Are Foil Pack Search Proof?
cgcmgr
Posts: 116 ✭✭
Hey Guys,
Looking at picking up some 1989 Upper Deck boxes and of course I was looking for the lowest price. I always get nervous when the price is so low and there are no bids on Ebay, yet a different seller has many bids on his/her box. A lot of times Feedback isn't much different between the two sellers. Then I get to thinking that the boxes may have been tampered with and buyers looking can determine that, therefore no bids. This makes me tend to shy away and go after the more expensive ones. So can the '89 UD packs be resealed? If so, anyone know of a reputable seller?
Thanks,
Chris
Looking at picking up some 1989 Upper Deck boxes and of course I was looking for the lowest price. I always get nervous when the price is so low and there are no bids on Ebay, yet a different seller has many bids on his/her box. A lot of times Feedback isn't much different between the two sellers. Then I get to thinking that the boxes may have been tampered with and buyers looking can determine that, therefore no bids. This makes me tend to shy away and go after the more expensive ones. So can the '89 UD packs be resealed? If so, anyone know of a reputable seller?
Thanks,
Chris
Love '83 Topps. Looking to put together a PSA 10 set.
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WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
I was thinking Baseball Card Exchange, but thought I could get them cheaper.
as for saving a few bucks. BBCE is the best. whatever "extra" you are paying, is for peace of mind IMO
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
<< <i>Did these boxes come wrapped? I don't see any on Ebay that are wrapped.
I was thinking Baseball Card Exchange, but thought I could get them cheaper. >>
I don't think so, was just stating in general. If you want legit odds, BBCE marked FASC (from a sealed case) are your best bet and it's why they sell for a premium.
That's why he won't wrap 1986 fleer basketball box....I heard.
Foil packs...depending on the series, people measure the thickness of packs for the great "pulls" then reload the box with the thinner packs.
I'm badly in need of 9 pocket pages for a few sets I won recently. So I do a ebay search for 300(3 100 ct boxes) of Ultra Pro Platinum pages. The lowest by far of the BIN's is $41.75 for 300 shipped. The rest of the BIN listings are around $47 shipped. However, I see one for auction. So I watch it get bid up to $38 with over a day to go. And it finishes over $41.75.
So clearly theres buyers not doing any degree of homework when they look to bid higher on an auction of an identical item that is available as a BIN.
I really wouldn't put much stock in the bid price...lots of stuff happens, but like the others said, theres a lot to be said for piece of mind.
<< <i>Hey Guys,
Looking at picking up some 1989 Upper Deck boxes and of course I was looking for the lowest price. I always get nervous when the price is so low and there are no bids on Ebay, yet a different seller has many bids on his/her box. A lot of times Feedback isn't much different between the two sellers. Then I get to thinking that the boxes may have been tampered with and buyers looking can determine that, therefore no bids. This makes me tend to shy away and go after the more expensive ones. So can the '89 UD packs be resealed? If so, anyone know of a reputable seller?
Thanks,
Chris >>
Hi Chris,
The 1989 UD foil boxes could be searched due to the sequencing Upper Deck used. I still recall a show back in 1989 when a dealer who had a table full of boxes showed me the trick. After the word got around, many collectors and shops in my area were pulling the Griffey rookies and filling the boxes back up with packs from the searched/cashed out boxes. That doesn't mean they might not miss a Griffey once in a while, but I wouldn't want to take my chances on boxes that were searched. Especially, when you usually only get one Griffey or less per box, unless you hit a lucky box.
As cheap as factory sets are now days, if I wanted the excitement of pulling a Griffey, that would be the way I would personally go. Outside of that, I wouldn't trust any boxes unless I knew for sure they came from a sealed case, from a reputable source like Steve over at BBCE.
<< <i>
<< <i>Hey Guys,
Looking at picking up some 1989 Upper Deck boxes and of course I was looking for the lowest price. I always get nervous when the price is so low and there are no bids on Ebay, yet a different seller has many bids on his/her box. A lot of times Feedback isn't much different between the two sellers. Then I get to thinking that the boxes may have been tampered with and buyers looking can determine that, therefore no bids. This makes me tend to shy away and go after the more expensive ones. So can the '89 UD packs be resealed? If so, anyone know of a reputable seller?
