Factory set experts - I’ve picked up a few more of these recently, and got one today that I’m almost sure is suspect. Just wanting to make sure I know what I’m talking about.
I’m aware of 2 variations - the circle tape seal, and the wrapped ones, which do not have the tape. I focus on the wrapped ones, and am familiar with the “style” of wrap, which is actually somewhat loose in some cases, but the feel is like a thin plastic baggie. As far as I know, those are the styles.
One I got today has both a wrap and a sticker. I’ve never seen this, plus the sticker looks very suspect (dirty on one half) and the wrap is very tight and more of a cellophane feel.
I’m 99% sure it’s a popped sticker that was rewrapped. Any differing opinions before I return it? There’s some tears in the wrap around the sticker. Here’s a pic.
The meteoric rise in 89UD Griffey 10 is awesome (I have no graded examples) given its prominence in the hobby. The argument of supply being "massive" falls short in the face of overwhelming demand for the best of the best cards in the hobby. With that said, what does this mean for unopened? I am an unabashed collector of 89UD unopened. Curious to get this group's thoughts on where the boxes and sets could go from here.
John
Conundrum - Loving my unopened baseball card collection....but really like ripping too
FASC boxes are the only way to go. I bought a 9 about two month ago and keep it on top of the stack to avoid shredding. Has gone from $200-400
Low# FASC are trending around $700. These will be 1K by the summer
@NJ80sBBC said:
The meteoric rise in 89UD Griffey 10 is awesome (I have no graded examples) given its prominence in the hobby. The argument of supply being "massive" falls short in the face of overwhelming demand for the best of the best cards in the hobby. With that said, what does this mean for unopened? I am an unabashed collector of 89UD unopened. Curious to get this group's thoughts on where the boxes and sets could go from here.
FASC BBCE boxes are the safest bet. Obviously from my previous posts, I also like the wrapped (retail) sets for value, as long as you know what to look for since there are plenty of rewraps out there. Even then, you can’t be 100% sure, but the rewraps tend to have the wrong style of wrap. The wrap that UD was using at the time seems to be hard to reproduce, I guess. I avoid the hobby sticker versions since they could be popped without detection, and I’ve seen reports that some can pop off over time.
These sets are probably the most cost effective for ripping currently, as you’re guaranteed 1 (for boxes, the math comes out to slightly less than 1 per even for low # boxes, but are obviously more fun) and at current prices even an 8 is half your money back. 9’s are double, and 10’s are 20-25x, not to mention all the other cards.
I just like the idea that for the same price of a 10, I could rip 25 sets. That would be one heck of a fun rip, even though I rarely rip stuff.
I won’t claim to be an expert with the sets, but I feel pretty comfortable buying them, and calling out crap like the one in my previous post. If anyone has additional info on spotting questionable sets, I always love new information.
Kinda kicking myself... in the last group break we had here, we broke a case of 89UD low series with boxes going for $475. I jumped in early and grabbed one, then very late in the game I threw a claim in for a second. It flew under the radar and wasn't picked up by the organizer or BBCE, but they were selling for about $425 on eBay at the time so I didn't push it and was kinda glad I wouldn't be saddled with a second anchor. Ugh!
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now. crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now. crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Last week, weren't these $1500-1600 sets? Now I see a new one has been added at BIN/BO $7k
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now. crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Last week, weren't these $1500-1600 sets? Now I see a new one has been added at BIN/BO $7k
1/26 - $1700
1/24 - $1400
I don’t see any actual sales above $1,700, so the pumpers must be hitting this one hard. Another one to pump on their list I guess.
@BriantheTaxGuy said:
$650 for a low numbered box from the exchange.
Or you can buy 3 factory sets for the same money. Factory sets seem like a better buy, no?
As long as you know what to look for to identify suspect seals, yes (in my opinion). My most recent round of purchases was for 11 total from different sellers. 3 of them ended up returned.
1 was the one I previously pointed out with both a sticker and wrap (I’ve never seen evidence that any came this way from the factory). That one and another also used different pics in the listing - they showed a legit wrap but sent a sticker version. The third had tape on one end that was not visible in the pics. I think this one was probably legit, and someone just taped up a tear, but I wasn’t comfortable removing the tape to be sure, and the legit wraps are pretty fragile and prone to tearing on the seams. The tears typically don’t bother me much since they’re so common, as long as the overall wrap is still intact.
