My 76 Topps Set - More grades in - Very pleased

76collector · February 28, 2014 8:41AM

Guys,

As many of you know I'm a pretty avid collector of 76 Topps. Surprise, Surprise with my screen name, right ? Anyway, I recently purchased a high end set to go through and upgrade my already pretty nice set. I want to share some photos in this thread of my set, and start out by sharing the new George Brett #19. As many of you know this is a REALLY tough card, and I have been trying to get a nice copy of it for a while. This one is easily better than my current one, and is the nicest one I've seen raw.

We all have those pipe dreams of coming on certain high end cards. This is one of mine. Could it be a 9, or more likely an 8 ???

The top right corner looks touched in the picture, but it is not. That is just the lighting on it.

I plan on posting some more pictures of the new cards added to my set, and throw in some old ones too.

Thanks for looking and commenting - Jeff

hyperchipper09 · February 28, 2014 8:44AM

Likely uneducated guess: 8.5 with a grader who likes the .5 grade. Nice card. Real clean.

SOM · February 28, 2014 8:50AM

That is an absolutely gorgeous Geo Brett card! I have not seen a raw one that nice either

Bosox1976 · February 28, 2014 8:51AM

Wonderful card. Seems like whenever you stumble across a centered Brett, the snow on the black in the dugout always kills it.

mygotta · February 28, 2014 8:57AM

Thats a seriously nice looking Brett. Very well centered. I dont know the 76 well enough, but is it slightly low? Also on the back top right on the scan, is that a ding or frayed edge? If the answer is no to either, then its possible you have a 8.5 or 9 there.

gemint · February 28, 2014 9:05AM

Nice looking Brett. Did you get it off eBay?

A bit off topic but what's with the gap in Brett's teeth? It looks like he had it fixed around '78 or '79.

jordangretzkyfan · February 28, 2014 9:23AM

Looks like a 9 all day long. Great raw find.

DanBessette · February 28, 2014 9:27AM

<< That is an absolutely gorgeous Geo Brett card! I have not seen a raw one that nice either >>

+1. Would love to see more.

itzagoner · February 28, 2014 9:34AM

beauty of a Brett. hope straightnine you hit it very much. good luck.

76collector · February 28, 2014 9:35AM

Thats a seriously nice looking Brett. Very well centered. I dont know the 76 well enough, but is it slightly low? Also on the back top right on the scan, is that a ding or frayed edge? If the answer is no to either, then its possible you have a 8.5 or 9 there.

Mygotta - It is a slight bit low, but not enough to keep it from a 9. The top right back corner is clean and so are the edges. Light makes it look dinged. The top right corner or bottom left corner on back, is the only corner that even has a slight issue. Under 10x magnification you can see a little of the white has worn off. There is a very slight chip in the white on the edge near the bottom right corner, and a little printing imperfection on the top left. Nothing that in my eyes eliminates it from 9 consideration though. Glad to see I'm not just dreaming that it at least has a shot at a 9. Keeps me excited (although having this card in an 8, isn't exactly chopped liver).

Gemmint - I did get it off the bay. I contacted the dealer I bought it from and asked if he thought it had ever been graded. He said he can almost guarantee it has not. He bought it from a guy he has known for 30 years, and that guy has had the card since the early 80's.

esquiresports · February 28, 2014 9:41AM

Great chance at a 9 I think.

Dnice · February 28, 2014 9:47AM

Nice looking Brett indeed but I'm leaning more towards an 8.

Good luck and please let us know the results.

Marc

hammered · February 28, 2014 10:38AM

Solid 8
There is enough print in the upper white border to prevent a 9
Real nice card

cpamike · February 28, 2014 10:43AM

Besides 1975, 1976 is my second favorite year. The first card I ever pulled from a pack was this one.

That Brett is a pita and I'd take that one any day of the week. I could see it getting either an 8 or 9. The 8.5 is only available on the second Tuesday of the month after a lunar eclipse.

Good luck with the submission and I look forward to seeing some more of your set!!!

jmaciu · February 28, 2014 11:22AM

That is one nice Brett. I have been collecting this set over the last year, and trying to find a nicely centered or a snow-free copy had been very difficult. Congrats. It will grade no less than an 8.

gemint · February 28, 2014 11:35AM

The Ryan from that set looked pretty strong as well. I hope you do well on the set. It went for a pretty high price as far as '76 sets go.

Piggs · February 28, 2014 12:16PM

Beautiful card.

76collector · February 28, 2014 1:23PM

Mike - Tug McGraw ! Not a bad player in his day. Who would've thought he become more known for being a big country star's dad !

