How does a dealer or seller "search" a case ?

Celozzi

How does someone search a case and take the good boxes, and is it done often?

I could see how searching packs is done, because of some special cards thickness and size, but I keep hearing about getting boxes from a searched case. Does the manufacturer always put the box with the best card on the bottom in the front or something? Is it just buyer skepticism? There are always going to be some dud boxes, but is it easy to pick out the box in a case that has the most or even worst potential?

Anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this??

I am wondering if it is just better to save up and buy a case instead of loose boxes.

Thanks.

muchuckwagon

If you are talking about modern issues....I am not sure that people really "search" a case. Keep in mind, that some products have one big hit per case. People will then open boxes until they find the hit, such as a cut autograph, and sell of the remainder "dud" boxes or combine the "dud" boxes from two or more cases into a full case.

You really need to understand the product "configuration" when you purchase a box.

yankeeno7

I believe that some people use gram scales to weigh the boxes. Though boxes will have different inserts, I think they get an idea what may be in the box. If not by box, then by pack.

I have also heard that Upperdeck will tell dealers what the "hot box" is. Whatever that means.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

Hot box by Fleer's definition was a box with a hit in every pack.

People search older cases. Collation patterns. I just got one yesterday. 1989 Fleer Rack. Looked legit. Opened 2 boxes no Bill Ripkens. Hey no stars were on any packs either. Looked at Fleer tape again and saw clear tape over it. $77 wasted.

Lothar52

situations like 2006 fleer ultra football....what if in the first box i the person pulls the Lucky 13 #500.....do they then sell the rest??? prolly. Only 1 lucky 13 #500 per case.

Loth

ripkenintheminors

As mentioned earlier, you have to know the specifics of each product to fully understand how someone can search a case. For example, a product migt have only one 1/1 in the case. If you purchase an entire case and hit that box early, you can sell the card and the remaining boxes of the case.

rbdjr1

Another spin:

I also think a seller/dealer with a sealed case (i.e., circa, 1975-1979 would make good examples of what I'm talking about here!) can break open a couple of wax boxes, to see the quality of the "print run", the quality if the "sheet cutting", plus adverse storage issues, such as wax and/or gum damage, warped/wrinkled cards, etc. My spin is that there is a very good chance if the first few boxes in a case produced, mostly unsatisfactory material, there is a very high chance the rest of the wax boxes from that case could also produce similar unsatisfactory material!

So then the seller/dealer could simply sell-off the remainder of his case, as those boxes are still "all original" and "unopened", but filled, most likely with similar "unsatisfactory" cards, like the first few boxes did.

But, if the seller/dealer opened those first two boxes, with fantastic results, producing many well centered, gem quality mint examples, you can expect that dealer to either, keep the remaining wax boxes for "break-up" inventory, or possibly sell those remaining boxes (or even wax packs!) at premium pricing, thus advertising his fantastic results from the "breaking-open" of his first few wax boxes.

I would like to hear that a seller had good results from "cracking a wax box" from a sealed case, and is offering other original wax boxes from that same case, as I and I'm sure other buyers would be willing to pay a premium for that box, knowing that other boxes from that same case which produced good results.

I'm not 100% sure if this is "common" for sellers/dealers to do this; ...to first open a wax box or two, and see if it produces good results, and if not, just "dump the rest" on us all.

I'm curious if others feel the same way as I do about this, and if I'm correct, jusy how wide spread this practice may be?

You never really hear a seller/dealer, saying, "I cracked-open a wax case, and opened a few boxes, "ripped the packs", and really had cr@ppy results! But, would anybody like to buy some wax boxes from this case? These wax boxes are all original and guaranteed unopened and unsearched!

Only $ 2,000 per box!"

... Such a deal!


rd

theczar

back in the early 90's pro set had an insert in their hockey cases. it was a stanley cup tribute card with some metal in it. people were going through with metal detectors to track it down. looking at an smr the card has no value any more.

jradke4

Beware of people selling lose finest football packs and mini-boxes. Why, there is one auto per mini-box(3 mini's per box), 1 out of 5/6 packs. If you hit a SP auto in the first mini-box, then you know the other two mini boxes dont have a SP auto. So you would sell them. The last few years (not this year) the auto in every box was in the same #pack. ie third one from the top. so you open all the boxes, rip every third pack, you net all the auto's from the case. Then turn around and sell the remain packs to someone that doesnt know the scheme.

yankeeno7

I almost forgot about this....when 1990 Pro Set had the Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup holograms, I had a couple people approach me asking if I would take boxes in to work and xray them. The metal from the hologram would show up. I didnt do it because it annoyed me and I stopped buying from both of them. Made me wonder if their 80s packs I was buying at the time were searched too.

DooF

I am not sure how I arrived at this... but in 1987 football. The Cunningham RC was on the layer 3rd up from the bottom.

The way around it selling packs was just move them around a little

ripkenintheminors

This thread reminds me of the Topps Stadium Club basketball cards several years back. Go to the back right stack of cards and get the bottom three packs. You'd hit the beam team, 1st day issue and whatever the other insert was.

Stone193

The Wave of the Future.

You can look right thru the cardboard and into the packs just like seeing thru insulated wire!

Estil

<< <i>I almost forgot about this....when 1990 Pro Set had the Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup holograms, I had a couple people approach me asking if I would take boxes in to work and xray them. The metal from the hologram would show up. I didnt do it because it annoyed me and I stopped buying from both of them. Made me wonder if their 80s packs I was buying at the time were searched too. >>



Didn't they also do that for 1991 Donruss Elites?

ctsoxfan

I bought a sealed case of Exquisite basketball from blowout cards a few years ago, and lost a lot of money on perhaps the worst case of this product ever sold. I always wondered if the case was tampered with, but I remember it being sealed - what I can't remember is if it was UD factory tape or not. I think you always have to be careful who you buy from, there's a lot of scammers working out there.

yankeeno7

<< <i>

<< <i>I almost forgot about this....when 1990 Pro Set had the Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup holograms, I had a couple people approach me asking if I would take boxes in to work and xray them. The metal from the hologram would show up. I didnt do it because it annoyed me and I stopped buying from both of them. Made me wonder if their 80s packs I was buying at the time were searched too. >>



Didn't they also do that for 1991 Donruss Elites? >>



Well, when I refused to do the 1990, I imagine they just didnt bother asking me after that because I never had another request.