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New Member, rookie question re: Old Wax Packs Unopened
Cooptown
Posts: 397 ✭✭✭
Hello All,
Brand new member. I started collecting baseball cards in the early 80s. When mass production hit in 1987 or so, I decided to go throwback and started buying vintage. After a few years, I abonded that completely, and turned to just autographs (minor league and baseball HOFers) and now strictly just baseball HOFers.
A lot of my current collecting is revolved around the memories I have of growing up, and particularly the bond collecting has with my father and I. Then all of a sudden it dawned on me: Why not collect an unopened wax pack of Topps from the year I was born up until now, as my father use to always buy me packs of Topps cards when he was out.
So last night I started the project, and purchase the 1977 Topps unopened pack and now I am on my way. Honestly, I dont see this as too hard of a project to complete, and maybe once I get 1977 to today, I will start backtracking.
But as a complete newbie to this aspect of collecting, I am looking for some pointers from those experts who collect unopened packs. What should I look for? Stupid question as we are on a PSA board, but what are the positives of having it authenticated? I assume to protect from tampering with the pack.
And lastly, once I get this collection going, the main thing I am going to want to do is display it. I feel as though even those who dont collect sports memorabilia currently will get a kick out of seeing all these unopened packs from their childhood.
Any feedback on your collecting experience (and pictures!) is greatly appreciated! I feel like a kid in a candy store as I have been collecting sports cards and memorabilia for 25+ years, but never once got into this aspect of it.
Brand new member. I started collecting baseball cards in the early 80s. When mass production hit in 1987 or so, I decided to go throwback and started buying vintage. After a few years, I abonded that completely, and turned to just autographs (minor league and baseball HOFers) and now strictly just baseball HOFers.
A lot of my current collecting is revolved around the memories I have of growing up, and particularly the bond collecting has with my father and I. Then all of a sudden it dawned on me: Why not collect an unopened wax pack of Topps from the year I was born up until now, as my father use to always buy me packs of Topps cards when he was out.
So last night I started the project, and purchase the 1977 Topps unopened pack and now I am on my way. Honestly, I dont see this as too hard of a project to complete, and maybe once I get 1977 to today, I will start backtracking.
But as a complete newbie to this aspect of collecting, I am looking for some pointers from those experts who collect unopened packs. What should I look for? Stupid question as we are on a PSA board, but what are the positives of having it authenticated? I assume to protect from tampering with the pack.
And lastly, once I get this collection going, the main thing I am going to want to do is display it. I feel as though even those who dont collect sports memorabilia currently will get a kick out of seeing all these unopened packs from their childhood.
Any feedback on your collecting experience (and pictures!) is greatly appreciated! I feel like a kid in a candy store as I have been collecting sports cards and memorabilia for 25+ years, but never once got into this aspect of it.
0
Comments
One thing I think everyone on here would agree with is that buying ungraded vintage wax packs from ebay is not only risky,
there's actually a likelihood that the packs will be re-seals or fakes.
What I am interested in is how confident people are in the authenticity of graded packs. There have been several scandals over the
years involving the original GAI encapsulating fake packs. I assume there is a reason Steve Hart cracked out every GAI pack on his
site and PSA'd them. Is the current incarnation of Global Authentication considered reliable?
On an unfortunate note, while I've always been aware of re-sealing, I think I always considered it a remote possibility rather than the
pervasive threat it really is. Once I (finally) understood what to look for, I pulled over 20 fake packs out of my Wacky Packages
wax collection, which had been sold to me by trusted fellow collectors as well as ebay dealers. One important thing to understand is
that trusting the source does NOT equate to trusting the authenticity of the packs UNLESS the source has the expertise to spot fakes.
The sad truth is that plausible deniability will always be present, so absent the brilliant sleuthing that has nailed a few scumbags, the
best you can really hope for is to educate yourself about how to spot fakes and about what sources can be trusted. Good luck.
PS: Obviously, with packs from the late '80's which are dirt cheap it's a lot less of a worry.
My Podcast - Now FEATURED on iTunes
1. EBAY is not a safe place to buy unopened stuff.
2. PSA-graded packs are safe.
3. BBCE is a safe place to buy unopened stuff.
It's not Rome ... but there is plenty of excitement.
1975-1999 and the wonderful 1980's - I've found it very challenging to find quality mint packs from these years even though they are easy to find. Normally the packs graded out to an 8.
Personally I like the packs in PSA holders - they look great displayed in my basement it's fun to tell people such and such rookie could be in the pack! - I'm currently waiting on about 20 packs to come back from PSA to add to my registry collection.
A big question I have; does anyone display theirs? I want to display the entire series once I complete it. Thanks again!
<< <i>Thanks for all the feedback already!
A big question I have; does anyone display theirs? I want to display the entire series once I complete it. Thanks again! >>
I'll take some pic tonight!
I did something similar a while back, buying most topps, fleer, and donruss issues from the 80's, the decade of most of my pack ripping.
