I love the 1980s! The ultimate unopened rip quest to build Topps, Fleer, Donruss PSA 10 sets...

jordangretzkyfan · February 24, 2018 5:51PM

I love the 1980s. It was the ultimate window for the boom of the sports card era, and I was a young kid caught up in it all. I can remember spending every dollar of my allowance at the local card shop or the monthly show at the mall. What could be better than capturing tiny pieces of cardboard depicting each one of your childhood heroes. From Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Mario Lemieux, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, Daryl Strawberry, Eric Davis, Jose Canseco to Ken Griffey Jr....the 80s had them all.

I remember riding my bike with my best friend 3 miles to the local convenience store every weekend to see if they got a fresh box of packs that week. We would drop down $5 and make off with 12 new packs of cards. As soon as we got back to the house, we’d rotate back-and-forth opening packs to see who we hit. The goal was to build sets and accumulate as many of your favorite player as you could. For me, it started with Micheal Jordan, Barry Sanders, Daryl Strawberry, Don Mattingly and Eric Davis.

For all of us collectors, nostalgia is at the heart of what we do. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to accumulate a lot of nice cards and a lot of unopened items. None of it gives me more thrill, than the packs from the 1980s. And since it was one of the most overproduced decades, luckily there is still plenty of it to break. Which is why I’ve made the crazy decision to try to build flawless PSA 10 sets from scratch. I mean seriously, what is more fun than breaking packs just like when we were kids?

I want to give a nod to a couple of board members who have inspired me. Jeff (a.k.a. Pack Geek) and his awesome break videos. And Mr. Peanut for his great 1983 Topps set quest. I absolutely love their threads because they help me relive my childhood and see just how great looking many of the sets were from the 1980s.

So I thought I would kick things off with the first year I went all in on collecting, 1987 baseball. This year is loaded with so many amazing rookies, veteran Hall of Famer‘s, and great looking card designs. Topps went with the retro woodgrain look, while Donruss had a very simple design with impossible black borders, and Fleer had my favorite set design of all time. There’s just something about those sky blue borders and the players head extending into the top blue as if they were coming out of the card.

Don’t worry, if Greg Maddux, Barry Bonds, Barry Larkin, Bo Jackson and Will Clark are not your thing...I will have other years and sports to break too. I just wanted to start with where it all began for me.

Enough of me rambling, and thank you for reading this far. Now for the reason you opened this thread…the first pile of boxes to be broken...

jordangretzkyfan · February 24, 2018 6:12PM

First up...1987 Donruss.

mrpeanut39 · February 24, 2018 6:17PM

Thanks for the acknowledgment.

That looks like weeks of fun right there. You'll definitely get to know those sets intimately. I know it sounds crazy, but as a set builder, I think I get almost as big of a thrill hitting a perfect Tony Bernazard (or whoever the low pop of the set is) as I do pulling a gem Gwynn.

Good luck on this audacious, ambitious endeavor and I look forward to your updates.

curch · February 24, 2018 6:20PM

So awesome! I know exactly how you feel.....I had the same childhood! Best of luck!

DavidPuddy · February 24, 2018 6:32PM

87 Was a great year for cards. Fleer was my favorite set that year.
Looking forward to your break.

Stone193 · February 24, 2018 6:46PM

For all of us collectors, nostalgia is at the heart of what we do

This!

Boy, am I looking forward to this.

I opened loads of 87D with my son - so many great players to boot.

Sorry, don't remember your first name? Could ya share?

These have been some of the super threads over the years. Best of luck.

jordangretzkyfan · February 24, 2018 7:07PM

Hey Mike...it’s Chris.

Thanks to all for the enthusiasm! A few of my first observations after breaking the first box and a half:

1) it is amazing to be able to see only a quarter of a card as you’re sliding the cards, and know exactly who the player is 30 years later. I’m guessing many of you can relate.
2) 1987 Donruss are as poor quality as I had remembered, with 90% off centered. The few that are centered nearly always have a touch of white on at least two corners. On the rare occasion you find one centered and with four flawless corners, you then have to hope for no print defects.
3) Rated Rookies are freakin cool looking!!
4) I still love Ruben Sierra and think he is a can’t miss prospect.
5) This hobby is the greatest...

Stone193 · February 24, 2018 7:16PM

Thanx Chris.

I wasn't gonna say anything - didn't want to jinx you buddy.

