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Buyback Cards

loki23loki23 Posts: 134
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Just would like to make sure I'm crystal clear on Buyback cards. These cards ARE originals that are bought back by the production company, altered (auto, embossed, or otherwise), and re-released into modern packs. Is this correct?

This is the card I have, I would like to make sure that this card is original (except for the embossing above the name of course)

image


PS. For those who have looked at my auctions, I realize that it is kind of stupid to ask AFTER I have stated this in the auction, but I am just double checking before I get any bids.

Thanks
Ebay Auctions

Comments

  • jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭
    I have wondered about "buybacks" as well. I had thought the company bought them back if they were below standard, like seriously off-center or major printing flaws. If so, how much did they pay? One-8th the price of a pack, if it came from an 8 card pack?

    But then the vintage cards reissued with the Topps Shoebox set, for example, are also called buybacks. Some are off-center, but others don't have any signficant problems. So I am confused what "buyback" means.
  • helionauthelionaut Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
    Buyback means that the card company bought them out of the secondary market, just like collectors do. The buybacks then get reinserted into packs. These cards are just regular cards. They might be mint, they might not be. I'm sure they wouldn't use a really off-grade card, but they don't seek out PSA 10 material all the time. I had 2 Topps buybacks last year, not auto'd or anything, just embossed. One was a 1980s card I can't remember, but one was a 1971 NL Pitching leaders card. It would probably grade a PSA 6 or 7. Looked nice but with some white showing, and about 80/20 R/L.
    WANTED:
    2005 Origins Old Judge Brown #/20 and Black 1/1s, 2000 Ultimate Victory Gold #/25
    2004 UD Legends Bake McBride autos & parallels, and 1974 Topps #601 PSA 9
    Rare Grady Sizemore parallels, printing plates, autographs

    Nothing on ebay
  • SnowballSnowball Posts: 361
    loki23, buybacks are original cards.

    jrdolan, I know card companies keep some extra copies including serial#'d cards.






    RIP Snow
  • jvineyardjvineyard Posts: 256 ✭
    A good example is this 1955 Double header that I pulled from a Heritage box this year (excuse the spam):

    1955 Double Header Buy Back

    John Vineyard

  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    buybacks have appeared in several forms. Yes the idea is that companies go into the secondary market
    and buy them back,but in reality they are cards that the companies had left over or didn't have to give
    out thanks to expired rededmptions. Topps has done this the most, most notably in their 40th anniversary
    set, buying back every single card every produced! Later on they inserted autographed "autoproofs", these
    were bought back vintage cards that were autographed. Most recently they came out with a product
    called topps originals...which were all buy backs and autographed. Note that any certified buy back from
    topps made after 2001 will have an authentication sticker on the back. In all reprint autographs...which look
    exactly like the vintage originals, there will be more small writing on the back like 2002 or 2003 to distinguish
    it from buy backs that are real vintage cards. Topps also has an embossed buy back...which are vintage cards
    that have a topps embossed symbol on them. Sometimes there are hard to see. These are not numbered and do
    not carry a sticker on the back. You must look up the print run on beckett!.....you lost yet? LOL

    UD has put out buy backs, these are cards 89-present that are autographed. All of their buy backs contain another
    card with them...they put both cards in a penny sleeve with maching hologram numbers. You only have to imagine
    that this is open season for the fat pack searchers! UD also inserted original play ball cards in their 02 playball
    product.

    Playoff has bought back many of their cards, of course we all know that they were cards that were overflow
    and never redeemed...just when you think you have a rare Prior RC auto, they put out a bunch more, the
    only diff being the numberind. They came out and said at the end of the 2001 season that they were going to
    redeem all the elite rookie cards and then burn the rest...a few years later the "extras" are in packs as
    buy backs....I guess DLP didn't have the balls to burn 350 Mark Prior autogrphs!

    I might also add that topps inserted original T206 and T211 cards in their products, like the play balls in the
    UD product those cards are untouched and un-numbered. The cards in topps originals are altered with writing
    and the autograph...who do you think had the job of writing 1/1 on a 1952 Mays "buy back"....dont mess up!!!!

    LOL

    Good Luck
    Kevin
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