After opening 3 more boxes, only 6 more contenders were found. Here are the last 2. Like Arthur said, my goal is no sliders...
Despite the lack of GEM MINT contenders, it is always awesome to pull these two RC. I loved these cards back in the day. Seriously, how cool is this Bo Jackson RC?!?! Something about the dark blue background, the light blue Royals uniform and the matching Rated Rookies logo. I am still impressed at how good Donruss was at predicting the top rookies before Topps and Fleer (e.g. 1984 Joe Carter, 1986 Canseco, 1987 Maddux, 1988 Alomar).
Thanks for all the comments. They have been fun to read and make this even more fun!
I registered just for this thread. What a fun idea and journey this is, and as a fellow junk wax junkie, I look forward to the updates.
To the guy saying you should save money and just buy cards, that's silly. The whole point here is the journey. Would you tell some guy restoring a 1969 Camaro to just go buy a turnkey? Of course not. To make that comment only shows that you may be a "collector", but you really don't get it.
After very few contenders from the previous 3 boxes, I didn’t want to end our night on a low note. So I grabbed one more box and as luck would have it, 8 legit cards were found all in one box...
This takes the count after 10 boxes and unearthing 5400 pack fresh cards to 48 contenders for that elusive GEM 10 grade. That’s a rate of 0.9% of untouched cards being even worthy.
Within the four boxes, the usual suspects made their appearances with most between NM and MT. It never gets old looking at multiples of these iconic 1980s cards...
Looks like you might have to bust some cases Chris.
Love the Bo Jackson. My son Zachary busted a box of 1987 Donruss he bought at the last National and hit all the big names except McGwire. I told him that it was a good box and not to expect that to happen every time. I don’t want to encourage this type of behavior.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting: Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
That is very true. You figure a standard 15 card pack x 36 packs in a box makes 540 cards in a standard wax box of that era. So obviously it's not possible to get a whole set in one box so of course there was a chance he wouldn't get a McGwire. I hope he wasn't too disappointed
@jordangretzkyfan said:
4) I still love Ruben Sierra and think he is a can’t miss prospect.
He never became a real superstar but Sierra definitely didn't "miss". 21 years in the majors, 306 homers...dude had a nice career.
His son provided my all-time favorite in-person baseball game moment. Tied in the bottom of the 9th. 3-2 count. 2 outs. Bases loaded. And, oh yeah, a $50,000 pickup on the line for a fan if anyone hits a grand slam - in regulation. Literally the last possible chance for a winner. And Sierra delivered - a bomb off the scoreboard in LF. This was for the Spokane Indians, short season A.
Side note: I opened at least four boxes of Donruss back in 1987 and didn't get a single Bonds, Maddux, or McGwire. I don't know how that's even possible (not, not searched either).
@Tabe said:
Side note: I opened at least four boxes of Donruss back in 1987 and didn't get a single Bonds, Maddux, or McGwire. I don't know how that's even possible (not, not searched either).
That was certainly poor luck, but possible based on the mix I am seeing after 10 boxes. I have consistently had boxes with 2-3 of the same star and then none of others. Pretty sure it was Donruss’ way of making sure kids had to buy 4-5 boxes to complete the set.
Also, great Sierra story. I agree that he had a great and lengthy career. I just had visions of a perennial 40-40 player. He along with Eric Davis. I still think Ruben’s 1987 Fleer RC is one of the best looking cards of the 1980s.
My uncle was a part-time card dealer in the 1980's and went all in on a case of 1987 Donruss that he was hoping to sell when he set up for shows. Problem was, every single card was extremely diamond cut. He was out the $$ for the case, and couldn't bring himself to sell the boxes at regular cost because he knew how awful the cards were.
He still talks about it, and his reasoning for buying 1987 Donruss case was because of how 1986 Donruss blew up in the summer of 1986 because of the Canseco rookie. I think a lot of people made similar purchases with similar rationale that year.
I still remember buying a rack box and a wax box of 1987 Topps at my local card store. They were on the shelf right next to the $4.00 boxes of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. I had saved up for those boxes, and thought I was making an informed purchase with plenty of room for returns on BJ Surhoff and Bo Jackson rookies.
Good luck in your project. I would love to bust cases like that, but I don't think I could manage the disappointment in so many o/c cards. 1987 Fleer seems to be your bet for easiest PSA 10's, which isn't a surprise. Love that design.
I still remember buying a rack box and a wax box of 1987 Topps at my local card store. They were on the shelf right next to the $4.00 boxes of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. I had saved up for those boxes, and thought I was making an informed purchase with plenty of room for returns on BJ Surhoff and Bo Jackson rookies.
Nathanael - I love the story about your uncle and that he still talks about it 30 years later. Hobby war stories are part of what makes collecting great, because we can all relate.
