I love the design of the 1982 Topps set. Too bad the set doesn't have a lot of desirable cards.
When opening in the 1980s I do not remember seeing all these cards being so off center with defects.
Has anyone else considered that all of this unopened from the 1980s is actually defective inventory that was intentionally not released at the time since manufacturers knew that it was not of good quality?
Just catching up on this thread. Been fun watching. Looking at some of the non-contenders you definitely have a critical eye. That ‘82 Carlton looks perfect to me but tough to see print small defects on a photo that size. Keep up the ripping always fun to see.
I never opened much 1985 Fleer as a kid. This is one good looking set! Here were the stars and rookies...
And the big two made an appearance too, but not quite grade worthy. Clemens has a few print dots and the Kirby is just off center. Both have a touch of edge ware too...
However, these 14 have a good chance after first glance...
Wowza...I can only hope the entire case turns out to be as crisp as the first 50 cards. They are crazy sharp, strong centering and the corners and edges are super clean. Print defects and dead on centering will be the main challenges. Here are the first two candidates to emerge from their 36 year old tomb...
Wow...that was a fun vending rip. The condition of the cards was super sharp. This should be a fun case to break over the coming months! Here were the stars and rookies...
I love the design of the 1982s. Such a simple, attractive design. Of course this is the key card. Unfortunately the centering gods were not with me this time, but always fun to pull a RC of the Iron Man...
But alas, I am only looking for flawless examples...and this beauty of a vending box contained a whopping 13 of them...
Thanks to those who continue to follow this and comment along the way.
I just cracked the seal on a factory case of 1985 Topps Vending. Time to look for perfect examples of McGwire, Clemens and Puckett RCs. Nice clean boxes with the perfect vending pattern...
Ugh...that was one amazing box when it came to stars and rookies, but the centering was a total mess! Here were the stars...
Check out the duplicates of each key RC...but none were centered...
And here was the lone PSA 10 candidate out of 500 fresh vending cards...
It is always a blast to pull the key RCs of the 1980s, so I am not complaining. Just saying that so far these 1985s have been a beast to find in perfect condition!!
Nice to get two of each. I’ve always thought that cards from vending or factory sets are flimsier than from packs. I’m sure that’s not the case but from everything I’ve opened it sure seems that way.
Despite the lack of major RCs (apologies to Canseco), I have always liked the look of the 1986 Fleer set and enjoy opening them. Here were the rookies and stars. Yes, I included the always fun Mickey Hatcher “big glove” card. Who didn’t want that card as a kid?!?!
And here were the handful of GEM MINT contenders with some nice HOF presence...
I only found my to the forums here a few days ago, but I have already read this thread from beginning to end. This is great. This is definitely the fun way to do it. I have collected a run of Topps from 1979 to 1992 in raw form in binders. The 1988-1992 was done by opening packs just like this when I was a kid. I just recently started collecting again in 2016 and decided I want to have the whole run of Topps from the year I was born (1979) to current. I'm not sure why I decided that exactly. I had a lot of cards from the older years and had to break quite a few more boxes to get complete sets. A few of the years I purchased complete from other people who had collected them. I prefer the box breaking method. There is just something about opening all those packs and then sorting through the cards and putting them all in order.
I have gotten a little side tracked on my quest to complete the 1993-current sets since I started collecting PSA graded cards. I wanted to collect a complete set and after doing a lot of research I decided to collect the whole 1971 Topps set in PSA 8 or better (with a few exceptions likely due to a lack of $$$). I started out by purchasing a lot of raw cards and pulling out the best ones and sending them in myself. I quickly learned why everyone was talking about the black borders in all those articles I read. The majority of my returns were 6 or 7 with a few 8. More recently I have been buying 8 or better on EBAY just to fill in all the commons. They can be had for a decent price.
Some day I will get back to my quest to finish my run of Topps from 1993 to the current year. I haven't decided which years to break boxes and which years I will just purchase complete. If anyone has advice or opinions on that or collecting 1971 Topps in PSA let me know.
really enjoy watching your journey. What are you doing with all the discards from the early 80's? donating? making sets?
Collecting PSA 9's from 1970-1977. Raw 9's from 72-77. Raw 10's from '78-'83. Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks. Prefer to buy in bulk.
@krisd3279 said:
I only found my to the forums here a few days ago, but I have already read this thread from beginning to end. This is great. This is definitely the fun way to do it. I have collected a run of Topps from 1979 to 1992 in raw form in binders.
