"Fake" Holiday Rack Packs?

mrmopar

Forgive me if this has already been a topic, but I was wondering what the boards general thoughts were on these. Based on the going prices, I have to assume that these are recent repackages being sold to resemble what were presumably authentic 50s and 60s Xmas repacks from back in the day and not actual old packs.

So here is my question. Originally (back in the 50s and beyond) these types of packs must have been repacked from leftover stock or "aftermarket" sources for resale as stocking stuffers, etc. This was generally accepted and we still see this same type of repack today, just usually in hard plastic shell packing or similar. Today it seems to be an acceptable way to sell off old stock through Walmart, Target, etc. Other than the obvious difference between a real pack from the 50s-70s surviving all these years and a modern pack that can be reproduced in quantity as desired, are they not both simply repackaging an older product? I don't see where these packs offer the buyer anything other than a number of 1970s Topps cards. They are not necessarily being advertised as being from the 70s. I'm sure most wouldn't spend $10-20 on a handful of Topps singles, even with a few stars sprinkled in, so it appears to be a creative, yet somewhat deceitful way of getting a premium for singles that otherwise might not sell for $2-3.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/logrocketsportscards/m.html?item=181891142731&hash=item2a598e944b&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Thoughts? Anyone here actually buy one?

slum22

I think you did a pretty good job summing things up in your post. Yes, the "X-mas packs that currently sell on eBay are being marketed to the uninitiated who probably think they are getting a legitimate pack from the 70's (or earlier). For the most part buyers of these packs are paying about $1 or more per card for some Ex-Mt commons sitting underneath one, two or three star cards sitting on the tops of the racks. While these packs seem to me to be a morally questionable way to unload surplus non high grade vintage cards they are at least a rung up on the moral ladder above actually resealing cello, rack and wax packs and selling them as original unopened.

bishop

As far as I know Mark Murphy was the original seller who supposedly found a stash of them. If in fact there were some of these repackaged in the 60s, 70s or 80s, no one as far as I know, including Murphy, has said who did the repackaging, exactly when it was done and where they were ever retailed. Does anyone know anyone who bought one at a retail store and if so which one, where and when ? There seems no doubt such repackaging is an ongoing enterprise. The messages below were in response to inquiries I made from Murphy and his partner Skip Mathews

grote15

They're still being made in back rooms and basements to this day. I just saw a bunch listed from as late as 1980. Avoid.