Home› Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum

What exactly is a "vending box"?

mrbecker712mrbecker712 Posts: 525
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Because I'm bidding on a set of 3 from the 87 Topps and I noticed the seller says the cards are not packaged, yet the box is unsearched???
Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Hornets, Shawn Kemp, Dale Murphy, and Bobby Engram.

Comments

  • MeteoriteGuyMeteoriteGuy Posts: 7,140 ✭✭
    Boxes of 500 cards released by Topps in order to fill $0.25 vending machines. If they are untouched there is a noticable pattern in the way the cards are laid in the box.
    Collecting PSA graded Steve Young, Marcus Allen, Bret Saberhagen and 1980s Topps Cards.
    Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
  • mrbecker712mrbecker712 Posts: 525


    << <i>Boxes of 500 cards released by Topps in order to fill $0.25 vending machines. If they are untouched there is a noticable pattern in the way the cards are laid in the box. >>



    Really? Wow. Never knew any cards came out of vending machines.
    Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Hornets, Shawn Kemp, Dale Murphy, and Bobby Engram.
  • LeiascardsLeiascards Posts: 3,233
    The vending machines these boxes were originally from were popular in the 60s and early 70s. The machines faded away until the card rush of the late 80s and early 90s then new ones started popping up. Due to the popularity Topps kept selling them even after the machines themselves were not being used.

    Most are opened, but as stated when searched you can easily tell as an unsearched one has a definite pattern to the cards in the box. The boxes these are in are not very solid and like factory sets from the 80s the cards are usually damaged on one corner.
  • metalmikemetalmike Posts: 2,152 ✭✭
    Warning! not knowing the seller I would not buy ANY vending boxes- buy a factory set instead and save your money for chicks and booze! even if 10% of the print run is minty fresh 200k potential PSA 10's are still out there. The only vending boxes worth buying are the (4 box one set ) print runs from early fleer. Hope this helps.
    USN 1977-1987 * ALL cards are commons unless auto'd. Buying Britneycards. NWO for life.
  • BarfvaderBarfvader Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭✭
    This is what the pattern should look like.

    This box has been partially looked at so the first 50 or so cards from the left to right are not showing the pattern correctly.

    image


    Also a person can search a box of these and pull out a card or two and it is very hard to tell.

    Jeff

    Miscut Museum

    My Mess

  • commoncardmancommoncardman Posts: 126
    Just out of curiosity, does anyone have one of these old vending machines? Do they have any “collectible” value, beside salvage yards. I could see one in my living room.
    ORIOLES FOR TRADE
    My 57 set
    1957 O's team: Completed
    1978 O's team: 71.4%
    1980 O's team: 85.7%
    1974 O's team: 74.2%
  • F1ferrariF1ferrari Posts: 583
    Just a quick search on eBay yielded 2 vending machines currently for auction. I really didn't know why vending boxes were sold, but this thread cleared all that up for me.

    2001-2014 Topps Heritage complete!
  • mrbecker712mrbecker712 Posts: 525
    It's 3 boxes of 87 Topps. Seller has good feedback. Price right now is only $13.50 including s/h.
    Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Hornets, Shawn Kemp, Dale Murphy, and Bobby Engram.
  • F1ferrariF1ferrari Posts: 583
    Back in the summer, I bought 4 boxes of '89 Topps to finish the set I started in 1989. I think I paid $20 (including shipping).

    After all, you're buying '87 Topps. What's the worst that could happen? A bunch of Bonds and Palmero rookies? image
    2001-2014 Topps Heritage complete!
  • crbattcrbatt Posts: 82


    << <i>Just a quick search on eBay yielded 2 vending machines currently for auction. I really didn't know why vending boxes were sold, but this thread cleared all that up for me. >>



    That would look great in my basement. I could make money off.... myself. At least I'd know if I had a chance to pull anything good.
  • rube26105rube26105 Posts: 10,225 ✭✭
    i can remember ones kinda like that 56 one when i was a kid, i knw im old, gonna go take old man nap now image then watch stooper bowl
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    Vending boxes were first produced for vending machines, usually a penny would get you one card. Then after the vending machine was no longer being used they still made vending boxes for dealers to build sets with. A case of vending would yield 15 to 18 sets and was the most economical way for them to hand colalate sets. Also if you notice later vending boxs say "educational for kids" and topps threw that out as an angle to still sell vending boxes. Some years they had 4 differnt boxes A, B, C, D. Still others had all the seroes in 1 box. I have even heard of some buying vending boxes by team and maybe even player. The corner problem that results with these is more from them having 10lb of bologna in a 9 lb bag. Some yrs they would also have some cards placed on the top. I built my 75 Topps set from 2 vending boxes ,I needed 10 or 11 cards to have a full set.


    Mike Stone has a vending machine or 2.


    As a kid growing up in the 60's I remember getting cards from a vending machine 1 card for a penny.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547
    Pretty cool! image

    The only vending cards, or should I say stickers, are the 1985 Prism Jewel Stickers, its a 14 sticker Basketball set that includes Michael Jordan, which I think is the rarest Jordan out there!!!!!

    Giovanni
Sign In or Register to comment.