I bought two vending boxes of 1981 Topps and put together a raw set. I don't think any would grade better than 7 or 8. I have some duplicates, including three Nolan Ryans, that I can sell or trade. I'll make a list for you jessherron if you want.
I don't feel that I devote a lot of time or resources to this set, but kind of meander along, picking up nice 9s and the occasional 10 when I find them. I'm in no rush, and have only added 3 cards since January 1. I've been working on it for over 7 years, and according to my last post on this this thread in 2018, have gone from 50 percent complete 2 years ago to currently 73 percent complete. (That honestly kind of surprised me once I realized that.) I finished up a 1975 Topps set several years ago, so I know how tough that last 10-20 percent can be on these big sets. I really don't know if I'll ever finish the 81s, but the pursuit is the fun of it.
I am pretty excited as I am about to send off a huge submission of 81s I have been accumulating for last 18 months. Should get me most of the way complete. Very clean Adams and Fernando in the lot
Good luck! It would be awesome to be the guy to finally pull that first 10 of Valenzuela and/or Adams! Having more high grade 81s of anybody added to the population is a good thing for all of us that pursue already graded cards.
I'm still holding on to maybe 30,000 raw 81s that mostly came from a clean vending case and then multiple rack and cello boxes, with several thousand coming from wax. I'm sitting on the the idea that I may send in what I still need once I get down to the last 50 or so, hoping for 9s and 10s, but taking what comes, completing the set, and calling it good, even if 8s come back.
I'm just not at that point yet where I feel an urgency to complete my 1981 registry set. I completed my 1975 set with relative speed, in less than 3 years, but once I was done, I was like, what now? I'm sure I'll be the same way once i finally knock that last card off on this one.
Looks like it could be a long wait. Your post made me look and I think im sitting on about 25k 1981 commons myself. Thought it was less than that actually.
If anyone has a 1981 Topps Andre Dawson PSA 10 please let me know. I would be interested in buying. Thanks.
Working on the following sets
1980's and 1990's Topps Baseball BBCE FASC - Cello or Wax Boxes
1952 Bowman US Presidents PSA 7 & up
Pro Football Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts PSA Registry Set
June 9th Cubs full ticket or stubs - 1981 to 2020
Andre Dawson Topps Basic registry PSA 10's
Mark Grace Topps Basic registry PSA 10's
Hello everyone.....I've been reading on these boards for a long time but not really much of a person who posts. I'm #4 on the 81 set registry. I'm down to needing 10 more cards (set is PSA 9s or better). Please let me know if anyone has any of the following that they'd be willing to sell. it's been a loooong labor of love building this!
@jayeaton said:
Hello everyone.....I've been reading on these boards for a long time but not really much of a person who posts. I'm #4 on the 81 set registry. I'm down to needing 10 more cards (set is PSA 9s or better). Please let me know if anyone has any of the following that they'd be willing to sell. it's been a loooong labor of love building this!
59 Dan Petry
80 Rusty Staub
177 Rick Peters
233 Skip Lockwood
396 Bill Campbell
487 Dewey Robinson
528 Gary Matthews
561 Dennis Littlejohn
567 Mark Bomback
648 Darrell Evans
Please email me at jayeaton@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Jason Eaton
I've been working on this set myself for roughly 7 years. It hasn't ever been the top priority or the main focus for me, but I'm still plugging away and I'm right behind you (relatively speaking. It's really a BIG gap) with the #5 set. I'm all 9s or better, also, except for Glenn Adams PSA 8. I'll consider upgrading that once I get a little closer to completion. I still need 191 cards, so I'm a ways away. I'm actually fairly certain that I've bought some of your extras on eBay in the past.
I don't have any extras from your list to part with, and I still need a few of those cards myself. I don't constantly monitor the listings, but don't believe I've even ever seen a Rusty Staub PSA 9 or 10 come up for sale. I've seen a couple Gary Matthews PSA 9, but thought they were weak and wasn't happy with their eye appeal, so passed thinking there would be others, but that's been quite awhile ago, and haven't seen one since. I've only seen one Evans PSA 9 that I can recall. It was a fairly recent sale, and was shocked when it closed at well over $100+, I believe.
Anyway, I've finished a few other registry sets already, so certainly know what it's like to get down to the end, trying to get those last few cards. Good luck to you!