@daltex said:
How much is a factory set case, or are they no longer sold?
A couple have sold over the last week for around 3k. Sets are still creeping up with a couple selling over the past 24 hours for 300ish. I’d expect a 15 set sealed case to sell easily at 4K or anything less if it dropped right now, but I’m guessing anyone who lists one will put it at 5k or more.
Thanks. Learn something new every day.
Will be interesting if the seller gets a premium price on his copy.
In this market you could probably try to play off a chipped hologram as a rare printing error and get more $ for it. $20k for this one, someone has hope at least!
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now. crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Last week, weren't these $1500-1600 sets? Now I see a new one has been added at BIN/BO $7k
1/26 - $1700
1/24 - $1400
I don’t see any actual sales above $1,700, so the pumpers must be hitting this one hard. Another one to pump on their list I guess.
Looks like they ran out of pump juice. $9,500 ended with no bids, and now there's one up for $5k starting with no bids. No relist from that seller, yet, though.
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now. crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Last week, weren't these $1500-1600 sets? Now I see a new one has been added at BIN/BO $7k
1/26 - $1700
1/24 - $1400
I don’t see any actual sales above $1,700, so the pumpers must be hitting this one hard. Another one to pump on their list I guess.
Looks like they ran out of pump juice. $9,500 ended with no bids, and now there's one up for $5k starting with no bids. No relist from that seller, yet, though.
That was one lousy pump for sure. I would have expected better, they should be ashamed.
Most of the 10 sales over the past few days have been in the 5500 range. 5k for older flips. Seems like it’ll probably level off there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it settles in around 4.
My wife wasn't so thrilled when she found out I bought one a 10 for 300 a number of years ago after coming home from the bar with my buddies. Well who's laughing now?!
@totallyradd said:
My wife wasn't so thrilled when she found out I bought one a 10 for 300 a number of years ago after coming home from the bar with my buddies. Well who's laughing now?!
Wait, does this serve drinks and cards. What is the address?
You win the enjoyment of looking at a fine 9. That is a very nice example!
or if you like to gamble, which i do, a crack and resub.
Get ready to keep resubbing with this one. The gem % is so low. A 6.5 9/10 ratio is not the worst I have seen, but it is pretty tough with that many submissions.
You win the enjoyment of looking at a fine 9. That is a very nice example!
or if you like to gamble, which i do, a crack and resub.
Get ready to keep resubbing with this one. The gem % is so low. A 6.5 9/10 ratio is not the worst I have seen, but it is pretty tough with that many submissions.
Maybe so but with the moon money the 10's are going for now it's worth a couple shots.
Successful coin BST transactions with Gerard and segoja.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
@Batpig said:
Well, my speculation was wrong. If they’re legit, 2 sold yesterday for over 6k, including an old label for 6600, with less than perfect centering.
From what i have seen in this surge is that eyes are only fixated on the PSA grade. Centering can be horrible for the grade, it doesn’t matter (much). I saw a few 10’s that looked like the image was about to slide off the card and they still received strong bids. Knowledgeable collectors? Nope...
@Batpig said:
Well, my speculation was wrong. If they’re legit, 2 sold yesterday for over 6k, including an old label for 6600, with less than perfect centering.
From what i have seen in this surge is that eyes are only fixated on the PSA grade. Centering can be horrible for the grade, it doesn’t matter (much). I saw a few 10’s that looked like the image was about to slide off the card and they still received strong bids. Knowledgeable collectors? Nope...
I noticed the same across the board.
Investors/new collectors/whatevers just want the grade. Don't care what's inside the slab
@shawther said:
Anyone have much luck crossing these? Case is in rough shape but the card is clean.
The back hologram.... not so good. Card centering overall is good. Really hard to tell with the scrapes on the case. If it is yours I would just crack it. A GEM holder does not hold any merit.
Well I have to give it a shot. I am planning on sending it in after I break it out of the case. A 9 would not be totally disappointing but a 10 would be nice. I’ve come to realize to never expect a 10. They are more like a bonus. Thank you all for your input.
@Batpig said:
Off center hologram does not kill your chances at a 10. Look at recent sales in new holders. In fact I don’t think it has any impact whatsoever.
