1973 topps cello pack questions

jimq112

Found these over the weekend at my mom's house. I'm sure they're legit, they were in a bag of other stuff I had from when I was a kid.

I guess my question is - are 73 topps cello packs series specific, or are they a mixed group? The 2 cards in the fisher/grich pack are both high #s and if they are series specific there's a chance there could be a schmidt in that pack.

The scans show these packs have been banged around. Corners aren't so good on the cards showing, and the cello is cracked in a few spots. I'm thinking I'd rather have these than my 1973 quarters.


Advice appreciated, good advice greatly appreciated!

WinPitcher

Series specific . (Somewhat)

I think they have 5 series but packs are divided into 3 series.

Or something like that.


Steve

WinPitcher

What I think I meant to say is you can get series 1 and 2 in a pack, series 3 and 4 in another and 5 in yet a 3rd.

Hope that makes sense.

Grote would know more about this but this was what I remember reading.


Steve

Bosox1976

Nice find!

EAsports

I vote you open it.

leadoff4

Nice packs. You know, if my memory is correct, I remember opening way more cello packs than wax packs growing up. I would have opened from 77-82 though instead of 73. I love looking at these espcially with the corner wear. Nice post!

nam812

Grich is #418 and Fisher is #439, both are not high numbers. Does this mean there aren't high nubmers in the packs? I don't know.

Edited to add: HOF'ers in the semi high series are McCovey, Marichal, Niekro, and Perry, as well as all time leader cards of Aaron, Ruth, Gehrig, and Cobb.

stevek

<<< Advice appreciated >>>

Live CU rip

thehallmark

Are there no sequence specialists here that can tell you definitively whether you have a Schmidt in there or not?

BunchOBull

I wish I had that kind of find to look forward to at my parents house...unfortunately, about the best I'd find is 1992 UD or Leaf.

jasoneggert

1973 is the year I was born, I always wished my parents would have bought some 73 packs and saved them for me.

I know they will never be worth a whole lot, but I bought a complete Topps factory set for each of my kids for the year they were born, 2003, 2006 and 2008. I think they will think it is pretty cool one day.

Some day I am going to collect some 73 stuff.

jeffcbay

Rip those bad boys!

jimq112

Thanks for the help! I bought a lot of 73 topps when they came out, but then opened a couple packs and didn't really like them. I'm hoping the rest are there somewhere. I thought they were gone for good.

I can't open them yet, have to figure out what I want. Really didn't expect to find them, I wasn't even looking for them when I saw them.

thanks again for the good advice!

grote15

1973 cellos contain 27 cards and most of the ones I've seen are either Series 1, Series 2 or high (5th) series, so if a high # is showing on front and back you should have a high series pack. I believe there are also some mixed series packs as Steve alluded to, as well, though most of the ones I've seen are series specific. Great find, there! If they grade at PSA, you could get about $250 a piece for those, even if they are a little banged up as this is one of the tougher years for cellos. The high series cellos are tough to find, too, as most cellos that come up for sale are from the first or second series. In fact, a PSA 8 2nd series 73 cello auctioned by justcollect just sold last Sunday night for about $350. I just got a high series cello back from PSA under the $10 specail that graded an 8.

Late in 1973, Topps produced "all series" wax packs, the first time they did that. In 1974, of course, all packs produced by Topps were all series. Rack packs were often mixed series, with one particular series in each of the first two sleeves and a different series in the third sleeve, like series 1/2 or series 3/4. I believe Steve Hart has a couple of those up for sale on his web site. They are tough to find, too.

Edit: Is the Grich card on back of the Jones pack? These cellos do appear to be from mixed series, as the Jones is from the Schmidt (fifth) series (cards #529-660), but the other cards are not.