Its been a while since I lasted in here. I finished my 1981 topps set and traded in all 9's and 10's except 2 cards to be complete in the set and traded. If any one has them please lets me know I am very interested in buying them. 499 Frank Pastore and Bob Shirley.
Greetings Gents,
These all came straight from 6 unopened cello boxes I bought years ago. I also have tons of raw AS cards. Sadly, I literally threw away any and all cards that were not all-star cards including Ryan, etc. D’oh!
I sold off my PSa 10s a while back.
I have the following PSA 9s:
Bucky Dent x 2
Fisk
Gossage
Sutter
Reggie Smith
Dave Parker
Brett x 2
Bill Russell
Kingman
Dave Lopes
Schmidt
Steve Stone
I have these PSA 8s:
Larry Gura x 2
Brett
Bucky Dent
Reggie
Fred Lynn
Jim Bibby
Dave Lopes
Lopes
Schmidt x 2
Bill Russell
Dave Parker
Kingman x 2
PM me if interested in any. I don't collect these any more. If you have any AS cards from 1977 for trade, I am willing to give you a screaming deal. Good luck with your collections!
hey fella - my first appearance in this thread. LOVE that this thread has been going on since 2008.
i just finished 1983 topps all in PSA 10 (all 792 cards) - took about four years of incessant insanely focused searching.
in any event, i'm thinking about starting an 81T PSA 10 set. i've looked at the pop report and see that it's not really possible to complete in all 10s (yet!) given the low pops, but for now i want to start amassing PSA 10s for the set.
if any of you have a stack of 10s around that you're willing to part with for a fair price, please msg me or email me at rjustincarter@hotmail.com with a list and prices, etc.
@JustinC said:
hey fella - my first appearance in this thread. LOVE that this thread has been going on since 2008.
i just finished 1983 topps all in PSA 10 (all 792 cards) - took about four years of incessant insanely focused searching.
in any event, i'm thinking about starting an 81T PSA 10 set. i've looked at the pop report and see that it's not really possible to complete in all 10s (yet!) given the low pops, but for now i want to start amassing PSA 10s for the set.
if any of you have a stack of 10s around that you're willing to part with for a fair price, please msg me or email me at rjustincarter@hotmail.com with a list and prices, etc.
There are a bunch of top pop 9s in this set, and if you familiarize yourself with them and their many issues, you will likely conclude that ever having a 10 surface for any of them is pretty much a dream (while technically possible, I suppose). One of the most famous top pop 9s is the Valenzuela/Scioscia rookie. Dmitri Young made it his mission to find a 10, and if you Google articles about his collection, you'll see he landed a LOT of 10s on some pretty amazing and iconic cards, but never could stick a 10 landing on the #302. I guess the hunt is a large part of the fun, so good luck!
Forum question = Should I buy this and if I do how should i get rid of them? I bought a vending case in 1981 and I have about 12 sets out of it and lots of single cards already about 15,00 cards in total so I would be adding these 6,000 to that stash. Here is the listing/ https://charleston.craigslist.org/clt/d/mount-pleasant-1981-baseball-cards/7169517060.html
Personally, I think 6000 cards for $20 is a no brainer, especially if you can look them over beforehand to insure the corners really are sharp. I collect the 83 set and have had good luck with lots like this. Since I grade them, the lack of stars doesn’t bother me at all. If I can find some nice low pop commons, it’s a win for me.
"I think the guy must be practicing voodoo or something. Check out his eyes. Rico's crazier than a peach orchard sow." -- Whitey Herzog, Spring Training 1973
@getupkid said:
Hello... Looking for a 1981 Topps John Montefusco #438 PSA 10... Can buy or trade... Thanks for any help. Erik
I don’t have it but LOVE GUK and also a SF Giants fan. Did you go the to GUK/Kevin Devine show back in November? I was there and it was, as always, wonderful. Also a big Kevin Devine fan. (Sorry 81 fans, I won’t hijak the thread any further.)
hello guys, just checking in as its been a bit. Looks like Ive dropped to #9, but have 300 plus card submission that has been at PSA for seven months (pre shutdown). Hopefully it pops soon and I can narrow my focus and push to get this set done.
you ever get your 300+ card submission back?
if so, what are the highlights?!
