’t know about you, but when you pop a 10 out of a pack pull it is the greatest feeling.

tsalems1 · May 9, 2020 3:38PM

Found some in our inventory last week. Most of these came from a collection we purchased in Kentucky

magicpapa · May 9, 2020 4:15PM

Nice Beam Teams

80sOPC · May 10, 2020 9:22AM

Shows how many of these are out there still, and in good shape.

@tsalems1 said:
Found some in our inventory last week. Most of these came from a collection we purchased in Kentucky

Shaq Rookies moving on up

Comments

19 points overall is a lock. He was a scoring machine for much of his career. He easily deserves to be in, IMO. His rookies being in the same year as Dirk and Pierce probably won't help though.