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1981 Fleer Vending Boxes - Question

I know these boxes were marked with a 1, 2, 3, and 4 and with one each you can assemble some sets...but how do they work in regards to the error cards?

I wish to compile a complete set of all 750 (660 base cards plus the 90 errors/corrections/etc) cards...are they included in these vending boxes too? If not, is my best bet to purchase a couple of wax boxes?

Thanks.

Comments

  • Being the guy with the highest rated 81 Fleer Sets, I have found that you are better off looking for wax. Usually you'll see them listed as such on ebay.

    I never had any good luck with the vending, but you are going to need vending and I'm talking about 3 to 4 cases to get cards that come back 9 and 10.

    These cards are so badly cut that it is almost impossible to find some of the cards (about 5) about an 8, so you really got to hunt.

    What is even worse is you really have to buy alot of error wax boxes to even get a card that is decent enough to send in for grading.

    Dale
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Basic - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Master - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1955 Baseball Golden Stamps - Cleveland Indians - Retired
    1st Finest Set - Mel Harder Baseball Master - Active
    Mel Harder Showcase Set - Active
    #15 on Current Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
    #23 on All Time Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
  • I bought a couple of vending boxes a few weeks ago, with the same goal as you. I went nuts for this set when I was a kid, because of all the errors, so I decided to try and collect the whole set in 9-10.

    I agree with the prior poster - the vending boxes were a big disappointment, despite being cheap. Both were marked #2, but there were no markers identifying which print run they came from. Best I can see, they came from the last one, as neither box contained any of the errors. FURTHERMORE, the condition of the cards were a disaster - sharp corners, for sure, but centering was an absolute mess.

    I bought a wax box from Dave and Adam's Carld World, and had better success with it. The wax boxes are, I believe, marked with the print run as well, if you can decipher the code on the box. if I recall, this set had three print runs. The first run had most of the errors, and the second had some as well. If I remember correctly, the Nettles was corrected DURING the first run.

    Lastly, the collation in both the vending boxes and the wax boxes are pitiful. Once in a while, I pulled duplicates out of the same wax pack. I remember doing that as a kid as well - nothing used to cheese me off more than saving my thirty-five cents to buy a pack, only to pull two Tom Underwood cards and have to eat that horrid, powdery gum.

    -Al

  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    I don't plan on grading the cards, just want to upgrade the set I put together back in 81...I was a kid and there are most cards that need replacing, especially for display purposes, and I'd like to collect all the variations.

    I think I am going to go with the wax boxes...have heard less than the best results with vending boxes in general, and it will be fun to rip those packs again image

  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,103 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I like this set, too, but not many people do. I have a PSA 9 Nolan Ryan on ebay ending tonight and not a single bid.


    Please pardon the shameless self-promotion but, geez, doesn't anybody want this card?
    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • ajwajw Posts: 2,279 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I don't plan on grading the cards, just want to upgrade the set I put together back in 81...I was a kid and there are most cards that need replacing, especially for display purposes, and I'd like to collect all the variations.

    I think I am going to go with the wax boxes...have heard less than the best results with vending boxes in general, and it will be fun to rip those packs again image >>



    What a great idea. I was a kid in 1981 and remember thinking how cool it would be to get one of the error cards. Busting packs is way better than opening a vending box, as well. Good luck, and have fun! There are some boxes on ebay that claim to be error boxes, though I have no idea how to tell the difference.
  • ldfergldferg Posts: 6,739 ✭✭✭
    is there a list of the errors? i may have some i can help with.


    Thanks,

    David (LD_Ferg)



    1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
  • LDferg, with this set, you're better off with a list of cards that contained NO errors. image


    So I did a little detective work and now I think I'm wrong about identifying the print runs by a code on the wax box. The wax box I bought from D&A's had the number "8245-A" on the bottom of the box. Both vending boxes had the number "8252-A" on the bottom. Each of the wax pack wrappers had the number "6595-A" or "6595-B" printed on them.

    I suspect that these numbers did not identify the print runs, but were actually part numbers used to identify the item in question. Anyone who's ever worked on a manufacturing or assembly floor has experience with a Bill of Materials, which is a list of the different components that make up a product. So, for instance, the Bill of Materials for a wax box would include the cards, plus 26 pieces of gum, plus 13 "6595-A" and 13 "6595-B", plus one "8245-A". Put 'em together and you've got one wax box of off-centered 1981 Fleer. So when the guys in the factory have to assemble a bunch of wax boxes, they look at a printout of the Bill of Materials, and then they pull from the warehouse all the different components that they need to complete their work for the day, using the item numbers from the Bill of Materials as a reference.

    To identify what the items are on a packing floor, you put them in a box that's labelled with the part number. So anyone who looks at the outside of a brown corrugated box labelled "8245-A" would know that that's a box of empty wax boxes.

    So the long and short of it, Axtell, is I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. image

    -Al
  • interesting post... as i was looking at this set today actually. i have the set, but looking for the variations too... BUT oddly i have most of the errors and few of the corrected cards!

    if anyone has a ton of these sitting around, and you'd like to put together an error/correct set i'd be interested in it.

    DALEW?? image
  • ldfergldferg Posts: 6,739 ✭✭✭
    i just saw this: 81 Fleer variation

    and the same seller has an 81 Donruss variation set as well.


    Thanks,

    David (LD_Ferg)



    1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    I have decided I am going to place an order for a couple wax boxes tomorrow...will scan anything on the boxes that may identify them, and post my results.

    I've gone through my set which has been pretty much untouched for 12 years now (consolidated everything into 4x800 boxes back then)...and it was surprising the number of variations that I don't have.

  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭


    << <i>i just saw this: 81 Fleer variation

    and the same seller has an 81 Donruss variation set as well. >>



    Anyone have a guesstimate on what this is worth?

  • MeferMefer Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭
    What an interesting post! I myself was a 10 year old boy in 1981 and loved chasing after the errors. That was a lot of fun.
    The Donruss product was the most maddening. It seemed to have the worst collation (I don't remember the Fleer being that bad or off, maybe I got lucky).
    I will look forward to reading more about what you all find on this set.
  • coinspackscoinspacks Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    old thread but I figure why make a new one.

    I know 4 fleer vending boxes make 3 sets.....but...let's say you have a 1984 fleer vending box marked #2 and there isnt a mattingly in it....does that mean all #2 have no mattingly?

  • I have several cellos, now you have me wondering...

    Previous CU user: jmmiller777
    Baseball HOFer's-PSA6+
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    Kellogg's Graded-PSA 8+
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