1980/81 Topps Basketball bust- final results.......

CDsNuts

For those of you who are not interested in hearing about my pack busts: STOP READING RIGHT NOW!!! For those of you that are, I bought a box of 1980/81 Topps basketball with an additional Bird/Magic/Dr. J about a month ago and posted my results. For those of you that didn't read that, here ya go:

"- 1980/81 topps basketball wax box- I got a great deal on this: $1050 for the box PLUS a bird/magic/dr.j. The scan of the card was small so I wasn't expecting much, but I got the lot for $1070 which is what boxes usually go for by themselves. When the card came I was shocked at how great it was, with 65/35 L/R being the only defect. I thought about just selling the box, but what fun is that. The box yielded two more Bird/Magic's, both of which should get at least an 8, one with a good shot at a 9."

Here are my final results (the Bird Magic's graded 8 and 7):

Purchase: -1070
Grading/Ebay fees: -180
Sales: +570

Profit Loss: -680


Conclusion: I ended up paying $680 for this card to have in my collection:




PSA 9s generally sell for $650-$750. It was my first bust in this experiment that I'm running to see if I can get the cards I want through busting wax, and offsetting the costs through grading and selling off what I don't want. I should've kept the card and resold the box; I would've done a lot better. Then again, if I could've squeezed a 9 out of one of the Magic/Bird's I would've also been in good shape. Good learning experience, and I paid roughly what my card is worth. I think I might stay away from sets that are driven by one big card- the unopened stuff tends to be very inflated (see 1981 Topps FB).

Have some more stuff coming in, including 1985 and 1987 Donruss rack cases, and a 1988/89 Fleer bask. box. I went with the Donruss because I remember back when Maddux hit his peak, I bought a 1987 rack case and pulled two Madduxes, a McGwire, and a Palmeiro that all graded PSA 10. Let's see if I can get a nice Clemens for the old vault.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or critiques?

Lee

neenish

Keep us posted on the case breaks. I'm curious to see what the Donruss cases would yield. Good Luck. Hope you pull some Gem rookie cards.

TheCARDKid

Sounds like a fun experiment.

Did you get a good price on the 88/89 box? The cheapest packs that I've found are about $14 a piece. The BBCexchange just had a box at $450 that sold quick.

mudflap02

Maybe if you put it in a penny sleeve that would help.

Just being surly - thanks for the update. It's hard to tell who's a troll and who's not, and with a name like yours, you're not helping your case. Let me officially say you're off my poo poo list.

mudflap02

Break it into 3's. Worth more that way.

CDsNuts

mud,
My scanner blows because it can't do anything with any depth, so I had to take it out of the screwdown to get a clear (or at least as clear as my scanner will allow) shot. My name is also my id on various online poker sites where it makes a lot more sense, but I think the humor translates accross all mediums.

Kid,
I'm getting the box @ $400 from a reputable dealer, but I need to see a scan before I pull the trigger to make sure it looks clean. I'll ask if he has another if you're interested.

Lee

mudflap02

It translates my friend.

I see them. They look like raisins.

TheCARDKid

Lee,

I'll get one sometime this spring. My next basketball box will be 89/90 Fleer rack.

CDsNuts

Kid,
Funny you said that. I just busted a 3 box case of 89/90 racks that I got a decent deal on. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that centering on these is a nightmare. Also, it seems all the stickers in the case had the same, or very similar centering (30/70 T-B, 40/60 L-R), so that's a crapshoot if you're looking for nice stickers. I did get a few nice Jordans and about 12 sets with a lot of doubles. Funny thing is Jordan was the only star I got that was centerd 50/50 around and I got 3 (one for me, 2 for PSA). No Bird, Magic, Pippen, Stockton, Barkley, etc... weird, but I guess I can't complain. Was it you that said they were trying to put a perfectly centered set together? If so, get your pack openeing scissors ready. I do like this product for value. All you need to do is pull a PSA 10 Jordan out of every 2 cases and they're paid for. I'm not saying it's easy, but out of approx. 25 cards, you have a decent shot. Not to mention PSA 10s of stars bring decent money ($30-60 each). And of course the mighty GEM sticker pull will fetch big bucks.

Lee

CDsNuts

mud,
How much money will it take for you to change your pic? It scares me. Every time I see your posts I'm scared that you're going to scream at me through the computer trying to get me to buy a limited edition Tiger Woods RC for $999 or an assortment of early 90s Pacific, Fleer, and Score boxes.

Lee

brianwintersfan

Even though I love alot of the stuff you are opening I think it's a real long shot that you are going to make any money.Old wax isn't cheap and the quality control leaves a lot to be desired.If you have the money go for it but fun should be the first reason and not turning a profit.
Just my 2 cents

CDsNuts

My motivation is two fold:

1- I want the cards I want, and
2- This is waaaaaaaaaay more fun than buying them already graded.

What I'm trying to do is get the cards I want and pay less than I would have if I had just bought them outright. Some box and case prices will work out that way if the cards are coming out clean and I get what I should out of a box. Some aren't. It seems I'm learning as I go which products to avoid. I'm realistic about the fact that I won't be able to turn a profit, but who knows. All it takes is one PSA 10 major RC and that will offset the cost of a lot of what I've spent. I do know I'm going to come out on the negative in terms of money spent, but the result will be the cards I cherish and a whole lot of fun busting packs. I've budgeted myself adequately for this venture so I don't go overboard. At the very worst, I'll spend too much on great cards. I can live with that.

Lee

ydsotter

Lee... I would be tremendously interested in your Michael Ray Richardson cards out of the 1980 bust :-) there are like 6 variations.
-Geoff

Allen

Do you have any other of the Bird or Magic cards from the bust? (I am talking about the cheap variations)

Stone193

<< <i>How much money will it take for you to change your pic? It scares me >>


Hey! I love the guy!

softparade

<< <i>My motivation is two fold:

1- I want the cards I want, and
2- This is waaaaaaaaaay more fun than buying them already graded.


Lee >>



This is the same reasoning I use in ripping my 78's. So much fun, damn the cost

I love reading threads involving pack and box busts. Keep them coming! I know I will clutter the boards with more 78 threads

rana

I'm working on this set and have most of the commons and minor stars already. If you want to sell some fairly-nicely centered versions of these cards with no wax stains as a lot to recoup some costs, please let me know (PSA 7 NQ quality or better):

1 Round Erving Brewer
6 Bird Erving Johnson
14 Carr Jabbar Natt
23 Long Erving Sobers
43 Jabbar Mitch Tyler
44 Jabbar Thom Taylor
48 Johnson Bird Sikma
49 Bridge Bird Brewer
50 Buckner Jabbar Gale
66 Chee Johnson Boone
94 Bird Cartwr Drew
96 Maravich Rob Jones
98 May Bird Sikma
111 Long Johnson Boon
131 Jabbar Parish Burel
132 Jabbar Shum Demic
137 Brid Erving Sobers
140 Moncrief Jabbar Gale
146 Koff Erving Johnson
154 Cheeks Gervin Chones
160 Owens Nixon Dawkins
162 Bryant Jabbar Natt
163 Nater Smith Williams
165 Brown Bird Brewer
176 Hayes Erving Brewer

Granted, since I need all of the big cards, it may be cheaper for me to just buy a complete set, but I thought I'd at least ask.

CDsNuts

Sorry for all you guys in need of the 80/81s. I graded the ones that were gradable, sold them, then sold the rest as a starter lot. That's how I came to the final calculation of how I did in this bust. Next time, I'll post the results and ask if anybody needs anything before I put it on ebay.

Lee