X-Outs on 1980s Topps Boxes?

shu4040

someone explain this to me? why do some boxes have them? Why don't others? What does it mean?

alnavman

I'm not an expert but seem to remember someone saying these were boxes returned to Topps from stores and then resold???? I'm sure someone knows the correct answer.

cpamike

alnavman is correct. These boxes were returned to Topps at the end of the season and then resold at a discount. Nothing different about the packs inside.

thedutymon

<< <i>alnavman is correct. These boxes were returned to Topps at the end of the season and then resold at a discount. Nothing different about the packs inside. >>



Actually not quite true, many of these boxes were remade from partial boxes. The down side to this is that though they weren't picked thru at the time for certain Stars/Rookies (Who knew who was going to BE one at the time) showing thru the wrappers, they are for the most part very handled. As most know this Can but not necessarily affect the cards in the packs. Having opend hundreds of Boxes from the 80's it is immediatly obvious if a Box has been rifled or made up from packs as the difference of how the packs sit on each other after 20-30 years without having been touched is clear.

Also many boxes are re-made nowdays in manners such as this: Kruu00K Cards has 10 boxes of 81 Topps Football, they sell individual packs at the National and generally watch to see whats pulled from a packs as they are opened, as soon as somebody pulls the Montana, that Box is pulled and when they get two or three boxes of left over packs they are re-made into a box and then sold on E-Bay as a Fresh Unopened Box with never a mention that the chance of pulling a Monatna Rookie has been clearly diminished. I know of several E-Bay Sellers who do this, you can tell when you get a Box with packs that were wrapped a littles different from two or three boxes.

Buyer Beware !!!

YeeHah

Neil

shu4040

interesting stuff. thanks

cpamike

Great points Neil. Yes, the fact that these boxes were returned means that they possibly were handled and the star packs pulled by customers. These boxes were filled back up again and then resold, as is. Obviously, Neil's other point is true of any vintage unopened box where sellers open the packs until they hit the key card or cards and backfill the box it sell as unopened. That is why wax packs are more difficult to determine if this has occurred. At least with cello and rack boxes, you can usually tell if the box has been cherrypicked.

I just wanted to comment that there was nothing wrong in general with these boxes. With any vintage boxes, you just need to examine the packs closely and use your judgement as a lot of resealing is going on out there.

Ripken

I think it's possible some of those packs have been 'searched', but not many people were doing that in the early and mid-1980s. Generally, a lot more retail outlets carried cards, ordered too many and just shipped them back. I don't think the risk is that great, if you can trace the history or buy from a reputable seller.

I find the x-outs, the 'cut card cases' and bulk pack deals (big boxes of loose packs) that were available in the mid-late 80s pretty fascinating. You don't see many of them anymore but a few dealers had them for sale all the time. I remember there being a lot of '79 and '82 Topps and recall a few '82 mutant packs that had enough cards for a cello inside. Topps also got a lot of returns once wholesalers (I assume) saw there had been packaging errors (maybe some retailers too). These weren't searched; just typical manufacturing-type errors that every seller of product deals with.

ThoseBackPages

Great points so far. Also remember that prior to 1987ish, nobody in the hobby really cared about Football/Basketball/Hockey Cards.

Sure there were some of us that bought them, but lets not kid each other, those X-Out Boxes were returned because of lack of demand more then "searching"

sam1952

thanks for the info. I have seen alot of 84 topps football with those black x on them.

StarPaxMan

<< <i>Great points so far. Also remember that prior to 1987ish, nobody in the hobby really cared about Football/Basketball/Hockey Cards.

Sure there were some of us that bought them, but lets not kid each other, those X-Out Boxes were returned because of lack of demand more then "searching" >>



So far you're the closest, when i and my fellow dealers purchased closeouts the reason giving to us was that they didn't want us to put 'em up in the open market
and compete with the many stores that were still selling the product so that is the true reason for X out, and on the football basketball and hockey i bought 1984 cello
cases in 1985 for a wapping $30 a case that's right less than 2 dollars a box and just one of those packs out those cases was sold on EBAY for $1474 by Muggyman.
just sharing a true story of this grate hobby. Jose

ldferg

<< <i>... i bought 1984 cello cases in 1985 for a wapping $30 a case that's right less than 2 dollars a box and just one of those packs out those cases was sold on EBAY for $1474 by Muggyman.
just sharing a true story of this grate hobby. Jose >>



the good ole days.