Were any of you pack searchers back in the day?
jtlee321
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I was a teenager back when I was really into the sports card scene. Card shows were almost every weekend it seemed. My brother and I would take a bunch of cards that we had scored to each of those shows and either cash out or trade for other stuff. All of the cards we had were the result of pack searching. We never opened any packs. What are some the things you used to search for?
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I remember being able to search the 1992 Fleer jumbo packs for the Rookie Sensation cards. All you had to do was squeeze the pack between your fingers and see if the cards would slide around easily. The Rookie Sensations cards were glossy and were slick, the base cards had more of a tooth to the surface and so would not slide easily against each other. I remember going to shows with stacks of the Rookie Sensation cards and trading for stuff like the 1990 Upper Deck Hockey French edition.
I figured out how to win on the 1992 Topps baseball scratch game. Every ticket was a winner. So I would buy a box, take all the game cards into the bathroom and turn the lights off. I would use a Mini Maglite and hold it behind the card. You could then read what was behind the scratch area and scratch off the winning combination. We had thousands of the Gold cards and sold those to the local card shops.
Another time we were at a local store and they had a box of 1990 Pro Set. We alway's checked the top and bottom cards for anything good. For some reason on the top of every pack in that box was the Jeff George Colt's SP card. We bought every pack and then opened half of them and traded sold the loose cards as well as the unopened packs at a card show the next day. We made a ton off of those.
Edit to add, that was searching them in 1990 as a kid
Come to think of it that lady was probably in her late 70's or early 80's and is probably long gone by now. I wonder if I would have had a different life had she not been there to shame me.
I figured out how to win on the 1992 Topps baseball scratch game. Every ticket was a winner. So I would buy a box, take all the game cards into the bathroom and turn the lights off. I would use a Mini Maglite and hold it behind the card. You could then read what was behind the scratch area and scratch off the winning combination.
The only thing I have to contribute to this thread is that I remember taking those scratch game cards into the pantry with a flashlight. At some point, they did print those on greyback-type cardboard instead of the white cardboard, making seeing through the back impossible. But, I did have fun picking out the winners.
I figured out how to win on the 1992 Topps baseball scratch game. Every ticket was a winner. So I would buy a box, take all the game cards into the bathroom and turn the lights off. I would use a Mini Maglite and hold it behind the card. You could then read what was behind the scratch area and scratch off the winning combination.
The only thing I have to contribute to this thread is that I remember taking those scratch game cards into the pantry with a flashlight. At some point, they did print those on greyback-type cardboard instead of the white cardboard, making seeing through the back impossible. But, I did have fun picking out the winners.
They were fun.. We did it early on and got out early with a nice little profit. We never encountered the greyed out backs. I was amazed at how easy it was to find the correct combination. You could read it as clear as day.
Some guy at the office told me how to search packs looking for hits at the store. I don't like hits and would buy packs at retail outlets because they were cheaper and the odds were poorer. I like the base cards and try to complete sets, so I dislike cards that take away from that. In the 90's the inserts were far and few between so I liked receiving them. Today's inserts are annoying. I tended to buy blister packs and blaster boxes because the regular packs would have damaged cards due to someone else searching.
What years on the scratch off cards are you referring to?
They were in 1992 Topps Baseball in honor of the 50th Anniversary.
jtlee- So what would the gold cards from the 1992 topps scratch game get you, or did you have to eventually redeem them?
We sent the winning cards into Topps. For each winning card we received a random pack of 10 Gold foil embossed cards. The Gold cards traded anywhere from 15X - 50X BV depending on the Player. A Brien Taylor card would sell for 50X BV in Gold. We would sell some of the packages of Gold cards unopened as well as sell some of the cards individually. I forgot exactly how much we made, but it was quite a bit for a couple of teenagers.
The high values on the Gold cards didn't last too long. Once other people learned how to do this, the market started to get flooded with the Gold cards. Also the Gold cards that were issued for the winning scratch cards had Winner stamped on them. We were in and out of the exchange pretty early on.
I've searched packs pretty recently, although not sportscards and not for obtaining hits. I would search Garbage Pail Kids rack packs looking for cards I did not have. The racks' wrappers were transparent enough where I could see the name at the bottom of the pack. I got tired of buying pack after pack and receiving duplicates. The regular packs were not transparent enough so I could not search them.
Some guy at the office told me how to search packs looking for hits at the store. I don't like hits and would buy packs at retail outlets because they were cheaper and the odds were poorer. I like the base cards and try to complete sets, so I dislike cards that take away from that. In the 90's the inserts were far and few between so I liked receiving them. Today's inserts are annoying. I tended to buy blister packs and blaster boxes because the regular packs would have damaged cards due to someone else searching.