I shared the same painful decision as my local card shop had a pile of 86/87 Fleer basketball selling for $4/set and $10/box. Being a Jordan fan, I bought one of each and then spent the rest of the summer buying up all the Bo and McGwire cards I could find since that’s where the real prospectors were spending the money. That was life’s early lesson that sometimes you have to take the road less traveled.
@ReggieCleveland said:
Not so fast, Donruss didn't beat Fleer on Canseco, they tied. He has a two-player prospects card in the '86 base set.
Arthur
Good catch Arthur...and I actually thought of that as I typed it. I have always considered the Fleer card more as the Eric Plunk RC
I like that you are always on the ball!
No, I'm with you. I've sort of blocked the '86 Fleer Canseco/Plunk out of my psyche as well. I know I have to get one at some point just because but I'm not looking forward to it. His Fleer Update, on the other hand? I love that card.
I still think Ruben’s 1987 Fleer RC is one of the best looking cards of the 1980s.
In 1987, along with the 6-box Topps rack case that I bought, I also bought a vending box. It was supposedly unopened. I don't remember if the cards had the "unopened look" when I popped open the box or not. What I DO remember is that I got something like 20 of Sierra's RC in that box.
This is going to be one awesome thread!! You're football rip a few years back has always been one of my favorites, but this is going to take the cake! Wishing you the best of luck on your journey, I'll be watching.
This has been a bit of a crazy week, but don’t worry...there will be plenty more 1980s packs getting ripped before long. I still have piles of 1987 to go, and will update this thread routinely as I continue that journey. But I know some of you are probably curious to know what else is in the rip pile. On deck is a run of Topps baseball to keep things interesting as we go. After all, anyone that was collecting in the 1980s viewed Topps as “The Real One.” I love looking at crisp, fresh boxes that look like they were made yesterday. Each one containing perfect little packages inside waiting to unleash hidden gems. I am primarily an unopened collector, but since none of these are insanely rare, we are going to try to build some perfect sets. I know there are tons of threads giving BBCE their due love, but I want to say a huge thank you to Steve, Rick, Reed and team for helping me build my collection over the years. These guys are simply the best!
So here is what you see from left to right:
(10) 1981 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1982 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1983 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1984 Topps wax boxes
(6) 1985 Topps rack boxes
(1) 1986 Topps vending case
(10) 1987 Topps cello boxes
(1) 1988 Topps vending case
(1) 1989 Topps vending case
These should keep us busy for a long while. Any requests on what we mix in with the 1987’s we already started?
Anybody remember when a mint 1986 Donruss Canseco in the early 90s was worth over $100...before there was such a thing as PSA grading? Now you can get the whole factory set for about 15% of that. I guess during that baseball card boom of the late 80s/early 90s people weren't figuring on the Internet and Ebay and such.
@jordangretzkyfan said:
This has been a bit of a crazy week, but don’t worry...there will be plenty more 1980s packs getting ripped before long. I still have piles of 1987 to go, and will update this thread routinely as I continue that journey. But I know some of you are probably curious to know what else is in the rip pile. On deck is a run of Topps baseball to keep things interesting as we go. After all, anyone that was collecting in the 1980s viewed Topps as “The Real One.” I love looking at crisp, fresh boxes that look like they were made yesterday. Each one containing perfect little packages inside waiting to unleash hidden gems. I am primarily an unopened collector, but since none of these are insanely rare, we are going to try to build some perfect sets. I know there are tons of threads giving BBCE their due love, but I want to say a huge thank you to Steve, Rick, Reed and team for helping me build my collection over the years. These guys are simply the best!
So here is what you see from left to right:
(10) 1981 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1982 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1983 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1984 Topps wax boxes
(6) 1985 Topps rack boxes
(1) 1986 Topps vending case
(10) 1987 Topps cello boxes
(1) 1988 Topps vending case
(1) 1989 Topps vending case
These should keep us busy for a long while. Any requests on what we mix in with the 1987’s we already started?
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
@jordangretzkyfan said:
This has been a bit of a crazy week, but don’t worry...there will be plenty more 1980s packs getting ripped before long. I still have piles of 1987 to go, and will update this thread routinely as I continue that journey. But I know some of you are probably curious to know what else is in the rip pile. On deck is a run of Topps baseball to keep things interesting as we go. After all, anyone that was collecting in the 1980s viewed Topps as “The Real One.” I love looking at crisp, fresh boxes that look like they were made yesterday. Each one containing perfect little packages inside waiting to unleash hidden gems. I am primarily an unopened collector, but since none of these are insanely rare, we are going to try to build some perfect sets. I know there are tons of threads giving BBCE their due love, but I want to say a huge thank you to Steve, Rick, Reed and team for helping me build my collection over the years. These guys are simply the best!
