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Unopened Wax Pack Question / Does anyone have X-Ray vision?

I have these five packs of 1979 Topps remaining from a box I bought a while back. I opened 31 packs from that box and every single card in every single pack had a severe tilt. Lots of star cards. Even two Ozzies. All tilted! So, discouraged, I gave finally gave up, leaving the aforementioned five packs unopened.

Well, I came across the packs yesterday while organizing my cards. I am not even tempted to open them, as I am pretty sure they will yield the same results as the other packs. However, I did try to see who was on the front and the back of the packs. It is impossible to see anything on the front, as the large picture on the front wrapper is dark, coupled with the fact that the gum is on the front. However, on the back I can see the team names, but not much else due to the folds. The five packs are Dodgers, Astros, Angels, Red Sox, and Reds. There could be some decent star power (Rose, Seaver, Ryan, Yaz, Bench)there.

My questions are: Is there a way to see the cards in the pack without opening? A type of lighting or something? It seems like when I shine a bright light on the packs, it actually makes the card inside harder to see, as the light shines off the wax. Also, does it even matter who the cards on the bottom are? For cellos and racks, obviously it makes a difference, but if it is so difficult to see the card, will it matter at all? Big deal if that is a Nolan Ryan on the bottom if it's nearly impossible to see.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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    cpamikecpamike Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭
    Hey Seth,

    It does matter to guys who like to open packs as you can get a premium for it. One thing that helps me is to hold the packs up above your head and use sunlight or a natural light source such as an Otto light. The other thing I do is to take out that particular set (I have all my sets in binders) and that helps in identifying the card in question if I can make out some type of specific feature.

    Hope this helps and good luck.
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep."

    "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

    Collecting:
    Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
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    SethroSethro Posts: 671 ✭✭
    BBG: I doubt I was taken. Not because I am so savvy, but because the packs look great. Roller lines match up on the back. The creases in the wrapper are where they should be. Wrapper itself is nice and tight with crisp folds in the corners. And no brown marks from my imaginary heating device that reseals packs.

    The cards themselves are not tilted all over the place. There is uniformity. They are essentially tilted all the same way. The cards are glossy and sharp cornered, but tilted. I don't think someone got an uncut sheet, cut the cards poorly, and wrapped them up for sale. Unless that someone was Topps. See below for scans of a few cards for examples.

    Mike: I thought about doing that, too. I have the set so maybe I can make out the top of a head or something. I may not be able to know 100% which card it may be, but I may possibly be able to rule some out.

    If I figured out what cards they were and got them slabbed, would PSA note who was showing on the back?

    image
    Positive transactions: Bighurt2000 - DavidPuddy - ShootyBabitt - Bosox1976 - LarryP - Captainthreeputt - Tedw9 - aconte -EAsports -Johnsteph10 -hhmag70 - depcs - TheThrill22 - scotgreb - longtimemetsfan - cadets68 - augustaman - mcholke - miconelegacy
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    cpamikecpamike Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭
    Hey Seth,

    I've seen worse centering than those. The Ozzie is usually off L to R too, your's looks pretty good.

    Yes, PSA will note it on the flip if you request it. Only catch is that they have to be able to verify that it is the card you say it is.

    I have a 1974 wax pack with Bob Gibson I believe showing through the back. I think the 74's are easier to look at than the 79's. I'm thinking about sending it in for grading but sometimes the gum in the wax packs shifts and could rip a small hole in the pack while being shipped back from PSA.
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep."

    "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

    Collecting:
    Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
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    SethroSethro Posts: 671 ✭✭
    I guess they don't look mangled or anything, but I bought the box to help me complete the 79 set in 9s. Obviously these aren't going to do it.

    Anyway, mystery solved! I lifted the fold ever so slightly, as on the 79s the name is right above the team. Here are the exciting results!!

    Astros: Cesar Cedeno
    Angels: Bob Grich
    Dodgers: Reggie Smith
    Reds: Mike Lum

    and finally, a little bit o' star power. Little bit.

    Red Sox: Dwight Evans! LOL.



    Positive transactions: Bighurt2000 - DavidPuddy - ShootyBabitt - Bosox1976 - LarryP - Captainthreeputt - Tedw9 - aconte -EAsports -Johnsteph10 -hhmag70 - depcs - TheThrill22 - scotgreb - longtimemetsfan - cadets68 - augustaman - mcholke - miconelegacy
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    jeffcbayjeffcbay Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭✭
    lol... just open them. I feel like I'm back in high school playing "just the tip".
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    matthewbschultz83matthewbschultz83 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭


    << <i>lol... just open them. I feel like I'm back in high school playing "just the tip". >>



    Jeff he doesn't want to get screwed....lol
    Matt's Card Page
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    Building Sets, Collecting Texas Rangers, and Texas Tech Red Raiders
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    SethroSethro Posts: 671 ✭✭
    The "just the tip" comment begs for a Rusty Kuntz joke, but he wasn't in the 79 set, so I have to let it pass.

    BBG: I may do that for the front, just for the fun of it. I may get one or two of these slabbed. Just keep the others. Again, there is no good reason to open them. I doubt these are the five packs without a tilt.
    Positive transactions: Bighurt2000 - DavidPuddy - ShootyBabitt - Bosox1976 - LarryP - Captainthreeputt - Tedw9 - aconte -EAsports -Johnsteph10 -hhmag70 - depcs - TheThrill22 - scotgreb - longtimemetsfan - cadets68 - augustaman - mcholke - miconelegacy
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    grote15grote15 Posts: 29,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you press the wax wrapper down on where the team name appears, you should be able to (hopefully) make out enough letters in the name to confirm a star player from that particular team. Good luck!


    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.
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