Welcome to the boards Kris. Great to have you here. I love your approach to building sets from your birth year forward. I had a similar approach to saving unopened boxes when I first started collecting boxes/cases years ago. Sounds like you have build a great collection and taken on the beast of a 1971 set. Looking forward to reading your future posts. Thanks for reading all the way through this thread!
really enjoy watching your journey. What are you doing with all the discards from the early 80's? donating? making sets?
I have been keeping the stars, rookies and PSA 10 candidates. All other cards have been going into recycling 😲 I just don’t have the patience to sort or store them. A few folks have asked me to set aside players, teams or set needs for them so I have been doing that too. Thanks for following this journey and commenting along the way. It is what makes it even more fun when others share their thoughts and comments.
Some day I will get back to my quest to finish my run of Topps from 1993 to the current year. I haven't decided which years to break boxes and which years I will just purchase complete. If anyone has advice or opinions on that or collecting 1971 Topps in PSA let me know.
Kris
I started out doing the same thing as you once I got back into the hobby, and have expanded that set run even further back prior to the year of my birth.
One piece of advice for the sets from the mid 90s to the mid 00s, I'd recommend just buying those sets already hand collated, preferably with pages and album, even if your intent is to switch out into better pages or an album of a different color or style. I would NOT buy factory sets from those years, as my experience has been that over time, many of the cards with the ultra glossy UV coating, being packed so tightly for years, will weld themselves together into giant bricks of cards, which will end up damaged as you separate them. I've had many of the retail and hobby pack/boxes end up with the same issue, so I preferred finding sets that had been opened and collated long ago, preferably in pages, so as to avoid this brick problem.
Also, I ended up with multiple factory sets that would be missing a card or two (and I don't mean the "retired" #7 card for Mantle). My opinion of Topps factory sets from that period of time is that they are only worth what you would pay for the decorative box. Good luck!
One piece of advice for the sets from the mid 90s to the mid 00s, I'd recommend just buying those sets already hand collated, preferably with pages and album, even if your intent is to switch out into better pages or an album of a different color or style. I would NOT buy factory sets from those years, as my experience has been that over time, many of the cards with the ultra glossy UV coating, being packed so tightly for years, will weld themselves together into giant bricks of cards, which will end up damaged as you separate them. I've had many of the retail and hobby pack/boxes end up with the same issue, so I preferred finding sets that had been opened and collated long ago, preferably in pages, so as to avoid this brick problem.
Thanks for the great advice. I have had a little experience with breaking some 1993 Stadium Club and a lot of them were bricks due to the high gloss. Very frustrating. I recently saw a trick for de-bricking them that involves putting the packs in the freezer. I haven't tried it myself, but I would rather avoid the whole headache.
Those Ripkens looks really nice. Can't remember but I think I have opened like 3 v. boxes - the Ripkens have come back 8s and 9s - unfortunately no 10s .
.
Of interest - I sent in the TT and it came back a 9 - didn't think it would get it.
I do have an 82T vending case - but I doubt I would ever take the time to open?
Up next are some more 1986 Fleer wax rack packs. There is something about the look of the 1986 Fleer set that has me captivated lately. I know this set lacks major RC power, but it is loaded with early cards of all the 1980’s stars and the photos are rock solid! I think this might be one of the under appreciated sets from the 1980s. Plus the Canseco RC is a good looking card and a fun runner up to the 1986 Donruss RC...
Every time I open 1986 Fleer, I am reminded that 1) this is a beautiful set, 2) these cards are crazy hard to find in GEM MINT given centering, chipping and print issues and 3) pulling a Canseco RC is still a massive rush given how insanely hot his RCs were in the 1980s. My piles of pack fresh stars and RCs continue to grow...
And out of only 24 wax packs, 2 Canseco RCs emerged. If only these were dead centered, they would be 10s. Everything else about them is perfect!
There were these 3 contenders for PSA 10 though...
I’m thinking I will stay on the 1986 kick and see if we can’t find one of the most iconic RCs of the 1980s...the 1986 Donruss Canseco RC. Here is a case fresh box for the breaking...
The universe balanced itself with the Fleer packs...no Donruss Canseco RCs were found in this box. Here were the other stars and RCs. There were 2 McGriff RCs, which I still think is an undervalued card...
And 4 GEM MINT contenders appeared...
As I was putting away the Fleer Canseco RCs, I thought I would take a pick of the ones I have pulled so far on this journey. How many times did you have the dream of owning these if you were a kid in the 1980s?!?!
@JWBlue said:
Does anyone know if the 1986 Donruss Canseco was short printed?
Lol, I don't think anything in the 80s was short printed.
