Not even close, when you watch the bids on strong cards it is so many buyers with only one or two items from wrestling and rest are basbeball, football hockey, etc.
I yesterday was made aware of the prices of Magic The Gathering cards, if those can command the kind of money they do these can go a lot further.
Hulk Hogan is a pop culture icon, the idea his 82 Wrestling All Stars card is going back to $50 is simply insane.
I compare these cards to the Three Stooges cards, they are not traditional sports cards and sell for a ton.
There will be more sealed sets surface but the best part is the second set of these has damaged cards. Imagine that even sealed sets with damaged cards.
If you think locating high grade examples of these cards is going to get easy you are simply wrong.
Oh man I GAVE one of those 83 sets away just a few years back! My good friend and his mom, who was ill at the time, both loved watching wrestling int he 80's and I thought they would enjoy it. I might have one left
Wow, these didn't even come with boxes. Maybe these weren't as mass produced as I originally thought. Looks like a shrink wrap job I can do though. I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind owning a handful of wrestlers but I wouldn't pay a crazy price for them.
The cellophane wrappers are killers are corners. The 82A sealed I bought six months ago I did not even get the Andre graded because those still in sealed sets have a 95% chance of corner damage.
The huge problem with these cards is centering on top of the corner issues. If you check the population reports you will see a great deal with qualifiers so you can get a very strong card that grades a 9 OC.
There are no packs of these so the hidden inventory is much less then say the 1985 Topps WWF cards where there are plenty in closets and folks like BBCE can bust a box they had for sale, get them graded and swamp the popluation reports.
The biggest issue here in terms of scarcity is the website wrestleprints.com bought the remaining cards from Norman Keitzer and sold them the past five years on their site. I was fortunate enough to get two great Andre's from them. My Hogan I got from them graded a PSA 7 so there is no magic stash of these with PSA 10's. Thye are no sold out of these two and have one Flair that is a PSA 4 at best.
I have only had luck with one sealed set I bought, many have corner damage throughout and centering issues is an across the board crap shoot. The 82B I bought from the same guy I bought the 82A had corner damage on at least 20 cards.
The scariest part about buying an 82A sealed is the cards in this series are out of sequence so the back card for example is The Chrusher number 30. The other two sets are in 1-36 order so certain cards are safer as they are in the middle of the set. The Hogan is so close to the front it has much worse corners then the Ric Flair which is safer in the back of the deck.
Not only was this set not mass produced what so ever, the packaging and subsequent distribution were never intended for high grade card collecting. I have in some cases 18 of a card and the best I have ever got in submitting is a 7 that tells you something.
One other thing I forgot to mention. The current high bidder at $497 has bid on 22 items, one of the them are wrestling cards the others are the major sports cards.
This is happening on every strong new piece that shows up, EBAY ID's I don't recognize and upon further examination non wrestling card collectors.
Gawd, we're still talking about "wrestling" cards? Isn't it time for another group of actors to have their time in the sun in the card market? Didn't someone open up a box of "One Life To Live" cards about a year ago??
3 Stooges is a false market supported primarily by one person.
Your wrestling cards appeal to the baseball guys for one simple reason . . . GREED! The same reason that many of these dolts bought into Pogs, Comic Books (does the Valliant label ring a bell? Harbinger? Rai? Bloodshot?), Pokémon and Yugio cards and, of course, Beanie Babies. They saw a rising market and the increased interest created a false market for a short period of time before ALL of them crashed . . . HARD!!! The markets reset to where they would've stayed without the interference of the "card whores."
I'm not saying the wrestling cards are worthless and I'm not saying we've seen the tip of the iceberg, but I will assure you that the prices being realized today and in the near future will be far more than what they are 2 years from now.
I have made my position very clear and the market forces will move in which ever direction they want.
I personally believe the float of these is small enough to maintain a strong market. I also believe the collector base of these initially was the wrong kind for longer term collection and will lead to a low number of very strong condition cards to surface.
It does not matter if the Three Stooges is a false market. The collector has such a strong set that if someone else's wants it they will pay his price. I do not pretend to know the collector base of those but clearly stongly graded cards sell well and this was simply an example of a non pro sport card selling for big money.
