Need advice on whether to open 1980 Charlotte O's sealed package containing Cal Ripken Jr.
TPopeCLT1979
Posts: 11 ✭
I'm fairly new to submitting items to PSA. I found some old 1980 Charlotte O's minor league baseball cards and submitted the Cal Ripken Jr. to PSA. It came back graded as VG 3. With the open set was also a sealed unopen pack of 1980 Charlotte O's that contains the same card (I'm assuming the grade would be higher). Knowing that the pack contains Ripken's card should I open the back and submit to PSA or leave the package sealed and submit the entire team set? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Best Answers
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AFLfan
Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm for the choice that ultimately gives you the most option. As you already have the single card, unless you are dead set on upgrading and owning the nicest example possible, then I would keep your 3 and then submit the pack to be graded. You can always change your mind later and crack it. But you can never go backwards. And I don't know much about the issue, but I am guessing that a Ripken pre-rookie in an unsealed pack would be a pretty hot item.
Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
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Tabe
Posts: 6,067 ✭✭✭✭✭
Definitely keep it sealed. No way you're getting high grade singles from that pack.
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thehallmark
Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭
Authenticate & preserve above all. Spend a couple years getting the story out there and make sure every Ripken enthusiast is aware of its existence. Then go big auction house.
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blurryface
Posts: 5,136 ✭✭✭✭✭
plenty of “cards” to look at out there.
and op, think of it this way...do an eBay search for 1952 topps cards.
how many common cards are listed?
ok, now do a 1952 topps pack search. now how many of those are listed?
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Answers
I vote sealed set.
no
Are you saying "no" to opening it or "no" to submitting the pack intact?
Don't assume the card will grade higher. Many cards come out of packs off center and with other defects.
It depends on if you want to "gamble". 23 of the Ripkens have been graded and only one "7" and one "8" with none grading higher.
How does the pack look? Can you post a picture?
A PSA9 could be worth a LOT!
I will take a picture this evening of the sealed pack and post it for you. I guess I wasn't sure if the sealed pack would be more valuable with the unknown of the Cal Ripken Jr. grade. Since there were only 1400 of these card sets (and most were tossed after the game) I want to make sure I'm not doing an injustice. I appreciate the input!
Great!
It's totally up to you if you want to open the pack. Some guys would say "keep it sealed" others would say "let er rip".
LOTS of Ripken collectors out there.
Looking forward to seeing what you have!
By the way welcome to the forums!
There are no 9's or 10's of any of the cards from that set that have been submitted.
I don't know what you mean when you say to submit the entire team set?
IMF
^. options are the best thing to have. you can always open it.
your title question was whether to open the sealed set, correct?
and my answer again was "no". in other words, i would not open it.
Keep it sealed. It is more rare as a sealed set and will fetch top dollar at auction amongst Ripken collectors. The odds of pulling anything higher than a PSA 7-8 are very low, so let someone else pay a premium for the sealed set if you ever choose to sell. Sweet set and looking forward to seeing the picture.
Basically, this was an entire team set given out at one of the Charlotte O's AA games during the 1980 season (poorly sealed in shrink wrap plastic). From what I understand, there wasn't a whole lot of people at the game and most of the packs were tossed in the dumpster after it was over. The team set contains Cal Ripken Jr's first ever baseball card, Cat Whitfield, along with a team picture and the rest of the team. I've attached a picture of my first PSA submission that shows the Cal Ripken Jr card. Thank you to everyone for the advice!
Keep sealed and get pack graded
I'm very familiar with the set....It's just that I've never seen the unopened set (in cellophane) slabbed.....
IMF
Ahhhh... I see what you mean now. I'll post a picture of it this evening once I get home from work. Thank you!
Hey JoeBonzai - Here's a picture of the sealed pack. Do you think I should send the entire pack to PSA for grading? I'm not sure how that works with something like this... Thanks again!
Serious question: does PSA encapsulate that type of thing?
That pack is freaking awesome! Keep it sealed. I would call Steve at BBCE and see if it can be authenticated by PSA, or by him as their lead grader for unopened. That thing needs to be preserved in sealed form...truly outstanding collectible.
I don't have any advice, but I will say that these are the types of threads that make this place fun. There can't be many of these sets out there, let alone still sealed. I wonder if anyone knows the sequencing, insofar as where the Ripken most likely sits within that sealed team set.
Thanks for sharing!
Your odds at pulling a Ripken PSA 9 are very slim and probably zero chance at a 10.
There is a good argument to keeping it as is, but I like to look at cards........not packages of cards, so I would be VERY tempted to open it.
You could always see if PSA will grade the pack and rip it later if you change your mind. I don't see any decision on what you want to do with it. Sell for the most money? Keep for your personal collection?
I agree it's a rarity as is, but what's the fun in that? I would open it, but that's totally up to you. As stated before, you already have the single. Or are you selling that?
Is this considered a "pack" or just a sealed set? Would PSA even slab/grade this is my question...
