Thanks for asking, Czar. The issues were all of that you mentioned and more! LOL. About 150 had serious dings. Tons of print smudges. Killer off-centering. OK stars, but no Ryan, Schmidt, Sutter, Bench, or Brett. The Dawson looked nice except for the huge chip missing on the border. Not an edge chip, but actually missing a chip on the actual surface of the card. I know off-centering, chipping, and smudges are issues for '77, so maybe this box was par for the course as far as those issues.
I am in the process of scanning and measuring cards for submission, and the biggest star out of the 70 or so that have a possibility for submission is Boog Powell. And the second biggest would be a tie between Alan Bannister and Sixto Lezcano.
After the initial disappointment, I still had fun opening the box and going through it. Maybe not $400 worth of fun, but fun. I may try again if I can find a vending box for less.
You're right. It definitely is not cost effective. I just like going through raw cards.
I recently began collecting professionally graded cards possibly for the wrong reason. This might sound crazy, but I was thinking about my daughter. This past summer I got hit with the collecting bug after a long layoff, and was buying a lot of cards, trying to complete a bunch of sets. (Just 77 and up, nothing major.) I thought about when I die and my daughter goes through my stuff and my cards, that it will possibly be more difficult for her to unload a bunch of raw cards, especially from the years I collect. I thought that since I am spending money anyway, I may as well put the money towards something that may hold its value better and be easier to sell for a fair price. (Of course, I really hope I can get her into the hobby and she would just want to keep them.) So that is what started my collecting of slabbed cards.
It has been fun so far, and I guess the "acquiring of things" part of the hobby that I love is being satiated. However, another part of collecting cards that I love is the actual tactile sensation of shuffling through the cards. They seem to fit perfectly in my hand, as they have always seemed to fit perfectly since I was seven years old. The repeated back and forth motion of my thumb as I scan the card numbers when I am putting a set in order puts me in a very relaxed, yet hyper-focused state that I cannot attain with any other activity. The stacking of cards in demarcated piles by hundreds, then each individually broken down into tens give me a sense of order that you would know is obviously missing in other parts of my life if you were to look in my kitchen sink. So collecting is more than just an acquisition thing for me. I enjoy the physical and emotional sensations I receive from handling the raw cards. And that is what makes me want the box.
However, I do realize that I can get the same feelings with cheaper stuff. Maybe I will start buying raw lots on eBay once in a while as I continue collecting slabbed cards. The only way I will get the box is if I win the Super Bowl block pool. LOL.
Congrats on scoring that 77 set, that is awesome! Wow, I'll have to stop by and take a look at it, it's one of my favorites. A good friend of mine in Southern California has one that is jaw-dropping. Think Scott Bradshaw standards + a half grade higher.
Good luck with building it out.
Ron Burgundy
Buying Vintage, all sports. Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
<< <i>You're right. It definitely is not cost effective. I just like going through raw cards.
I recently began collecting professionally graded cards possibly for the wrong reason. This might sound crazy, but I was thinking about my daughter. This past summer I got hit with the collecting bug after a long layoff, and was buying a lot of cards, trying to complete a bunch of sets. (Just 77 and up, nothing major.) I thought about when I die and my daughter goes through my stuff and my cards, that it will possibly be more difficult for her to unload a bunch of raw cards, especially from the years I collect. I thought that since I am spending money anyway, I may as well put the money towards something that may hold its value better and be easier to sell for a fair price. (Of course, I really hope I can get her into the hobby and she would just want to keep them.) So that is what started my collecting of slabbed cards.