@jessherron said:
hello guys, just checking in as its been a bit. Looks like Ive dropped to #9, but have 300 plus card submission that has been at PSA for seven months (pre shutdown). Hopefully it pops soon and I can narrow my focus and push to get this set done.
Finally got my last psa 9 Bob Shirley in the traded set it is complete with 9's and 10's. Now I have to change out one card to a psa 9 form an 8 and the regular set will also be all 9's and 10's. If anyone has #499 Frank Pastrore in a 9 or a 10 and are interested in selling it let me know.
I'm new to collecting graded cards having recently found my way back to the hobby in early 2020 right before Covid hit hard. 1981 Topps baseball was my favorite set as a child and I decided to do what I couldn't do back then and buy a lot of product. I ended up with about 5000 cards from vending, rack, wax, and grocery cello, and a similar number from very cheap large single-player lots (which did yield some 9s). I submitted 33 of these last June as part of the PSA 1980s quarterly special (the full submission is detailed in the Grade Poppage thread). I just got the cards back and did pretty well with quite a few 9s and these beauties:
I'm still way behind you guys (#25 right now), but getting these cards back puts me above the 100 card mark for 9s and 10s. I'm working on 1955 Topps baseball as my more serious effort, and it's not clear whether submitting 1981 Topps will be worth it again. But, I'm collecting under the assumption that I will try to complete the set eventually. I always disliked traded sets (and still do!), so that part of the set is a lower priority. I'll have to see how I feel about that as I progress with the main set. Neat to see that there are others who like this set. It seems to get the short shrift due to not having a strong rookie class like surrounding years, but it's easily my favorite design of the 80s from any brand.
Congratulations on quite an accomplishment!! I've been doing this set for years and years, and couldn't manage to upgrade many pesky 8's. Good luck on the Pastore.
Bernie Carlen
Currently collecting.....your guess is as good as mine.
Welcome to the set. Those are some beauties! These 700+ card monster sets can be daunting at times, and submitting a chuck of the set at a time definitely helps. Hopefully PSA will throw a bone to those of us who submit cards that have a lower declared value than grading cost.
Bernie Carlen
Currently collecting.....your guess is as good as mine.
I just opened about a dozen rack packs and I can't believe how tough the condition of these cards are out of the pack. Even if they are centered, they are diamond cut ever so slightly and if that's not enough, there are surface issues with the cardboard. The entire segment of each rack was diamond cut. I did pull 3 Nolan Ryan's, Tim Raines and George Brett's but they were terribly OC. I think there are some gradable cards but only one seems to have the potential to Gem. Tough, tough issue.
Comments
Been slow and steady on my set. Seems like more people building it but not much here. Anyone else building want to move any of their 81s?
I bought two vending boxes of 1981 Topps and put together a raw set. I don't think any would grade better than 7 or 8. I have some duplicates, including three Nolan Ryans, that I can sell or trade. I'll make a list for you jessherron if you want.
I have about a dozen PSA 8’s and 9’s that you are missing - pm me if you are interested
I don't feel that I devote a lot of time or resources to this set, but kind of meander along, picking up nice 9s and the occasional 10 when I find them. I'm in no rush, and have only added 3 cards since January 1. I've been working on it for over 7 years, and according to my last post on this this thread in 2018, have gone from 50 percent complete 2 years ago to currently 73 percent complete. (That honestly kind of surprised me once I realized that.) I finished up a 1975 Topps set several years ago, so I know how tough that last 10-20 percent can be on these big sets. I really don't know if I'll ever finish the 81s, but the pursuit is the fun of it.
I am pretty excited as I am about to send off a huge submission of 81s I have been accumulating for last 18 months. Should get me most of the way complete. Very clean Adams and Fernando in the lot
Good luck! It would be awesome to be the guy to finally pull that first 10 of Valenzuela and/or Adams! Having more high grade 81s of anybody added to the population is a good thing for all of us that pursue already graded cards.
I'm still holding on to maybe 30,000 raw 81s that mostly came from a clean vending case and then multiple rack and cello boxes, with several thousand coming from wax. I'm sitting on the the idea that I may send in what I still need once I get down to the last 50 or so, hoping for 9s and 10s, but taking what comes, completing the set, and calling it good, even if 8s come back.
I'm just not at that point yet where I feel an urgency to complete my 1981 registry set. I completed my 1975 set with relative speed, in less than 3 years, but once I was done, I was like, what now? I'm sure I'll be the same way once i finally knock that last card off on this one.