How about incomplete hologram? What is the major downfall for Griffey 10s aside from the usual (corner wear, surface defects, centering)?
Incomplete hologram would, I believe, as well as stray foil on the back, but I think the main downfall is the same as other cards in general. People just like to blame it on things like an off center hologram rather than surface issues and other things like that.
Comments
Factory set experts - I’ve picked up a few more of these recently, and got one today that I’m almost sure is suspect. Just wanting to make sure I know what I’m talking about.
I’m aware of 2 variations - the circle tape seal, and the wrapped ones, which do not have the tape. I focus on the wrapped ones, and am familiar with the “style” of wrap, which is actually somewhat loose in some cases, but the feel is like a thin plastic baggie. As far as I know, those are the styles.
One I got today has both a wrap and a sticker. I’ve never seen this, plus the sticker looks very suspect (dirty on one half) and the wrap is very tight and more of a cellophane feel.
I’m 99% sure it’s a popped sticker that was rewrapped. Any differing opinions before I return it? There’s some tears in the wrap around the sticker. Here’s a pic.
I went back and looked at the seller’s pics, and it’s a different (legit) set in the pics. So yeah, it’s going back.
The meteoric rise in 89UD Griffey 10 is awesome (I have no graded examples) given its prominence in the hobby. The argument of supply being "massive" falls short in the face of overwhelming demand for the best of the best cards in the hobby. With that said, what does this mean for unopened? I am an unabashed collector of 89UD unopened. Curious to get this group's thoughts on where the boxes and sets could go from here.
John
FASC boxes are the only way to go. I bought a 9 about two month ago and keep it on top of the stack to avoid shredding. Has gone from $200-400
Low# FASC are trending around $700. These will be 1K by the summer
FASC BBCE boxes are the safest bet. Obviously from my previous posts, I also like the wrapped (retail) sets for value, as long as you know what to look for since there are plenty of rewraps out there. Even then, you can’t be 100% sure, but the rewraps tend to have the wrong style of wrap. The wrap that UD was using at the time seems to be hard to reproduce, I guess. I avoid the hobby sticker versions since they could be popped without detection, and I’ve seen reports that some can pop off over time.
These sets are probably the most cost effective for ripping currently, as you’re guaranteed 1 (for boxes, the math comes out to slightly less than 1 per even for low # boxes, but are obviously more fun) and at current prices even an 8 is half your money back. 9’s are double, and 10’s are 20-25x, not to mention all the other cards.
I just like the idea that for the same price of a 10, I could rip 25 sets. That would be one heck of a fun rip, even though I rarely rip stuff.
I won’t claim to be an expert with the sets, but I feel pretty comfortable buying them, and calling out crap like the one in my previous post. If anyone has additional info on spotting questionable sets, I always love new information.
Kinda kicking myself... in the last group break we had here, we broke a case of 89UD low series with boxes going for $475. I jumped in early and grabbed one, then very late in the game I threw a claim in for a second. It flew under the radar and wasn't picked up by the organizer or BBCE, but they were selling for about $425 on eBay at the time so I didn't push it and was kinda glad I wouldn't be saddled with a second anchor. Ugh!
Jim
Slightly OT, but the pump is starting on the Bowman Tiffany sets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-Bowman-Tiffany-Baseball-Factory-Set-Ken-Griffey-Jr-RC-PSA-10/274665041966
Bidding looks quite shady on that one, but now the only other two sets available have openings set at $9k plus. If it holds, mine will be on BST
ETA: I don't see anything else that would give me concern about the seller, just looks like a weird pump on this one auction. Everything else they have current and completed looks fine.
That is crazy. The 89 bowman tiffany Griffey gems at 10% rate. You pretty much need it to gem if you want to take a profit on this one. A 9 is about $1.5k but that sale was a few days ago so it is probably at $5k now.
crazy! I will hang on to my 9!
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Last week, weren't these $1500-1600 sets? Now I see a new one has been added at BIN/BO $7k
1/26 - $1700
1/24 - $1400
I don’t see any actual sales above $1,700, so the pumpers must be hitting this one hard. Another one to pump on their list I guess.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
$11.1k it is, happy to sell one for $10k
0 feedback bidder comes in at $11k. Go big I guess! This one may be relisted.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
$650 for a low numbered box from the exchange.
