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What if the 1952 Topps high numbers

Were rescued from the ocean surface ?

Could they be restored ?

Comments

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 1, 2022 9:01AM

    @handyman said:
    They are gone man let it go.

    Waxed paper pushes water away and does not absorb it.

    Were these wax boxes or vending dumped ?

  • mcolney1mcolney1 Posts: 981 ✭✭✭

    Salt water - they have dissolved into the ether.

    Collecting Topps, Philadelphia and Kellogg's from 1964-1989
  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mcolney1 said:
    Salt water - they have dissolved into the ether.

    Much heavier items never dissolved dumped centuries before them.
    Why these ?

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 1, 2022 9:28AM

    Wooden ship found perfectly intact from 1915.
    https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085432575/endurance-ship-found-ernest-shackleton

    Why would wooden pallets of wax paper protected cards be different?

  • GreenSneakersGreenSneakers Posts: 911 ✭✭✭✭

    If they were rescued at the surface? Maybe.

    But they’ve been at the bottom for 70 years.

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,338 ✭✭✭✭✭

    hey @1959....
    my main concern is: I'm hoping that the gum is still OK... :)

  • Nathaniel1960Nathaniel1960 Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What about landfills? The ET Atari carts buried for 40 years work just fine.

    Kiss me once, shame on you.
    Kiss me twice.....let's party.
  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,338 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Nathaniel1960 said:
    What about landfills? The ET Atari carts buried for 40 years work just fine.

    hey Nathaniel1960,
    I hope that you're talking about 2600's....any idea about those Activision ones... :)

  • CardGeekCardGeek Posts: 486 ✭✭✭

    I wonder if they recovered Shackleton's T206s

  • frankhardyfrankhardy Posts: 8,111 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We just need to test this.

    Somebody put a 1952 Topps card in some salt water and leave it there for one year and let's see what it looks like. If it's still intact we can revisit this every year.

    Who wants to volunteer?

    Shane

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,338 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What about the salt water solution… what would be my ratio….would I use canning/pickling - solar salt - table salt?

    In a sealed canning jar…should the jar be exposed to natural lighting…?

    My only down fall to this forum science project is…I do not own any 52 Topps baseball…

    Other than that I’d be in… :)

  • frankhardyfrankhardy Posts: 8,111 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I would say that it needs to be someone near a coast or the gulf. We need ocean water.

    I would say NOT to store it outside because it would get all kinds of junk in it. We need to see what the ocean water ONLY does to the card.

    Let's do this.

    Shane

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,338 ✭✭✭✭✭

    for sure the ocean water leaves me out of this science project, best I could do is some Lake Michigan H2O... :)

  • EstilEstil Posts: 7,061 ✭✭✭✭

    @handyman said:
    They are gone man let it go.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

    WISHLIST
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  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @frankhardy said:
    We just need to test this.

    Somebody put a 1952 Topps card in some salt water and leave it there for one year and let's see what it looks like. If it's still intact we can revisit this every year.

    Who wants to volunteer?

    An entire wax pack. Water will not penetrate a perfectly sealed wax pack if the pack is indeed wax paper.

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Water does not penetrate wax paper

    Needed………

    1988 and 1989 authentic Topps baseball wax boxes

    2 sealable Tupperware containers filled with ocean water.

    A dark basement or shed and a dark covering for the containers

    Leave one box alone for 10 years

    The other box take one pack out each year for inspection

  • Even if the salt water didn't take care of them, you have high numbered fish food.

  • BarfvaderBarfvader Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭✭

    @Estil said:

    @handyman said:
    They are gone man let it go.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

    If I got to listen to that song I prefer this version.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5AoEBNE2s4

  • BarfvaderBarfvader Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭✭

    @Goldenage said:
    Water does not penetrate wax paper

    Needed………

    1988 and 1989 authentic Topps baseball wax boxes

    2 sealable Tupperware containers filled with ocean water.

    A dark basement or shed and a dark covering for the containers

    Leave one box alone for 10 years

    The other box take one pack out each year for inspection

    I'm thinking for water storage a couple 55 gallon barrels like this:

    These can be bought for around $18 each used in my area. Would have to cut the tops off.

    Shed versus basement. Basement temp would stay pretty consistent. Shed up here in the woods of Maine would be subject to wide variances of temps which would probably be more ideal in the scientific way of doing something like this.

    If I had a truck to gather the needed items it would be an interesting experiment to try.

  • frankhardyfrankhardy Posts: 8,111 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I doubt very seriously that a wax pack is water tight. I understand the theory of water not penetrating wax paper, but water would most certainly seep through the folds around the wax seal.

