4 STAR PACK FANS & BRETT FANS - ALSO LIST YOUR TOP FIVE 1970'S CELLO PACKS

MattyC

I'm overjoyed and incredibly thankful to the gentleman who gave me the opportunity to obtain two very special Brett RC cello packs today. I had been hoping for some time to unite the three most important Brett RC front cello packs (regular and mini version), along with his graded RCs, to form a unique collection of one of my favorite cards. Perhaps there is a fun slant on the Registry here, in collecting a given card in numerous ways.

Anyways, for those who dig pix as much as I do, here ya go. What really struck me was how centered and eye-appealing the top cards were of those packs. Especially the Mini version-- and to have the third biggest card on back (after the Yount). To my knowledge, there is no Brett/Yount mini cello, which made this one with the #500 the next top candidate. Now if I can only find the regular '75 RC in PSA 10...


First, the fronts...





Backs...

Dpeck100

AWESOME stuff!!!


There are a bunch of the pack collectors on the board that post sick packs but that front and back Brett may take the cake!


Congrats!

Darin

Matty, thats just cool. The Brett rookie is my favorite card. Nice going.

MattyC

Thx, Dpeck; it struck me at first as an absolute freak of nature. I thought my jaw dropped as far as it could when I first learned that Brett/Yount configuration existed. But the double Brett had me bugging out.

Darin I agree there is just something about that card that draws me in every time I see it. It's up there with the 70's-All-Decade Cards.

For star cellos, I am personally partial to the aesthetic of the 1973 and later issues, because I like the advertising on the pack itself, as opposed to clear cello wrapper. I don't own any pre 1973. So in terms of collecting key 70's cards on cello tops, in 73 there's Schmidt. 74 is Winfield and 2nd year Schmidt. Then 75 there are a ton of great cards but the Brett RC is top dog hands down. 76 by comparison is lean on seminal star cards for the top of a cello, though the 2nd year Brett is a great card. Then 77, like 76, is rather lean for seminal cards (though I personally love the Murphy RC). 78 has the Murray and Molitor. 79 has Ozzie RC, but for some reason that card doesn't fire me up, and there really isn't another awesome card in the set to pair it with on the back of a hypothetical cello for it to hang with some other dream cello top/bottom combinations...

If I had to pick my top 5 dream star cello packs from 73 and on, since some may just not exist, I'd go with:

1. 75 - Brett/Brett (mini or reg)
2. 75 - Brett/Yount (mini or reg)
3. 73 - Schmidt/big star like Ryan/Rose/Aaron/Clemente, etc.
4. 78 - Murray/Molitor or vice versa
5. 74 - Winfield/Schmidt

Dpeck100

They are all awesome but having two of one of the coolest baseball cards ever made in one pack is nuts. I have to think that has to be the most valuable Brett pack that exists.

Thanks for sharing I love seeing rare collectibles.

Dboneesq

Matty ... those are AMAZING! Congrats on the pick-ups. These might even have Jose drooling! LMAO (And by the way, who needs to pay the mortgage the next few months, right? HAHA)

MattyC

I definitely had to take a deep breath when I was taking out the loot for the deal; but I will be buried with these lol. The chance to unite all three packs together was just too special to pass up.

Edit: I wonder what would everyone else's top 5 coolest post 73 cellos be? Or just of the 70's maybe? Would be cool to see what combinations guys come up with and why.

Dpeck100

If this raging graded pack bull market continues, which I think it will, you made a fantastic investment. Not only do you get to have the satisfaction of owning that Gem you will make money for being the guy who pulled the trigger on it too.


That is a true rarity.

Darin

Matty, another great thing about the Brett/Yount packs is the fact they are really good friends. Brett even named one of his sons Robin after Yount.
They admired and respected each other a lot during their playing days and its cool they both played for one team their whole career and went into the hall of fame together.

MattyC

Dpeck, you bring up a very interesting topic. While I collect them solely because I think they are just cool as *@1t, I really do feel that the graded/authenticated cello with star market is a major sector/niche of the hobby that should experience massive growth. My reasons:

1. The cards pictured on the graded collectible are major, popular star cards and RCs-- these cards have the deepest/broadest market, the most people interested in obtaining them.

2. These packs are just so damn rare. That is probably the key factor in the discussion. You have these cards that are the most popular in the hobby, and now you have them in an incredibly rare and cool state.

3. If you have the card alone graded in a state you are happy with, but love the card, where else do you go? If there's a card I love, and I have it in the grade I want, the logical next progression is to own it in another desirable and rare state-- the graded cello.

