What is the safest unopened pack?
slum22
Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭✭
I usually buy singles (and graded ones at that) because I like to know with some measure of certainty what I am getting for my money. So I am wondering which type of unopened pack is the safest to purchase? Specifically in terms of 80's football and baseball. There seem to be wax packs, cello packs, rack packs and a type of grocery rack pack. Which of these are the least likely to be tampered with/resealed? I am presuming wax packs are the easiest to tamper with. I have been thinking of getting some unopened racks off of Ebay as it seems to offer a good value price wise. Is there significant risk of tampering with these packs or can the price be worth the risk?
Steve
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I guess what I am saying is that any type of pack can be resealed depending on the skill of the resealer, but you need the experience of handling these types of packs to educate yourself on what to look for. I personally review an eBay seller's entire feedback history which in some cases may take some time and then make a small first time purchase if I don't see any red flags in the feedback. If I feel comfortable with the pack I purchased, I will purchase more from that seller.
Good luck!!!
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.
<< <i> I personally review an eBay seller's entire feedback history which in some cases may take some time and then make a small first time purchase if I don't see any red flags in the feedback. If I feel comfortable with the pack I purchased, I will purchase more from that seller.
Good luck!!! >>
This is certainly prudent. One thing that complicates matters even more is that a seller being honest isn't enough. He has to be both honest and competent to spot resealed product, otherwise the seller could just be passing along resealed junk unwittingly. The built in "plausible deniability" ("Wow, I'm as shocked as you are to find out this stuff is fake!) for sellers makes it very difficult to trust anyone.
wpkoughan@yahoo.com
Collecting 1970-1979 PSA 9 & 10 Baseball Cards
Good material - reliable source
At least as a start
<< <i>I would only buy unopened material from bbce. 89 score could be sequenced rather than resealed. I wouldn't even buy psa slabbed packs on eBay because I would be worried someone went through the sequencing and just got packs slabbed that had a low probability of contains a big hit. I don't know if this is done for football but I'm sure it happens with 86 fleer basketball >>
86 fleer basketball is one of the easiest to sequence. you can clearly see one card. thats all you need to know if there is any chance of a jordan. for those interested i dont remember the sequence pattern any more.
Collecting:
Brett Favre Master Set
Favre Ticket Stubs
Favre TD Reciever Autos
Football HOF Player/etc. Auto Set
Football HOF Rc's
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
<< <i>only buy from BBCE >>
If you are asking what is the safest then I would add "from a sealed case" to the end of this statement.
-CDs Nuts, 1/20/14
*1956 Topps baseball- 97.4% complete, 7.24 GPA
*Clemente basic set: 85.0% complete, 7.89 GPA
<< <i>I'm fairly certain that I've never opened a pack of 1988 Topps baseball that was searched and resealed >>
Hard to argue this one. The only thing more certain than your 1988 Topps baseball back being unsearched is your Bob Feller autograph being real.
<< <i>Safest packs come straight from a case that come straight from Steve Hart that come straight from Topps.
So if you can ever get a box or a case that has the Topps Vault markings on it from Steve then that's pretty much the best there is.
Second to that is something authenticated by Steve and sold on his site.
The rest is a gamble. >>
Indeed, well, you should know!
I would buy unopened material that is shrink-wrapped and stickered by Steve Hart from just about
any source (other than known scam artists).
Anything directly from Larry Fritsch is also a "good housekeeping seal of approval", as are any graded
packs that can be traced back to Fritsch as the source and the one who submitted it to PSA.
Another VERY reliable source is Steve Glaze (out of California if I recall). He's rock solid, and his knowledge
of vintage unopened is quite impressive.
You can also trust Tim (grote15)
Dave
<< <i>I would only buy unopened material from bbce. 89 score could be sequenced rather than resealed. I wouldn't even buy psa slabbed packs on eBay because I would be worried someone went through the sequencing and just got packs slabbed that had a low probability of contains a big hit. I don't know if this is done for football but I'm sure it happens with 86 fleer basketball >>
+1
I had a friend who bought a box of these off eBay and pulled 1 Troy Aikman and 0 Barry Sanders. I believe there are 540 cards in a box and the set is only 330 cards, so that is either incredibly bad luck or they were searched by looking through the wrapper.
I agree with others have suggest... the safest unopened pack is the one you buy from a reputable source.
Snorto~
<< <i>So I am wondering which type of unopened pack is the safest to purchase? >>
<< <i>Which of these are the least likely to be tampered with/resealed? >>
<< <i>I have been thinking of getting some unopened racks off of Ebay as it seems to offer a good value price wise. Is there significant risk of tampering with these packs or can the price be worth the risk? >>
My assumption is that the OP was looking at get a better deal on eBay for packs and already knows about Fritsch and BBCE.
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.
<< <i>While I agree that buying directly from Fritsch or from BBCE would be the best way to go that is not what the OP asked. To quote his questions.
<< <i>So I am wondering which type of unopened pack is the safest to purchase? >>
<< <i>Which of these are the least likely to be tampered with/resealed? >>
<< <i>I have been thinking of getting some unopened racks off of Ebay as it seems to offer a good value price wise. Is there significant risk of tampering with these packs or can the price be worth the risk? >>
My assumption is that the OP was looking at get a better deal on eBay for packs and already knows about Fritsch and BBCE. >>
There aren't "better" deals to be had on vintage unopened anymore. It's dried up. The prices in the past 12-18 months are up
between 30%-50%. IMO if the availability "drought" continues we could see some additional price increases by the time National
rolls around.
As for "safe" packs on Ebay???? Few and far between in my experience.
Dave
Thank you CPA Mike. I do appreciate all the contributions so far. You are correct. I am aware of BBCE and Fritsch. I even took part in the most recent group rip through BBCE for the first time. I don't mind paying a premium for some unopened material straight from BBCE. However, if there is a chance to get some of my unopened material at a discount through Ebay I wouldn't mind going that route at times either. Specifically, I am thinking of buying some packs of 81 or 86 Topps Football and I wanted to know if my best bet was with cello packs or rack packs or grocery racks. I wanted to know how likely it is to get these packs unaltered/untampered. I would be unlikely to rip them. I would more likely either just stash them unopened or send them in for grading. I am particularly interested in getting some of these packs with stars showing (like a Montana RC, Rice RC, Steve Young RC, etc.). If one of these showed up on Ebay what are the odds that the pack is legit?
Another unopened box on my to get list would be the 2003 Topps Chrome Basketball. Does anyone know if these were shrink wrapped by Topps and would this type of modern box be safe to get from Ebay? I checked BBCE and it doesn't seem they even have this box in stock.
Thanks for the help everyone.