Haha...exactly! Based on the uncut sheet layout that year, their are no 1986 Donruss SPs that have ever been noted. I just think the Canseco was the most coveted and so a little harder to find for sale. Although based on my box breaking luck it has been been a harder pull for me 🤨
Just found this thread, and I am loving it! I started collecting in 1982 when I was 7. These cards ARE my child hood. It's been great to see them all again.
@Vaultdweller said:
Just found this thread, and I am loving it! I started collecting in 1982 when I was 7. These cards ARE my child hood. It's been great to see them all again.
Thanks for the kind words. Always nice to share this journey with others who grew up collecting in the same timeframe. This has been a blast for me and I will keep the breaks coming...still tons of boxes and cases left.
I know what you’re going to say, “1989 Topps is incredibly over-produced and they all come out perfectly from the pack.” I fully agree that the year is beyond over-produced, but these cards are truly tough to find in flawless condition. The majority are centered 55/45 or worse and for some reason the bright white borders nearly always have light grey showing through as if Topps didn’t use enough white to fully cover the grey cardboard stock.
I was having fun and so I ripped two vending boxes. Here are the stars and rookies...
There were only 5 GEM MINT contenders out of the 1000 fresh cards (0.5%)!!! That said, man there was legit HOF power among the 5...
Lastly, as a kid who grew up in Michigan, I would have killed to have all these Jim Abbott RCs to fill out my 9-pocket page in my binder back in the day. Memories like this are what make this hobby great and this journey so fun for me...
Comments
Next up...a 1986 Topps vending box...
Here were the stars and RCs from the box...
And 6 PSA 10 candidates appeared out of this box with some legit HOF power...
Agree!!! One of my favorites from the 80s as Well,
Here is my 87 Fleer Wax Box Vid
BIGLEAGUE SportsCards
"Respect The Hobby"
www.bigleaguesc.com
https://www.ebay.com/str/bigleagueseller
I love the design of the 1982 Topps set. Too bad the set doesn't have a lot of desirable cards.
When opening in the 1980s I do not remember seeing all these cards being so off center with defects.
Has anyone else considered that all of this unopened from the 1980s is actually defective inventory that was intentionally not released at the time since manufacturers knew that it was not of good quality?
Just catching up on this thread. Been fun watching. Looking at some of the non-contenders you definitely have a critical eye. That ‘82 Carlton looks perfect to me but tough to see print small defects on a photo that size. Keep up the ripping always fun to see.
I’m feeling like hunting for some Clemens, Puckett, Gooden and Davis RCs. Here we go...
I never opened much 1985 Fleer as a kid. This is one good looking set! Here were the stars and rookies...
And the big two made an appearance too, but not quite grade worthy. Clemens has a few print dots and the Kirby is just off center. Both have a touch of edge ware too...
However, these 14 have a good chance after first glance...
Up next is a case fresh vending box of 1982 Topps Baseball...just cracked the seal on this case myself. I love minty case fresh boxes...
Wowza...I can only hope the entire case turns out to be as crisp as the first 50 cards. They are crazy sharp, strong centering and the corners and edges are super clean. Print defects and dead on centering will be the main challenges. Here are the first two candidates to emerge from their 36 year old tomb...
Keep those 82s coming.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
Wow...that was a fun vending rip. The condition of the cards was super sharp. This should be a fun case to break over the coming months! Here were the stars and rookies...
I love the design of the 1982s. Such a simple, attractive design. Of course this is the key card. Unfortunately the centering gods were not with me this time, but always fun to pull a RC of the Iron Man...
But alas, I am only looking for flawless examples...and this beauty of a vending box contained a whopping 13 of them...
Thanks to those who continue to follow this and comment along the way.
Awesome!
The reason I like 82 so much is that the design does not interfere with photo.
I just cracked the seal on a factory case of 1985 Topps Vending. Time to look for perfect examples of McGwire, Clemens and Puckett RCs. Nice clean boxes with the perfect vending pattern...
YES!
Ugh...that was one amazing box when it came to stars and rookies, but the centering was a total mess! Here were the stars...
Check out the duplicates of each key RC...but none were centered...
And here was the lone PSA 10 candidate out of 500 fresh vending cards...
It is always a blast to pull the key RCs of the 1980s, so I am not complaining. Just saying that so far these 1985s have been a beast to find in perfect condition!!
Nice to get two of each. I’ve always thought that cards from vending or factory sets are flimsier than from packs. I’m sure that’s not the case but from everything I’ve opened it sure seems that way.