Gem - I did go after the set pretty hard. I ended up paying about $10 more than I've seen a raw set go for in the past, but I'm glad I did. I haven't found a corner ding yet, and through 100 or so cards I've found at least 40 with centering good enough to be a 9 or better. Here are some pics of some star cards, and my Eck rc and Nolan card. I'd like to upgrade my Eck, but it's a real expensive jump from an 8 to a 9, so I will hunt for a better raw one. The new set I bought, does not have a better Eck. It is not centered well enough.

my current Nolan

My current Eck. I hate the print dot on his arm, but it's an 8, and I don't really shop for a better 8. Maybe some day I will get a 9.

and here are some more from the new set. The color on these jumps off the cards. I'm very satisfied.

Schmidt - If this doesn't grade a 9 I'd be shocked

Hank - probably too o/c for a 9, but looks like a solid 8 to me

Reggie - another solid shot at a 9

Pete - Dang top to bottom centering. A couple of print dots too, but clean image. I see so many of these with the roller marks on the left side of the card, and this one doesn't have them.

Jim Palmer - If it weren't for a couple of print dots, I would think this had a shot at a 10.

Thurmon Munson

Johnny Bench

The stack of centered cards so far out of about 150, that I've went through.

Thanks for following along guy's. It makes it a lot more enjoyable, when you can share with others who actually know how hard it is to find nice cards from some of these sets in the 70's. When I show my wife, she thinks, well your Frank Thomas or Ken Griffey Jr. rookies are better than that. She doesn't understand...

cpamike · February 28, 2014 1:32PM

Very sharp raw cards Jeff. I believe the Rose is on the edge of the sheet which makes that a hard card too.

DanBessette · February 28, 2014 1:43PM

Wow. Simply gorgeous.

heritage · February 28, 2014 1:55PM

Very nice cards. I have a 76 set as well but I am starting to look for cards like that myself. I still have cards I want to upgrade.
looks like you did really well.

jmaciu · March 1, 2014 10:49AM

76collector, are you building an entirely graded set, or are you leaving some raw?

ClockworkAngel · March 1, 2014 11:14AM

What a gorgeous card! Considering a 9 is 3,000 card at least, isn't it tempting to send it in?

Speaking of the 76 Brett, has anyone noticed the pop of the 9's go from 10 to 14 overnight? It's like 3 or 4 came out of nowhere.

DM23HOF · March 1, 2014 11:23AM

There is still a decent amount of raw material out there in shoeboxes and collections that has not been graded. Hence the relative pop "explosion" of the 76 Brett in PSA 9.

With respect to the OP, the card is beautiful, but I'd wager they do not 9 that card-- unless it gets lucky, as many cards have. Again, it's a great specimen, an 8 or 8.5 all day from here, but it if we are trying to manage expectations and have reasonable expectations regarding a 9, the card does exhibit mild tilt, does have t/b centering issues, does have the dreaded print smudging on top border area, and does seem to have a blemish of some sort around the 'Y' in ROYALS. This is not even under a loupe. So while a GREAT CARD, to be sure, if we are talking about realistic expectations of a 9, these factors should be considered. Still, we have all seen worse 9s. So anything can happen. If it did 9, there is no shortage of buyers who will pay for the sticker, even though as a 9 it would fall short of the best two 9s out there.

Looking at the 9s that have hit market on VCP, one can see that one or two clearly stand out from the pack.

76collector · March 1, 2014 1:18PM

76collector, are you building an entirely graded set, or are you leaving some raw?

jmaciu - Sorry I don't know your name. Mine is Jeff. I am leaving some raw. But with two kids around the house I don't want to leave any cards that could be 10's or high value around in just ultra pro plastics. So, I'm grading anything I think could be a 10 and any HOF type players that are worth it, in 8's and 9's. I think I have around 40 graded now. I wouldn't be opposed to them all being graded some day, but that will be a real long process for me.

Clockwork and DM23HOF - Thanks for the comments. Yes, I have thought about sending it in with express service. I wonder what to value it at though, and if it is worth it. I have another stack of 20-30 cards I want to sub, and still haven't gotten half way through my 76 set. I plan on hopefully doing that tonight and tomorrow, if fatherly duties don't get in the way. DM. You have a very sharp eye. All of those things I have also noted, and I feel the same way as you. I lean more towards an 8, and would be happy with an 8.5 and ecstatic with a 9. It is really fun to dream/imagine getting that big grade, and like you noted I HAVE definitely seen worse 9's. I feel like they are tough on cards of this magnitude though, and in my heart I do feel like it is likely to land in a 8. So, hence my hesitation at spending around 50 to get the express service. I wonder what an 8.5 would sell for if it came back there. I don't think one even exists. I would not sell the card if it grades an 8. I would keep it for my set. But it is too valuable if it were a 9 for me to keep it. I've got too many bills to pay unfortunately.