To compare a Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, JYD, Bruno Samartino and many other's rookie cards to Beanie Babies is just so far off it is not funny. Plush toys vs super rare cards of childhood heros is just simply an awful comparison.
I have subbed a great deal of cards and also have a ton of un gradeable cards and realize just how hard it is find one of these in awesome condition.
Don't be dissin Bloodshot. I sold over 300 copies of #1 before it was released that year.
Valiant really is a case study for modern collectors. The mass, myself included, bought about 1 million of each issue, with several in the 2 million range, when the hobby had a hard core collector base of around 100,000 and another casual base of 500,000 or so. We needed everyone to buy multiple copies of each of the best sellers for it to substain.
So, anyone who could count should have seen the end. However, Wizard was saying the comics are flying off the shelves, and had arrows going up every month. Same time, Layton and company is offering me issues six months old at cover, now 10% guide.
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.
To compare a Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, JYD, Bruno Samartino and many other's rookie cards to Beanie Babies is just so far off it is not funny. Plush toys vs super rare cards of childhood heros is just simply an awful comparison. >>
You completely miss the point of the comparison, then. The Beanies have a far larger market base, albeit, they are produced in far greater quantity. But the demand was false, just as the demand for these wrestling cards is false. Both markets were supported and raised by factors outside the collecting base and once the "churn and burn" crowd exists, the market collapses.
Watch the Stooges market. The value now is in only a select few low pop pieces in PSA 9. Once all of his 13 sets are completely filled, ALL PSA 9's will revert back to their previous price levels just as the higher pops already have.
Those that refuse to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
<< <i>Since you guys have all been bearish since this run started; with your perfect foresight tell me the price of a strong set a year from now. >>
Comprehension! I said two years from now that it will be less than it is today. I never said that I could predict a price, but then again, I wouldn't expect you to remember that since I never said it. I also stated that there is probably still some run left in this product. But you're so busy defending it that you're too stubborn to realize what I've actually said...
Personally, if I had ANY position, I'd be moving out. Perhaps holding my best piece for my collection, but I'd be cashing out. It's always most wise to be selling on the way up rather than on the way down. But you're the self-professed economist, so I'm sure you already know that...
Do you happen to know how many from each of these sets is still alive?? If a high percentage of them are still living, those could be some fun sets to collect graphs on.
<< <i>In all seriousness, are there any cards you think can make price gains and hold them?
You seem to be negative on every post I read of your's no matter who it is. >>
Negative? You don't read much, do you? If being a realist is being negative, then slap my azz and color me purple! I've been around far too long and I've seen far too much and I've seen loudmouth hypesters like you come and go...
I've seen quite a few cards consistently gain value over the past few decades and despite an occasional dip, have proven to be blue chip items. But since you want a specific example, show me a single T206 Honus Wagner that has sold for less than its predecessor in the same grade over the past 3 decades ("Authentic" grades cannot be used as it does not account for aesthetic value of appearance) .
I have been collecting cards since I was 5 and I am now 31. I got started buying these as a fluke but once I got them in my hand I realized this would be a true monster set in high grade. I love old wrestling and have a real connection to this set.
The difference though is that I am a collector and saw this as a neat set that has everything going for it. Low production, terrible printing, a long term pop culture appeal and banged up cards. For a true high end collector you could not ask for anymore.
There are plenty of people that loved wrestling and it has died. The bottom line though is this set is packed with stars from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. There is no other wrestling set like it and if a few more decide to truelly take an interest in building a top set like me then you have not seen anything yet. If it is only me then yes indeed prices will come down.
I think others will catch the bug and want to build a high end set. Only time will tell.
<< <i>The sets go off tonight. This should an interesting end to the three auctions.
On a side note some cards I need in high grade popped on the population reports so hopefully it is 4 Sharp Corners and they end up on EBAY in a week. >>
Doughnuts to holes the cards belong to wcsports1, and you will see them on Ebay shortly.
dpeck, what are your thoughts on the 85 opc set? you seem to be an expert on wrestling cards. i've seen very few of these and the ones i have seen have been in terrible condition. I have the macho man rookie in a psa 8.5. i gotta believe that these are not that rare considering i got it for free from the guy i bought the opc set from. i asked him if he had any other savage cards because the one in the set was centered about 90/10 and he just sent me another one for free.