So here is what you see from left to right:
(10) 1981 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1982 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1983 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1984 Topps wax boxes
(6) 1985 Topps rack boxes
(1) 1986 Topps vending case
(10) 1987 Topps cello boxes
(1) 1988 Topps vending case
(1) 1989 Topps vending case
These should keep us busy for a long while. Any requests on what we mix in with the 1987’s we already started?
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
Do you ever have anything positive to contribute to this forum?
You've already clearly stated your opinion previously in this thread. Continuing to make rude comments like this one is in poor form.
At the end of the day, we all collect and derive enjoyment from this hobby in different ways. Chris is obviously enjoying himself and providing enjoyment here for others. Such pursuits should be applauded not denigrated. JMHO.
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.
TBH, I'd love to someday own a complete run of 80s wax boxes (like the Topps ones in the pic) not for opening (I already have the sets) but just to keep in my collection. But that's kinda out of my financial reach right now.
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
Thank you for sharing your point of view. I’m a big believer that everybody can and should voice their opinion. That’s what makes us individuals. Not too long ago I let money rule my decisions also. I spent the first 30+ years of my life trying to accumulate more and more money and possessions. Then a few years ago I had an awakening. Money is only an enabler to the experiences we get to have in life. If I followed the logic of never losing money, I would have missed out on taking my daughter to Disney World, spending this Christmas skiing with her in Utah, and paying for her AAU basketball that is building her into a confident leader. To that end, by not opening some of the boxes in my collection I would miss out on the nostalgia that is absolutely priceless. My daughter is having fun learning about what makes me, well, me. I’m very blessed that opening these boxes will not make or break me financially. Therefore, the decision to enjoy them was an easy one for me to make. I just hope that I am able to share the fun I am having with others who also love this hobby. I know not everybody is in a position where they can afford to do this. Since I love the hobby and respect all the collectors who also enjoy reliving moments of their childhood, I thought I would share. Just remember, the only things we take with us to our grave are the experiences that we’ve had with those that matter most.
Watch out though for that 86 vending case. People venturing in with good intentions to rip those start off strong. After a while though some folk started to hallucinate and then spin off in to a 60's like acid experience. A couple have actually woken up 4 days later in some far away land only wearing a Tarzan loincloth and tattoos everywhere of off center Ripkens.
Maybe do that case last.
I couldn't even make it through 10 vending boxes before this happened to me. I would recommend a couple here and there between other rips.
Just checking in for the first time.....what an awesome thread! Looking forward to following along. I went on a big 80's kick last year and ripped a bunch of 87 Donruss as well. Ended up sending in 4 of them and they are currently at PSA as we speak. 2 Maddux's, a Murray, and a Ryan. Fingers crossed I didnt miss any print dots! Lord knows I went over them enough times
Great thread and good luck with the coming rips!
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
Do you ever have anything positive to contribute to this forum?
You've already clearly stated your opinion previously in this thread. Continuing to make rude comments like this one is in poor form.
At the end of the day, we all collect and derive enjoyment from this hobby in different ways. Chris is obviously enjoying himself and providing enjoyment here for others. Such pursuits should be applauded not denigrated. JMHO.
hey look, I don't just follow what everyone else says and thinks
if there aren't different thoughts and opinions, then we're all the same thinking robots
how in the world was it RUDE ???
different point of view is RUDE ?
far reach
yeah, and you don't add much for me either
I love cards too, but I have reasoning in my mind also
to Gretzky / Jordan guy
I am the only one offering a different point of view
the rest of the guys don't mind you ripping away at YOUR cost for THEIR fun
look at the poor rate of finding good 1987 Donruss cards to submit
and look at what you DID find
THOSE guys ?
back in the day, did you ever even think about keeping THOSE guys ?
and now those nice 80's boxes
good luck with off centered and chipped star cards
but you'll find 10-20 commons to submit
I'm the friendly guy warning you before going to the casino
If BBCE thought opening boxes was a great idea, why do they not ?
because its not
@BALROG said:
this... coming from a person who buys BGS and spouts off on a PSA site. 'Clue' level seems to be lacking.
You get a clue
my name has nothing to do with it
and I never trashed PSA
we're talking about raw cards
and I was on this board before ANY of you found it
you all take personal attack routes before challenging what I say
@jordangretzkyfan said:
4) I still love Ruben Sierra and think he is a can’t miss prospect.
He never became a real superstar but Sierra definitely didn't "miss". 21 years in the majors, 306 homers...dude had a nice career.
His son provided my all-time favorite in-person baseball game moment. Tied in the bottom of the 9th. 3-2 count. 2 outs. Bases loaded. And, oh yeah, a $50,000 pickup on the line for a fan if anyone hits a grand slam - in regulation. Literally the last possible chance for a winner. And Sierra delivered - a bomb off the scoreboard in LF. This was for the Spokane Indians, short season A.
