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Graded packs discussion
VintagemanEd
Posts: 922 ✭✭✭
I have never bought a graded pack but just bought a series 2 bbce 1972 football wax box. I don't plan on opening it but I started thinking about graded packs from the Frisch warehouse inventory... would it be reasonable to think these boxes might yield higher graded packs? Second, I also thought about packs from some of these high dollar boxes and how many people crack and open them. Is that percentage very low?
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I would not automatically assume that. The packs in the boxes may very well be high grade but if they are also being sold separately as graded packs they were likely cherry picked from boxes because they were in a higher grade or state of preservation in the first place.
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.
grote..... another thought I had is about packs and the cherry picked boxes as far as their potential. The hobby has been googoo over FASC designations and I see why but will there ever be a way to distinguish packs from a box that already had the big name pulled making those packs far less valuable?
Unless it's labeled "from a sealed case", there is no guarantee that the third party sealed box you buy contains its original packs, cellos, racks.
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
I am curious if pack collectors are ever concerned if a pack came Frankenstein box
Anyone buying a loose pack knows they're taking a chance that it's contents are not 100% random. I assume that's factored into the going prices which is why FASC commands such a premium.
Yes true but I wonder if psa would ever grade a full box and label them all accordingly which would make those 36 or 24 command a premium right?
Agreed. Collation and sequencing also routinely change midpack, often after only a couple of cards, so there is no way to really assume which cards one will find within an unopened and authentic pack, assuming that one can determine what card is showing through the wrapper and is even familiar with sequencing for that year/issue. I have opened a lot of packs over the years and have pulled many key rookies and stars in high grade, so the gems are out there. Even a box FASC can exhibit poor centering and lousy cards. Just look at all the OC 75 mini boxes FASC that we've ripped through the years, as well as the 79 rack cases. As an unopened collector, the most important aspect for me is that the pack is authentic and unopened~I will certainly assign a premium to a box FASC, too, but more so because the box is original and intact from the factory vs being potentially cherrypicked. I also prefer to be able to look at and admire the packs in my boxes~shrinkwrapping boxes certainly helps with resale potential, but is not as enjoyable as actually seeing the hidden treasures within. Plus, there is no mystery about the condition of the packs within the box when they are plain to see.
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.
There's plenty of FASC boxes out there full of packs without key rookies, specifically with baseball. Just the sheer number of cards printed compared to the quantity in the box will dictate that. If I'm buying a pack for grading, I'm really looking more at the condition of the pack with the intentions of never opening it... so long as it's authentic. There are definitely still some diamonds in the rough out there, but sticking with labeled FASC boxes is a sure bet.
There was a group rip of a 1972 Wax box a few years ago. I bought about 7 packs. Many of them had star cards on front. I still have Johnny Unitas and OJ Simpson unopened. I, on accident, busted one with Csonka on front. Sometimes those frankenstein boxes are pretty good.