I sent off a few Macho Man cards in my recent big sub. Think they have big potential but the odds are really bad. Was hoping for a 6 or above with these.
Waiting on the results.
Most cards are 90/10 so a Gem Mint Macho or Ricky Steamboat would go for huge money but so un likely.
<< <i>In all seriousness, are there any cards you think can make price gains and hold them?
You seem to be negative on every post I read of your's no matter who it is. >>
Negative? You don't read much, do you? If being a realist is being negative, then slap my azz and color me purple! I've been around far too long and I've seen far too much and I've seen loudmouth hypesters like you come and go...
I've seen quite a few cards consistently gain value over the past few decades and despite an occasional dip, have proven to be blue chip items. But since you want a specific example, show me a single T206 Honus Wagner that has sold for less than its predecessor in the same grade over the past 3 decades ("Authentic" grades cannot be used as it does not account for aesthetic value of appearance) . >>
Scott....I'll put it simple to you---all you do is hump into threads and eventually get them locked like the latest one due to your comments and that of Crimsontide. I would expect better from a person that has "been around far too long and seen far too much". I'm sure you'll figure out a way to tie Wal-Mart in to this. And guess what Scott..This loudmouth ain't goin's anywheres. I actually read 3 books this week. And no...one of them was NOT Dick and Jane. I believe this is my second head but with you on these boards. Would you like to go for the trifecta? I'm your Huckleberry.
This is friendly conversation in here. I don't really care what anyone thinks about the price direction, I have made it clear where they are going and the market will determine who is right.
Please if you guys have beef keep it to yourselves. This internet heat that people have is so bizarre. Face to face it would never happen and it needs to end.
These cards are just now breaking out and we are no where near the end.
<< <i>Scott....I'll put it simple to you---all you do is hump into threads and eventually get them locked like the latest one due to your comments and that of Crimsontide. I would expect better from a person that has "been around far too long and seen far too much". I'm sure you'll figure out a way to tie Wal-Mart in to this. And guess what Scott..This loudmouth ain't goin's anywheres. I actually read 3 books this week. And no...one of them was NOT Dick and Jane. I believe this is my second head but with you on these boards. Would you like to go for the trifecta? I'm your Huckleberry. >>
@Tecmo Boil said:
Question for our local wrestling card experts...
Any idea how many 1983 sets were made?
And, any estimate of how many remain in the original sealed condition?
I have one 1983 sealed set. Wondering how many may exist.
Best,
Chris
83s are not too rare compared to the other two sets.....i have a friend that may have close to 20 of them although that is pretty rare that someone has that many. In the early ebay days for me there was a seller that had them for $5 a piece. I wish I would stockpiled those sets looking back. The set didn't have the star power of the others so i let them go....oops!
BUYING Frank Gotch T229 Kopec Looking to BUY n332 1889 SF Hess cards and high grade cards from 19th century especially. "Once you have wrestled everything else in life is easy" Dan Gable
So what is value of the sets in the OP now, 9 years later?
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.
@Tecmo Boil said:
Question for our local wrestling card experts...
Any idea how many 1983 sets were made?
And, any estimate of how many remain in the original sealed condition?
I have one 1983 sealed set. Wondering how many may exist.
Best,
Chris
83s are not too rare compared to the other two sets.....i have a friend that may have close to 20 of them although that is pretty rare that someone has that many. In the early ebay days for me there was a seller that had them for $5 a piece. I wish I would stockpiled those sets looking back. The set didn't have the star power of the others so i let them go....oops!
As I read through the thread and noted the dates, I think these have gone up even more than the ‘wrestling card guys’ had expected.
Pretty cool.
Congrats to those holding - as a non traditional set collector myself (see sig line), I can relate.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
I obviously knew these conversations took place and it fueled my bullishness on the Wrestling All Stars cards but it isn't something I think about everyday so it is fascinating to read the comments.
The number of sets is unknown and I tried asking Norman Keitzer and his response was simply not very many. In my phone conversations with Jim Cornette he thought 500 but most believe it is 2,000 or less. No one really knows for certain.
In terms of how many still exist. Once again that is an unknown. It is drastically less than existed in 2009 when I started collecting these but there are defiantly still more out there.