Let’s rip some 1986 Fleer Wax Rack packs next. I have always loved this tamper-proof style of packaging...and they look really cool too!
Despite the lack of major RCs (apologies to Canseco), I have always liked the look of the 1986 Fleer set and enjoy opening them. Here were the rookies and stars. Yes, I included the always fun Mickey Hatcher “big glove” card. Who didn’t want that card as a kid?!?!
And here were the handful of GEM MINT contenders with some nice HOF presence...
I really liked breaking the 1985 Topps vending box despite only one card being a candidate for PSA 10, so let’s try another one...
Plenty of stars and rookies were found...
Here were the key RCs in this box...
And 5 contenders for PSA 10 were pulled from this box...
I think I will rip another one of these while I have the piles of 1985 Topps out...
The second vending box was a bust. No gradeable candidates. These RCs made an appearance though...
How sick would your table at the mall show have been back in 1987-1988 if your display case had these?!?!
Those minty 1982 Topps Vending boxes are calling me! Think we should break two more of them...
I only found my to the forums here a few days ago, but I have already read this thread from beginning to end. This is great. This is definitely the fun way to do it. I have collected a run of Topps from 1979 to 1992 in raw form in binders. The 1988-1992 was done by opening packs just like this when I was a kid. I just recently started collecting again in 2016 and decided I want to have the whole run of Topps from the year I was born (1979) to current. I'm not sure why I decided that exactly. I had a lot of cards from the older years and had to break quite a few more boxes to get complete sets. A few of the years I purchased complete from other people who had collected them. I prefer the box breaking method. There is just something about opening all those packs and then sorting through the cards and putting them all in order.
I have gotten a little side tracked on my quest to complete the 1993-current sets since I started collecting PSA graded cards. I wanted to collect a complete set and after doing a lot of research I decided to collect the whole 1971 Topps set in PSA 8 or better (with a few exceptions likely due to a lack of $$$). I started out by purchasing a lot of raw cards and pulling out the best ones and sending them in myself. I quickly learned why everyone was talking about the black borders in all those articles I read. The majority of my returns were 6 or 7 with a few 8. More recently I have been buying 8 or better on EBAY just to fill in all the commons. They can be had for a decent price.
Some day I will get back to my quest to finish my run of Topps from 1993 to the current year. I haven't decided which years to break boxes and which years I will just purchase complete. If anyone has advice or opinions on that or collecting 1971 Topps in PSA let me know.
Kris
Kris
My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black
Chris,
really enjoy watching your journey. What are you doing with all the discards from the early 80's? donating? making sets?
Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks.
Prefer to buy in bulk.
These 1982 vending boxes are super crisp...what a fun rip! Here are the stars and rookies out of the two vending boxes...
There were a whopping 18 candidates for PSA 10s...
And then 3 Bob Bonner RCs were found! Oh the bottom one is sooooo close, but alas the small speck on the left edge will keep it at a MINT 9...
Welcome to the boards Kris. Great to have you here. I love your approach to building sets from your birth year forward. I had a similar approach to saving unopened boxes when I first started collecting boxes/cases years ago. Sounds like you have build a great collection and taken on the beast of a 1971 set. Looking forward to reading your future posts. Thanks for reading all the way through this thread!
I have been keeping the stars, rookies and PSA 10 candidates. All other cards have been going into recycling 😲 I just don’t have the patience to sort or store them. A few folks have asked me to set aside players, teams or set needs for them so I have been doing that too. Thanks for following this journey and commenting along the way. It is what makes it even more fun when others share their thoughts and comments.
Great thread! Really enjoying it. If you rip any ‘86 Donruss, and you come across any nice Eric Davis, I’d be more than happy to buy them off you.
I started out doing the same thing as you once I got back into the hobby, and have expanded that set run even further back prior to the year of my birth.
One piece of advice for the sets from the mid 90s to the mid 00s, I'd recommend just buying those sets already hand collated, preferably with pages and album, even if your intent is to switch out into better pages or an album of a different color or style. I would NOT buy factory sets from those years, as my experience has been that over time, many of the cards with the ultra glossy UV coating, being packed so tightly for years, will weld themselves together into giant bricks of cards, which will end up damaged as you separate them. I've had many of the retail and hobby pack/boxes end up with the same issue, so I preferred finding sets that had been opened and collated long ago, preferably in pages, so as to avoid this brick problem.
Also, I ended up with multiple factory sets that would be missing a card or two (and I don't mean the "retired" #7 card for Mantle). My opinion of Topps factory sets from that period of time is that they are only worth what you would pay for the decorative box. Good luck!