Ruben Sierra has one of the nicest autographs you could ever ask for. Very legible. This new generation of athletes in all sports, could take a lesson on how to sign a nice autograph. One of my favorite autographs I got back in the 90s. Very nice guy too. I gotta go dig that bad boy out now for nostalgia sake.
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
Do you ever have anything positive to contribute to this forum?
You've already clearly stated your opinion previously in this thread. Continuing to make rude comments like this one is in poor form.
At the end of the day, we all collect and derive enjoyment from this hobby in different ways. Chris is obviously enjoying himself and providing enjoyment here for others. Such pursuits should be applauded not denigrated. JMHO.
hey look, I don't just follow what everyone else says and thinks
if there aren't different thoughts and opinions, then we're all the same thinking robots
how in the world was it RUDE ???
different point of view is RUDE ?
far reach
yeah, and you don't add much for me either
I love cards too, but I have reasoning in my mind also
to Gretzky / Jordan guy
I am the only one offering a different point of view
the rest of the guys don't mind you ripping away at YOUR cost for THEIR fun
look at the poor rate of finding good 1987 Donruss cards to submit
and look at what you DID find
THOSE guys ?
back in the day, did you ever even think about keeping THOSE guys ?
and now those nice 80's boxes
good luck with off centered and chipped star cards
but you'll find 10-20 commons to submit
I'm the friendly guy warning you before going to the casino
If BBCE thought opening boxes was a great idea, why do they not ?
because its not
You don't understand. He doesn't need you looking out for him. You haven't told him anything he doesn't already know. He's doing this because this is what brings him joy and this is how he CHOOSES to collect. If all you care about is making a dollar, that's great, you're free to go about doing that. But not everybody is concerned with every single penny they have. Some people have disposable income and prefer to do thing according to what will bring them the most enjoyment.
All these people on the board aren't stumbling through the hobby in desperate need of BGS_Buyer's insightful wisdom to correct their wayward collecting habits. We're all collecting the way we choose to collect. If you don't like that, just move on to a different thread. No one is interested in hearing about how you think someone else should collect or spend their own money. You worry about yourself and let everyone else worry about themselves. In other words, mind your own business. If you don't have something positive to contribute, move along. Because no one here is having any epiphanies based on your comments.
@jordangretzkyfan said:
This has been a bit of a crazy week, but don’t worry...there will be plenty more 1980s packs getting ripped before long. I still have piles of 1987 to go, and will update this thread routinely as I continue that journey. But I know some of you are probably curious to know what else is in the rip pile. On deck is a run of Topps baseball to keep things interesting as we go. After all, anyone that was collecting in the 1980s viewed Topps as “The Real One.” I love looking at crisp, fresh boxes that look like they were made yesterday. Each one containing perfect little packages inside waiting to unleash hidden gems. I am primarily an unopened collector, but since none of these are insanely rare, we are going to try to build some perfect sets. I know there are tons of threads giving BBCE their due love, but I want to say a huge thank you to Steve, Rick, Reed and team for helping me build my collection over the years. These guys are simply the best!
So here is what you see from left to right:
(10) 1981 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1982 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1983 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1984 Topps wax boxes
(6) 1985 Topps rack boxes
(1) 1986 Topps vending case
(10) 1987 Topps cello boxes
(1) 1988 Topps vending case
(1) 1989 Topps vending case
These should keep us busy for a long while. Any requests on what we mix in with the 1987’s we already started?
That's a beautiful picture. When you rip the 81, 82, 83, I'd like to know how many submittable cards you get per box. I'm guessing 4-10, but would be interested in how many make the cut.
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.
Alright, let’s get back to what this thread is all about...as Pack Geek would say, “Stone cold bustin’ packs.” Let’s start with some more loose 1987 Fleer wax racks. Man these packs are cool looking!
There was not much star power in this group of packs. The only major rookie sighting was this guy...
This is a good example of the print dots the plague 1987 Fleer. Take a look at the bottom border as well as the top right corner to see what I’m talking about. This is very typical on about 50% of the cards.
I was happy to pull this rookie card, since many of us have been talking about him in this thread. I know it’s silly since this card has little to no value, but I still get excited to see the elegance of this young slugger poised for greatness on an incredibly attractive design.
I also thought it was worth mentioning, that the Fleer headliner set is almost always off-center. You can tell because the little red strip by the players name should not truncate the word Fleer or headliner. So far all 16 that I have opened look identical to these two. This subset was exclusive to the wax rack packs.
Here are the only two contenders that I set aside as potential gems. That takes the hit rate out of this group of packs down to 0.5% (2 out of 408 pack fresh cards).
I think I currently have the top 87 Donruss registry set so I clearly too love the set and wish you the best of luck on your quest. I totally can be surpassed and I hope you do it.
BGS_Buyer, maybe one day when you grow up and earn a decent wage, you will understand that adults who work for a living can spend some of that money on things they enjoy.