I want to address some comments from earlier in the thread. The closest thing to a find from this set outside of the cards that WrestlePrints had was about four years ago. Myself and Evan Mathis bought out a collector whose father had about 15 sets from the 82 A and B. Evan bought the vast majority and he had planned to keep them sealed but broke down and busted them. I am glad he did as it released some high grade cards into the market a few years later. I remember him texting me a pic of the 82 B Kerry Von Erich that he pulled and my heart sank because I had both PSA 9's and I thought for sure it was the first 10. It was and to this date it is the most I have ever spent on a card.
The sealed sets definitely leveled off but never backtracked from the levels this thread started at. An 82 A still is a $1,000 pack. If the results were better from sealed sets it would be much higher. Most realize that it is a crap shoot with bad odds so the prices pulled back some. The 82 B is probably a $400 to $500 pack still and return on average even worse results out of the pack. The 83 set is probably $250 on average so higher from the post but once again not a great risk reward. All it takes is a touched corner and you are doomed.
I am not going to lie. The price gains on these cards did exceed my expectations like 1951WP observed. I made a comment earlier in the thread and mentioned that you couldn't compare true wrestling legends to Beanie Babies. Well anyone with a brain could have seen that long term wrestling legends had much more potential than those but to see how dramatic the price increase would be wasn't really that easy. I made reference to this comment with a batch of big stars and there are two names in particular that stand out to this day. JYD and Bruno Sammartino. In my first submission to PSA I sent in 15 cards from a sealed 82 A pack. It sold for double what other packs were going for and advertised as his best pack. I put a $10 value on the two cards on the submission form. When this thread started and they were Pop 1 PSA 10's I thought the value was $100 or so. I had purchased earlier in the year the Dusty Rhodes for $122 and the Superstar Graham for $117 so I figured in that range. I thought they could get to $500 and maybe $750 but those prices would be fantasy at this point on winning. You couldn't win either in auction for $2,500.
The naysayers in this thread couldn't have been more wrong and I obviously like that but it wasn't ever a question in my mind. The basis was pop culture icons and in my view it was really obvious.
What is really fascinating is the explosion in signed cards from the set. I recall backing off auctions to help Rob when I didn't even know him and just saw his EBAY ID but realized he was collecting the set and passing on a Dusty Rhodes for less than $20. I sold one that I got signed through a friend at a wrestling convention for $400. I can't help but laugh at my Brody autograph forecast. I sold my copy for 20 times as much. There has been an explosion in signed card prices.
I did stumble upon these cards but I knew right from the start they were special. It didn't take long to realize how tough they were going to be in high grade and so it was a match made in heaven for someone who was excited about the challenge. What really is tough is I wish I could do it again. I can barely move the set today. That said I am beyond thankful for the joy I got tracking these cards down and this journey has been incredible.
Dpeck summarized well as I knew he would. I would also add that the floor for many of these cards in PSA 8 or 9 has really solidified and tougher to find. It's tough to get these at any sort of bargain. At one time the 8s were undervalued, bit not anymore for the 82s.
BUYING Frank Gotch T229 Kopec Looking to BUY n332 1889 SF Hess cards and high grade cards from 19th century especially. "Once you have wrestled everything else in life is easy" Dan Gable
As the first person who commented I was dead wrong indeed. I just had bad vibes of an "Upper Deck" type of manipulation for these types of cards without knowing who really controlled the printing presses on these back in the day and if they were sitting on a bunch of unsold material which they could now make a killing on. I am even willing to admit I own a few of these cards now.
Such an iconic set for Wrestling that is for damn sure.
@brendanb438 said:
As the first person who commented I was dead wrong indeed. I just had bad vibes of an "Upper Deck" type of manipulation for these types of cards without knowing who really controlled the printing presses on these back in the day and if they were sitting on a bunch of unsold material which they could now make a killing on. I am even willing to admit I own a few of these cards now.
Such an iconic set for Wrestling that is for damn sure.
Nice to hear you own a few. It is such a fun set and so many people watched wrestling during this era. If someone can collect Nasty Nick they certainly can collect Andre The Giant.
There is a nice PSA 8 Andre up right now through PWCC and I have a feeling it is going to do well.
