1987 Topps Baseball wax box/vending/rack break.
JoeBanzai
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Opening a wax box. First pack a Barry Bonds rookie! off center. I was told his card is on bottom corner of sheet and most are not centered. Looking for Bo Jackson and a few others.
I am keeping track of where the cards are if anyone cares.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
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1987 Topps was my first all-in set of the 1980s. Love this design and the RC crop is among the best of the decade. Good luck on a perfect Bo!
This is the Topps sheet, with Bonds on the right edge, halfway down. The O-Pee-Chee sheet does have Bonds on the lower right corner. I don't have a pic of the O-Pee-Chee sheet. Basically, since O-Pee-Chee sets are smaller with a different collation, the sheets were arranged a bit differently. It's "almost" like they took the top halves of 2 Topps sheets and made 1 sheet (I'm not positive if that is EXACTLY what they did). Bonds being in the 6th row on the Topps sheet places him on the bottom, the 12th row, of the O-Pee-Chee sheet.
Four packs in, found the first gradeable(?) card. Centering pretty good overall, but most cards not well enough.
Does this look 10 worthy to you guys?
My only concern is the fish eye below the Y. Check some 10's and see if they will let that slide.
Unfortunately I think the T/B centering is too far off for a 10. I agree with Dpeck that the fisheye and the black print speck on the bottom border below Topps likely hold it back too. Nice looking card regardless!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/OPC-TOPPS-PSA-10-GEM-MINT-2-CARD-LOT-NOLAN-RYAN-HOF-1987-O-PEE-CHEE-155-757-ABC-/124029561854?hash=item1ce0bcebfe:g:kYUAAOSwLjhc~EZm&nma=true&si=YGsAj1iDYIatoOap%2BuZCPhTx34Q%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Topps-Tiffany-Nolan-Ryan-757-PSA-10-Gem-Mint-Houston-Astros-Sharp-Card-/264688959645?hash=item3da0b1009d:g:iIoAAOSwxD1ea3Sy&nma=true&si=YGsAj1iDYIatoOap%2BuZCPhTx34Q%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Topps-Nolan-Ryan-757-PSA-10-GEM-MINT-PWCC-/402205941836?hash=item5da557a04c:g:vSEAAOSws6ReihrF&nma=true&si=YGsAj1iDYIatoOap%2BuZCPhTx34Q%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Topps-757-Nolan-Ryan-Houston-Astros-HOF-PSA-10-GEM-MINT-/372982372156?hash=item56d77b573c:g:17YAAOSwrpheaC-v&nma=true&si=YGsAj1iDYIatoOap%2BuZCPhTx34Q%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Tough call on the centering. Seems like there is some variance in these four copies with two being better than others. Tough card to grade with a 10 going for $38 in the Probstein auction. Risk reward is challenging unless it is a personal collection copy.
I see what you mean on the print spots and fisheye.
Centering too low? Trying to get a handle on what you guys think.
Thanks for the responses so far. Looks like these have to be flawless to be worth sending in, although a Ryan 9 would be a break even card (maybe) if it were part of a bulk submission.
I will have a bulk submission going in when PSA reopens.
The PWCC Ryan looks much better. :-(
Thanks for posting the sheet countdouglass!
Next good card a Clemens. Centered too low.
Yes, I was thinking centering is a bit too low. There is certainly a chance it makes its way into a PSA 10 holder, since some 10s have similar centering. Historically, I have better luck when I sub a card like the Mitchell as a centering reference...
The more I look at that one the side to side looks like a 55/45 card. Surface looks great. Top to bottom is very strong.
I spent every dollar I made mowing lawns busting these packs in 1987. Wally Joyner was hot and Canseco and Bo were on fire too.
I can visualize it.
I traded a 1984 Don Mattingly I had traded for for a full box to a neighbors friend. Was amazing to actually get to open a full box and not just five or six packs. Probably the reason I am so hooked on cards as an adult.
I loved 87 topps. Thought Ruben Sierra was going to be such a stud...