@bensie said:
BGS_Buyer, maybe one day when you grow up and earn a decent wage, you will understand that adults who work for a living can spend some of that money on things they enjoy.
The intent behind the mission presented in the OP of this thread falls under the same overall category as I see from my kids, which is joy and fun derived from collecting without any care of return on investment. Just today in one of my kids backpacks (he's 8), I enjoyed seeing how a handful of cards travels with him for months at a time while knowing how their condition and worth never even cross his mind because those concepts aren't relevant at all for him when it comes to why the cards are in his bag getting curled up in the first place. It is interesting to see how cards stripped of all value in our eyes does not mean they were a waste of money.
How about this perspective- what if as a card collector in the year 1988 you could buy 30 year old unopened product in the equivalent of what was presented to this thread today in 2018, as in:
Take the monetary value away and I'm sure there would be the same level of excitement to relive childhood memories, build pristine sets to go alongside dogeared sets originally built the year of issue, and also just to better understand collation, oddities, and things specific to the cards that you hadn't noticed before as a kid.
I think we are very lucky, as children from the 80's, to be able to buy and open unopened product. It is something that is unique to the generation that grew up in the 80's and early 90's, when the boom afforded such a glut in the market and also the speculation that fueled people to treat this stuff like precious heirlooms.
Keep busting packs! I will do something like this thread for a set someday.
@bensie said:
BGS_Buyer, maybe one day when you grow up and earn a decent wage, you will understand that adults who work for a living can spend some of that money on things they enjoy.
The intent behind the mission presented in the OP of this thread falls under the same overall category as I see from my kids, which is joy and fun derived from collecting without any care of return on investment. Just today in one of my kids backpacks (he's 8), I enjoyed seeing how a handful of cards travels with him for months at a time while knowing how their condition and worth never even cross his mind because those concepts aren't relevant at all for him when it comes to why the cards are in his bag getting curled up in the first place. It is interesting to see how cards stripped of all value in our eyes does not mean they were a waste of money.
I almost cried when I read this. You nailed it.
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.
Thanks again for all the great comments in this thread. Here is what is batting lead off tonight. While I am pretty sure they are still printing 1987 Topps, I do still love the design of this set. 1960s throwback of the wooden bat boarders, plenty of in-action photos and classic looking RCs of Bo, Larkin, Will the Thrill and a very nice 2nd year McGwire highlight the cool looking cards for me. I intentionally left out the Barry Bonds RC, since I think the photo on that one is pretty lame. However, if we are talking about amazing photos, I have to say that the Kevin Mitchell rookie in this set is pretty sick. I also have a personal soft spot for the Don Mattingly and Darryl Strawberry cards from this year, as they were my favorite players and each has an iconic batting pose. So let’s get to ripping...
Oh dear lord! I’m only six packs in, but I’ve yet to find a single card that is dead centered. It is a good thing Topps is still printing these 1987 cards, because I think it might take an entire truckload to find any gems. On a positive note, I’ve already found the two “star “cards that I coveted back when I was a kid. I love these iconic batting poses…
Comments
After opening 3 more boxes, only 6 more contenders were found. Here are the last 2. Like Arthur said, my goal is no sliders...
Despite the lack of GEM MINT contenders, it is always awesome to pull these two RC. I loved these cards back in the day. Seriously, how cool is this Bo Jackson RC?!?! Something about the dark blue background, the light blue Royals uniform and the matching Rated Rookies logo. I am still impressed at how good Donruss was at predicting the top rookies before Topps and Fleer (e.g. 1984 Joe Carter, 1986 Canseco, 1987 Maddux, 1988 Alomar).
Thanks for all the comments. They have been fun to read and make this even more fun!
I registered just for this thread. What a fun idea and journey this is, and as a fellow junk wax junkie, I look forward to the updates.
To the guy saying you should save money and just buy cards, that's silly. The whole point here is the journey. Would you tell some guy restoring a 1969 Camaro to just go buy a turnkey? Of course not. To make that comment only shows that you may be a "collector", but you really don't get it.
Welcome to the boards and I’m honored to be your first post!
After very few contenders from the previous 3 boxes, I didn’t want to end our night on a low note. So I grabbed one more box and as luck would have it, 8 legit cards were found all in one box...
This takes the count after 10 boxes and unearthing 5400 pack fresh cards to 48 contenders for that elusive GEM 10 grade. That’s a rate of 0.9% of untouched cards being even worthy.
Within the four boxes, the usual suspects made their appearances with most between NM and MT. It never gets old looking at multiples of these iconic 1980s cards...
Looks like you might have to bust some cases Chris.
