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

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  • JWBlueJWBlue Posts: 487 ✭✭✭

    Agree on the 1983 Topps Straw. That card should have been more popular in its day.

  • Somehow these traded cards look different, Colors are more vibrant? Deeper? Am I crazy? 82 and 83 are my earliest years, I've never seen a broken 83T set. I'd seen a couple of Strawberries, but none of the others. Thanks for showing this.

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Great contenders Chris.

    "And" the centering is sweet.

    When do plan to do a sub on this stuff?

    Mike
  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Vaultdweller said:
    Somehow these traded cards look different, Colors are more vibrant? Deeper? Am I crazy? 82 and 83 are my earliest years, I've never seen a broken 83T set. I'd seen a couple of Strawberries, but none of the others. Thanks for showing this.

    The Topps Traded sets are printed on a white card stock, as opposed to the gray/brown stock of the regular sets, which does allow the colors to pop more, I believe.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JWBlue said:
    Agree on the 1983 Topps Straw. That card should have been more popular in its day.

    Yeah...it has a cool double photo to boot.

    @Vaultdweller said:
    Thanks for showing this.

    You’re welcome. I love the look of the Traded sets since the cards are often overlooked.

    @countdouglas said:

    @Vaultdweller said:
    Somehow these traded cards look different, Colors are more vibrant? Deeper? Am I crazy? 82 and 83 are my earliest years, I've never seen a broken 83T set. I'd seen a couple of Strawberries, but none of the others. Thanks for showing this.

    The Topps Traded sets are printed on a white card stock, as opposed to the gray/brown stock of the regular sets, which does allow the colors to pop more, I believe.

    ^ This 🙂

    @Stone193 said:
    Great contenders Chris.

    "And" the centering is sweet.

    When do plan to do a sub on this stuff?

    Once I get closer to full sets. It will be a few massive subs.

  • TheThrill22TheThrill22 Posts: 976 ✭✭✭

    35? Wow! The Seaver has always been a favorite of mine.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Alright, let’s get the ball rolling with a case fresh box of 1981 Fleer wax packs...

  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,267 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Jesus how big is that room and it could be a finished basement for all I know. Amazing snap shot of a even more amazing unopened stash

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well that was an awesome start to what I can only hope becomes a trend of Fleer boxes through the decade. The 1981 Fleer set really is a nice, simple looking design. First, here are the ungradeworthy piles that continue to grow...

    I was thrilled to find 30 candidates for PSA 10 in this box. Some nice hits with Nolan, Ozzie, Yaz, Perry and RCs of Charboneau and Moseby. Now that was a fun break...

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @softparade said:
    Jesus how big is that room and it could be a finished basement for all I know. Amazing snap shot of a even more amazing unopened stash

    😎

  • krisd3279krisd3279 Posts: 808 ✭✭✭✭

    That's sub-basement level 3......

    Kris

    My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black

  • Kep13Kep13 Posts: 515 ✭✭✭

    Nice group of stars amongst those 1981 Fleer gem mint contenders....I like to look at the top picture of cards that you pull out as stars, as I think it is interesting to see what others consider stars compared to which guys I pull out when going thru mountains and mountains of 1980-90's cards...

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The 1981 Fleer set really is a nice, simple looking design.

    I'm with you on this Chris.

    You got some really nice cards - sure like to see you get a 10 on the Ryan. I have a small stack I bought back around '90 for 10 cents a piece - I doubt if I have any 10s tho.

    My only criticism was that some of the cards look a bit washed out or the lighting was a bit dull.

    Wish there were a few more action shots - but overall - for 1981? Damn nice set buddy.

    Mike
  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Kep13 said:
    Nice group of stars amongst those 1981 Fleer gem mint contenders....I like to look at the top picture of cards that you pull out as stars, as I think it is interesting to see what others consider stars compared to which guys I pull out when going thru mountains and mountains of 1980-90's cards...

    Interesting. Would love to know who you would add and subtract from the piles of stars and nostalgic RCs. I try to pull the ones I think have some resale value. It would be fun to know where we differ. Thanks for the comment!

  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,267 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have never been a fan of Fleer but 1981 is different. I did buy those packs (I was 12) and marveled at it being a new baseball issue.