Dpeck100
Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
Comments
I yesterday was made aware of the prices of Magic The Gathering cards, if those can command the kind of money they do these can go a lot further.
Hulk Hogan is a pop culture icon, the idea his 82 Wrestling All Stars card is going back to $50 is simply insane.
I compare these cards to the Three Stooges cards, they are not traditional sports cards and sell for a ton.
There will be more sealed sets surface but the best part is the second set of these has damaged cards. Imagine that even sealed sets with damaged cards.
If you think locating high grade examples of these cards is going to get easy you are simply wrong.
Fixed link (82B)
Fixed link (83A)
DPeck is really Mr. Mint.
this whole "I'M LEAVING THE HOBBY!!" stuff is nonsense.
once the underlings have the collecting community by the pelotas, there's gonna be a warehouse find.
The huge problem with these cards is centering on top of the corner issues. If you check the population reports you will see a great deal with qualifiers so you can get a very strong card that grades a 9 OC.
There are no packs of these so the hidden inventory is much less then say the 1985 Topps WWF cards where there are plenty in closets and folks like BBCE can bust a box they had for sale, get them graded and swamp the popluation reports.
The biggest issue here in terms of scarcity is the website wrestleprints.com bought the remaining cards from Norman Keitzer and sold them the past five years on their site. I was fortunate enough to get two great Andre's from them. My Hogan I got from them graded a PSA 7 so there is no magic stash of these with PSA 10's. Thye are no sold out of these two and have one Flair that is a PSA 4 at best.
I have only had luck with one sealed set I bought, many have corner damage throughout and centering issues is an across the board crap shoot. The 82B I bought from the same guy I bought the 82A had corner damage on at least 20 cards.
The scariest part about buying an 82A sealed is the cards in this series are out of sequence so the back card for example is The Chrusher number 30. The other two sets are in 1-36 order so certain cards are safer as they are in the middle of the set. The Hogan is so close to the front it has much worse corners then the Ric Flair which is safer in the back of the deck.
Not only was this set not mass produced what so ever, the packaging and subsequent distribution were never intended for high grade card collecting. I have in some cases 18 of a card and the best I have ever got in submitting is a 7 that tells you something.
This is happening on every strong new piece that shows up, EBAY ID's I don't recognize and upon further examination non wrestling card collectors.
Looking for 1970 MLB Photostamps
- uncut
Positive Transactions - tennesseebanker, Ahmanfan, Donruss, Colebear, CDsNuts, rbdjr1, Downtown1974, yankeeno7, drewsef, mnolan, mrbud60, msassin, RipublicaninMass, AkbarClone, rustywilly, lsutigers1973, julen23 and nam812, plus many others...
Your wrestling cards appeal to the baseball guys for one simple reason . . . GREED! The same reason that many of these dolts bought into Pogs, Comic Books (does the Valliant label ring a bell? Harbinger? Rai? Bloodshot?), Pokémon and Yugio cards and, of course, Beanie Babies. They saw a rising market and the increased interest created a false market for a short period of time before ALL of them crashed . . . HARD!!! The markets reset to where they would've stayed without the interference of the "card whores."
I'm not saying the wrestling cards are worthless and I'm not saying we've seen the tip of the iceberg, but I will assure you that the prices being realized today and in the near future will be far more than what they are 2 years from now.
I have made my position very clear and the market forces will move in which ever direction they want.
I personally believe the float of these is small enough to maintain a strong market. I also believe the collector base of these initially was the wrong kind for longer term collection and will lead to a low number of very strong condition cards to surface.
It does not matter if the Three Stooges is a false market. The collector has such a strong set that if someone else's wants it they will pay his price. I do not pretend to know the collector base of those but clearly stongly graded cards sell well and this was simply an example of a non pro sport card selling for big money.
To compare a Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, JYD, Bruno Samartino and many other's rookie cards to Beanie Babies is just so far off it is not funny. Plush toys vs super rare cards of childhood heros is just simply an awful comparison.
I have subbed a great deal of cards and also have a ton of un gradeable cards and realize just how hard it is find one of these in awesome condition.
Valiant really is a case study for modern collectors. The mass, myself included, bought about 1 million of each issue, with several in the 2 million range, when the hobby had a hard core collector base of around 100,000 and another casual base of 500,000 or so. We needed everyone to buy multiple copies of each of the best sellers for it to substain.