Love the Bo Jackson. My son Zachary busted a box of 1987 Donruss he bought at the last National and hit all the big names except McGwire. I told him that it was a good box and not to expect that to happen every time. I don’t want to encourage this type of behavior.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting:
Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
That is very true. You figure a standard 15 card pack x 36 packs in a box makes 540 cards in a standard wax box of that era. So obviously it's not possible to get a whole set in one box so of course there was a chance he wouldn't get a McGwire. I hope he wasn't too disappointed
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
He never became a real superstar but Sierra definitely didn't "miss". 21 years in the majors, 306 homers...dude had a nice career.
His son provided my all-time favorite in-person baseball game moment. Tied in the bottom of the 9th. 3-2 count. 2 outs. Bases loaded. And, oh yeah, a $50,000 pickup on the line for a fan if anyone hits a grand slam - in regulation. Literally the last possible chance for a winner. And Sierra delivered - a bomb off the scoreboard in LF. This was for the Spokane Indians, short season A.
Side note: I opened at least four boxes of Donruss back in 1987 and didn't get a single Bonds, Maddux, or McGwire. I don't know how that's even possible (not, not searched either).
That was certainly poor luck, but possible based on the mix I am seeing after 10 boxes. I have consistently had boxes with 2-3 of the same star and then none of others. Pretty sure it was Donruss’ way of making sure kids had to buy 4-5 boxes to complete the set.
Also, great Sierra story. I agree that he had a great and lengthy career. I just had visions of a perennial 40-40 player. He along with Eric Davis. I still think Ruben’s 1987 Fleer RC is one of the best looking cards of the 1980s.
Not so fast, Donruss didn't beat Fleer on Canseco, they tied. He has a two-player prospects card in the '86 base set.
Arthur
Good catch Arthur...and I actually thought of that as I typed it. I have always considered the Fleer card more as the Eric Plunk RC
I like that you are always on the ball!
My uncle was a part-time card dealer in the 1980's and went all in on a case of 1987 Donruss that he was hoping to sell when he set up for shows. Problem was, every single card was extremely diamond cut. He was out the $$ for the case, and couldn't bring himself to sell the boxes at regular cost because he knew how awful the cards were.
He still talks about it, and his reasoning for buying 1987 Donruss case was because of how 1986 Donruss blew up in the summer of 1986 because of the Canseco rookie. I think a lot of people made similar purchases with similar rationale that year.
I still remember buying a rack box and a wax box of 1987 Topps at my local card store. They were on the shelf right next to the $4.00 boxes of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. I had saved up for those boxes, and thought I was making an informed purchase with plenty of room for returns on BJ Surhoff and Bo Jackson rookies.
Good luck in your project. I would love to bust cases like that, but I don't think I could manage the disappointment in so many o/c cards. 1987 Fleer seems to be your bet for easiest PSA 10's, which isn't a surprise. Love that design.
-Nathanael
Nathanael - I love the story about your uncle and that he still talks about it 30 years later. Hobby war stories are part of what makes collecting great, because we can all relate.
I shared the same painful decision as my local card shop had a pile of 86/87 Fleer basketball selling for $4/set and $10/box. Being a Jordan fan, I bought one of each and then spent the rest of the summer buying up all the Bo and McGwire cards I could find since that’s where the real prospectors were spending the money. That was life’s early lesson that sometimes you have to take the road less traveled.
No, I'm with you. I've sort of blocked the '86 Fleer Canseco/Plunk out of my psyche as well. I know I have to get one at some point just because but I'm not looking forward to it. His Fleer Update, on the other hand? I love that card.
Arthur
I still think Ruben’s 1987 Fleer RC is one of the best looking cards of the 1980s.
In 1987, along with the 6-box Topps rack case that I bought, I also bought a vending box. It was supposedly unopened. I don't remember if the cards had the "unopened look" when I popped open the box or not. What I DO remember is that I got something like 20 of Sierra's RC in that box.
This is going to be one awesome thread!! You're football rip a few years back has always been one of my favorites, but this is going to take the cake! Wishing you the best of luck on your journey, I'll be watching.
This has been a bit of a crazy week, but don’t worry...there will be plenty more 1980s packs getting ripped before long. I still have piles of 1987 to go, and will update this thread routinely as I continue that journey. But I know some of you are probably curious to know what else is in the rip pile. On deck is a run of Topps baseball to keep things interesting as we go. After all, anyone that was collecting in the 1980s viewed Topps as “The Real One.” I love looking at crisp, fresh boxes that look like they were made yesterday. Each one containing perfect little packages inside waiting to unleash hidden gems. I am primarily an unopened collector, but since none of these are insanely rare, we are going to try to build some perfect sets. I know there are tons of threads giving BBCE their due love, but I want to say a huge thank you to Steve, Rick, Reed and team for helping me build my collection over the years. These guys are simply the best!
So here is what you see from left to right:
These should keep us busy for a long while. Any requests on what we mix in with the 1987’s we already started?