Looks like it could be a long wait. Your post made me look and I think im sitting on about 25k 1981 commons myself. Thought it was less than that actually.
If anyone has a 1981 Topps Andre Dawson PSA 10 please let me know. I would be interested in buying. Thanks.
Working on the following sets
1980's and 1990's Topps Baseball BBCE FASC - Cello or Wax Boxes
1952 Bowman US Presidents PSA 7 & up
Pro Football Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts PSA Registry Set
June 9th Cubs full ticket or stubs - 1981 to 2020
Andre Dawson Topps Basic registry PSA 10's
Mark Grace Topps Basic registry PSA 10's
Hello everyone.....I've been reading on these boards for a long time but not really much of a person who posts. I'm #4 on the 81 set registry. I'm down to needing 10 more cards (set is PSA 9s or better). Please let me know if anyone has any of the following that they'd be willing to sell. it's been a loooong labor of love building this!
59 Dan Petry
80 Rusty Staub
177 Rick Peters
233 Skip Lockwood
396 Bill Campbell
487 Dewey Robinson
528 Gary Matthews
561 Dennis Littlejohn
567 Mark Bomback
648 Darrell Evans
Please email me at jayeaton@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Jason Eaton
I've been working on this set myself for roughly 7 years. It hasn't ever been the top priority or the main focus for me, but I'm still plugging away and I'm right behind you (relatively speaking. It's really a BIG gap) with the #5 set. I'm all 9s or better, also, except for Glenn Adams PSA 8. I'll consider upgrading that once I get a little closer to completion. I still need 191 cards, so I'm a ways away. I'm actually fairly certain that I've bought some of your extras on eBay in the past.
I don't have any extras from your list to part with, and I still need a few of those cards myself. I don't constantly monitor the listings, but don't believe I've even ever seen a Rusty Staub PSA 9 or 10 come up for sale. I've seen a couple Gary Matthews PSA 9, but thought they were weak and wasn't happy with their eye appeal, so passed thinking there would be others, but that's been quite awhile ago, and haven't seen one since. I've only seen one Evans PSA 9 that I can recall. It was a fairly recent sale, and was shocked when it closed at well over $100+, I believe.
Anyway, I've finished a few other registry sets already, so certainly know what it's like to get down to the end, trying to get those last few cards. Good luck to you!
Its been a while since I lasted in here. I finished my 1981 topps set and traded in all 9's and 10's except 2 cards to be complete in the set and traded. If any one has them please lets me know I am very interested in buying them. 499 Frank Pastore and Bob Shirley.
Greetings Gents,
These all came straight from 6 unopened cello boxes I bought years ago. I also have tons of raw AS cards. Sadly, I literally threw away any and all cards that were not all-star cards including Ryan, etc. D’oh!
I sold off my PSa 10s a while back.
I have the following PSA 9s:
Bucky Dent x 2
Fisk
Gossage
Sutter
Reggie Smith
Dave Parker
Brett x 2
Bill Russell
Kingman
Dave Lopes
Schmidt
Steve Stone
I have these PSA 8s:
Larry Gura x 2
Brett
Bucky Dent
Reggie
Fred Lynn
Jim Bibby
Dave Lopes
Lopes
Schmidt x 2
Bill Russell
Dave Parker
Kingman x 2
PM me if interested in any. I don't collect these any more. If you have any AS cards from 1977 for trade, I am willing to give you a screaming deal. Good luck with your collections!
hey fella - my first appearance in this thread. LOVE that this thread has been going on since 2008.
i just finished 1983 topps all in PSA 10 (all 792 cards) - took about four years of incessant insanely focused searching.
in any event, i'm thinking about starting an 81T PSA 10 set. i've looked at the pop report and see that it's not really possible to complete in all 10s (yet!) given the low pops, but for now i want to start amassing PSA 10s for the set.
if any of you have a stack of 10s around that you're willing to part with for a fair price, please msg me or email me at rjustincarter@hotmail.com with a list and prices, etc.
