How Many Complete your Sets with Unopened Packs?

gemint

I was wondering how many of my fellow vintage set builders also pursue unopened packs to add the final touch to their complete sets? What about a wrapper? For my '69 set, I have a 5th series wax, 1st series cello and empty wax box. I plan to eventually pick up a rack pack (tough) and a wrapper (easy) to fill out the options. What are your opinions?

qualitycards

I complement the sets I'm working on w/ a wrapper too! Most of my sets are from the early to mid-60's so they are easy to find and not that expensive and it makes for a nice companion piece...jay

mikeschmidt

Though I don't have any unopened packs yet (and haven't decided if I ever want to add one), I do have both empty wax boxes and wrappers. It is a fun addition to the set -- I am also probably the biggest collector of 1955 Bowman Advertising cards...

My favorite, though, was the 1963 Fleer set that was sold with a cookie. Now that is passion!

RayBShotz

I have a really nice wrapper from the 69' pack framed and hanging on my den wall. You can't imagine how many inquiries I get about it from visitors to my home.
It is definitely a sign of simpler times; our main worry then being what time we were going to bike up to the candy store to pick up our next few nickel packs.
I got that wrapper as a Christmas gift a few years ago from a friend and my wife still cant figure out why I went on and on about getting "a stupid wrapper". Thats ok though. Those of you here on the board understand. :-)
RayB69Topps

FB

Actually...

I'm one of the few folks who probably went the other way on this one.

Growing up - I liked rack packs. I liked going through box after box at the local McCrory's and finding the racks with the stars and Mets on the top. I never liked wax packs growing up because the cost per card was higher plus you always had one with a wax stain on it.

I've picked up a few 72 Topps unopened wax packs over the last year or two and to be honest - it hasn't do anything for me. For one - I've never received a PSA 9 from anything I've pulled out of a wax pack. Best that I've done is an 8. Secondly, I've had a couple of 72 Topps and a 72 OPC wax pack where the cards were so off-centered that nothing was gradeable. So, I might eventually find a 72 rack pack that I'll keep with the set - but I haven't seen one in years.

Vargha

I have a 1951 Bowman 1 Cent wrapper and an empty box as well. I wouldn't mind adding a 5 Cent wrapper. I can't even imagine what even a one card unopened pack would sell for.

JH

I have added a 1964 Topps 5 cent wax pack, a 1 cent wax pack, and a cello pack to my set.... I know there is another version of the 5 cent pack that doesn't mention the coin on the front.... other than that I'm not sure if there are any others from that year..... I also added a complete set of the 1964 Topps Coins....

69topps8

David,

I'm not sure what a 1c pack would go for but I did see a 5c pack at the National in Anaheim a few years back. I think the seller was asking $5k for it.

JH - Other than a rack pack, I think that pretty much covers the unopened variations. I don't recall if they had two versions of cello that year (one with print, the other with clear plastic). For 1969 they did have the two different cello versions.

Frank - Sorry to hear about your bad luck on the 72s. It comes down to luck of the draw. I opened a half dozen packs from a third series wax box I bought a few years back and ended up getting about 40% 9s. Unfortunately the few star cards I pulled came out 8s (but high end). I held back a pack with what appears to be a perfectly centered Clemente In-Action showing but I don't have the heart to open it. I think it's much scarcer in unopened pack form than in a PSA 9 holder.

Philabuster

In the past I've had alot of unopened material. I've had it go both ways with me. I opened a 1965 wax pack in 1997 and I got two commons that were off center and three world series cards that were beautiful. I sent them in and all three came back a nine. One of those cards was the Mantle W.S. card. I once opened a 1959 cello and found the most beautiful Al Kaline that I'd ever seen. It came back an eight. The pack also contained a Curt Flood that came back a nine. I opened a 1967 cello that yielded nothing but factory damaged and off center junk. I opened a 1970-71 basketball wax that had a Maravich rookie damaged and a Jerry West that was sadly off center. I've opened a whole box of 1961 nu card baseball scoops which has given me about 60 nines and the number one set in the registry. As the man said in an earlier post it is a crap shoot. It's nice when you get the high grade stars but a bummer when a $400 cello leaves you setting there with junk not worth 50 cents a card. I hope to read more stories on this interesting topic.
TWO WEEKS TILL THE NATIONAL!!!!!!!!!

Mantlefan

I enjoy having a wrapper accompanying each of my 50's sets. The toughest to find was the 1953 Bowman Color set...I got one in a Mastro auction 2 years ago. My pack opening experiences have not been good. A pack of 1960 BB cards yielded 5 off-center commons, not worth grading. Two packs of 1962 BB brought in a PSA 8 McCarver, and a bunch of PSA 8's OC. Sad that pack-fresh cards often are not 8's or 9's due to printing problems at the Topps factory.