1986 Topps Question

blacksoxfan

So without having access to the pop reports right now, i was seriously considering something. The first set i remember really collecting was the 86 topps set, so i thought it would be fun to put together a second set (i still have mine from childhood). This time, i thought i would do a totally 'high grade' version. I have no idea their overall availability is...but i'm considering one of two methods, get all the cards in the same grade or get all the cards in one of two grades. For example, collect all 10's, or collect all 9's & 10's. I would consider doing this with thing that is an 8 or above. I am used to paying like 50 bucks for common cards so this will be a nice change of pace for me. Any thoughts on the best way to go. I don't mind having to work for it, but you get the idea :-) Also, one last thing, what's the Topps Tiffany????

brianwintersfan

Not sure how accurate the pop report is but the 1986 Topps shows that there have been 4,103 cards graded with 1,815 9's and 271 10's.
I just ripped a rack box of the '86 Topps and they are tough to find in A+ condition.

blacksoxfan

Well that should answer my question, go for 9's/10's...

DeutscherGeist

Topps Tiffany= regular issue Topps cards that have a glossy finish on the front. Very nice to look at and they are much rarer than non-glossy. They are more valuable on the open market as well in varying degrees to 2x the regular value to even beyond 10X depending on the card and market pressures.

RCGuy

Topps "Tiffany" were only released as factory sets after the baseball season was over, towards the end of the calendar year.

Topps did not offcially name the product "Tiffany". The term "Tiffany" was invented by the hobby, probably to reflect the "high end" nature of the product similar to the Tiffany line of jewelry.

Boopotts

Warning: 86 T is an absolute bear in mint condition. In my experience you can expect maybe 15 to 30 mint cards per rack box, and that's really the upper limit (again others' milage may vary, but that's what I've found. Hopefully DGF will weigh in on this). It would take a whole lotta bustin' to put together a genuinely mint set.

blacksoxfan

<< <i>Warning: 86 T is an absolute bear in mint condition. In my experience you can expect maybe 15 to 30 mint cards per rack box, and that's really the upper limit (again others' milage may vary, but that's what I've found. Hopefully DGF will weigh in on this). It would take a whole lotta bustin' to put together a genuinely mint set. >>



Yeah, i kinda figured as such, and since i put together a hand set as a kid (which isn't mint), i just figured i'd stick to buying 9's & 10's when they come up on eBay. I do have a question though, since 99.9% of my collection (at least in value) is wrapped up in my pre-war stuff, I am not used to purchasing modern cards. I do have a number of Barry Sanders cards and one thing i've noticed is that they are 'sliding' around in the PSA holder, does this happen alot with modern cards and are the '86 Topps susceptibleto this???

bri2327

I dunno if you have read my posts lately, but i have had several on 86 topps......I have busted over 30,000 cards worth of rack boxes the last few months to assemble a true gem mint raw set. I do not need PSA to tell me what is gem when dealing with these cards. When they are right on they have a tiffany like finish with absolutely stunning rich colors cotrasted with jet black. I do not accept most of what even PSA would consider mint or gem mint. This includes some of the cards that are more grey toned than black...just wont cut it for my set....neither will out of register photos, any print flaws such as fish eyes, and of course zero chipping. I have managed around 200 truly flawless cards out of the 30,000 or so gone through, but for the price they are well worth it, and visually stunning when just right. I will try to post some examples soon, but if you would like help with info or some looks at what a perfect 86 is send me a pm and I will be glad to help.

blacksoxfan

Thanks Bri (i guess it is). ... i haven't seen any of your posts, but i haven't done a ton of searching either. The only reall reason i picked graded cards is just for the heck of it. Like i said, i have a bunch of my hand collected sets from when i was younger. Most of my money lately is dumped into my pre-war collection and as i have a) acquired a good number of cards from my want list and b) spent waaay too much money, i have been looking for a solid way to continue collecting cards that i love without having to spend upwards of 200-1000/purchase. In any event, i will definitely pm you. Thanks for the tips, i'm sure as i get involved in the set i will probably move away from a holdered collection. I don't need an authenticator to tell me if a card is trimmed/altered/NM or whatever.