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Huge unopened gamble pays off... (Update - One pack now available)
ssollars
Posts: 932 ✭✭✭✭
I've been on the hunt for a 1962 pack to open for a while now but most have been more than I've been willing to pay to bust a pack. Along came a partial 6 pack wax tray (5 packs) on eBay of 1962 packs and it sparked my interest. After a little research it seems that Topps only issues these 6 pack wax trays in 1963 and they indeed used 1962 wrappers when doing so! It seems regular 1963 packs are rarer than regular 1962 packs and these type of packs are even more rare, so...
In a huge gamble, I bought these as the price per pack was within my range for ripping, I just had to hope they were "real" un-tampered with packs!
After getting them and looking them over, the folds looked good, the roller marks looked good, the wax and seals looked good and after picking the worst looking pack and opening it, the cards inside looked good! The gum, although broken was complete, the cards seemed to adhere to a sequence and even the red cellophane puzzle "decoder" was in there. The cards looked beautiful, some centering issues but the solid colored borders with chip free! The biggest issue is that the gum was slightly stuck to the back of the top card. This seems to be an issue will all the packs as the gum doesn't move.
Now, usually I no qualms about busting packs even expensive one, but I know how rare these packs are and to make matters worse (and to lend more evidence that they are real) is that they have HOFs showing! Big HOFs! Now normally that would be awesome but two of these HOFs, a Unitas and a Rookie Nitschke are the top cards on two of these packs and would most likely have gum issues. The Nitschke pack also happens to have a Jurgensen on the bottom of it!
I'm tempted to get the remaining 4 packs graded and hopefully marked with the HOFs and sell them at some point to make money for other purchases, but a part of me still wants to open them
How does the marking of the cards showing on wax packs work when getting them graded? Do you tell PSA (Steve) what is showing and he will verify that along with the packs?
Here are some pictures, first the eBay photo
The empty tray
The packs have 6 cards in them...
The remaining 4 packs...
In a huge gamble, I bought these as the price per pack was within my range for ripping, I just had to hope they were "real" un-tampered with packs!
After getting them and looking them over, the folds looked good, the roller marks looked good, the wax and seals looked good and after picking the worst looking pack and opening it, the cards inside looked good! The gum, although broken was complete, the cards seemed to adhere to a sequence and even the red cellophane puzzle "decoder" was in there. The cards looked beautiful, some centering issues but the solid colored borders with chip free! The biggest issue is that the gum was slightly stuck to the back of the top card. This seems to be an issue will all the packs as the gum doesn't move.
Now, usually I no qualms about busting packs even expensive one, but I know how rare these packs are and to make matters worse (and to lend more evidence that they are real) is that they have HOFs showing! Big HOFs! Now normally that would be awesome but two of these HOFs, a Unitas and a Rookie Nitschke are the top cards on two of these packs and would most likely have gum issues. The Nitschke pack also happens to have a Jurgensen on the bottom of it!
I'm tempted to get the remaining 4 packs graded and hopefully marked with the HOFs and sell them at some point to make money for other purchases, but a part of me still wants to open them
How does the marking of the cards showing on wax packs work when getting them graded? Do you tell PSA (Steve) what is showing and he will verify that along with the packs?
Here are some pictures, first the eBay photo
The empty tray
The packs have 6 cards in them...
The remaining 4 packs...
0
Comments
Packs look really nice~PSA is supposedly launching a new holder that will eliminate the issue with the loose or broken gum, so that shouldn't be a factor.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
They look great
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
Great Find!
Good Luck!
Jim
new PSA holder arrives, then send in and ask for the flip to indicate which stars on the top of the pack.
Just awesome wax packs you have there.
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
I'd then have Steve Hart look them over and give his blessing, and then have him rewrap them in
his customized wrap, giving special notation to the stars on top.
From there I'd send them to an Auction House like Memory Lane or Mile High and then take the wife on a nice trip
with the proceeds.
Great Pick Up Scott!
Jmaciu's Collection
<< <i>If it were me ...... I would buy two more nice looking packs and keep it all intact.
I'd then have Steve Hart look them over and give his blessing, and then have him rewrap them in
his customized wrap, giving special notation to the stars on top.
From there I'd send them to an Auction House like Memory Lane or Mile High and then take the wife on a nice trip
with the proceeds.
Great Pick Up S.S.!! >>
How is Steve going to rewrap a tray that's already been opened and in which two of the packs are not original to the tray?
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>How is Steve going to rewrap a tray that's already been opened and in which two of the packs are not original to the tray? >>
With his hands and some shrink wrap?
Tim,
I might be speaking completely out of turn here ...... maybe Steve wouldn't even consider doing this.
I really have no idea.
Basically what he would be verifying is that all the packs in the grocery tray are all legit unopened.
That's all.
Anyway, this is such a unique item, I just think it's a shame to grade out the packs individually.