Or you can buy 3 factory sets for the same money. Factory sets seem like a better buy, no?
As long as you know what to look for to identify suspect seals, yes (in my opinion). My most recent round of purchases was for 11 total from different sellers. 3 of them ended up returned.
1 was the one I previously pointed out with both a sticker and wrap (I’ve never seen evidence that any came this way from the factory). That one and another also used different pics in the listing - they showed a legit wrap but sent a sticker version. The third had tape on one end that was not visible in the pics. I think this one was probably legit, and someone just taped up a tear, but I wasn’t comfortable removing the tape to be sure, and the legit wraps are pretty fragile and prone to tearing on the seams. The tears typically don’t bother me much since they’re so common, as long as the overall wrap is still intact.
How much is a factory set case, or are they no longer sold?
A couple have sold over the last week for around 3k. Sets are still creeping up with a couple selling over the past 24 hours for 300ish. I’d expect a 15 set sealed case to sell easily at 4K or anything less if it dropped right now, but I’m guessing anyone who lists one will put it at 5k or more.
Seller has "Eyelash" version on eBay:
I wasn't paying attention with this. Here is my Griffey.
I'm assuming it's the eyelash?
Yes. Basically considered a print defect at this time. Not enough of a story behind this one to get it variation status.
Here is a recent thread on this:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1037954/1989-upper-deck-griffey-eyelash-print-error
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Thanks. Learn something new every day.
Will be interesting if the seller gets a premium price on his copy.
In this market you could probably try to play off a chipped hologram as a rare printing error and get more $ for it.
$20k for this one, someone has hope at least!
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Looks like they ran out of pump juice. $9,500 ended with no bids, and now there's one up for $5k starting with no bids. No relist from that seller, yet, though.
Umm... yeah what do I win??
That was one lousy pump for sure. I would have expected better, they should be ashamed.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
You win the enjoyment of looking at a fine 9. That is a very nice example!
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Most of the 10 sales over the past few days have been in the 5500 range. 5k for older flips. Seems like it’ll probably level off there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it settles in around 4.
My wife wasn't so thrilled when she found out I bought one a 10 for 300 a number of years ago after coming home from the bar with my buddies. Well who's laughing now?!
or if you like to gamble, which i do, a crack and resub.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
Wait, does this serve drinks and cards. What is the address?
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Get ready to keep resubbing with this one. The gem % is so low. A 6.5 9/10 ratio is not the worst I have seen, but it is pretty tough with that many submissions.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Maybe so but with the moon money the 10's are going for now it's worth a couple shots.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
Well, my speculation was wrong. If they’re legit, 2 sold yesterday for over 6k, including an old label for 6600, with less than perfect centering.
Relist has happened, already back to what I think would be a new record, but this one is believable so far at just over $2k: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-Bowman-Tiffany-Baseball-Factory-Set-Ken-Griffey-Jr-RC/274683061795
From what i have seen in this surge is that eyes are only fixated on the PSA grade. Centering can be horrible for the grade, it doesn’t matter (much). I saw a few 10’s that looked like the image was about to slide off the card and they still received strong bids. Knowledgeable collectors? Nope...
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
I noticed the same across the board.
Investors/new collectors/whatevers just want the grade. Don't care what's inside the slab
Anyone have much luck crossing these? Case is in rough shape but the card is clean.
The back hologram.... not so good. Card centering overall is good. Really hard to tell with the scrapes on the case. If it is yours I would just crack it. A GEM holder does not hold any merit.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
From what I’ve been told an off center hologram kills any chance for a 10. But it looks like a solid 9.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Off center hologram does not kill your chances at a 10. Look at recent sales in new holders. In fact I don’t think it has any impact whatsoever.
Well I have to give it a shot. I am planning on sending it in after I break it out of the case. A 9 would not be totally disappointing but a 10 would be nice. I’ve come to realize to never expect a 10. They are more like a bonus. Thank you all for your input.
How about incomplete hologram? What is the major downfall for Griffey 10s aside from the usual (corner wear, surface defects, centering)?
Incomplete hologram would, I believe, as well as stray foil on the back, but I think the main downfall is the same as other cards in general. People just like to blame it on things like an off center hologram rather than surface issues and other things like that.