Thanks,
Chris >>
Hi Chris,
The 1989 UD foil boxes could be searched due to the sequencing Upper Deck used. I still recall a show back in 1989 when a dealer who had a table full of boxes showed me the trick. After the word got around, many collectors and shops in my area were pulling the Griffey rookies and filling the boxes back up with packs from the searched/cashed out boxes. That doesn't mean they might not miss a Griffey once in a while, but I wouldn't want to take my chances on boxes that were searched. Especially, when you usually only get one Griffey or less per box, unless you hit a lucky box.
As cheap as factory sets are now days, if I wanted the excitement of pulling a Griffey, that would be the way I would personally go. Outside of that, I wouldn't trust any boxes unless I knew for sure they came from a sealed case, from a reputable source like Steve over at BBCE. >>
This is kind of true. Without divulging too much info, the location of the box in a full case was the key to finding the sequence. If it was just a random box, no way to tell sequencing.
As for the factory wrapping, early releases of "wax" cases and complete first series sets were not wrapped. Complete sets had the hologram sticker sealing the box.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Hey Guys,
Looking at picking up some 1989 Upper Deck boxes and of course I was looking for the lowest price. I always get nervous when the price is so low and there are no bids on Ebay, yet a different seller has many bids on his/her box. A lot of times Feedback isn't much different between the two sellers. Then I get to thinking that the boxes may have been tampered with and buyers looking can determine that, therefore no bids. This makes me tend to shy away and go after the more expensive ones. So can the '89 UD packs be resealed? If so, anyone know of a reputable seller?
Thanks,
Chris >>
Hi Chris,
The 1989 UD foil boxes could be searched due to the sequencing Upper Deck used. I still recall a show back in 1989 when a dealer who had a table full of boxes showed me the trick. After the word got around, many collectors and shops in my area were pulling the Griffey rookies and filling the boxes back up with packs from the searched/cashed out boxes. That doesn't mean they might not miss a Griffey once in a while, but I wouldn't want to take my chances on boxes that were searched. Especially, when you usually only get one Griffey or less per box, unless you hit a lucky box.
As cheap as factory sets are now days, if I wanted the excitement of pulling a Griffey, that would be the way I would personally go. Outside of that, I wouldn't trust any boxes unless I knew for sure they came from a sealed case, from a reputable source like Steve over at BBCE. >>
This is kind of true. Without divulging too much info, the location of the box in a full case was the key to finding the sequence. If it was just a random box, no way to tell sequencing.
As for the factory wrapping, early releases of "wax" cases and complete first series sets were not wrapped. Complete sets had the hologram sticker sealing the box. >>
What I said is totally true. You don't need a full case to do what I detailed above. If you have a full unsearched box, you can find the sequencing by the pack and pull the Griffey if the box contains one.
P.S. Edited for spelling
<< <i>Not sure about the baseball sequencing, I am sure it exists, but back in 90-91, I knew the sequencing of UD basketball. Couldnt afford boxes back then, but when the local convenience stores got in a few boxes, I could pull the top pack on the left side and knew exactly where the Johnson and Mutombo RC's were. Looking back at it, it was a waste of time with what theyre worth now, but back then they were $10 a pop >>
I don't want to disclose what the specific details are, but it's the same general idea.
<< <i>I seem to recall the owner of the card shop I worked at having us shuffle the packs when we cracked a new box. I'd totally forgot about that. >>
We had a local shop shuffle the packs too-AFTER they located/removed the packs with the hot rookies.Gave the illusion that all had an equal shot at the rookies.
As I recall from my own anecdotal experiences buying and selling packs and boxes and opening and sorting packs and cards thirty to thirty five years ago -- At least within the first 27 card Star Rookie subset, there was a (usually) predictable pattern within any of the 4 individual stacks of packs within a box. If a particular pack had say card number 4 in it, then the pack above or below it in the stack would have number 3 (I dont recall if it always worked only one way up or down). The pattern could break to a new position within a stack, and the four stacks of packs in a box could be separate or repeats of the same pattern (poor local collation). If you were then (or are now) looking at packs in an open box of cards, the chances that either the dealer, or someone who previously bought packs from the box, had worked this system on the box in question is significant. Or, packs can get shuffled either deliberately or inadvertently, making the system unworkable