Worst unopened pack experience

alnavman

Saw a thread recently about 89 FLeer and thought this might be a great topic. What was your worst unopened experience??? I can talk about a 1984 Topps baseball box I bought when I was younger and a lot dumber. I got the worst selection of card possible, no Mattingly's, no 2nd year Sandbergs, Gwynns, Boggs, no anyone...a bunch of commons. Later I discovered that the dealer I bought the box from had a rep as an opener and resealer....but by then it was too late.......learned my lesson the hard way......

al.

80sJunkie

worst experience. Everything I ever bought from kruk (crook) cards. Of course it's my fault for giving them too many chances

mkg809

another vote for Krook

MuckyMutt

My worst experience?

Last year I was buying unopened packs from the 70's on Ebay. I was having really decent luck - buying from sellers with good feedback. Got a lot of decent cards. I then ran across an auction for a GAI graded pack of 72 Topps Baseball at a price I couldn't pass up. I cracked it open, and when I opened the pack all the cards were ruined from the gum. The gum had actually sealed 3 of the cards together and badly stained all the rest. Up until that pack I had very little as far as even gum stains. I believe that pack was stored for a few months on the dash of a car in the Texas hot sun. Anyway, I have not bought another graded pack since then.

TZAHL

97-98 SP Authentic basketball box........guess I got a Billups....that was before he was in Det. Rest of it was.....YUCK.

ctsoxfan

I buy a lot of unopened boxes and cases, so once in a while, things are bound to happen. 2 minor examples that come to mind - a 1985 searched vending box purchased from Dave and Adams (eventually a refund was given, but it wasn't easy) and a 1979 wax box that contained resealed packs purchased from a private seller on Ebay (got a refund here also, especially after a few other collectors shared info with me about the scam seller).

My all-time worst unopened "pack" was actually a case of 2004-05 Exquisite basketball. I wanted to drive out to California, and dump the crap I pulled out onto the steps of UD headquarters, lighting them on fire in protest (I'm kidding, okay, maybe I'm not). Instead, I sold the 15 cards I pulled from the case on Ebay, for a total of about $700. Price paid for the case - $2500. Never again.

Buccaneer

Besides all of the unopened packs/boxes/cases I got in the late 1980s?

I have done very few unopened packs but both were bad. First was a few years ago when I got a 74 Topps from the pack manufacturer in Virginia, Harry Trueman. The other was the 1980-1989 lot. Wasted $25 on both, coincidentally.

frankhardy

Hopefully, I won't have to post in this thread about the 6 pack lot of 1975 Topps Mini's from the case!

zef204

I bought a 1970 FB cello pack about 5 years ago off ebay. Lem Barney was showing through the window. I think it was about $150.

Anyhow, I bust the pack right when I get it. The coaltion was great centering was terrible, corners were really sharp considering it was a cello. Then I get to the second to last card. Its an OJ rookie facing backwards. This is what I see.



Before I flip it, I see the last card, facing forward:




If you notice on the back of the OJ(2nd to last card) and on the front of the Alderman(last card) there is a burn mark on the lower left side. Some one opened the pack, and resealed with an open flame! Burning a hole through the last card(Alderman) and also burning the 2nd to last card(OJ).

I was furious. I bought it off of eBay so I emailed the seller, whose name I long forgot. I told him the story, with photos. His reply, "You opened the pack! You're crazy!"

I flipped my lid. What the hell does he care what I did with the pack unless he knew something was awry? Anyhoo, he told me no refund as he couldn't resell the pack because I opened it. I held out feedback because I wasnt sure what to do. He assured me that he bought the pack recently and he had no idea. A month later a package shows up. Its from this seller. It was a 81 Donruss wax box with a note that he felt terrible.

That box actually yeilded 7 Ryans and 6 Ozzies that I had graded and more than made my money back, but 5 years ago it was a cheap box with cards no one really would pay for. So his resolution then was kinda bittersweet.


Here are the card reverses if anyone is interested.

Boopotts

I ripped a case of '89 donruss about 6 years ago (back when these were going for $450 or so) and pulled exactly 2 Griffey's. So that was special. Other then that, most of my 'bad' experiences have come not because the product was searched/resealed, but because the box was such a drag to open. Examples of this include:

1) 1991 Pacific Flash cards. This stuff is sequenced such that you can name with 100% certainty every card that will be in the pack after seeing the card on top. And about 1/4 of the set consists of punters. Anyone need any Jim Arnold cards?

2) 1986 True Value. Not really a 'pack', per se, but anyone who's opened this will surely agree that this set is a dull and tijme consuming rip.

3) Late '80's OPC baseball stickers. Condition is terrible. I still have a few boxes of '88 that I can't bear to open.