So, anyone who could count should have seen the end. However, Wizard was saying the comics are flying off the shelves, and had arrows going up every month. Same time, Layton and company is offering me issues six months old at cover, now 10% guide.
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
<< <i>Only time will tell.
To compare a Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, JYD, Bruno Samartino and many other's rookie cards to Beanie Babies is just so far off it is not funny. Plush toys vs super rare cards of childhood heros is just simply an awful comparison. >>
You completely miss the point of the comparison, then. The Beanies have a far larger market base, albeit, they are produced in far greater quantity. But the demand was false, just as the demand for these wrestling cards is false. Both markets were supported and raised by factors outside the collecting base and once the "churn and burn" crowd exists, the market collapses.
Watch the Stooges market. The value now is in only a select few low pop pieces in PSA 9. Once all of his 13 sets are completely filled, ALL PSA 9's will revert back to their previous price levels just as the higher pops already have.
Those that refuse to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
There is no need I guess for discussion since you have all the answers.
<< <i>Well I guess you simply rule the markets and can call them all.
There is no need I guess for discussion since you have all the answers. >>
Sorry, man. Scott is Summa Cum Laude. You are only Cum.
Your GPA has nothing to do with your ability to call markets.
Since you guys have all been bearish since this run started; with your perfect foresight tell me the price of a strong set a year from now.
<< <i>Since you guys have all been bearish since this run started; with your perfect foresight tell me the price of a strong set a year from now. >>
Comprehension! I said two years from now that it will be less than it is today. I never said that I could predict a price, but then again, I wouldn't expect you to remember that since I never said it. I also stated that there is probably still some run left in this product. But you're so busy defending it that you're too stubborn to realize what I've actually said...
Personally, if I had ANY position, I'd be moving out. Perhaps holding my best piece for my collection, but I'd be cashing out. It's always most wise to be selling on the way up rather than on the way down. But you're the self-professed economist, so I'm sure you already know that...
<< <i>I moved out my high end wrestling Topps but these are different. In time you will see. >>
No I won't. Because I don't give a dasm . . .
You seem to be negative on every post I read of your's no matter who it is.
If any of you make DPeck leave again I swear i'll find you.
I know you think I am a loser. Not to worry not going anywhere.
Do you happen to know how many from each of these sets is still alive?? If a high percentage of them are still living, those could be some fun sets to collect graphs on.
Mike
The number one auto would be Andre The Giant and number two would be Brusier Brody.
Those would command big money and it would far exceed what most would imagine.
Andre signed would at least be $500 if it could be authenticated, Brody $250+++
The best card ever graded is the Hogan PSA 9 auto, never scene it but what a card!!
I say lets give Dpeck a tip of the hat. He has made all of us aware of a set many had no idea even exsisted.
<< <i>In all seriousness, are there any cards you think can make price gains and hold them?
You seem to be negative on every post I read of your's no matter who it is. >>
Negative? You don't read much, do you? If being a realist is being negative, then slap my azz and color me purple! I've been around far too long and I've seen far too much and I've seen loudmouth hypesters like you come and go...
I've seen quite a few cards consistently gain value over the past few decades and despite an occasional dip, have proven to be blue chip items. But since you want a specific example, show me a single T206 Honus Wagner that has sold for less than its predecessor in the same grade over the past 3 decades ("Authentic" grades cannot be used as it does not account for aesthetic value of appearance) .
Thanks for the kind response.
I have been collecting cards since I was 5 and I am now 31. I got started buying these as a fluke but once I got them in my hand I realized this would be a true monster set in high grade. I love old wrestling and have a real connection to this set.
The difference though is that I am a collector and saw this as a neat set that has everything going for it. Low production, terrible printing, a long term pop culture appeal and banged up cards. For a true high end collector you could not ask for anymore.
There are plenty of people that loved wrestling and it has died. The bottom line though is this set is packed with stars from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. There is no other wrestling set like it and if a few more decide to truelly take an interest in building a top set like me then you have not seen anything yet. If it is only me then yes indeed prices will come down.
I think others will catch the bug and want to build a high end set. Only time will tell.