For these reasons I would not be surprised if-- as more and more collectors organically turn to star cellos as a whole or just examples of their favorite cards/players showing-- this area of the market explodes. I mean, having a card you love as an 8 or 9 in most cases is not nearly as rare as finding it on top and back of a cello, or paired with another great card.

Darin

I'm not really a pack collector but I would think for 1975 either Brett or Yount on front and Hank Aaron on back. Hank is card number 660, the last card in the set and it would seem fitting to have him on the back.

And the Hank Aaron highlight is card number 1 so it would really be cool to have that card on front and his 660 card on back.

MattyC

Wow-- never knew that Darin, about Brett naming his son. Their rookie cards will always be linked in collectors' minds. To this day every time I think of one card the other's image pops in my head.

One of the collectors in our community here actually has both face out on a mini rack pack; one of the more impressive pieces I've ever seen. I even think they are side by side. I hope PSA never grades racks because I'd probably never leave homie alone, lol.

That is a really cool thought about the 660 Hank on the back. It makes me wonder if there's a #1 Aaron HL top and #660 Aaron back cello out there somewhere-- that would be sick!

Dude I just thought and wrote the same thing! Funny.

Dpeck100

I started a thread about the two mega cards being auctioned off now because it is a reflection of the market. You would not see cards of that magnitude setting record highs for their grade if the market was soft.

One of the segments that has caught many collectors attention is the graded pack market. There is demand for all 70's packs that are authenticated.

What you have is something special. I am not making light of the other packs as they are fantastic too.

George Brett is a baseball icon. He played for the same team his entire career, he was a guys guy and an awesome baseball player. He is obviously heavily collected.

The 1975 Topps set is in my mind one of the best baseball sets ever. The cards are extremely attractive and you have a ton of star power in the sets.

To have the marque card from the set on the front and back of a cello pack is insane!

I don't care what you paid for that pack you will be able to sell it for more.

MattyC

<< <i>I started a thread about the two mega cards being auctioned off now because it is a reflection of the market. You would not see cards of that magnitude setting record highs for their grade if the market was soft.

Definitely not soft with all these amazing auctions going off all over the internet. Some beautiful cards out there and they are selling well.

aconte

<< <i>I'm overjoyed and incredibly thankful to the gentleman who gave me the opportunity to obtain two very special Brett RC cello packs today. >>



Great packs Matty! Love the mini Brett with Ryan on the back. The others are great too.

Someday, I hope the gentleman gives me a shot at a special pack I really want!

aconte

RynoandBo

Super sweet Brett collection. The Brett on the front and back is just killer.




In response to the question of which combo's you would like to find, mine would be:

1: 1983 Topps Sandberg TOP, Gwynn Bottom

2. 1984 Topps Sandberg TOP, Bruce Sutter Bottom (Sandberg's most memorable moment, hitting 2 homers off Sutter leading to a Cubs victory over the Cardinals)

Big80s

Holy cow! Those are some packs! Great work, man.

PowderedH2O

I know that the value isn't the same, but for fans of the 1975 Boston Red Sox, a Rice RC/Lynn RC combination would seem like an awesome cello.

MattyC

That's yet another cool idea-- cellos that capture players key to famous moments. Like say the Pine Tar game, pitcher and catcher of no hitter, etc. so much can be done with cellos.

PeteZaria

<< <i>That's yet another cool idea-- cellos that capture players key to famous moments. Like say the Pine Tar game, pitcher and catcher of no hitter, etc. so much can be done with cellos. >>



The pine tar game was in 1983, so how about a 1983 rack pack with Brett, Gossage, and Billy Martin on top? That would be neat.

MattyC

Too lazy to check if this one's possible, but a Thomson/Branca cello would be great. You could really tell some nice baseball history stories with the right cellos.

PowderedH2O

1986: Mookie Wilson/Bill Buckner
1986: Donnie Moore/Dave Henderson
1975: Bernie Carbo/Rawly Eastwick
1975: Carlton Fisk/Pat Darcy
1988: Kirk Gibson/Dennis Eckersley

a few more thoughts there...

Dboneesq

Hank Aaron/Al Downing

Roger Maris/Tracy Stallard

Pete Rose/Bud Harrelson

MattyC

Id think a strawberry Gooden, or mattingly Winfield, or canseco McGwire could be found. Stars teammate packs.

Another cool variant could be MVP or Cy young or Roy winners in both leagues.