On a lighter note, some of the rips which I consistenly enjoy include Donruss pop up boxes, 1986 Topps rack and 1986 Topps tattoos (I can't explain this last one, it's just one of those things). I don't buy high-dollar boxes or packs, be it either vintage or modern, because both are an insane rip off.

Boopotts

<< <i>I bought a 1970 FB cello pack about 5 years ago off ebay. Lem Barney was showing through the window. I think it was about $150.

Anyhow, I bust the pack right when I get it. The coaltion was great centering was terrible, corners were really sharp considering it was a cello. Then I get to the second to last card. Its an OJ rookie facing backwards. This is what I see.



Before I flip it, I see the last card, facing forward:




If you notice on the back of the OJ(2nd to last card) and on the front of the Alderman(last card) there is a burn mark on the lower left side. Some one opened the pack, and resealed with an open flame! Burning a hole through the last card(Alderman) and also burning the 2nd to last card(OJ).

I was furious. I bought it off of eBay so I emailed the seller, whose name I long forgot. I told him the story, with photos. His reply, "You opened the pack! You're crazy!"

I flipped my lid. What the hell does he care what I did with the pack unless he knew something was awry? Anyhoo, he told me no refund as he couldn't resell the pack because I opened it. I held out feedback because I wasnt sure what to do. He assured me that he bought the pack recently and he had no idea. A month later a package shows up. Its from this seller. It was a 81 Donruss wax box with a note that he felt terrible.

That box actually yeilded 7 Ryans and 6 Ozzies that I had graded and more than made my money back, but 5 years ago it was a cheap box with cards no one really would pay for. So his resolution then was kinda bittersweet.


Here are the card reverses if anyone is interested.

>>




why would someone search this pack and reseal it and leave the OJ inside? That's like busting a '71 pack and leaving the Bradshaw.

yankeeno7

I bought a lot of 4 1975 minis off someone on ebay. I get the packs and they are the packs that only had 3 cards each in them...they weren't reseals because I know of these particular packs. Boy was I ticked...and of course no refund.

fiveniner

<< <i>Saw a thread recently about 89 FLeer and thought this might be a great topic. What was your worst unopened experience??? I can talk about a 1984 Topps baseball box I bought when I was younger and a lot dumber. I got the worst selection of card possible, no Mattingly's, no 2nd year Sandbergs, Gwynns, Boggs, no anyone...a bunch of commons. Later I discovered that the dealer I bought the box from had a rep as an opener and resealer....but by then it was too late.......learned my lesson the hard way......

al. >>



I will be dammed!!! Your experience with the 84 box was indentical to my 84 box.I later found out it was resealed.Did you purchase the cards in Tennesee by any chance??????

TZAHL

Oh ya, I forgot about my 1999 Ultimate Victory (all 120 packs (5 boexes) were searched). Should have known by reading his feedback. AND I recieved a retalitory neg.

mikeschmidt

I stupidly opened a pack of '52 topps

packman

mikeschmidt: That must have been an exhausting experience. The nervous excitment before you open the pack and then the frustration and disappointment after you opened it. The complete range within a few seconds. I remember opening a 1969 Topps pack last year that yielded filler cards. I cannot imagine the feelings with a 1952 pack.

David

mikeschmidt

Nah - more like a stupid kid doing a stupid thing.

RipublicaninMass

bought 2 of those "unopened" x-mas racks

ldferg

very bad experience with gai 72 topps football bust. i had a thread earlier in the year about it.

NewJerseyMeatHook

Dropped a handful of '75 topps wax packs.

Yep, about 75-80 cards with the same dinged corner.

My fault, though.

zef204

<< <i>why would someone search this pack and reseal it and leave the OJ inside? That's like busting a '71 pack and leaving the Bradshaw. >>


My only guess is that they didn't like the centering. Other than that I have no idea.

I bought a 77 FB vending box from waxme that was obviously searched. They did leave a Largent in there that had a nicked corner and terrible centering. Out of all 500 cards that was the sole star card. There was no vending pattern and if you know vending boxes, you can tell when they have been searched. Anyhow, I e-mailed them and told them about it and they said, "If we were to search it, why would we leave the best card in the set in there."

Leave a inferior star card in a searched pack seems to be a scammers alibi.

diamondman

Worst packs I ever opened was 87-88 fleer Bskt box had everyone except 2 cards Jordan sticker and jordan regular.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

Aside from my 2 89 Fleer rack boxes with no Ripkens,Johnson,Griffey,Mattingly,Mcgwire ect...

I once opened a 1990 Donruss pack I think it was and it had a Topps card in it.

