What is the best 80's wax box to purchase in hopes of getting a return for your money

slatsme

Talking baseball, graded and ungraded or would it be wise just to buy and not open. Would be hard for me to do.

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Talking baseball, graded and ungraded or would it be wise just to buy and not open. Would be hard for me to do. >>



Depends on how you mean.

Biggest return, or best predictable return.

Biggest return would be a box of 2001 Bowman Chrome or something, and hope to get a Pujols auto.

But in terms of expected return - it's hard to tell. There is definitely a lot of product from the 1980s that might seem to be quickly disappearing and might be worth something some day.

1981 and 1982 OPC. 1985 Leaf.
1981 Topps can be a good buy-and-hold.

ms

yankeeno7

I may be wrong but I dont think you can pull an actual Pujols auto...I think it might be a redemption that has expired.
I agree with 81 Topps because its not quite so expensive and 9s and 10s sell pretty well.
I also agree with 85 Leaf because Clemens rookies are still in there!

sfmays24

I think anything unopened from the 1880's is a good bet!

Mike

fsjeter

<< <i>I may be wrong but I dont think you can pull an actual Pujols auto...I think it might be a redemption that has expired.
I agree with 81 Topps because its not quite so expensive and 9s and 10s sell pretty well.
I also agree with 85 Leaf because Clemens rookies are still in there! >>



I think the Bowman Chrome Auto was distributed in the packs. I believe it's the Chrome Refractor auto that is the redemption and it expired in 2003.

Scott

digicat

Hmm. If you're thinking resale value, you're probably looking at a general loss if you open anything. There's the odd chanse of an abnormal box with loads of the key star. I've heard stories of the 1983 Topps vending box that yielded 10 Boggs, 10 Sandbergs, and 10 Gwynns, but the odd of encountering something like that are pretty bad.

For me, the "return" out of busting old wax is:
1) thrill of the hunt for they key set cards
2) building the "pack fresh" raw set
3) potential for submittable cards

I seldom sell, so for me, the return is the fun of ripping through packs and adding to my hoard.

edit to say...

The best 80s baseball stuff I've been through that I'd say I got a really good "return" out of was 1985 Fleer. Nice looking set (remindes me of 70 Topps), fun to look for Rocket & Puck rookies (as well as RC's for 80s stars like Eric Davis, Bret Saberhagen, Orel Hershisher, Dwight Gooden, Shawon Dunston, and Danny Tartabull). A little hard on the eyes, if you get a really OC bunch of cards, but fun anyways.

RichG

According to my formula with regards to time is money, the answer is......None.
Rich

yankeeno7

Thanks for that clarification Scott..good to know!

montanafan

82 topps football is hot right now too

edited to add: i assume you're talking about grading the cards and selling them...

slatsme

Right - Thinking both to grade and sell and to hoard as one member put it. Do you go for the more expensive stuff 83 Topps/85 Fleer or settle for value stuff like 86 Donruss or 84 Topps? Just trying to get the best value for ones money, both now and in the future.

athleticsfan

I would go with 82 Donruss or Fleer. Baseball card exchange has them each for $75.

Boopotts

1985 Leaf. Pops are still low, the set is relatively small (meaning fewer commons) and a box can be picked up for a fraction of the 1985 Donruss price.

iamthegreatcornholio

I can't think of any activity - legal or illegal more expensive on a per unit time basis than opening packs of cards.

I'd vote 85 Fleer though.

Boopotts

<< <i>I can't think of any activity - legal or illegal more expensive on a per unit time basis than opening packs of cards.

I'd vote 85 Fleer though. >>




God is this ever true. Lap dances have NOTHING on a run-of-the-mill rack case break.

Stone193

<< <i>I can't think of any activity - legal or illegal more expensive on a per unit time basis than opening packs of cards.

I'd vote 85 Fleer though. >>

joestalin

OOOOOOOOOOOOOK, we need to review here..the Pujols Bowman Chrome rookie might be the most significant card in the last 30 years.

This card was pullable ONLY as a redemption, it was numbered on the back in ink to 500 and who knows how many were exchanged. This card appears
as a refractor, but thats the base cards as all the rookie cards that year looked like refractors.

There has been 3 different Pujols cards numbered 5/500. One numbered 5/500 and two numbered 005/500. All three were graded
by big grading companies.

I hope this helps!

JS

coachh

<< <i>I can't think of any activity - legal or illegal more expensive on a per unit time basis than opening packs of cards. >>



I have see guys put several hundred up their nose in a matter of seconds.

That being said, whats wrong with the boxes of 88 Donruss I saw yesterday at a local Wal Mart? Only $12.99 a box. What a bargin.