1954 · March 1, 2014 1:39PM

My favorite set from the 1970's would have to be the 1976 set. I have a couple of really nice raw sets from vending and I must say that your Brett is stunning. I have five or six Brett's and none of them are centered like yours. Great pick up.

Shane

76collector · March 1, 2014 1:49PM

Thanks Shane. Yeah, I was surprised when I got it in hand. I expected at least one dinged corner and to my surprise it was sharp. Especially, since it came from a dealer.

I wanted to share some more pictures of my set, as well as my only 8.5. The bottom right corner of it is touched but the rest of the card is a tiny bit cleaner than the Brett. Overall IMO the Brett stacks up nicely with this card though.

Maybe a new card #1 for my set ??? This one is sharper for sure. The color is off the hook. But centering might keep it out of a 9.

and finally here is my Mike Hegan. Pretty sharp one...

cpamike · March 1, 2014 1:57PM

<< Maybe a new card #1 for my set ??? This one is sharper for sure. The color is off the hook. But centering might keep it out of a 9.

>>

I think you are right about the centering on that one unfortunately Jeff. I think it gets an 8.

Is the Hegan a low pop card? Unless I couldn't get a nice chunk of change for them, I would sell any PSA 10's I got.

76collector · March 1, 2014 3:48PM

Mike, no the Hegan is not low pop. That is why I keep it. I just got a SD Padres team card that hit a 10 as well, that I will keep. If it is low pop, I usually end up selling and picking up a 9 to replace it.

cpamike · March 1, 2014 4:22PM

<< Mike, no the Hegan is not low pop. That is why I keep it. I just got a SD Padres team card that hit a 10 as well, that I will keep. If it is low pop, I usually end up selling and picking up a 9 to replace it. >>

I really need to go through my raw cards and submit some that are low pop and have 10 potential. I could use the extra cash and just replace with 9's as well. One of these days after the kids are off to college and I have some free time.

jackstraw · March 1, 2014 7:57PM

Great cards! Just for my own curiosity what does the Torre and Pinella look like?

76collector · March 2, 2014 5:33AM

Jack - The Torre and Pinella are certainly not 10 candidates but they are both solid examples IMO, and both are better than the current one I have. So, I'm happy about that. Here are pictures, along with what I hope is going to be the newest 10 in my collection.

Pinella - sorry for the flash. Top to bottom centering is off, but not as bad as you usually see on this card. Very minor print defects as well, again in comparison to what I've seen a lot of them have.

Torre: Again sorry about the flash, but I'm too lazy to take another pic now. Centering top to bottom is off again, but not as bad as usual, and minor printing problem again.

Finally, check this Hernandez out. I really hope it fetches a 10. Such a nice looking card.

jackstraw · March 2, 2014 10:35AM

Very nice! Love the Piniella and Hernandez. For some reason the Torre never looks right to me?
I feel the same about the Brooks Robinson it just never looks centered to me...

ClockworkAngel · March 2, 2014 10:53AM

The Torre and Hernandez both look to be tilted? But still could get you a 9!

Beautiful looking set so far

76collector · March 2, 2014 11:26AM

Jack - I totally agree on the those cards usually not looking right. Neither of these is perfect either but still an upgrade for me. Clockwork - good eye's ! There is a tilt on both. It is much more noticable on the Torre, but a very slight tilt on the Hernandez. Hopefully that doesn't eliminate it from 10 consideration. Here is a pop 0 beauty that I unearthed.

Front looks like a no doubter. Stunning color, centering, corners.

But DANGIT, on the back are a couple of print dots. Any chance still for a 10 ? Does PSA cut a little slack on the back printing ? Sadly centering is great on the back too.

76collector · March 6, 2014 11:54AM

Finally got through the rest of the cards and ready to sub. Overall I think I'm going to sub 37 76's. 10 HOFers, 4 semi stars, 3 team cards, 15 commons, 5 specialty cards (leaders/all time greats) and one of the rookies cards. Altogether I think I've gone through around 7000 cards to arrive where I'm at. I already have 40 or so graded and this will add to the collection other than low pop 10's, which I would probably sell if I hit any. Here are some pictures of the low pops I'm going to sub. Let me know what you think. All backs should meet psa guidelines for 10s.

pop zero

pop 2

I wouldn't have subbed this, had I not seen one of the 2 psa 10s. Of course it is 4SC, but it has the same print error by the O in Orioles. So what the heck, I will try !