It has been fun so far, and I guess the "acquiring of things" part of the hobby that I love is being satiated. However, another part of collecting cards that I love is the actual tactile sensation of shuffling through the cards. They seem to fit perfectly in my hand, as they have always seemed to fit perfectly since I was seven years old. The repeated back and forth motion of my thumb as I scan the card numbers when I am putting a set in order puts me in a very relaxed, yet hyper-focused state that I cannot attain with any other activity. The stacking of cards in demarcated piles by hundreds, then each individually broken down into tens give me a sense of order that you would know is obviously missing in other parts of my life if you were to look in my kitchen sink. So collecting is more than just an acquisition thing for me. I enjoy the physical and emotional sensations I receive from handling the raw cards. And that is what makes me want the box.
However, I do realize that I can get the same feelings with cheaper stuff. Maybe I will start buying raw lots on eBay once in a while as I continue collecting slabbed cards. The only way I will get the box is if I win the Super Bowl block pool. LOL. >>
Amazing post!
as for the graded cards, i couldnt agree more as far as the "after im gone" theory
Big Fan of: HOF Post War RC, Graded RCs WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
I bought that wax box on eBay and received it yesterday. The packs are resealed. Pretty lame. I opened a few to just see what was inside (one of them was sealed so poorly that it just unfolded) and the cards were all dirty, dinged, grossly miscut, and even some creases. What a mess. Even though there is a no return policy, I did open a case with eBay to get my refund. Oh, well.
I hope it won't be an issue to get a refund. I mean, it was described as unsearched and unopened. Also, even though it was "sealed" it was not from BBCX as there was nothing on the bottom.
Here are four cards from different packs. Dings on all four sides coming from the middle of a pack when the others cards in the pack don't? Not sure if you can see the creases on the Stennett. And of course, no stars. Not that you could count on getting stars in a pack, but all of this stuff combined with opening a few packs and getting nothing makes it look bad to me.:
Here is the first pack I pulled out. Obviously I noticed the how lopsided it was, but not knowing much I thought it could happen during the wrapping process:
But look at the crease running down the back. If you realigned the wrapper, that crease would fit on the edge of the cards and the wrapper would be centered on the front.:
And here is just a random example of what the packs look like:
Not sure if it is showing up on the back of the packs, but the backs have brownish spots and are not smooth at all, but very course. I even compared these to unopened packs I have from BBCX and they look totally different. Any thoughts?
I only opened four packs, with one of them actually already being open, or at least poorly resealed.
Out of those cards, not one was even close to being worthy of submission. And I am not talking print marks or miscuts, but dings, creases, etc. I didn't open any others, as I already knew it was worthless to continue. Plus, I figured if I was trying to return these, it would look bad if I opened them all, THEN wanted my money back. 32 of the 36 packs are in the exact same condition I received them in, so that should help with the return.
I did not use AMEX, just Paypal, but that shouldn't matter. These are clearly resealed. They were advertised as unopened.
I think I forgot to update! The buyer did offer a refund and said that he contacted the person he bought the box from and is getting a refund himself. So it seems like everything worked out. I sent back the box and will get my refund when it is received. Thanks for everyone's input.
Other than purchasing unopened material, is there a better way to get raw stuff for grading. Ebay seems impossible. Any suggestions?
Great to hear about the positive resolution. Personally, I will not touch unopened wax from the mid to late 70s. I've especially been burned buying 77s. All my raw purchases are either decent looking sets or BBCE.
Yeah, I concur on the raw 77s. I have bought several vending boxes from BBCE and they have been fine. The raw material I have purchased otherwise has been suspect for the most part. Good luck in your hunt!
"Seeing what reviews the vending has recently received combined with resealed has turned me off any intentions of going that route. Although the thrill is there, the disappointment would not please me. For the price of a box I could put in opening bids on three of those cards on ebay and come back with a bird in the hand rather than a lot off centered-dinged cornered cards in the bush."
I usually expect about 30-45 gradable cards per 500 vending (from Steve Hart) - is that about what you were getting?
Does anyone know about how many sealed vending cases are floating around? One expert told me that only about 3 have sold in the past 7-10 years. I remember bidding heavily on a large number of vending sets in a recent auction (maybe it was REA), other than that, I have not seen much 77 raw material floating around. I am glad that recently many lower pop 9s have been showing up on ebay as I would like to finally finish this set. For a while ebay was quite dry.
