1988 Ace Fact Pack Los Angeles Raiders
dytch2220
Posts: 1,681 ✭✭✭
I just made an agreement to buy this set, although the price was higher than I wanted to pay. Still pretty excited! Pics to come...
The N8 Collection: PSA Registry Sets & Showcases
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<< <i>I got a set also. >>
Awesome, congrats!
On a side note, here is a link to the current incarnation of Altenburg-Stralsunder, the company who manufactured ACE cards at the time of this set. I've contacted them to see if they know more about this set and why it is so rare. Yes, their brand/logo is really ASS. I guess they didn't consult with anyone who speaks English before deciding on that one! Chuckle.
http://www.ass-spielkarten.de/
I decided to contact them after speaking with another collector (who has a set, sans-Bo; he broke the set to sell it) who believes he had at one point purchased all of the examples of this set in the early 2000's and has since sold all but one partial set. His theory is that these cards were a factory test, never released card set and that there may be as few as 10 in existence. Here's what he had to say in a couple of e-mails:
"Thanks for your interest. I have had a couple of these in the past, but sold most on. I do have 1 set left, however it is missing the Bo Jackson card as about 2 months ago to someone who made a generous offer for that card alone which I accepted. So, unfortunately I no longer have a completed set to offer."
"I think in time you'll find you got a great deal on that set, I think it's undervalued. I wouldn't be surprised if the person you got the set from may have obtained it from me sometime ago either! The Raiders set is from 1988 with square corners. You may have seen there were sets released in 1987 with rounded corners, only 12 NFL teams were featured and these are available fairly easily. The 49ers set lists for $500 due to Montana & Rice in it. The 1987 sets were made by Ace in Germany and released in the UK when the NFL became really popular over here. Now, as for these 1988 sets. I have been a Raiders card collector since 1995, but didn't find this set until the early 2000's. I saw one listed on eBay from a German seller. I bought it and he then listed up another set, I bought that too. He listed another which I did miss on, so I then contacted him to see if he had others. He said he had more 1988 sets. There were about 5 more Raiders, 2 Seahawks, 2 Jets, and about 15 Patriots. I did a deal a bought the lot off him. I had never seen any before, and have never seen any others since. My theory is that Ace began production of these BUT I don't believe ANY were ever officially released on the market. I think that maybe the sets I found were the only one's ever made, maybe even test sets or something. And this is why they are so hard to find. They only started listing them in the Beckett Annual Price Guide when I informed Beckett of their existence. I even sent them a Patriots set and receive acknowledgement in their annual guide for this info!! I truly believe that no more than maybe 10 Raiders sets exist, and I have either sold or traded away all but this final set that I eventually will probably part with for big money. Hope this helps!!"
I've also heard an anecdotal account of a shipping truck related accident where most of the cards were destroyed. I like this story because it reminds me of those stories about Bo himself as related in ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary. Will let you know if I get more.
"From what I know from Trumps is that the corners are nearly always rounded. The exception are that they are either produced very cheaply as in a 'rushed' promo, or the pack never received the treatment.
As far as a truck accident, I cannot say. Nor do I know the number of the full series.
The ASS link is correct but were released under the Ace brand in the UK. Where these released in Germany, I doubt it, it just does not fit into the typical theme of pack that is common there and seeing as the card back reads Ace, then we are clear on the country of release. Someone will put me right if I am wrong. ASS just like any of the older brands (at least those still in business) do not hold any records of what they have created, in fact this is still true with certain companies that are still in operation which is incredibly annoying.
As I mentioned in our email contact, yes, the series is hard to find and generally are expensive especially when put beside other Ace packs. Ace packs especially the early series are highly collectible in UK and most go for high prices."
It sounds like the square corners does lend credibility to the test/promo set theory.
Front/Back:
Team/Jackson/Allen/Long - Cards:
Full Set, In Order - Top Left to Bottom Right:
http://www.psacard.com/PSASetRegistry/alltimeset.aspx?s=114092
Top Row, Left to Right:
Complete Set in CardSaverI, Complete Set in CardSaverI, PSA 9 Grade Bo Jackson
Bottom Row, Left to Right:
Near Set (See PSA 9 Bo Jackson Above) in CardSaverI, Near Set (Missing Bo Jackson) in CardSaverI, Complete Set Sealed in Original Cellophane Wrapper
RAIDERS HELMET COVER
HOWIE LONG
DON MOSEBAR
RAIDERS HELMET INFO
MIKE HAYNES
JAMES LOFTON
RAIDERS UNIFORM
JESSIE HESTER
STACEY TORAN (UN-CORRECTED ERR "TRACEY TORAN")
BOB BUCZKOWSKI
MERVYN FERNANDEZ
CAREER RECORD HOLDERS
BRIAN HOLLOWAY
JOHN CLAY
RECORD 1968-87
MATT MILLEN
VINCE EVANS
1987 TEAM STATISTICS
VANN MCELROY
TODD CHRISTENSEN
SEASON RECORD HOLDERS
ROD MARTIN
BO JACKSON
ALL-TIME GREATS
JERRY ROBINSON
GREG TOWNSEND
COACHING HISTORY
CHRIS BAHR
REGGIE MCKENZIE
GAME RECORD HOLDERS
MARCUS ALLEN
BILL PICKEL
MEMORIAL COLISEUM