I agree on your assessment. And to allay any fear you might have? I found the racks to be just the same - opened loads and I don't think I found many that might qualify for a 10?

jordangretzkyfan · February 24, 2018 7:37PM

Here is a pic of all the stars and rookies/prospects that once were. This really is a nice set design. That tiny pile in the top corner in semi-ridged holders are the few that have a legit shot at a 10 after first inspection...not many! On a positive note, I feel I am helping rid the world of 1987 unopened and will also be recycling tons so we can save more trees...

vintagefun · February 24, 2018 8:02PM

Good luck Chris. Huge undertaking. I'm waiting for you to dig into those Star Wars boxes I've scoped in your previous pics.

ldferg · February 24, 2018 8:37PM

Good luck. I’m planning to ride thru this with you and others.

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 5:21AM

After the first 6 boxes, there were plenty of key RC sightings...

As you can see, centering plagues this issue...

But all was not completely lost on the crazy quest to build GEM MINT sets. Of the 3240 cards released from their waxy tombs last night, 33 made the first round cut. Yes, that is only 1% of cards from brand new packs!!!!!!

It certainly makes me appreciate the perfect examples that have lasted through the years. I am under no delusion that cards from the 1980s will ever be considered rare. However, finding perfect examples just might be as difficult as their 1970s predecessors. There is certainly far more unopened left from the 80s, but the production quality was so poor as they cranked the presses to meet the growing collector demand. This is going to be a fun challenge. Thank you to those who are along for the ride. Feel free to add any 1980s brakes you may have to this thread. Hopefully this becomes something we can all enjoy as we take a trip down memory lane.

Unknown · February 25, 2018 8:11AM

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Gemyanks10 · February 25, 2018 8:21AM

This thread nails it and 1980’s baseball cards are my favorite of all time due to also being a childhood collector at that time. Will be following this through till the end. I’m currently also working on PSA 10 sets from this era and can say that just because product was more readily available than prior releases, doesn’t mean getting a PSA 10 of certain sets is any easier so to speak. For this reason, value should be higher for certain cards due to the difficulty in acquiring certain cards in high grade, but I hope in time, more people will recognize it.

Good luck and you are inspiring me to rip something today!

coinspacks · February 25, 2018 8:29AM

crazy how these boxes cost more back in 1987 than they do today.

hyperchipper09 · February 25, 2018 8:37AM

The decade that made me a collector. Good luck and Godspeed

countdouglas · February 25, 2018 8:40AM

@coinspacks said:
crazy how these boxes cost more back in 1987 than they do today.

Haha! Yeah, that's been a recurring topic of conversation between my friends and myself over the last few years. One of the few instances where you can relive something from your childhood for less than it cost you to experience it the first time.

BGS_Buyer · February 25, 2018 9:51AM

$17,000 - $20,000 grading fees for all 10's with no 9 ever for these 3 sets ?
you much have deep pockets or much love for these sets

not to mention the cost for the boxes themselves

I'd prefer 2 boxes of 9 pocket pages for these, for $20.00
and spend the rest on some nice cards

that's just me

good luck

tbonewilly · February 25, 2018 10:34AM

Keep the photos coming!...Love some junk wax gems!

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 11:09AM

Let’s try some 1987 Fleer next. I absolutely love the wax rack pack. This was tamper proof packaging before it otherwise existed. Three minty fresh packs wrapped in the security of a rack pack...I have often wished Fleer did this for basketball from 1986-1989.

As I mentioned earlier, I think 1987 Fleer is my favorite set design of all time. It is a very clean look and the first base set to have players coming out of the boarders for a 3D like look. Here we go...

coinspacks · February 25, 2018 11:16AM

i noticed that in 1987, fleer had two types of rack packs.....one had those blue packs and others had the red wax pack wrappers. anyone know the story of the red wrappers? were they marketed for target?

Sdub · February 25, 2018 11:40AM

@BGS_Buyer said:
$17,000 - $20,000 grading fees for all 10's with no 9 ever for these 3 sets ?
you much have deep pockets or much love for these sets

not to mention the cost for the boxes themselves

I'd prefer 2 boxes of 9 pocket pages for these, for $20.00
and spend the rest on some nice cards

that's just me

good luck

Do you really need PSA's blessing for a 10 from this era? If you think it's a 10, then it's a 10. If you posted a really nice raw set with Gem looking cards the journey would be just as rewarding, IMO.

BGS_Buyer · February 25, 2018 12:07PM

@Sdub said:

@BGS_Buyer said:
$17,000 - $20,000 grading fees for all 10's with no 9 ever for these 3 sets ?
you much have deep pockets or much love for these sets

not to mention the cost for the boxes themselves

I'd prefer 2 boxes of 9 pocket pages for these, for $20.00
and spend the rest on some nice cards

that's just me

good luck

Do you really need PSA's blessing for a 10 from this era? If you think it's a 10, then it's a 10. If you posted a really nice raw set with Gem looking cards the journey would be just as rewarding, IMO.