Thanks Paul, And thanks for the 78s and 77s I have recently purchased from you...many of those I haven't seen on ebay for the past couple years... BTW FYI, I was lucky enough to purchase 2 77 vending cases over the past couple years (both from BBCE); I sniped one the day it was listed and Steve happened to run into another vending case soon after and offered it to me. An expert I was conversing with at the time said he had only seen 2 others in the previous 10 years (he broke one of them). I am not connected enough to know what stock large dealers have stashed away, but I don't intend to break my cases for a long time...unless Frank gets close to the deadline and needs a bit of help I wont touch wax as I do believe that most are reseals... I have been accumulating 77 vending from Steve at BBCE over the past couple years and will break and submit them sometime this summer I hope. I do believe that the 77s are vastly under-rated because of how poor the paper stock is. These cards get more dinged than a 16 year old's first car. But as I mentioned several times on the 75 mini thread, long term, I dont know that this is a growth industry as us oldies die off...so my worry is always the same, pops go up as us pops die off Henry
OK, I'm ready to now turn my focus onto building this fantastic set. Calling on everyone to search their inventories and let me know what you have available in both PSA 9 and PSA 10 grades. I can purchase but also love to trade. PM me and lets get this process going...........
Bill wpkoughan@yahoo.com Collecting 1970-1979 PSA 9 & 10 Baseball Cards
I hit the 20% milestone today! (Unfortunately with two very ugly 9s. Oh, well, they were cheap. I'll replace them eventually)
132 down, 528 to go!
Right now I am 21st on the registry, but the person at 20th place has 34.39% of the set and is currently working on it. So I probably won't see the top 20 for a long time.
<< <i>I hit the 20% milestone today! (Unfortunately with two very ugly 9s. Oh, well, they were cheap. I'll replace them eventually)
132 down, 528 to go!
Right now I am 21st on the registry, but the person at 20th place has 34.39% of the set and is currently working on it. So I probably won't see the top 20 for a long time.
Thanks to all who have helped me this far! >>
Always remember that the Tortoise beat the hare. ---- Sonny
" In a time of universal deceit , telling the truth is a revolutionary act " --- George Orwell
More activity in this set the last 10 days than in the last year! Anyone on here the purchaser of the Royals Team PSA 10? I saw the buyer got it from an ebayer listing it in his "pick one for $99" listing and then relisted it for $2,000...
The 77,78, and 79 sets have been very overlooked since the inception of the registry. Dont fool yourself or believe the hype of drying up. There is a ton of this stuff hi grade out there(maybe not the unopened cases) but a TON of hi end material. The 77s present challenges because of the card stock. With the ridiculous overpaying of 78 1 of 1 Tens....you will see even more supply being graded. Bottom line, there is a ton of this stuff out there. Be patient
Comments
I am in the process of scanning and measuring cards for submission, and the biggest star out of the 70 or so that have a possibility for submission is Boog Powell. And the second biggest would be a tie between Alan Bannister and Sixto Lezcano.
After the initial disappointment, I still had fun opening the box and going through it. Maybe not $400 worth of fun, but fun. I may try again if I can find a vending box for less.
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
I recently began collecting professionally graded cards possibly for the wrong reason. This might sound crazy, but I was thinking about my daughter. This past summer I got hit with the collecting bug after a long layoff, and was buying a lot of cards, trying to complete a bunch of sets. (Just 77 and up, nothing major.) I thought about when I die and my daughter goes through my stuff and my cards, that it will possibly be more difficult for her to unload a bunch of raw cards, especially from the years I collect. I thought that since I am spending money anyway, I may as well put the money towards something that may hold its value better and be easier to sell for a fair price. (Of course, I really hope I can get her into the hobby and she would just want to keep them.) So that is what started my collecting of slabbed cards.