Bought a "sealed" older pack. Had scotch tape on the back. Lesson learned.

TZAHL

LOL! Ya! I opened some Bowman Heritage packs (talking like 3 or 4 hundred) and they had some mixed Topps brand and Upper Deck brands. How does THAT happen?

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

I once heard the companies would contract printing out when they got busy like Fleer did in 89 to a printing shop in CO. named Outlook Graphics. Anyone in CO.? Unsure though if that is how slip up occured or pack searching slip up. Bowman Heritage-Pretty much tamper proof right? Maybe outsourced printing.

alnavman

Didn't get my 84 Topps box in Tennesse but got it in Ohio.....close enough to think it might have been the same dealer...it was at one of the bigger shows up in Cleveland where I bought the box.....the same dealer could have also done shows in Tennessee.....can't remember his name though....

NickM

I'll go with buying lots of unopened packs from 1987 through 1992.

Nick

rbdjr1

Once opon a time

A noble and wise card collector

Read about an unopened box of vintage Partridge Family Wax packs (100 ct.)

This wise collector of the finer things

Enquired as to the history of this collectible

Well, the wise collector learned

That this unopened box was a European edition

Manufactured for Topps in England by A&BC Chewing Gum LTD

This was a product in German (marked 10 pf per pack)

It sat in a German keller (keller means basement in German)

Next to the hanging homemade German sausages

And sitting right next to that homemade German Schnapps (German alcoholic beverage)

So what did the wise collector of cards think?

The wise collector pondered about this European variation of a popular American TV show

The wise collector thought about those 100 wax packs sitting around untouched for decades

This wise collector thought about how much break-up value he would have with these 100 virgin wax packs

So the very wise collector of cards came to the conclusion

Buy! buy! buy! ...so he sent-off his money to Germany for the wax box!

Three weeks later the wise collector receives the box of German cards.

He opens the box to discover the German version is much smaller than the American version

The German cards are about 2 x 3 inches vs. the standard sized American version

And the wise olde collector of cards also learned that each German wax pack had only one card to a pack!

Each and every pack "leaked wax" on the surface of that one and only card in each pack!

And all you fellow wise card collectors out there know what that means

So the moral of this story, the wise olde collector of cards became wiser,

He will never buy A&BC gum vintage european wax again!!!!!

Cost: Plenty!
Value: $ 0.00

rbd

tennesseebanker

Great story rbd !

I think I have too many bad unopened experiences to share, It may require another thread.

gregm13

I ripped an entire 16 box factory sealed case of 2002 UD Legendary Cuts football and didn't pull a single legendary cuts auto'd card. Friggin unbelievable. I wrote Upper Deck and they sent me a handful of stupid instert cards....I already had more than I wanted to ever see again.

Greg M.

flatfoot816

Geez--hate to read about the UD Legendary Cuts story. Just got my case of 2006 BB Legendary Cuts that my 2 girls(10 and 12) and my wife are busting open. We do about 8 packs a week depending on if they do their chores(the wife too!). Hope I have better results. We have opened 4 boxes and got nadda except worthless inserts and 1 Exquisite redemption.

lostdart58

........................spending the summer of my eight year in 1965 opening pack after pack of 1965 Topps and not getting a Mantle.......

WinPitcher

Sounds like my experience with kit young.

Steve

XanaduNow

Mine wasn't a pack but I got burned nonetheless. I purchased two "factory sealed" 1986 Fleer Update sets off someone on eBay a few years ago. When I got the sets I went through to pull the Bonds and found that they were the only two cards in each respective set that didn't have that slight curve to it. They were stone flat with decent edge and corner wear while all the others had the curve with no corner or edge wear.

Anger.

lawnmowerman

I bought a box of 1991 Stadium Club Football a few years ago from "a big and trusted seller". If you have ever opened this issue before and similar issues the cards tend to slightly stick together. Every card had to be puled apart, thats not the problem though because the cards surface were not damaged. The only card that did not stick to the others was a Favre rc that would be lucky to get an 8 on a good day with a blind grader!

Matt

downtown

<< <i>LOL! Ya! I opened some Bowman Heritage packs (talking like 3 or 4 hundred) and they had some mixed Topps brand and Upper Deck brands. How does THAT happen? >>



Same happened to me, I believe I got my packs from Target.

RedHeart54

Scary. I don't even want to know what would have happened in a German version of the Partridge Family.

baseballfanatic

<< <i>Scary. I don't even want to know what would have happened in a German version of the Partridge Family. >>




Even in the German version Danny Bonaduce turns out the same..............

80sJunkie

<< Scary. I don't even want to know what would have happened in a German version of the Partridge Family. >>