Anybody remember when a mint 1986 Donruss Canseco in the early 90s was worth over $100...before there was such a thing as PSA grading? Now you can get the whole factory set for about 15% of that. I guess during that baseball card boom of the late 80s/early 90s people weren't figuring on the Internet and Ebay and such.
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
That is a ton of ripping. I can't wait to see this. Thank you.
so you will turn all this cash gold into worthless fodder by opening it ???
Do you ever have anything positive to contribute to this forum?
You've already clearly stated your opinion previously in this thread. Continuing to make rude comments like this one is in poor form.
At the end of the day, we all collect and derive enjoyment from this hobby in different ways. Chris is obviously enjoying himself and providing enjoyment here for others. Such pursuits should be applauded not denigrated. JMHO.
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.
Well said Tim. This is going to be a great thread.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
TBH, I'd love to someday own a complete run of 80s wax boxes (like the Topps ones in the pic) not for opening (I already have the sets) but just to keep in my collection. But that's kinda out of my financial reach right now.
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
Thank you for sharing your point of view. I’m a big believer that everybody can and should voice their opinion. That’s what makes us individuals. Not too long ago I let money rule my decisions also. I spent the first 30+ years of my life trying to accumulate more and more money and possessions. Then a few years ago I had an awakening. Money is only an enabler to the experiences we get to have in life. If I followed the logic of never losing money, I would have missed out on taking my daughter to Disney World, spending this Christmas skiing with her in Utah, and paying for her AAU basketball that is building her into a confident leader. To that end, by not opening some of the boxes in my collection I would miss out on the nostalgia that is absolutely priceless. My daughter is having fun learning about what makes me, well, me. I’m very blessed that opening these boxes will not make or break me financially. Therefore, the decision to enjoy them was an easy one for me to make. I just hope that I am able to share the fun I am having with others who also love this hobby. I know not everybody is in a position where they can afford to do this. Since I love the hobby and respect all the collectors who also enjoy reliving moments of their childhood, I thought I would share. Just remember, the only things we take with us to our grave are the experiences that we’ve had with those that matter most.
Arthur
I couldn't even make it through 10 vending boxes before this happened to me. I would recommend a couple here and there between other rips.
Just checking in for the first time.....what an awesome thread! Looking forward to following along. I went on a big 80's kick last year and ripped a bunch of 87 Donruss as well. Ended up sending in 4 of them and they are currently at PSA as we speak. 2 Maddux's, a Murray, and a Ryan. Fingers crossed I didnt miss any print dots! Lord knows I went over them enough times
Great thread and good luck with the coming rips!
Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.
hey look, I don't just follow what everyone else says and thinks
if there aren't different thoughts and opinions, then we're all the same thinking robots
how in the world was it RUDE ???
different point of view is RUDE ?
far reach
yeah, and you don't add much for me either
I love cards too, but I have reasoning in my mind also
to Gretzky / Jordan guy
I am the only one offering a different point of view
the rest of the guys don't mind you ripping away at YOUR cost for THEIR fun
look at the poor rate of finding good 1987 Donruss cards to submit
and look at what you DID find
THOSE guys ?
back in the day, did you ever even think about keeping THOSE guys ?
and now those nice 80's boxes
good luck with off centered and chipped star cards
but you'll find 10-20 commons to submit
I'm the friendly guy warning you before going to the casino
If BBCE thought opening boxes was a great idea, why do they not ?
because its not
You get a clue
my name has nothing to do with it
and I never trashed PSA
we're talking about raw cards
and I was on this board before ANY of you found it
you all take personal attack routes before challenging what I say
Ruben Sierra has one of the nicest autographs you could ever ask for. Very legible. This new generation of athletes in all sports, could take a lesson on how to sign a nice autograph. One of my favorite autographs I got back in the 90s. Very nice guy too. I gotta go dig that bad boy out now for nostalgia sake.
You don't understand. He doesn't need you looking out for him. You haven't told him anything he doesn't already know. He's doing this because this is what brings him joy and this is how he CHOOSES to collect. If all you care about is making a dollar, that's great, you're free to go about doing that. But not everybody is concerned with every single penny they have. Some people have disposable income and prefer to do thing according to what will bring them the most enjoyment.
All these people on the board aren't stumbling through the hobby in desperate need of BGS_Buyer's insightful wisdom to correct their wayward collecting habits. We're all collecting the way we choose to collect. If you don't like that, just move on to a different thread. No one is interested in hearing about how you think someone else should collect or spend their own money. You worry about yourself and let everyone else worry about themselves. In other words, mind your own business. If you don't have something positive to contribute, move along. Because no one here is having any epiphanies based on your comments.
Arthur
That's a beautiful picture. When you rip the 81, 82, 83, I'd like to know how many submittable cards you get per box. I'm guessing 4-10, but would be interested in how many make the cut.
Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks.
Prefer to buy in bulk.