It has been fun so far, and I guess the "acquiring of things" part of the hobby that I love is being satiated. However, another part of collecting cards that I love is the actual tactile sensation of shuffling through the cards. They seem to fit perfectly in my hand, as they have always seemed to fit perfectly since I was seven years old. The repeated back and forth motion of my thumb as I scan the card numbers when I am putting a set in order puts me in a very relaxed, yet hyper-focused state that I cannot attain with any other activity. The stacking of cards in demarcated piles by hundreds, then each individually broken down into tens give me a sense of order that you would know is obviously missing in other parts of my life if you were to look in my kitchen sink. So collecting is more than just an acquisition thing for me. I enjoy the physical and emotional sensations I receive from handling the raw cards. And that is what makes me want the box.
However, I do realize that I can get the same feelings with cheaper stuff. Maybe I will start buying raw lots on eBay once in a while as I continue collecting slabbed cards. The only way I will get the box is if I win the Super Bowl block pool. LOL.
Congrats on scoring that 77 set, that is awesome! Wow, I'll have to stop by and take a look at it, it's one of my favorites. A good friend of mine in Southern California has one that is jaw-dropping. Think Scott Bradshaw standards + a half grade higher.
Good luck with building it out.
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
<< <i>You're right. It definitely is not cost effective. I just like going through raw cards.
I recently began collecting professionally graded cards possibly for the wrong reason. This might sound crazy, but I was thinking about my daughter. This past summer I got hit with the collecting bug after a long layoff, and was buying a lot of cards, trying to complete a bunch of sets. (Just 77 and up, nothing major.) I thought about when I die and my daughter goes through my stuff and my cards, that it will possibly be more difficult for her to unload a bunch of raw cards, especially from the years I collect. I thought that since I am spending money anyway, I may as well put the money towards something that may hold its value better and be easier to sell for a fair price. (Of course, I really hope I can get her into the hobby and she would just want to keep them.) So that is what started my collecting of slabbed cards.
It has been fun so far, and I guess the "acquiring of things" part of the hobby that I love is being satiated. However, another part of collecting cards that I love is the actual tactile sensation of shuffling through the cards. They seem to fit perfectly in my hand, as they have always seemed to fit perfectly since I was seven years old. The repeated back and forth motion of my thumb as I scan the card numbers when I am putting a set in order puts me in a very relaxed, yet hyper-focused state that I cannot attain with any other activity. The stacking of cards in demarcated piles by hundreds, then each individually broken down into tens give me a sense of order that you would know is obviously missing in other parts of my life if you were to look in my kitchen sink. So collecting is more than just an acquisition thing for me. I enjoy the physical and emotional sensations I receive from handling the raw cards. And that is what makes me want the box.
However, I do realize that I can get the same feelings with cheaper stuff. Maybe I will start buying raw lots on eBay once in a while as I continue collecting slabbed cards. The only way I will get the box is if I win the Super Bowl block pool. LOL. >>
Amazing post!
as for the graded cards, i couldnt agree more as far as the "after im gone" theory
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
Yaz,Perry,Pete Rose,Stargell,Phil Niekro,Joe Morgan,Carlton,Tony Perez,Jim Palmer,Don Sutton,Carew,Seaver,Nolan Ryan,Bench,Fingers,Reggie Jackson,Blyleven,Fisk,Gossage,Winfield,
George Brett,Yount,Gary Carter,Jim Rice,Eckersley
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
I see there is a 1977 Topps Baseball Wax Box for auction on eBay. It's at $395 now. What is a reasonable price for a box like that? Any ideas?
I'm not sure it's a losing battle to find those guys in 7 or 8. Seems like it would be very easy to do, but I only collect 9s, so I am not positive.