My brother and I got out of the sports card game around 1994 as the number of "Premium" sets and costs of buying those packs started to go up. We saw the flood and collapse coming. I really can't stand modern cards, because of the number of inserts and the prices per pack.
As I got older, I started learning the sequences of packs to cherry pick. I remember doing particularly well with 1991 Stadium Club baseball (Bagwell) and football (Emmitt Smith).
Being so worried that security or the real police were going to nab me
Not really pack searching but I remember back in 1971-72, the local candy store would have Topps rack packs actually hanging on racks. My friends and I would look for the packs with stars on front or back and buy those packs to open. Wish I still had some of those!
This, but in 1985
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1989 Hoops Series II. Learned Sequencing and scored about 250 David Robinsons from the Krogers in the Knoxville area one night for 30 cents each.
I never searched packs, but I did learn how to play Space Invaders for a penny.
I had learned how to play Air Hockey at the local bowling alley for a penny when I was around 13. LOL...
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
When I was about 10 years old, I found out you could take a piece of freshly chewed gum and insert it (cramming it into) the coin slot of the gumball machine and you could just spin the dial as many times as you wanted getting all the gum and charms you wanted.
In the High School vending machine that dispenses chips, gum, life savers, etc., if you placed in the exact change and hit the Life Saver button and hold down the coin return bar, it would empty out all the Life Savers from that section. I would get about 15 or 20 rolls for what .....a quarter?
Those were the days.
Robert
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mtcards, mlbfan2, jtlee321 - please elaborate.
Back in the early 1980s or so, some arcade games had a horizontal metal coin slot. If you took a penny and put it up against the side of the slot and "spun" it into the slot, it would sometimes register as a quarter. On a good day, it might work ~30% of the time. Sometimes it wouldn't work at all, so we would just give up and put in a quarter.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
on top. Hills dept. store got 12, 6 box Topps rack packs. Bought close to 100
stars on top. In 1987 Revco got Donruss display cases. Bought a ton of stars
on top from them. K-Mart and Woolworths thru the 1983-1991 years would get
rack and cello cases. I bought boxes full from these places as well. Sad to say
most are gone except for the Ripkens, still have them. Some of the years that
had the Glossy A.S., I put together Ripkens on front with the different Glossy.
Did that with the McGwire in 1985 and sold them to a collector for $400. Never
got to search 1987 Topps cellos but I bought the Ripkens I needed for my
collection. I also bought Starting Line Ups, only the Ripkens, space issues. Lots
of great memories from that decade. I've always been a fan of "stars on top".
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
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mtcards, mlbfan2, jtlee321 - please elaborate.
I assume you mean elaborate about playing the games for a penny? The air hockey also had a horizontal push in coin acceptor. I figured out that you could put a penny in the quarter slot, push the penny towards the back edge of the holder for the quarter. Then slowly push the the thing in until the edge of the penny nearest your finder was almost in the machine. Once there you pushed it all the way in as quick as you could. It worked about 80% of the time. Only thing is we got board playing air hockey pretty quickly.
This is off topic from the pack searching, but I remember going to the local roller skating rink like every Friday night. I had pretty small hands when I was 13, and I remember putting my hand up inside the jaw breaker and gumball quarter machines. Once my hand was in there I could use a finger and pull back the springs that held the candy up in the glass globe. I would be able to get two or three piece out every time I did that. I did this about 4 or 5 times then a friend of mine with slightly larger hands tried it, he got his hand stuck and almost couldn't get it out. We thought for sure we were going to have to call the fire department or something. Luckily it came out and no one ever found out. That was the last time we did that.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
Baseball.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
Baseball.
Let me be the first to officially call BS.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
Baseball.
Let me be the first to officially call BS.
LOL. Indeed, unless you had someone in your area who for some odd reason mixed a bunch of Desert Shield packs in with regular Topps packs this isn't possible. Not sure why a serviceman or woman would even jokingly do such a thing back in the 90s. These packs were sought after by collectors as soon as they found out Topps did this for our troops.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
Baseball.
Let me be the first to officially call BS.
LOL. Indeed, unless you had someone in your area who for some odd reason mixed a bunch of Desert Shield packs in with regular Topps packs this isn't possible. Not sure why a serviceman or woman would even jokingly do such a thing back in the 90s. These packs were sought after by collectors as soon as they found out Topps did this for our troops.