Pop 3

Pop 4

Pop 7

jmaciu · March 6, 2014 12:41PM

Jeff, I really love this thread. Please post scans of the cards you sub when they are in holders. I think the set is very attractive! BTW, my name is John.

76collector · March 19, 2014 1:10PM

Got a few new raw additions to the set, that will be subbed soon. My subscription was up on the 16th so I just renewed, and have a voucher coming my way. Let me know what you think. I am hoping for a 9 with each of these, otherwise, I might not sub them. The Aaron I would be ok with an 8, as the one that I just sent to PSA is OC and doesn't have the eye appeal of this one.

I'm pretty excited about the possibility of 9's on these

grote15 · March 19, 2014 1:39PM

Jeff, those are some high-end 76s right there! Beautiful!

SidePocket · March 19, 2014 3:20PM

Pretty hard to see any faults in any of those cards. Bright white borders, great centering, lots of gloss. Good luck!

esquiresports · March 19, 2014 4:19PM

Those cards are so sharp they almost look like reprints. Amazing.

jackstraw · March 19, 2014 6:08PM

Wow those look great!

I forgot to ask about the Luzinski and Simmons both are very tough to find
nice. Another 2 cards that never really look nice to me..

jmaciu · March 19, 2014 8:48PM

Nice work, Jeff. The Aaron is so tough to find anywhere close to being centered. I really like the Perez too.

Dusto · March 19, 2014 9:43PM

Now I know who out bid me on that set! Sorry I ran you up so high at the end. That Aaron looks like a beauty and keep us posted when the grades come back. How was the rest of the set?

gemint · March 19, 2014 9:56PM

<< Wow those look great!

I forgot to ask about the Luzinski and Simmons both are very tough to find
nice. Another 2 cards that never really look nice to me.. >>

Also the Briggs and Dan Ford are toughies.

hammered · March 20, 2014 2:47AM

Great aaron!
Looks like it could 9 if the black print spots are minimal
All around nice cards

76collector · March 20, 2014 2:56AM

Now I know who out bid me on that set! Sorry I ran you up so high at the end. That Aaron looks like a beauty and keep us posted when the grades come back. How was the rest of the set?

Dangit, leave the bidding on 76's to me ! No problem at all, it seemed like a pretty nice set, and it wasn't too much more than what I thought it might go for. I haven't looked too closely at it yet. The box got damaged fairly bad in transit, so I was a little worried at first. It didn't effect the cards I was looking for, specifically the Aaron. I wanted a centered copy of that card. Kind of weird too, the set was not in sequential order, it was ordered by team. So, I don't even know if it is all there ! I basically went through looking for the aaron and pulled the other HOFers. The ones I scanned were the only ones centered, but the others are pretty nice, just not centered up. I leave for vacation tonight and when I get back I will look at the rest.

I will also go through and post pictures of my Briggs, Luzinski, Simmons and Ford. I believe my Luzinski is 9ish caliber as well as the Briggs. I can't remember the Simmons or Ford though. I have had a hell of a time finding a nicely centered Aaron as well as my Rose is still 7ish. I may end up just buying the Rose graded, but right now I'm enjoying "The Chase" by purchasing sets and Lots of cards, and going through my current set, and upgrading. It's been a blast.

Stingray · March 20, 2014 2:59AM

Lacy has a diamond cut??

76collector · March 20, 2014 3:10AM

Lacy has a diamond cut??

Good catch Stingray, it does look like that. I will check it out when I get home. That will save me from subbing it.

ldferg · March 20, 2014 3:52AM

Really enjoy this thread. Keep scanning. Nicely done on the Brett. Would love to have one in that condition.

yankeesman · March 20, 2014 8:32AM

<< Finally got through the rest of the cards and ready to sub. Overall I think I'm going to sub 37 76's. 10 HOFers, 4 semi stars, 3 team cards, 15 commons, 5 specialty cards (leaders/all time greats) and one of the rookies cards. Altogether I think I've gone through around 7000 cards to arrive where I'm at. I already have 40 or so graded and this will add to the collection other than low pop 10's, which I would probably sell if I hit any. Here are some pictures of the low pops I'm going to sub. Let me know what you think. All backs should meet psa guidelines for 10s.

pop zero