Here are four cards from different packs. Dings on all four sides coming from the middle of a pack when the others cards in the pack don't? Not sure if you can see the creases on the Stennett. And of course, no stars. Not that you could count on getting stars in a pack, but all of this stuff combined with opening a few packs and getting nothing makes it look bad to me.:
Here is the first pack I pulled out. Obviously I noticed the how lopsided it was, but not knowing much I thought it could happen during the wrapping process:
But look at the crease running down the back. If you realigned the wrapper, that crease would fit on the edge of the cards and the wrapper would be centered on the front.:
And here is just a random example of what the packs look like:
Not sure if it is showing up on the back of the packs, but the backs have brownish spots and are not smooth at all, but very course. I even compared these to unopened packs I have from BBCX and they look totally different. Any thoughts?
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
Out of those cards, not one was even close to being worthy of submission. And I am not talking print marks or miscuts, but dings, creases, etc. I didn't open any others, as I already knew it was worthless to continue. Plus, I figured if I was trying to return these, it would look bad if I opened them all, THEN wanted my money back. 32 of the 36 packs are in the exact same condition I received them in, so that should help with the return.
I did not use AMEX, just Paypal, but that shouldn't matter. These are clearly resealed. They were advertised as unopened.
Other than purchasing unopened material, is there a better way to get raw stuff for grading. Ebay seems impossible. Any suggestions?
I usually expect about 30-45 gradable cards per 500 vending (from Steve Hart) - is that about what you were getting?
Does anyone know about how many sealed vending cases are floating around? One expert told me that only about 3 have sold in the past 7-10 years. I remember bidding heavily on a large number of vending sets in a recent auction (maybe it was REA), other than that, I have not seen much 77 raw material floating around. I am glad that recently many lower pop 9s have been showing up on ebay as I would like to finally finish this set. For a while ebay was quite dry.
And thanks for the 78s and 77s I have recently purchased from you...many of those I haven't seen on ebay for the past couple years...
BTW FYI, I was lucky enough to purchase 2 77 vending cases over the past couple years (both from BBCE); I sniped one the day it was listed and Steve happened to run into another vending case soon after and offered it to me. An expert I was conversing with at the time said he had only seen 2 others in the previous 10 years (he broke one of them). I am not connected enough to know what stock large dealers have stashed away, but I don't intend to break my cases for a long time...unless Frank gets close to the deadline and needs a bit of help
I have been accumulating 77 vending from Steve at BBCE over the past couple years and will break and submit them sometime this summer I hope. I do believe that the 77s are vastly under-rated because of how poor the paper stock is. These cards get more dinged than a 16 year old's first car. But as I mentioned several times on the 75 mini thread, long term, I dont know that this is a growth industry as us oldies die off...so my worry is always the same, pops go up as us pops die off
Henry
Bosox1976
1977 Topps Vuckovich PSA 9
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
<< <i>This card finishes my 1977 Topps Blue Jays team set!
1977 Topps Vuckovich PSA 9 >>
Nice pickup , I was wondering who got it. Congrats on the completion of your team set.--- Sonny
this fantastic set. Calling on everyone to search
their inventories and let me know what you have
available in both PSA 9 and PSA 10 grades. I can
purchase but also love to trade.
PM me and lets get this process going...........
wpkoughan@yahoo.com
Collecting 1970-1979 PSA 9 & 10 Baseball Cards
132 down, 528 to go!
Right now I am 21st on the registry, but the person at 20th place has 34.39% of the set and is currently working on it. So I probably won't see the top 20 for a long time.
Thanks to all who have helped me this far!
<< <i>I hit the 20% milestone today! (Unfortunately with two very ugly 9s. Oh, well, they were cheap. I'll replace them eventually)
132 down, 528 to go!
Right now I am 21st on the registry, but the person at 20th place has 34.39% of the set and is currently working on it. So I probably won't see the top 20 for a long time.
Thanks to all who have helped me this far! >>
Always remember that the Tortoise beat the hare. ---- Sonny
I'll wait...
Bosox1976
Nick