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Finally hit the Jackson card in pack #31! Looks pretty good, top left corner is fine. I have added a few scans with some of the other nice cards.
Looks like most are centered a bit low, most of the cards in this box had good side to side centering (except the Bonds and Rose) but were toward the bottom.
That is one sweet Bo...congrats! Such a great looking and iconic card of the 80s. Thanks for sharing this classic rip.
A simpler, yet not that far back for some, time when pulling a favorite player or star brought you the same thrill that now requires pulling an artificially short printed insert today to match. How often have you seen someone spend 2-3 figures ($), open a few packs or boxes in a card shop and walk away leaving stacks of cards, including the stars, taking away 1-2 inserts safely secured in a sleeve and/or hard case of some sort. That scene always pained me to watch.
I feel the same way. A buddy of mine said a box of S/P with the Jeter rookie was $3,000.00!?!?!?!?
Wow!
I don't believe there's any premium, but just for fun, did you check for the TM errors on the Mattingly and Gooden All-Stars while ripping the 87s?
Yes, a buddy of mine asked me about it. My stuff had no errors. He said they caught them fairly early.
Lots of print spots and centering issues. Centering not usually real far off, Bonds being an exception, but enough to keep the card out of a 10 holder.
I'll take that Mitchell of your hands! ;-)
GOOD LORD I thought the title said 1978 ...... whew almost passed out
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
That Mitchell card is a tough one! Print smears on some and centering (if looking for a 10) is usually not great.
Thanks for your centering input jordangretzkyfan!
I see it as nearly perfect, but a bit too high as the top border "should" be the same as the side borders.
Looking at 10's on ebay, it seems PSA likes them to be centered top to bottom using the "name box" so the top border and bottom borders are the same. I assumed the name box would not factor in, but it appears I am wrong.
Rick Leach, upper left corner = no 10's.
Here's my 1987 Topps results.
3 wax boxes, 1 rack case and the rest 6 or 8 vending boxes.
Bought from a local guy who was selling them at a reasonable price.
First thing I noticed was the centering, At first I figured that the top border and the side borders should be the same, as there isn't really a bottom border. Now I would say to use the bottom of the name box as the bottom border. LOTS of cards centered low.
Looks like PSA likes them centered "high".
Then I noticed there was three distinctly different looks to the borders; tan, dark brown and a greenish brown.
Many of the "tan" bordered cards looked "washed out" especially the name boxes, that looked faded.
Some cards were plagued with print defects. Some were badly out of focus.
Some of the most beautiful cards had ears, (scan attached below).
Very few mis-cut cards. Those that were, all came from vending.
Cards that came out of the rack packs were amazing, but seemed to have fewer Bonds', the Barry's from rack were better centered than in wax or vending. The vending cards were really bowed, especially at the ends. The wax packs all had a "wax" card and a "gum" card that were ruined.
As you will see by the scans to follow, VERY hard to find a mint, perfectly centered card. The Puckett attached won't get a 10 and was found in less than average numbers.
There were 12-16 of almost every card, but as few as 5 of the #593 Chuck Tanner and a few others (#251 Wilfong and #457 Matuszek to name a few).
Bonds centered 85% of the time to the right side.
Palmiero just horrible for me, none centered well enough to consider a 9 much less a 10.
Mattingly was the same, I have 2 that look almost perfect, neither have a shot at a 10.
I did well on the Jackson card. Besides the three pictured, I have a couple that could get a 10 on a good day.
Did well on Ryan too.
Some dust on scanner even after I wiped it down; Ryan, Murphy and McGwire all have dust specks.
Thanks for posting the sheet!
If sheet was first cut in half, Bonds would end up on bottom corner.
Those Bo’s and McGwire’s look amazing. Hope you land all 10s on those bad boys. Thanks for sharing the results and breaking down some of the stats!
Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks also for the great information and sharing your rips!!!!
Love the 87T set! Thanks for sharing!
This was the first set I really got into.......I think I made 4 complete sets back in the day.