Maybe he meant finding Desert Storm baseball cards inserted into the Topps Desert Storm War packs.
I never searched packs, but when I was a kid I found out you could use a stud finder to find holograms, foil cards (and Desert Storm) in non-foil wrappers. I showed this to the card and comic shop in our shopping center and the very next day the guy's display case was filled with insert cards.
Wow, if you found a way to find Desert Storm cards in regular Topps wax packs, I'm impressed
Grab a stack of Desert Storm cards and hover a stud finder over where the logo should be.
Not sure if you are both talking about the same thing. If we are talking about the Topps Baseball Desert Shield cards versus the Topps Desert Storm War cards. I do not remember inserts in the war cards.
Mullins can you clarify which you are referring to?
Baseball.
Let me be the first to officially call BS.
LOL. Indeed, unless you had someone in your area who for some odd reason mixed a bunch of Desert Shield packs in with regular Topps packs this isn't possible. Not sure why a serviceman or woman would even jokingly do such a thing back in the 90s. These packs were sought after by collectors as soon as they found out Topps did this for our troops.
Maybe he meant finding Desert Storm baseball cards inserted into the Topps Desert Storm War packs.
Or maybe he's just lying in an attempt to fit in with the cool kids.
The baseball cards are Desert SHIELD.
I don't think Topps made Desert SHIELD war cards. I can't find any on ebay.
As for the Hoops II. It didnt take but opening a few packs to learn the sequencing of the cards. I had a friend that worked at Kroger and he told me they had the grocery display cases of Hoops II coming out that night at midnight. I want to say there was around 24 boxes in each one. We had learned the sequencing from buying a few boxes they week before. There were 11 Kroger stores in the Knoxville area. We hit ALL of them that night. We bought the packs that had the Robinson, Jordan and Bird cards. Packs were 30-35 cents each. Dealers in the area were paying $4 per Robinson, $1.50 for the Jordan and $1 for the Bird. It was a good night for profit, not to mention we scored a handful of the Pistons cards and because of the sequencing, ended up with about 250 of the Kevin Johnson and John Stockton rookies as well. Was 18 at the time and going to college, so money was tough to get. Funny now, how worthless most of those are.
Edited to add, I meant Jeff Hornacek and not Stockton.
As for the Hoops II. It didnt take but opening a few packs to learn the sequencing of the cards. ... and because of the sequencing, ended up with about 250 of the Kevin Johnson and John Stockton rookies as well.
Stockton's RC was before 1989 Hoops.
E.T.A.: His 1988 Fleer cards, four 1988 Spanish cards and the 1988 SLU are generally considered to be his RC's.
As for the Hoops II. It didnt take but opening a few packs to learn the sequencing of the cards. ... and because of the sequencing, ended up with about 250 of the Kevin Johnson and John Stockton rookies as well.
Stockton's RC was before 1989 Hoops.
E.T.A.: His 1988 Fleer cards, four 1988 Spanish cards and the 1988 SLU are generally considered to be his RC's.
Yeah, meant Hornacek...always got those two confused
"Yeah, meant Hornacek...always got those two confused"
I'm pretty sure this is racist.
As an adult, I had a friend who was a pack searcher. He was really good at finding jersey and autograph cards in packs. And, no, he didn't damage them to do it.
Personally, I've only ever searched in a store once - unintentionally. Was at a Shopko and they had a variety bin of packs where everything was a buck or something. I was looking through it and noticed they had like 5 packs of the same brand but one was substantially thicker than the others. I figured that was probably a good thing so i bought that pack. Turned out to be a 4-color patch card.
Outside of stores, I have a couple of brands of football that I collect (2003 Press Pass and 2001 Atomic Prism). Whenever I buy a box, I will go through all the packs and see if I can't pick out the "hits" ahead of time when opening. I've gotten pretty good at both.
There were other unopened boxes that weren't searchable but had patterns within the packs in the box where you could figure out the run. 1989 Upper Deck had a pattern to the rookie stars where they would be in order from top to bottom. If you had a pack that had #2, the pack directly above it had the #1 Griffey, JR. 1986 Fleer Basketball also had a pattern where you could usually find a pack with a Jordan after opening a few pack, but the shop owner kept those in the back haha
TheClockworkAngelCollection
Edited to correct - Actually that would have been 1980. I still remember one of the packs I bought which had Don Robinson on top.
Chris Sabo was either on the top or the back, I remember getting lots of him along with a few other guys I can't recall, maybe Canseco? But I remember looking for Sabo very well.