NewJerseyMeatHook

I've enjoyed 1984 Topps baseball rack boxes.

scooter729

I'll vote for 1987 Topps, and I'll even be a great sport and sell you a whole bunch of boxes at a really great price!

larryallen73

'82 Fleer and Donruss are good calls at $75/box from BBC. Also, for a cheapie '86 Topps at $13/box. Wouldn't be hard to make your money back with a Ryan or Clemens in a 10!? Oh ya, bottom line IT IS LIKE GOING TO VEGAS and you probably won't really coming out ahead financially. You should be happy if you "break even."

onefasttalon

'89 Upper Deck doesn't suck.... just shop around for the best price.

Personally, I like the junk-wax years of '88 and '89. You can pick'em up dirt cheap... then again, you can pick up the already graded key-cards dirt cheap too. More than anything though, I just like sitting in front of a baseball game or football game ripping through countless piles of unopened wax/rack packs and pulling RC's of current/future HOF'er!

...and the cheaper I can do it, the happier I am!

slatsme

I agree about just ripping packs aimlessly - what fun. Remember the days of 36/12 wax boxes at .50 cents - man what a time.

After you rip all the packs/boxes what do you do with the good cards and commons?

MajorDanby

<< <i>After you rip all the packs/boxes what do you do with the good cards and commons? >>



you burn them. Then run to your local church and confess your sins.

itzagoner

I'd give all the extras to my dogs....they are particularly fond of Sportflics, as they have the same general consistency as rawhide chewies. Of course, my Lab got smart and saved them, got them graded and now has her own seller account on eBay.....Please give all your unwanted cards to the first small child you see and you will have a friend for life.

Wizardsguildcards

My favorites are 1986 Topps Baseball and 85 Topps Football. Both are very tough years for condition and can be gotten pretty cheap. 1987 Topps Football is a fun rip too.

softparade

My vote goes to 1984 Donruss

tennesseebanker

I just purchased a few boxes from BBC Exchange (of course) and should have a good rip thread by Monday night. I purchased A 83 Topps Michigan test box, A 84 Donruss wax box, and A 85 Leaf set. Check back later for further details !

Wizardsguildcards

1984 Donruss is another good one.. 1981 Donruss Golf can be fun as well.

ColleSystem

Not sure if this counts, as it is a few years older, but I just bought two 1977 star wars wax boxes on ebay this evening. My goal is not to make money, but open them in attempt to pull the mintest cards possible.

-Scott

itzagoner

my vote goes to '83 Topps Baseball...the odds are pretty good with Gwynn, Boggs & Sandberg RC's & a 2nd year Ripken + gobs of HOFers...Topps did a pretty good job of quality control that year unlike some of the debacles of the late 70's, 1981, so a PSA 10 Gwynn or Sandberg RC could pay for the box

5STAT

84 Topps racks and sealed vending....
84 Donruss wax and factory sets....this group has a HUGE following...

85 D or Leaf....but the Black borders can make you or break you...
86 Topps racks....recent upswing on this set...
89 Fleer baseball rack cases...cheap..but worth the shot...you can get 2-3 cases for what you'd pay for a box of early Topps-Donruss or Fleer!!!

89-90 Fleer Basketball wax and racks...
90-91 Fleer Basketball cellos and racks... cheap but catching up....lots of basketball builders out there...smaller sets too!!

If you're looking for turnaround $$$....just make sure you pick a product that there's already interest in!!!

Also look for people blowing out mid 80's traded sets....there's alot of HOF'ers in these and smaller stars....and they can be had quite cheap sometimes...

Boopotts

<< <i>my vote goes to '83 Topps Baseball...the odds are pretty good with Gwynn, Boggs & Sandberg RC's & a 2nd year Ripken + gobs of HOFers...Topps did a pretty good job of quality control that year unlike some of the debacles of the late 70's, 1981, so a PSA 10 Gwynn or Sandberg RC could pay for the box >>



Yeah, but you really pay through the nose for that chance of a PSA 10 RC. It's the same problem I have with 1985 Topps rack; I'd break it, but there's no way I'm spending $550 or so on a three box case. If you didn't have the Clemens, Puckett and McGwire the price would be down where the 1984 stuff sells for, and then I'd consider it.

Where you usually end up recouping your costs on this stuff is not in the RC's but rather in PSA 10 HOFers. That's why I break stuff that has plenty of the latter, but less of the former.

itzagoner

no arguement on the '85 Topps, boopotts, quality control that year was all over the place, too...not worth the risk...guess I'm partial to 83T due to past successes, but with that Rookie Card trio, the risk/reward factor could be pretty good, no? I'll take those 3 over Clemens, Puckett & McAndro anyday