1981 Topps BB sealed vending case, what to do with it?
jsanz
Posts: 250 ✭✭
Hi. I recently purchased a sealed 1981 Topps baseball vending case from a source I have worked with in the past. I am 99.9% sure this is an original case from an original owner. If I was not that confident I would not have bought it. I got burned on a 1985 Topps BB vending case years ago from DACW. I am pretty sure I will sell it sooner or later. What do you think is the best way to maximize the value of it? Send it off to an auction as is sealed? Put it on ebay? Send it to BBCE and have all the boxes authenticated? Or just keep it and not sell it? I feel like older sealed vending cases are drying up. I assume they are being busted for grading. They don't come up on BBCE website very often.
Oh and for everyone who says, "open it" to every post about unopened, sorry, I just can't do it.
Comments
I would think that if you are confident the case is good that you may want to send to BBCE to have the boxes authenticated/wrapped, sell them individually and space out your sales. I think this would maximize your profit.
Donato
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Agree with this comment!!
If I were in your shoes and you didn't know what to do with it or didnt WANT to sell it right now....I'd probably get the sealed case authenticated by bbce. Then if/when you want to sell it you can sell it as a sealed BBCE authenticated case. You will always have the fallback to get the individual boxes authenticated for sale later....but you can't ever UNseal that case
I wouldn't have it wrapped until you were ready to sell... even then, I think sending to PWCC or an AH as a sealed case would be your best bet.
Thanks. It looks like 50/50, keep it sealed, open and authenticate. I do like the ideal of possibly selling it in one large sale instead of trying to sell boxes one at a time. No matter what I decide I do think this case only increases in value the longer I wait.
Grimster....I didn't know that Steve will authenticate the whole sealed case, especially vending.
While obviously more effort, I agree that sending to BBCE for authentication and then selling individually would maximize revenue. IF you have a target price, you could also post on BST and see if you get any bites. Plenty of interest around here for sure.
If you are looking to sell in one large sale, I would keep the case sealed as is. Why spend the extra money getting the boxes authenticated when a sealed case authenticates itself for free?
I would only open the case and get the boxes wrapped if you plan on selling a little at a time over a period of time.
A sealed case is more liquid than a case with some of the boxes already sold off. If you were a buyer, would you rather have a sealed case or a partial case of wrapped boxes?
Some sealed cases demand a HUGE premium over the individual boxes, while others not so much. I guess you need to do a little research to see if you can determine the premium on this case. Let us know what you choose to do.
As someone already stated, if you have a price in mind, list it here in the B/S/T Forum. Maybe put a price for the sealed case and one for individual boxes with the BBCE wrapping. Then ask who may be interested in a box and take it from there.
GOOD LUCK!!
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.
Send to BBCE.
I second this. If the case is sealed, you will always have that premium for a sealed case intact. If you plan to piece it out over time, then I'd send it Steve.
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 am by no means an expert on this subject.
That said, my instincts say to leave the case as is and try to get offers from BBCE and 4SC if you are looking to sell it all at once. I would guess those two companies would end up being the last two bidders anyway if you used an auction house. You can always pass and hold the case until a later date.
Just testing the picture upload on the new boards.
Thanks again for the comments. I think dealing with getting the boxes authenticated and then selling them individually or in lots would be more time consuming. When I decide to let it go I think I will sell the whole sealed case. I do feel like older sealed cases are getting a premium because there are less and less out there.
Is 4SC buying all the vending these days? I was wondering where all the cases are going.