Alright, let’s get back to what this thread is all about...as Pack Geek would say, “Stone cold bustin’ packs.” Let’s start with some more loose 1987 Fleer wax racks. Man these packs are cool looking!
There was not much star power in this group of packs. The only major rookie sighting was this guy...
This is a good example of the print dots the plague 1987 Fleer. Take a look at the bottom border as well as the top right corner to see what I’m talking about. This is very typical on about 50% of the cards.
I was happy to pull this rookie card, since many of us have been talking about him in this thread. I know it’s silly since this card has little to no value, but I still get excited to see the elegance of this young slugger poised for greatness on an incredibly attractive design.
I also thought it was worth mentioning, that the Fleer headliner set is almost always off-center. You can tell because the little red strip by the players name should not truncate the word Fleer or headliner. So far all 16 that I have opened look identical to these two. This subset was exclusive to the wax rack packs.
Here are the only two contenders that I set aside as potential gems. That takes the hit rate out of this group of packs down to 0.5% (2 out of 408 pack fresh cards).
I think I currently have the top 87 Donruss registry set so I clearly too love the set and wish you the best of luck on your quest. I totally can be surpassed and I hope you do it.
Join the Rookie stars on top PSA registry today:
1980-1989 Cello Packs - Rookies
I don't recall those headliner cards at all and I must have opened A LOT of those packs back in the day.
As for the truncating I believe, but not certain, that might have been intentional.
I met Kevin Elster in a bar in Huntington Beach. Sat right next to me. Talked for a while.
BGS_Buyer, maybe one day when you grow up and earn a decent wage, you will understand that adults who work for a living can spend some of that money on things they enjoy.
I love this! Best of luck to you
The intent behind the mission presented in the OP of this thread falls under the same overall category as I see from my kids, which is joy and fun derived from collecting without any care of return on investment. Just today in one of my kids backpacks (he's 8), I enjoyed seeing how a handful of cards travels with him for months at a time while knowing how their condition and worth never even cross his mind because those concepts aren't relevant at all for him when it comes to why the cards are in his bag getting curled up in the first place. It is interesting to see how cards stripped of all value in our eyes does not mean they were a waste of money.
Great thread! I remember opening 87 Donruss & almost always finding Bonds & Maddux in the same wax pack. Always did like that design.
Now collecting:
Topps Heritage
1957 Topps BB Ex+-NM
All Yaz Items 7+
Various Red Sox
Did I leave anything out?
How about this perspective- what if as a card collector in the year 1988 you could buy 30 year old unopened product in the equivalent of what was presented to this thread today in 2018, as in:
<<So here is what you see from left to right:
(10) 1951 Bowman wax boxes
(10) 1952 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1953 Topps wax boxes
(10) 1954 Topps wax boxes
(6) 1955 Topps rack boxes
(1) 1956 Topps vending case
(10) 1957 Topps cello boxes
(1) 1958 Topps vending case
(1) 1959 Topps vending case>>
Take the monetary value away and I'm sure there would be the same level of excitement to relive childhood memories, build pristine sets to go alongside dogeared sets originally built the year of issue, and also just to better understand collation, oddities, and things specific to the cards that you hadn't noticed before as a kid.
I think we are very lucky, as children from the 80's, to be able to buy and open unopened product. It is something that is unique to the generation that grew up in the 80's and early 90's, when the boom afforded such a glut in the market and also the speculation that fueled people to treat this stuff like precious heirlooms.
Keep busting packs! I will do something like this thread for a set someday.
-Nathanael
I almost cried when I read this. You nailed it.
Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks.
Prefer to buy in bulk.
This always sums up how I feel - I found this pic many years ago and posted as emblematic of why we enjoy what we do:
would it even matter if I posted the amount ?
funny stuff on here
that's pretty much who I thought I WAS talking to :-)
this is a great thread. Thanks for chronicling all of this.
Thanks again for all the great comments in this thread. Here is what is batting lead off tonight. While I am pretty sure they are still printing 1987 Topps, I do still love the design of this set. 1960s throwback of the wooden bat boarders, plenty of in-action photos and classic looking RCs of Bo, Larkin, Will the Thrill and a very nice 2nd year McGwire highlight the cool looking cards for me. I intentionally left out the Barry Bonds RC, since I think the photo on that one is pretty lame. However, if we are talking about amazing photos, I have to say that the Kevin Mitchell rookie in this set is pretty sick. I also have a personal soft spot for the Don Mattingly and Darryl Strawberry cards from this year, as they were my favorite players and each has an iconic batting pose. So let’s get to ripping...
Oh dear lord! I’m only six packs in, but I’ve yet to find a single card that is dead centered. It is a good thing Topps is still printing these 1987 cards, because I think it might take an entire truckload to find any gems. On a positive note, I’ve already found the two “star “cards that I coveted back when I was a kid. I love these iconic batting poses…