On a side note some cards I need in high grade popped on the population reports so hopefully it is 4 Sharp Corners and they end up on EBAY in a week.
Nearly $1500 for series A!!!!
<< <i>The sets go off tonight. This should an interesting end to the three auctions.
On a side note some cards I need in high grade popped on the population reports so hopefully it is 4 Sharp Corners and they end up on EBAY in a week. >>
Doughnuts to holes the cards belong to wcsports1, and you will see them on Ebay shortly.
I have tried to tell you guys for months, these are hard to come by in high grade.
Your best shot is sealed and the 82A just went for $1,461!!!!!
I love it!!!
what are your thoughts on the 85 opc set? you seem to be an expert on wrestling cards. i've seen very few of these and the ones i have seen have been in terrible condition. I have the macho man rookie in a psa 8.5. i gotta believe that these are not that rare considering i got it for free from the guy i bought the opc set from. i asked him if he had any other savage cards because the one in the set was centered about 90/10 and he just sent me another one for free.
Waiting on the results.
Most cards are 90/10 so a Gem Mint Macho or Ricky Steamboat would go for huge money but so un likely.
<< <i>
<< <i>In all seriousness, are there any cards you think can make price gains and hold them?
You seem to be negative on every post I read of your's no matter who it is. >>
Negative? You don't read much, do you? If being a realist is being negative, then slap my azz and color me purple! I've been around far too long and I've seen far too much and I've seen loudmouth hypesters like you come and go...
I've seen quite a few cards consistently gain value over the past few decades and despite an occasional dip, have proven to be blue chip items. But since you want a specific example, show me a single T206 Honus Wagner that has sold for less than its predecessor in the same grade over the past 3 decades ("Authentic" grades cannot be used as it does not account for aesthetic value of appearance) . >>
Scott....I'll put it simple to you---all you do is hump into threads and eventually get them locked like the latest one due to your comments and that of Crimsontide. I would expect better from a person that has "been around far too long and seen far too much". I'm sure you'll figure out a way to tie Wal-Mart in to this. And guess what Scott..This loudmouth ain't goin's anywheres. I actually read 3 books this week. And no...one of them was NOT Dick and Jane. I believe this is my second head but with you on these boards. Would you like to go for the trifecta? I'm your Huckleberry.
This is friendly conversation in here. I don't really care what anyone thinks about the price direction, I have made it clear where they are going and the market will determine who is right.
Please if you guys have beef keep it to yourselves. This internet heat that people have is so bizarre. Face to face it would never happen and it needs to end.
These cards are just now breaking out and we are no where near the end.
<< <i>Scott....I'll put it simple to you---all you do is hump into threads and eventually get them locked like the latest one due to your comments and that of Crimsontide. I would expect better from a person that has "been around far too long and seen far too much". I'm sure you'll figure out a way to tie Wal-Mart in to this. And guess what Scott..This loudmouth ain't goin's anywheres. I actually read 3 books this week. And no...one of them was NOT Dick and Jane. I believe this is my second head but with you on these boards. Would you like to go for the trifecta? I'm your Huckleberry. >>
You bore me...
Question for our local wrestling card experts...
Any idea how many 1983 sets were made?
And, any estimate of how many remain in the original sealed condition?
I have one 1983 sealed set. Wondering how many may exist.
Best,
Chris
83s are not too rare compared to the other two sets.....i have a friend that may have close to 20 of them although that is pretty rare that someone has that many. In the early ebay days for me there was a seller that had them for $5 a piece. I wish I would stockpiled those sets looking back. The set didn't have the star power of the others so i let them go....oops!
Looking to BUY n332 1889 SF Hess cards and high grade cards from 19th century especially. "Once you have wrestled everything else in life is easy" Dan Gable
So what is value of the sets in the OP now, 9 years later?
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.
As I read through the thread and noted the dates, I think these have gone up even more than the ‘wrestling card guys’ had expected.
Pretty cool.
Congrats to those holding - as a non traditional set collector myself (see sig line), I can relate.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Thanks for bumping this thread. What a trip down memory lane!
On my way out with my wife for dinner and going to the ballet and will comment later tonight.
Ha, I need to look at post dates when i am reading...
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
I obviously knew these conversations took place and it fueled my bullishness on the Wrestling All Stars cards but it isn't something I think about everyday so it is fascinating to read the comments.