There are a bunch of top pop 9s in this set, and if you familiarize yourself with them and their many issues, you will likely conclude that ever having a 10 surface for any of them is pretty much a dream (while technically possible, I suppose). One of the most famous top pop 9s is the Valenzuela/Scioscia rookie. Dmitri Young made it his mission to find a 10, and if you Google articles about his collection, you'll see he landed a LOT of 10s on some pretty amazing and iconic cards, but never could stick a 10 landing on the #302. I guess the hunt is a large part of the fun, so good luck!
ohh sweet Jesus that Fernando! thanks for the info. if Dmitri couldn't get one I doubt Justin Carter is going to be able to lol.
Forum question = Should I buy this and if I do how should i get rid of them? I bought a vending case in 1981 and I have about 12 sets out of it and lots of single cards already about 15,00 cards in total so I would be adding these 6,000 to that stash. Here is the listing/ https://charleston.craigslist.org/clt/d/mount-pleasant-1981-baseball-cards/7169517060.html
Personally, I think 6000 cards for $20 is a no brainer, especially if you can look them over beforehand to insure the corners really are sharp. I collect the 83 set and have had good luck with lots like this. Since I grade them, the lack of stars doesn’t bother me at all. If I can find some nice low pop commons, it’s a win for me.
Hello... Looking for a 1981 Topps John Montefusco #438 PSA 10... Can buy or trade... Thanks for any help. Erik
Interested. How much to ship to 37188 (TN)?
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
I don’t have it but LOVE GUK and also a SF Giants fan. Did you go the to GUK/Kevin Devine show back in November? I was there and it was, as always, wonderful. Also a big Kevin Devine fan. (Sorry 81 fans, I won’t hijak the thread any further.)
I have a long history with the band... They are great guys... Hopefully they will keep releasing music and touring. Thanks for the note.
hello guys, just checking in as its been a bit. Looks like Ive dropped to #9, but have 300 plus card submission that has been at PSA for seven months (pre shutdown). Hopefully it pops soon and I can narrow my focus and push to get this set done.
Glad to see some new interest in the set.
anyone have any PSA 10s for sale from 81T? if so please PM me a list and prices. thx.
you ever get your 300+ card submission back?
if so, what are the highlights?!
Finally got my last psa 9 Bob Shirley in the traded set it is complete with 9's and 10's. Now I have to change out one card to a psa 9 form an 8 and the regular set will also be all 9's and 10's. If anyone has #499 Frank Pastrore in a 9 or a 10 and are interested in selling it let me know.
I'm new to collecting graded cards having recently found my way back to the hobby in early 2020 right before Covid hit hard. 1981 Topps baseball was my favorite set as a child and I decided to do what I couldn't do back then and buy a lot of product. I ended up with about 5000 cards from vending, rack, wax, and grocery cello, and a similar number from very cheap large single-player lots (which did yield some 9s). I submitted 33 of these last June as part of the PSA 1980s quarterly special (the full submission is detailed in the Grade Poppage thread). I just got the cards back and did pretty well with quite a few 9s and these beauties:
I'm still way behind you guys (#25 right now), but getting these cards back puts me above the 100 card mark for 9s and 10s. I'm working on 1955 Topps baseball as my more serious effort, and it's not clear whether submitting 1981 Topps will be worth it again. But, I'm collecting under the assumption that I will try to complete the set eventually. I always disliked traded sets (and still do!), so that part of the set is a lower priority. I'll have to see how I feel about that as I progress with the main set. Neat to see that there are others who like this set. It seems to get the short shrift due to not having a strong rookie class like surrounding years, but it's easily my favorite design of the 80s from any brand.
Smokie,
Congratulations on quite an accomplishment!! I've been doing this set for years and years, and couldn't manage to upgrade many pesky 8's. Good luck on the Pastore.
Currently collecting.....your guess is as good as mine.
MountainsOfSlabs,
Welcome to the set. Those are some beauties! These 700+ card monster sets can be daunting at times, and submitting a chuck of the set at a time definitely helps. Hopefully PSA will throw a bone to those of us who submit cards that have a lower declared value than grading cost.
Currently collecting.....your guess is as good as mine.
I just opened about a dozen rack packs and I can't believe how tough the condition of these cards are out of the pack. Even if they are centered, they are diamond cut ever so slightly and if that's not enough, there are surface issues with the cardboard. The entire segment of each rack was diamond cut. I did pull 3 Nolan Ryan's, Tim Raines and George Brett's but they were terribly OC. I think there are some gradable cards but only one seems to have the potential to Gem. Tough, tough issue.