If it can somehow be kept together and once again made whole, even though two of the packs are not original
to the grouping, that would be the avenue I would try and persue.
There have been many of these individual packs offered up through the years.
However I can't ever remember seeing a 6 pack 63 Topps Football Grocery Tray ever before.
It's a unique rarity that should not be broken up any further than it already has, would be my take.
Reguardless, as long as Scott doesn't open anymore packs, He's Golden no matter what he does!!
If it can somehow be kept together and once again made whole,
I do get what you're saying, and it would certainly be nice to recreate such a tray, but that would be a huge mistake on Steve's part to wrap a factory tray that's already been broken down and had two of its six packs replaced. JMO. I think grading the packs individually is the only way to go, personally. That, or maybe just keep the four remaining packs intact with the tray packaging, but I would definitely not add two loose packs to the mix.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>Anyway, this is such a unique item, I just think it's a shame to grade out the packs individually.
If it can somehow be kept together and once again made whole,
I do get what you're saying, and it would certainly be nice to recreate such a tray, but that would be a huge mistake on Steve's part to wrap a factory tray that's already been broken down and had two of its six packs replaced. JMO. I think grading the packs individually is the only way to go, personally. That, or maybe just keep the four remaining packs intact with the tray packaging, but I would definitely not add two loose packs to the mix. >>
So is it wrong to rewrap a tray because it originally came sealed? But its ok to open a pack of 1975 topps from a cello box, realize the centering is terrible, replace the pack, then have it rewrapped since it never originally came sealed from Topps? Not trying to argue, just want to understand the vintage unopened market.
<< <i>
<< <i>Anyway, this is such a unique item, I just think it's a shame to grade out the packs individually.
If it can somehow be kept together and once again made whole,
I do get what you're saying, and it would certainly be nice to recreate such a tray, but that would be a huge mistake on Steve's part to wrap a factory tray that's already been broken down and had two of its six packs replaced. JMO. I think grading the packs individually is the only way to go, personally. That, or maybe just keep the four remaining packs intact with the tray packaging, but I would definitely not add two loose packs to the mix. >>
So is it wrong to rewrap a tray because it originally came sealed? But its ok to open a pack of 1975 topps from a cello box, realize the centering is terrible, replace the pack, then have it rewrapped since it never originally came sealed from Topps? Not trying to argue, just want to understand the vintage unopened market. >>
That analogy is not really an accurate one as the packs in a wax tray are factory sealed by Topps within cellophane wrapped by Topps as a single unit whereas a cello box is an unwrapped unit consisting of 24 individual packs. I am not personally a fan of the huge premiums "wrapped" cello boxes command in the first place, even though I understand why buyers will pay a premium for a box certified by BBCE, as I like to look at the packs in a box in their original state~which is unwrapped by Topps from the factory. That said, I am sure many vintage boxes have not been kept intact and fully original through the years, but that is also why a box FASC should command a nice premium. As an unopened collector, though, I have accepted the fact that there are vintage boxes that are not fully original as far as the individual packs found within the box, but that doesn't diminish (for me, anyway) the appeal of a box of box fresh packs in their original unopened pack state.
Edit to add: I also want to reiterate what an awesome find this was, even if the tray was incomplete~the four remaining packs bear a nice provenance that whould be kept intact, whether they are kep together raw with the opened tray packaging, or graded, with sequential cert #s, linking them together for posterity.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I really think "recreating" any kind of "wax tray" is traveling up a slippery slope. Some people are going to be bound to think it is original.
The cards are BEAUTIFUL! If the centering is as good on the rest, you will have a fabulous group of cards.
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
<< <i>Can a pack go 8 or 9 with broken gum? >>
Yes, as long as the wrapper is clean with no tears and centered. The gum is only an issue at this point because of the holders, but PSA is supposed to be using a new holder for wax packs very soon, if they haven't begun doing so already.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I have no plans to do anything with the packaging at this point, other than the label stuck on the cellophane there is nothing special about it, there is no printing on the cellophane or the tray and both are in pretty bad shape. It may make a cool addition to my wrapper collection if I can present it well enough!
23469583 0201630530 1963 TOPPS 53 JACK STROUD 8 Cert Printed
23469584 0201630690 1963 TOPPS 69 JOE FORTUNATO 8 Cert Printed
23469585 0201630920 1963 TOPPS 92 RON KRAMER 9 Cert Printed (BINGO!)
The last (and only two) listed on VCP sold for $900 and $999! If only it could have been a 10
I still haven't done anything with the other packs yet...
Scott
<< <i>Score! Nice job. That was a great find. Congrats. >>
+1
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
Awesome results. I don't know how I missed this thread to begin with, but a total win win on your end! The cards you pulled were sharp and the grades reflected that. Congrats!!!
Jeremy
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
I like the colored borders.
Scott
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.