BBCE is a good place to get started at a fair price. And Steve actually sent me some of the '86, '87, and '88 stuff for free since the cards are so worthless he only had them for sale in full boxes and I just wanted one pack.
The display turned out like this:
Good luck in your pack quest.
shawn
<< <i>
1. EBAY is not a safe place to buy unopened stuff.
2. PSA-graded packs are safe.
3. BBCE is a safe place to buy unopened stuff. >>
Solid advice!
unopened pack guide
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
It has been well noted on these boards however that GAI mistakingly slabbed large amounts of "bad" '70, '71 & '72 baseball "grocery" cello packs along with many "bad" late 50's & early 60's bb & fb cellos--all in early generation slabs.
welcome to the wonderful world of pack collecting. I have been doing it since I started collecting in '87. I am a little older than you (OK, a lot older having been born in '58), and I started out collecting cello, rack and wax packs with stars and HOFs on top. Back then the market for vintage unopened was not hot as it is now. It was also before grading. So you really had to trust the source and know a thing or two about spotting a real versus fake pack. Picked up many nice packs from the '60s and '70s for $150-$250. Many are now worth 5-10 times what I paid.
As for raw packs, I stay away from them. I may buy a raw pack if from a trusted source who I know has been collecting for a long time, but really only go after PSA packs. I will buy a GAI pack but only if I see the back of the pack, and even then, only 50% of the time. Most (most??) GAI packs that were holdered when they first started are good, anything graded by GAI nowadays I stay away from. I have also started crossing over my GAI packs to PSA slabs. I have done about 25 packs thus far and have a $hitload more. I may never complete the task as it runs into much money.
The primary reason for the crossover is authenticity. When I am no longer here -- or when I decide to sell -- I want to make the task of selling of my collection as easy as possible. Also, the PSA holders are much nicer.
As stated, do not buy raw wax, cellos, or racks. The prices for late '70s wax is very affordable for PSA slabbed packs. And as long as you are collecting you may as well start a PSA registry set. BBCE is the "guy" of course.
As for displaying, I do not display mine. No room, frankly. I do keep accurate inventory and pictures of most of my packs and "enjoy" them by having a slide show on my computer and setting a different desktop picture of my prized items each week.
Good Luck and do not be afraid to bust a pack now and then!
Here are a few pics of some packs of mine.
both since crossed over
Manny
<< <i>Just wanted to add that the early generation GAI slabs are much more reliable than the later ones.
It has been well noted on these boards however that GAI mistakingly slabbed large amounts of "bad" '70, '71 & '72 baseball "grocery" cello packs along with many "bad" late 50's & early 60's bb & fb cellos--all in early generation slabs. >>
What's the consensus on the GAI slabs with the "new flip"? Does the company as it is now constituted have its S$&* together, or is PSA
the only reliable way to go for buyers?
On your July 24th post (R.I.P. Corporal Nicholas George Xiarhos) you misspelled Afghanistan in the first line of your post by spelling it Afghanastan. The "a" and "i" on the keyboards are too far apart for this to have been a typo.
Just as you are "bothered" by people who incorrectly use a word I too am "bothered" by people who have less than perfect spelling yet still find it necessary to criticize another's grammar!
The newer generation GAI slabs are unreliable. Hundreds upon hundreds of "homemade" '77 & '78 baseball wax packs were slabbed by gai within the past year.
I speak of the homemade packs that were submitted by ebayer (import-export-co) who was buying factory uncut rolls of '77 & 78 wax wrappers and constructing packs.
Import-export-co was exposed last june and they stopped selling packs.
I have also seen many early '70's bb & fb wax packs slabbed by gai within the last year that contain the smaller sized gum that was used in the 80's. The packs from the early '70s used a much larger piece of gum.
These specifics I've mentioned above are just a few reasons why I consider the newer generation Gai slabs to be unreliable.
<< <i>PaulMaul,
The newer generation GAI slabs are unreliable. Hundreds upon hundreds of "homemade" '77 & '78 baseball wax packs were slabbed by gai within the past year.
I speak of the homemade packs that were submitted by ebayer (import-export-co) who was buying factory uncut rolls of '77 & 78 wax wrappers and constructing packs.
Import-export-co was exposed last june and they stopped selling packs.
I have also seen many early '70's bb & fb wax packs slabbed by gai within the last year that contain the smaller sized gum that was used in the 80's. The packs from the early '70s used a much larger piece of gum.
These specifics I've mentioned above are just a few reasons why I consider the newer generation Gai slabs to be unreliable. >>
It's really a shame. It's one thing when one is buying a 1977 baseball pack to pick and choose which grading company you trust. But when
you want a 1967 Wacky Packages die cut pack, it's a long term commitment just to wait for one to show up, no less require that it be PSA instead
of GAI. And when $1000-$1500 is on the line, it would be nice to be able to trust the grading company.
Even if you can inspect that graded pack in person (or have return privleges) it's very tough to tell whether a pack is legit through the holder. You
need the light to hit the wax at just the right angle for the truth to be revealed, and the plastic of the holder reflects all the light.
ENJOY THE QUEST...Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.