1975 Topps regular vs mini- when did prices switch?
RedHeart54
Posts: 2,277 ✭✭✭
A box of regular 1975 Topps went for over $40,000 and a box of minis sold for nearly $12,000 in Heritage’s recent auction. What was the main event/factor in the price disparity? Was there a mini find causing the mini market to be flooded? (Ha, I’m old enough to remember when minis were around 1.5X the price of the regulars.)
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Conlan had a huge horde of unopened mini and when he passed it all hit the market.
I don’t really understand when or why regular 1975 began to be perceived as “rare.” Certainly wasn’t the case in 2012 when BBCE was still having box breaks at affordable prices.
This is not based on actual sales data, just a feeling from collecting these sets since about 2017. During the 2020 boom, new collectors were focused on mainstream issues, with less appreciation for unusual items that more advanced hobbyists eventually discover. Among post-war vintage cards, base Topps sets were king and values for 1975 Topps surpassed both Mini and OPC due to demand. When I was a kid in the 80s, Donruss and Fleer were more desirable than Topps, but even that has changed for many 80s Rookies.
^ yep, the LCD wins again.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I know the mini was considered more desireable than the standard at least through the 90s. I believe there was a multiplier of 1.5x then.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Aren't regular 1975 wax boxes a bit more diffult to find in general even without the Mini cases from the early 2010's??
They were until Jenny showed up on the board a few years ago. I bought 100 unopened cases of 1975 Topps from her for $10,000. LOL!!
Charles Conlon the famous photographer had a horde of unopened minis. REA had a sale in
REA’s Spring 2009 auction
2 lots of 7 cases each sold in the $85000 range
3 lots of 3 cases each in the $35000 range
2 single case lots sold in the $14000 range
So 25 cases sold in that auction alone plus years of selling off boxes and cases.
https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/collecting-101/charlie-conlon
I personally don’t think regular boxes were tougher than minis before Conlon. My recollection from the 2000-2010 period is that 1975 was one of the easier years for unopened in all formats.
The Conlon hoard is the primary reason for the apparent glut of mini wax packs. I'd say that PSA graded mini wax packs outnumber their regular-sized counterparts on the retail market by at least 10 to 1 even though the pop report is only about 3 to 1 in that regard. That discrepancy and the dearth of available product creates higher values when demand outstrips supply.
Conversely, 75 mini cello packs are actually tougher to find vs their full-sized counterparts, thanks in large part to Fritsch's inventory over the years. Conlon had mini cello cases also but only about 3 full cases at the time of his passing in 2008. The value of mini cellos is about equal, or slightly lower than the full-sized version, but not nearly as disparate as the difference in value between mini and regular-sized wax packs..
That leaves the 75 mini rack which is easily one of the very toughest, if not the toughest, rack to find from the 1970s and values for those are about 3x the regular-sized version. At the time of his passing, Conlon had a grand total of 3 1975 mini rack packs.
In summary, it's interesting how just two sources of product (Fritsch and Conlon) can move the needle on availability and market value for these packs.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
And we have no idea how many more ‘75 Cellos Fritsch still has.
In respect to individual graded cards it would appear that the mini's are more of a niche and not as desirable as the full-sized issue even though pop counts of cards like Brett are a third of the full-sized.
Similar to OPC, lower popularity/demand despite lower pops.
Though the low pop high grade mini commons often outpace their regular-sized counterparts.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.