    I'm not sure it is 100% certain that modern foil packs would be water tight at least for very long.... though I could see that easier than a wax pack.

    In addition.... Do we know if it were packs that were dumped? Boxes? Cases? Or loose cards?

    Shane

  • agragr Posts: 68 ✭✭✭

    I guess I could test the theory but the test would take a lot longer than I have left

  • handymanhandyman Posts: 5,367 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Before you start a go fund me to find these. Im pretty sure aliens took the wax packs to outer space. Elon knows.

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 3, 2022 3:27AM

    @frankhardy said:
    I doubt very seriously that a wax pack is water tight. I understand the theory of water not penetrating wax paper, but water would most certainly seep through the folds around the wax seal.

    I'm not sure it is 100% certain that modern foil packs would be water tight at least for very long.... though I could see that easier than a wax pack.

    In addition.... Do we know if it were packs that were dumped? Boxes? Cases? Or loose cards?

    Agree. If wax boxes were resting on top of each other then preservation chances increase greatly.

    These were boxes that couldnt sell.
    Possible the packs could have stuck together in boxes, giving extra protection .

    If they sat in non air conditioned hot warehouse.

  • 3stars3stars Posts: 2,291 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 3, 2022 3:53PM

    You also have to add in currents, ocean churn from storms beating up the boxes, even way down. Wax packs aren't waterproof, nor are the boxes. These are mush at best by now, but probably erased from existence as salt water is highly corrosive and paper / cardboard is organic.

    Previous transactions: Wondercoin, goldman86, dmarks, Type2
  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,378 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This legend was said to have taken place off the coast of Brooklyn, NY in the waterways of NYC in the 1950s. Cardboard and wax paper in ocean water?

    Fellas, this was an international shipping and business hub when the EPA was barely a thought in existence. The water was so polluted during this time period that you could walk across the water from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the barrels of toxic waste, burned out cars, bags of garbage and dead gangsters floating in the East River.

    In fact, the 1952 Topps High Numbers are probably the cleanest thing dumped in those waters for the entire decade!

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 4, 2022 5:32AM

    @3stars said:
    You also have to add in currents, ocean churn from storms beating up the boxes, even way down. Wax packs aren't waterproof, nor are the boxes. These are mush at best by now, but probably erased from existence as salt water is highly corrosive and paper / cardboard is organic.

    The Titanic was discovered 2.5 miles below sea level.

    Paper documents were discovered and restored.

    These recovered papers had no wax covering over them.

    Tightly sealed wax packs are waterproof. Water can not penetrate it. If any packs were stuck together, then I guarantee you there is a dive worth happening.

    😎

  • 1948_Swell_Robinson1948_Swell_Robinson Posts: 1,976 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Goldenage said:

    @3stars said:
    You also have to add in currents, ocean churn from storms beating up the boxes, even way down. Wax packs aren't waterproof, nor are the boxes. These are mush at best by now, but probably erased from existence as salt water is highly corrosive and paper / cardboard is organic.

    The Titanic was discovered 2.5 miles below sea level.

    Paper documents were discovered and restored

    Tightly sealed wax packs are waterproof. Water can not penetrate it. If any packs were stuck together, then I guarantee you there is a dive worth happening.

    😎

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    300 to 500 cases of 1952 Topps high numbers sat in a warehouse for 8 years. According to Sy Berger. Then they were dumped.

    https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1674457-thousands-of-mickey-mantles-first-topps-cards-were-dumped-into-ocean.amp.html

  • BuckHunter68BuckHunter68 Posts: 406 ✭✭✭

    Ditka versus a hurricane? Who would win?

    Only men can keep a thread this ridiculous going and make it so entertaining.

    Ok...if Sandman can just become sand at any time...couldn't he beat the Hulk? And, if they were to become friends, could they restore 70 year old cardboard submerged in toxic salt water?

    "You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

  • handymanhandyman Posts: 5,367 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I wonder if the Al rosen case was one from this hoard saved from the ocean. I would think 1-2 workers might keep one or two and give them to there kids before throwing them off a boat. They must have tried giving some away before this ocean voyage?

  • 1948_Swell_Robinson1948_Swell_Robinson Posts: 1,976 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As crazy as the premise sounds, if somehow a few cases of packs survived, the value would still be incredible just from the lore alone.

  • threeofsixthreeofsix Posts: 592 ✭✭✭✭
    edited October 5, 2022 6:42AM

    Has the History Channel considered their next dig after Oak Island… Rick? Marty? Want to weigh in on this? 6 Seasons? Cliffhangers? Tie it back to the origins of baseball???

    I mean I’d watch….just sayin’

    The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.
    Live long, and prosper.
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