Talking to me ?
I didn't say that
the original poster said it - "Which is why I’ve made the crazy decision to try to build flawless PSA 10 sets from scratch"

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 12:12PM

@coinspacks said:
i noticed that in 1987, fleer had two types of rack packs.....one had those blue packs and others had the red wax pack wrappers. anyone know the story of the red wrappers? were they marketed for target?

The blue wrapper wax racks contain the standard 17 cards per wax pack, while the red wrapper wax racks contain 15 cards per wax pack. The red packs were made as an exclusive for Toys R Us.

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 12:17PM

@Sdub said:

@BGS_Buyer said:
$17,000 - $20,000 grading fees for all 10's with no 9 ever for these 3 sets ?
you much have deep pockets or much love for these sets

not to mention the cost for the boxes themselves

I'd prefer 2 boxes of 9 pocket pages for these, for $20.00
and spend the rest on some nice cards

that's just me

good luck

Do you really need PSA's blessing for a 10 from this era? If you think it's a 10, then it's a 10. If you posted a really nice raw set with Gem looking cards the journey would be just as rewarding, IMO.

For me, It is less about PSAs blessing and more about assembling a flawless set. Once I am able to build the perfect sets, I expect I will want to preserve them in holders since I think they look best that way. I get the grading fee debate, but having a perfect set encapsulated is pretty enticing to me. I am not a big grader, so this is mostly about preserving the childhood memories and letting others see them. Thanks for the push on not wasting money though.

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 12:19PM

From the 3rd rack...

BGS_Buyer · February 25, 2018 12:33PM

@jordangretzkyfan said:

@Sdub said:

Thanks for the push on not wasting money though.

as long as you've done your math
and have thought of all those 9's & 8's coming back your way

I totally get opening all that stuff and putting a set together
my 2 cents would be plastic pages
and buying the stars already in psa 10 cases
I think they are cheap enough on ebay

tbonewilly · February 25, 2018 12:58PM

Just curious, are you putting the HOF'ers aside or just really concentrating on gem's and then the rookie class cards? I have been kind of doing that with 86 and earlier packs, putting the gem's aside, but I also have boxes of all of the HOF'ers too, which man, it's starts adding up!...Enjoy the rip!..I did a couple of cases of 87 Topps Cello's and I don't know how many racks and never a dull moment!...

prgsdw · February 25, 2018 1:22PM

@jordangretzkyfan said:
From the 3rd rack...

That Will Clark is one of my favorites from that era, have it on a wooden plaque with his name engraved on it.

dennis07 · February 25, 2018 1:52PM

..............................

Unknown · February 25, 2018 2:39PM

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jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 3:53PM

Sorry for the delay today, but I went to watch my daughter play in her AAU basketball game this afternoon. They were down 29-17 heading into the fourth quarter and scored 23 straight to win 40-29. They play for the championship next week and she had an outstanding game.

So I broke eight racks of 1987 Fleer baseball, and all four of the major rookies made an appearance. I remember in 1989 when the Giants were playing the Cubs in the NLDS and the Will Clark RC was selling for $35 all day long. Haha...those were the days!

The Bonds was close to being a contender, but alas it is only a solid 9. There are a few very faint white specks on the surface at the top header. None of the others came close. My observation on opening 1987 Fleer cards is that the card stock is very high-end so corners are typically sharp as are the edges. The challenge with these cards is the centering, about 15% are centered, and all those pesky print dots. You have to look really close or the print dots can elude you at first glance. Also, a ton of cards are off-center top to bottom. There should be a healthy blue border at the bottom when a card is perfectly centered.

Here is a pick of the stars and rookies/prospects from back in the day...

And here are the 16 contenders out of 408 cards (4%) after a quick first screening…

Let me know which fish I need to throw back. I am ruthless on corners, edges and surface, but can sometimes get too optimistic on centering. Thanks to those who continue to respond to this thread!

jordangretzkyfan · February 25, 2018 4:02PM

@tbonewilly said:
Just curious, are you putting the HOF'ers aside or just really concentrating on gem's and then the rookie class cards? I have been kind of doing that with 86 and earlier packs, putting the gem's aside, but I also have boxes of all of the HOF'ers too, which man, it's starts adding up!...Enjoy the rip!..I did a couple of cases of 87 Topps Cello's and I don't know how many racks and never a dull moment!...