Thanks for the great advice. I have had a little experience with breaking some 1993 Stadium Club and a lot of them were bricks due to the high gloss. Very frustrating. I recently saw a trick for de-bricking them that involves putting the packs in the freezer. I haven't tried it myself, but I would rather avoid the whole headache.
Kris
Kris
My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black
Hiya Chris
As always, thanx for sharing buddy.
Those Ripkens looks really nice. Can't remember but I think I have opened like 3 v. boxes - the Ripkens have come back 8s and 9s - unfortunately no 10s
.
.
Of interest - I sent in the TT and it came back a 9 - didn't think it would get it.
I do have an 82T vending case - but I doubt I would ever take the time to open?
Hey there Mike. Hope you are doing well my friend. I would be happy to buy that 1982 Vending case from you and break it on my quest 😉
Up next are some more 1986 Fleer wax rack packs. There is something about the look of the 1986 Fleer set that has me captivated lately. I know this set lacks major RC power, but it is loaded with early cards of all the 1980’s stars and the photos are rock solid! I think this might be one of the under appreciated sets from the 1980s. Plus the Canseco RC is a good looking card and a fun runner up to the 1986 Donruss RC...
Every time I open 1986 Fleer, I am reminded that 1) this is a beautiful set, 2) these cards are crazy hard to find in GEM MINT given centering, chipping and print issues and 3) pulling a Canseco RC is still a massive rush given how insanely hot his RCs were in the 1980s. My piles of pack fresh stars and RCs continue to grow...
And out of only 24 wax packs, 2 Canseco RCs emerged. If only these were dead centered, they would be 10s. Everything else about them is perfect!
There were these 3 contenders for PSA 10 though...
I’m thinking I will stay on the 1986 kick and see if we can’t find one of the most iconic RCs of the 1980s...the 1986 Donruss Canseco RC. Here is a case fresh box for the breaking...
The universe balanced itself with the Fleer packs...no Donruss Canseco RCs were found in this box. Here were the other stars and RCs. There were 2 McGriff RCs, which I still think is an undervalued card...
And 4 GEM MINT contenders appeared...
As I was putting away the Fleer Canseco RCs, I thought I would take a pick of the ones I have pulled so far on this journey. How many times did you have the dream of owning these if you were a kid in the 1980s?!?!
Does anyone know if the 1986 Donruss Canseco was short printed?
I’m feeling like getting back to some 1987 Donruss in search of some perfect Rated Rookies...
This year is so very tough to find perfect cards. Here were the stars and rookies...
2 of each Barry RC made an appearance and were super close, but each had some tiny flaw...
Here were the 2 GEM MINT contenders at first glance...
Lol, I don't think anything in the 80s was short printed.
Haha...exactly! Based on the uncut sheet layout that year, their are no 1986 Donruss SPs that have ever been noted. I just think the Canseco was the most coveted and so a little harder to find for sale. Although based on my box breaking luck it has been been a harder pull for me 🤨
Just found this thread, and I am loving it! I started collecting in 1982 when I was 7. These cards ARE my child hood. It's been great to see them all again.
Thanks for the kind words. Always nice to share this journey with others who grew up collecting in the same timeframe. This has been a blast for me and I will keep the breaks coming...still tons of boxes and cases left.
Still stuck on my Canseco RC kick...
Here were the stars and rookies in these 4 wax rack packs...
And 3 GEM MINT contenders were pulled. I am really digging this Gooden card...quintessential 1980s...
Awesome stuff!
Time to try our luck on another minty fresh 1982 Topps vending box...
No Ripken RCs that round, but my stars and RCs continue to pile up...
Here were the 4 contenders for PSA 10 out of that box...
Time to go to the tail end of the decade and break some 1989 Topps vending...
I know what you’re going to say, “1989 Topps is incredibly over-produced and they all come out perfectly from the pack.” I fully agree that the year is beyond over-produced, but these cards are truly tough to find in flawless condition. The majority are centered 55/45 or worse and for some reason the bright white borders nearly always have light grey showing through as if Topps didn’t use enough white to fully cover the grey cardboard stock.
I was having fun and so I ripped two vending boxes. Here are the stars and rookies...
There were only 5 GEM MINT contenders out of the 1000 fresh cards (0.5%)!!! That said, man there was legit HOF power among the 5...
Lastly, as a kid who grew up in Michigan, I would have killed to have all these Jim Abbott RCs to fill out my 9-pocket page in my binder back in the day. Memories like this are what make this hobby great and this journey so fun for me...