IMF
perhaps a "pack" of a team set. i am sure they'd slab it, if they had a holder for it. since this is an orioles thread, i'm sure you're familiar w psa NOT slabbing '89 fleer cello packs anymore. my guess would be based on card count. since many of the FF cellos had an extra card and were deemed too thick and prone to damage while holdering.
Being that I'm extremely new to all this I was wondering the same thing... Thanks to this thread I now have a better understanding! Appreciate all the input everyone
From what I understand Ripken was card #16. However, the numbering doesn't completely line up. BTW, I just remembered that they spelled his name wrong on the back "Ripkin"..
I've been thinking the same way... I want to open it but from a historical aspect it would be nice to keep it sealed. In regards to selling, if I open the pack I would keep the highest graded Ripken card and sell the other. If I don't open it, I may just keep the sealed pack and pass it on to my kids when they get older. I'm really torn... This thread has given me some valuable insight so I appreciate all of the responses!
Based on what you said, I would sell the graded Ripken and get the set graded (if PSA will do it) and put it away.
Wow...great conversation here. I was wondering if PSA will grade the pack too. Looks like Ripken will be in the middle, with some possible corner wear/bend. Surface should be good, maybe some chipping on the blue edge, centering is an unknown of course.
What I recommend depends on your collecting goals/style.
If you are an avid Orioles fan or Ripken collector, then open it. Chances are the card inside is going to grade higher than the 3 you have. Keep the new card at a 4 or 6 or 9, then sell the 3.
If you are a passionate collector of New York Yankees or Detroit Tigers or (insert team here), then grade the sealed pack, sell it, and go buy that Mantle or Kaline card you always wanted.
If your goal in the hobby is to flip cards and make money, then grade the pack.
As for me, I would open it - I like to look at cards and talk about players, not packages of cards...lol. Great dilemma to have. Sleep on it, talk to your family. Let us know what you decide to do.
I appreciate your insight on this subject and your points make complete sense. Even though I'm dying to open it, the historical aspect of keeping it sealed (knowing what's inside) has me torn. This decision isn't an easy one! Hopefully I won't lose too much sleep over the next week and will have an answer for everyone after Thanksgiving. Thanks again for all of the advice on here. This has been a great experience!
I do not have any idea what other players are in the pack. If there are others who actually became Major Leaguers, I would be inclined to leave the pack as is and try to get it graded. More ML'ers would likely translate to more collectors. If making the decision becomes unbearable for you, I would take it off your hands and guarantee it won't go in any dumpster!
I think this is a list of the players in the set. Copied from population report.
Larry Anderson
John Buffamoyer
Brooks Carey
Doc Cole
John Denman
Tommy Eaton
Kurt Fabrizio
Will George
The Pepper Girls
Jose Gonzales
Drungo Hazewood
Dave Huppert
Minnie Mendoza
Edwin Neal
Russ Pensiero
Billy Presley
Luis Quintana
Dan Ramirez
Cal Ripken Jr.
Willie Royster
John Shelby
Tommy Smith
Don Welchel
Cat Whitfield
Jimmy Williams
I summonsed @ripkenintheminors to see if he can weigh-in on this subject. AWESOME pack!
In the meantime, you can check out his site: https://ripkenintheminors.com/
Thank you for flashing the bat signal, Jeff!
This is a pretty amazing find. In 15-16 years of keeping up with Cal's minor league cards this is the first sealed pack I have ever seen. The only other reference to the possibility of sealed packs in existence I know of is based on an interview with Cal several years ago where he said he had a "box full of those sets."
Personally, there is absolutely no way I would break a sealed set from the original cellophane. There can't be many out there.
All of this begs a question: Where in the world did you find it? Is there any story?
Ripken in the Minors * Ripken in the Minors Facebook Page
Hi Jeff... I really appreciate you answering the bat signal and helping with this very difficult (but extremely awesome) dilemma! Here's a little bit of the story that goes along with the sealed pack...
I've lived in Charlotte, NC my entire life and would frequent Charlotte O's games at Crockett Park with my dad when I was a kid (before it burned down in 85). I vividly remember the bleachers we would sit on, smelling the hotdogs and popcorn, and picking up all of the dropped give-a-ways after the games.
My father, Tom Pope, helped design the Charlotte O's logo, as well as a lot of the paraphernalia/give-a-ways, in the late 70's and early 80's (posters, schedules, unused popcorn box, pencils, etc..). The memorabilia has been stored away for years. After my father passed in 2016, I've finally found the strength to go through all of my old baseball cards and rehash those memories. I knew these Charlotte O's sets were in there but never gave much thought to the value of them until recently.
I struggle with the historical aspect of opening the pack and I'm leaning towards preserving it (since I have a complete set that's already opened). I've thought about auctioning off some of it but haven't quite decided yet... If times continue to get tough, I may have no other choice.
Anyhow, I hope that gave you a little insight into how this pack still exists in its unopened state. Thanks again for your insight and I'm always willing to relive the good ol' Charlotte O's AA minor league days!
Stay well,
Thomas Pope