Hey Tbonewilly...I have been enjoying your wax breaks and love all the Jordan’s you post. I am a big MJ collector and might someday show off my stash in this thread

Thanks for the question. I have been sleeving the ones I think have a good shot at a 10. Aside from those, I have been keeping the HOF and star players along with the top RC and former prospects. For now they are going into 3200 count storage boxes. If anyone has a favorite player, let me know and we can work a deal. All the other cards are going into the recycling to hopefully save a few trees.

Stone193 · February 25, 2018 6:19PM

This has been entertaining Chris.

I like the Clark and Bonds.

Have never opened any Fleer. Remember when the Bonds was in high demand - that was a long, long time ago.

Can't believe how time flies.

Sdub · February 25, 2018 8:14PM

I wasn't considering the cost of grading fees when

@BGS_Buyer said:

@jordangretzkyfan said:

@Sdub said:

Thanks for the push on not wasting money though.

as long as you've done your math
and have thought of all those 9's & 8's coming back your way

I totally get opening all that stuff and putting a set together
my 2 cents would be plastic pages
and buying the stars already in psa 10 cases
I think they are cheap enough on ebay

Right, agreed. Although for different reasons. The cost is certainly a deterent with the percentages and return on 10's, but why not keep it raw and post it on the raw registry. You can still enjoy it, store it safely, and share beautiful raw centered cards with fellow collectors.

tbonewilly · February 26, 2018 5:32AM

@jordangretzkyfan said:

@tbonewilly said:
Just curious, are you putting the HOF'ers aside or just really concentrating on gem's and then the rookie class cards? I have been kind of doing that with 86 and earlier packs, putting the gem's aside, but I also have boxes of all of the HOF'ers too, which man, it's starts adding up!...Enjoy the rip!..I did a couple of cases of 87 Topps Cello's and I don't know how many racks and never a dull moment!...

Hey Tbonewilly...I have been enjoying your wax breaks and love all the Jordan’s you post. I am a big MJ collector and might someday show off my stash in this thread

Thanks for the question. I have been sleeving the ones I think have a good shot at a 10. Aside from those, I have been keeping the HOF and star players along with the top RC and former prospects. For now they are going into 3200 count storage boxes. If anyone has a favorite player, let me know and we can work a deal. All the other cards are going into the recycling to hopefully save a few trees.

Cool!..I hear you on the recycling, been doing that too..unfortunately, I still don't think I'm making much of a dent in the 88 Donruss population!...Rip away and enjoy! I'm definitely keeping my eyes on your thread and revisiting 1987!

brad31 · February 26, 2018 5:40AM

I will enjoy this thread as I have the 1983 Topps and the 1989 hockey thread. I admire the passsion and the goal and the dedication. I root for each collector to find and get 10s in each submission. I think the 10s they show are beautiful (as I do the 9s).

Apologies for previous end of my post. You are right Reggie - meant more to say that PSA has really strict standards on 80s cards compared to previous eras. Good luck to the OP and it will be fun to see him progress on his goal.

ReggieCleveland · February 27, 2018 7:59AM

.

ReggieCleveland · February 27, 2018 8:04AM

On another note, why in the world would anyone go into someone's thread and criticize the way in which they choose to collect? What are you, 12 years old? People choose to collect the way in which they want to collect. If it isn't the way you would do it, that doesn't mean it's wrong. NO ONE CARES THAT YOU WOULDN'T DO IT THIS WAY.

If you don't have something positive to add to the conversation, go find another thread.

To the OP, you are literally doing what I would do if I had the time. I look forward to following this thread and living vicariously through you. Thanks for taking the time to scan everything and take all the pictures and do the write ups, I love it. Best of luck with the rips.

Arthur

cpamike · February 27, 2018 10:11AM

Hi Chris, congrats on your daughter's basketball game and good luck to them next week!

Awesome thread and I'm glad I poked my head in to find it. I will be checking in frequently to see how you are doing as this will be an epic journey to say the least. I love that you choose to start with the year that you began collecting. For me it is 1976 although I also collected the old discount 1975 cards they were trying to give away as well. I can still remember ripping those packs open looking for Tom Terrific or King Kong. I will say that I was partial to the 1987 Donruss though, loved those black beauties.

Like Arthur said, thanks for sharing and allowing us to come along for the ride!

I hope to catch up with you in Cleveland although no ripping for me.

jordangretzkyfan · February 27, 2018 3:01PM

@ReggieCleveland said:
Thanks for taking the time to scan everything and take all the pictures and do the write ups, I love it. Best of luck with the rips.

