1961 Topps BB mint Cello pack bust... with scans

Kurtman9

Recently won this pack. For the vintage unopened purists who cringe when packs get opened, I apologize and admire your self-discipline because I have none in this regard.

I was highly interested in this particular pack not only because it was graded mint 9, but also due to some limited research and assumptions on my part. I own a PSA 8 Clete Boyer that has near perfect centering on the front and happens to have the identical centering on its reverse as the card in the pack. So, I figure centered card on the front, possibly centered card on the back = centered cards in between. Possibly a Maris Gem Mint 10! So I can't go wrong right? Well, my logic and assumptions turned out to be DEAD WRONG... lol. However, I did pull some really nice cards and can't complain at all about the collation of the cards in the pack. Another nice thing is that the pack contained 14 cards (I thought it would only have 11 or 12).

Pack Before I tore into it:


The research and assumption on Boyer:


Here are some of the off-centered cards:


Some of the "good-uns":


Razor Mint condition, but 35/65 t/b Mantle/Maris card:


Mint Kluszewski (a beauty!):


And what a bummer to pull a mint perfectly centered (impossible) B Robby but it has some strange print mark at the top:


All in all, not bad. I figure about 4 9s including the Klu and about 5 8s. Fourteen cards total, all from the 1st Series except for the #101 Bubba Phillips. One card had a crease (oc common no worries), one (#50 LL Bunning/Wynn top card) had a surface wrinkle on back, and a few had bent corners.

Finally and most importantly, I'm very glad this pack turned out to be legit after my last debacle with the 62 wax pack.

flatfoot816

Greetings--What rocks you have!!! Assume youo paid about $850 or more for the pack. Was it off eBay???

I colelct primarily unopened and do not have the stones to open them up. Looks like you did OK...too bad about the Brooks Robby. Maybe you can shoot for the '57 cello on eBay and pop that puppy open!!

Manny(mams) on eBay

WC

Hey Kurt - thanks for posting those pics!!

I've heard too many horror stories about the Cello packs to ever take a chance!!

Please post pics again when you break some more open!

So...do you think the unopened graded pack is more value than the cards you got?

A761506

WOW! I love seeing this type of stuff. Congrats on the absolutely gorgeous cards. I can't imagine pulling a better group of cards either. Good luck on the grades.

Kurtman9

<< <i>Greetings--What rocks you have!!! Assume youo paid about $850 or more for the pack. Was it off eBay???
>>


$815 on ebay.



<< <i>So...do you think the unopened graded pack is more value than the cards you got? >>



I would say yes. Probably about $500 assuming the Klu comes back a 9. When it comes to 9s, I cannot predict what PSA will do. I have received 9 on cards I thought were 8s and vice versa. Maybe I'll get lucky and the Klu will come back a 10.

I realize that breaking into unopened packs is almost always a losing proposition (economically). However, I didn't buy it to make $. I bought because I love it... lol.

Thanks for the comments!

TheCARDKid

Wow! Very nice.

I love break stories like this. I could read about them all the time.

I think you did amazing; the Klu looks dangerous.

brianwintersfan

You got big stones my friend!
Nice looking cards

ArnyVee

I wish more folks would do this and post just like this was done!

I know that I wouldn't be able to do it, so just like to see others take that ultimate chance. Few outside shots at some 10s could pay off. Good luck!

stevek

Kurtman9 - great thread...I really enjoyed it.

Presuming you are sending the cards to PSA...hope you post the scans of the graded cards.

PS: I know there's been some threads about the coalation of packs with equally centered cards. As a young kid I opened up a fair amount of wax packs in the 1960's and don't remember or believe there was any centering consistency through a particular pack. Perhaps in some packs there was and I simply don't remember it. But for instance I definitely never opened a wax pack whereby all the cards were miscut, and I definitely remember opening some wax packs where there was a miscut card. Very rarely there may have been two miscut cards, but I really don't remember there ever being two miscut cards in a wax pack. Perhaps the cello coalation was different from the wax packs.

mariner

Kurt....

Great stuff! I have not had the stones yet to buy and bust open a vintage pack but I would really like to do that someday. Thanks for the great scans.

ejguru

Nice job on the pack! Makes me wish I took more time and documented my '67 pack busting exploits. Have ripped open 6 or 7 over the past few years with decent yields (1 GM 10 and several low pop 9's). They (graded '67 cello packs) seem to be tougher to find now than even a few years ago. Has anyone ever ripped open a WAX PACK? Now that is a major risk!

E

flatfoot816

As slabbing packs became the rage in the last few years, I started sending in many of the packs I bought over the years to get authenticated and slabbed. Several that I got from Alan Rosen came back NG. 2 of them, a '59 cello with Brooks Robby on top, and a '59 cello with Drysdale on top disturbed me. I had saved all my receipts of payment, the invoice and Rosen's original ad. So I called Keith Smith, sent the packs back with all the proof, and the 2 '59 cellos were authenticated. Low grades(they are absolutley mint cellos), but slabbed nonetheless. The other pack I sent in-a '61 cello with Eddie MAtthews on top--came back 2 times as NG. So, I busted it open. The Mathews card was OC, but the other cards were decent. Never did submit them as they were not that hi grade. Was it a re-sealed cello? I think so judging from the cards inside. Why didn't I send it back to Rosen?? Yeah, like he would have cared!!

I'll try to load the scans of the '59 cellos.

RonBurgundy

Interesting thread, but sorry to see you opened a piece of history. Eventually none will be left.

Southerncards

I think that cards are the history. The packaging is just that, packaging.

While I do think its neat to see opened packs still alive in the hobby, I think they should all be busted.

Just my opinion.....

flatfoot816

as an unopened pack enthusiast I love to hear that people are busting open packs to get cards graded. From a purely selfish standpoint it makes my packs go up in value as less and less packs remain in their original state. Certainly cards are the history, but how can you argue that unopened packs are not themselves history? Also, compare how many unopened cello packs of, say, '61 BB exist to the number of individual cards there are. Not even close of course. That's why I never bust them open...tho it sure sounds like fun!!

Stingray

<< <i>I think that cards are the history. The packaging is just that, packaging.

While I do think its neat to see opened packs still alive in the hobby, I think they should all be busted.

Just my opinion..... >>







Stingray

Kurtman9

My thoughts are that if you have an unopened collection that you want to keep intact, that's fantastic. By the same token, those who prefer cards to packs should by all means bust'em open if that's what turns ya on!

Personally, I'm mostly a collector vs. a seller (only sell stuff I don't want to keep and/or duplicates). So, I busted this one in hopes of upgrading my '61 set and also the possibility of pulling Gem Mint cards from a 45 year old pack has always intrigued me.

goose3

Very cool post!!!!!


who is the company that certified? this as being truly unopened?

rvc

great post and way to go!!!

where did you get the pack from?

MorrellMan

Kurt - very cool thread; thanks for the trip. I agree with you that bats and jerseys are meant to be game used, art is meant to be appreciated and packs are meant to be opened. Some of my best friends are unopened enthusiasts, but I loved your post.