The number of sets is unknown and I tried asking Norman Keitzer and his response was simply not very many. In my phone conversations with Jim Cornette he thought 500 but most believe it is 2,000 or less. No one really knows for certain.
In terms of how many still exist. Once again that is an unknown. It is drastically less than existed in 2009 when I started collecting these but there are defiantly still more out there.
I want to address some comments from earlier in the thread. The closest thing to a find from this set outside of the cards that WrestlePrints had was about four years ago. Myself and Evan Mathis bought out a collector whose father had about 15 sets from the 82 A and B. Evan bought the vast majority and he had planned to keep them sealed but broke down and busted them. I am glad he did as it released some high grade cards into the market a few years later. I remember him texting me a pic of the 82 B Kerry Von Erich that he pulled and my heart sank because I had both PSA 9's and I thought for sure it was the first 10. It was and to this date it is the most I have ever spent on a card.
The sealed sets definitely leveled off but never backtracked from the levels this thread started at. An 82 A still is a $1,000 pack. If the results were better from sealed sets it would be much higher. Most realize that it is a crap shoot with bad odds so the prices pulled back some. The 82 B is probably a $400 to $500 pack still and return on average even worse results out of the pack. The 83 set is probably $250 on average so higher from the post but once again not a great risk reward. All it takes is a touched corner and you are doomed.
I am not going to lie. The price gains on these cards did exceed my expectations like 1951WP observed. I made a comment earlier in the thread and mentioned that you couldn't compare true wrestling legends to Beanie Babies. Well anyone with a brain could have seen that long term wrestling legends had much more potential than those but to see how dramatic the price increase would be wasn't really that easy. I made reference to this comment with a batch of big stars and there are two names in particular that stand out to this day. JYD and Bruno Sammartino. In my first submission to PSA I sent in 15 cards from a sealed 82 A pack. It sold for double what other packs were going for and advertised as his best pack. I put a $10 value on the two cards on the submission form. When this thread started and they were Pop 1 PSA 10's I thought the value was $100 or so. I had purchased earlier in the year the Dusty Rhodes for $122 and the Superstar Graham for $117 so I figured in that range. I thought they could get to $500 and maybe $750 but those prices would be fantasy at this point on winning. You couldn't win either in auction for $2,500.
The naysayers in this thread couldn't have been more wrong and I obviously like that but it wasn't ever a question in my mind. The basis was pop culture icons and in my view it was really obvious.
What is really fascinating is the explosion in signed cards from the set. I recall backing off auctions to help Rob when I didn't even know him and just saw his EBAY ID but realized he was collecting the set and passing on a Dusty Rhodes for less than $20. I sold one that I got signed through a friend at a wrestling convention for $400. I can't help but laugh at my Brody autograph forecast. I sold my copy for 20 times as much. There has been an explosion in signed card prices.
I did stumble upon these cards but I knew right from the start they were special. It didn't take long to realize how tough they were going to be in high grade and so it was a match made in heaven for someone who was excited about the challenge. What really is tough is I wish I could do it again. I can barely move the set today. That said I am beyond thankful for the joy I got tracking these cards down and this journey has been incredible.
Dpeck summarized well as I knew he would. I would also add that the floor for many of these cards in PSA 8 or 9 has really solidified and tougher to find. It's tough to get these at any sort of bargain. At one time the 8s were undervalued, bit not anymore for the 82s.
Looking to BUY n332 1889 SF Hess cards and high grade cards from 19th century especially. "Once you have wrestled everything else in life is easy" Dan Gable
And THAT’S why I asked. You guys rule.
As the first person who commented I was dead wrong indeed. I just had bad vibes of an "Upper Deck" type of manipulation for these types of cards without knowing who really controlled the printing presses on these back in the day and if they were sitting on a bunch of unsold material which they could now make a killing on. I am even willing to admit I own a few of these cards now.
Such an iconic set for Wrestling that is for damn sure.
Nice to hear you own a few. It is such a fun set and so many people watched wrestling during this era. If someone can collect Nasty Nick they certainly can collect Andre The Giant.
There is a nice PSA 8 Andre up right now through PWCC and I have a feeling it is going to do well.