Thanks for the kind words Arthur. I have loved seeing pics of others unopened as well as their rips over the years, so happy to give back to this community. This will be a fun journey for me and I will be sure to add tons of pics and my observations along the way. I will rip some more 1987 in the coming days and post, but plan to get to earlier years shortly. This whole work thing messes up my ability to rip very often during the week, but I will update as I go.

@cpamike said:
Hi Chris, congrats on your daughter's basketball game and good luck to them next week!

Awesome thread and I'm glad I poked my head in to find it. I hope to catch up with you in Cleveland although no ripping for me.

Thanks Mike. Looking forward to seeing you in Cleveland as well. No worries on the refusal to rip, you are true to your equity. I will be sure to let you and Pam rip some of my 1980s stuff while we are there. Hope you are doing well...it’s your crazy time of year!

Estil · February 27, 2018 6:39PM

I too started with the 1980s when I was in college (starting in 1999-2000) and could start seriously collecting...luckily the local card store (Baseball Card Warehouse in Lexington, KY) got me started with some nice cheap 80s sets! Unlike the OP though, I did mine the cheaper (though boring ) way, getting the (factory) sets and putting them into binders. Still it is kinda fun to open a Topps factory set and put the cards in order though.

I was thinking of getting into opening a wax box in some way because it does look kinda fun...maybe a 1993 Flair box (one of the first sets I ever got off Ebay back in 2000) might be fun (and somewhat cheap?) to open? Maybe 1986-90 Topps box sequence? I don't know though...

PS: 1987 Topps and 1989 Topps (he didn't have any 1988's at the time) were the first ever factory sets I ever got back in 1999-2000...if you could bust open some 1987 Topps as well as 1989 Donruss/Topps (first packs I ever got as a nine year old in that year) that'd sure bring back some memories for me.

Sdub · February 27, 2018 8:39PM

Arthur, not sure if your responding to my comments, but I was trying to say that if OP keep his gem mint cards raw, and posted for us to view, I would have just as much respect for those cards as I would encapsulated 10's. If that came across as negative or parental, sorry, didn't mean it that way.

ReggieCleveland · February 28, 2018 4:24AM

Just a general observance. It sounds corny but this really is a fun place to be when everyone is encouraged to share their collections and, more importantly, their niches. The differences in how we all collect is more interesting than the actual cards. We can google search or hop on ebay anytime we want and see pictures of any card we want. It's the individuality of a person's quest that draws us all together. Meeting someone, encouraging them, seeing them finally succeed, that's why we come back every day. Through each person's unique style we learn new things about stuff we thought we had exhausted.

Seems like we've had a pretty good run here on CU lately. I'd love to see it continue.

Arthur

cpamike · February 28, 2018 8:07AM

@ReggieCleveland said:
Just a general observance. It sounds corny but this really is a fun place to be when everyone is encouraged to share their collections and, more importantly, their niches. The differences in how we all collect is more interesting than the actual cards. We can google search or hop on ebay anytime we want and see pictures of any card we want. It's the individuality of a person's quest that draws us all together. Meeting someone, encouraging them, seeing them finally succeed, that's why we come back every day. Through each person's unique style we learn new things about stuff we thought we had exhausted.

Seems like we've had a pretty good run here on CU lately. I'd love to see it continue.

Arthur

Well said Arthur.

jordangretzkyfan · February 28, 2018 4:56PM

Let’s get back to breaking some wax. Tonight’s offering...

jordangretzkyfan · February 28, 2018 5:40PM

Just when you think you finally find a GEM after the first 12 packs that is centered and no white on the edges and corners...

...you look closer and find all the print dots that plague these cards...

jordangretzkyfan · February 28, 2018 6:30PM

So close on this pack fresh McGwire...an amazing looking card I still love to pull every time. There are just a couple of white specks on the bottom boarder keeping it as a high end 9.

Here are the four contenders so far tonight...

ReggieCleveland · March 1, 2018 4:41AM

Nice. I like your aggressive approach to grading -- no sliders, no "well, maybe, cross my fingers." You're just sending in stone cold 10s. The '87 Donruss are so nice to look at when they're perfectly centered like that with bold, unblemished black borders. Good luck on the next rip!

Arthur

BenG76 · March 1, 2018 5:47PM

Awesome thread. Those black bordered 87 Donruss are tough to grade. Will be watching this thread.

jordangretzkyfan · March 1, 2018 5:55PM

I’m pretty sure Donruss’ goal in 1987 was to ensure no flawless cards were produced

I love the 1980s! The ultimate unopened rip quest to build Topps, Fleer, Donruss PSA 10 sets...

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