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • Kep13Kep13 Posts: 515 ✭✭✭

    if we took a poll of 100 people on this board, we'd all have different lists of stars for sure... :) We are really really close for sure...the one thing I don't do is pull out all rookies, unless it is someone who I considered a star....I know he won thousands of games, but I don't pull Niekro....I do pull Lou Whitaker as I think he may eventually be in HOF....I also pull Joyner and Grace...not superstars but very good players...I try to be over-inclusive (besides the rookies) as I prefer not to go back thru 400k cards, or 200k cards, whatever the size of the stash may be...I'm picking up 200k cards this weekend for $400...guy says cards are in real nice condition...baseball from early 80's, football cards from 70's and 80's...says tons of Jeter, Barry Sanders, etc...will be a winning proposition for me and can't wait to start going thru them Sunday

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Kep13 said:
    if we took a poll of 100 people on this board, we'd all have different lists of stars for sure... :) We are really really close for sure...the one thing I don't do is pull out all rookies, unless it is someone who I considered a star....I know he won thousands of games, but I don't pull Niekro....I do pull Lou Whitaker as I think he may eventually be in HOF....I also pull Joyner and Grace...not superstars but very good players...I try to be over-inclusive (besides the rookies) as I prefer not to go back thru 400k cards, or 200k cards, whatever the size of the stash may be...I'm picking up 200k cards this weekend for $400...guy says cards are in real nice condition...baseball from early 80's, football cards from 70's and 80's...says tons of Jeter, Barry Sanders, etc...will be a winning proposition for me and can't wait to start going thru them Sunday

    That approach makes sense to me. I try to pull elite HOFers, over index on RCs even if they didn’t pan out, and then keep my childhood favorites like Strawberry, Gooden and Davis. Good luck on your next massive lot!

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Next up is a case fresh 1982 Fleer box. Let the search for a GEM MINT Ripken RC begin...

  • Cory1976Cory1976 Posts: 158 ✭✭✭

    Wow congrats on those great pulls! Have you pulled a Littlefield error yet?

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Cory1976 said:
    Wow congrats on those great pulls! Have you pulled a Littlefield error yet?

    Nope...was the corrected in this box. I did pull the Valenzuela HL error in this box.

  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,267 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sick Ripken!

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That's the best centered Rip I've ever seen from that brand Chris.

    Registration's good too.

    Looking forward to seeing what you get on this one.

    Mike
  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @softparade said:
    Sick Ripken!

    Thanks Dan...my jaw dropped when I saw it.

    @Stone193 said:
    That's the best centered Rip I've ever seen from that brand Chris.

    Registration's good too.

    Looking forward to seeing what you get on this one.

    Thanks Mike. Centering and registration plague this card typically just as you said. I have never seen a better registration than this one and the centering is pretty dead on too!

  • Kep13Kep13 Posts: 515 ✭✭✭

    wow...Perez, Palmer, Ozzie and some guy named Ripken...congrats....that WAS an epic box....I don't remember if you have been asked or if you have said -- do you put your contenders in soft sleeves and then Card Savers? Or since no chromes involved, just Card Savers? What is your methodology?

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Kep13 said:
    wow...Perez, Palmer, Ozzie and some guy named Ripken...congrats....that WAS an epic box....I don't remember if you have been asked or if you have said -- do you put your contenders in soft sleeves and then Card Savers? Or since no chromes involved, just Card Savers? What is your methodology?

    Thanks! I have had the best luck putting them in a penny sleeve and then into a Card Saver. I like the added protection of the penny sleeve when sliding into the Card Saver. I am always worried I will snag a corner or an edge when inserting straight into the lip of a Card Saver.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Up next is a case fresh wax box of 1983 Fleer...

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This certainly wasn’t as amazing as the 1982 box I opened, but there were some contenders found. First, here were the stars and rookies in the box that did not make the cut...

    Only the Gwynn RC was found out of the big three, and it was off-center...

    But all was not lost. 16 contenders were found for PSA 10...

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You did better than I did Chris.

    I opened 2 boxes and don't remember getting a centered Gwynn.

    That one is a bit better than 60/40 from what I can see - so will probably get a 9 if corners look as good as they do on my screen.

    Your "10" prospects look really nice with great centering - and that's a tough set to find'm that way.

    Mike
  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,267 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That Doug Flynn almost looks like a mug shot haha

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • NGS428NGS428 Posts: 2,255 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    This certainly wasn’t as amazing as the 1982 box I opened, but there were some contenders found. First, here were the stars and rookies in the box that did not make the cut...

    Only the Gwynn RC was found out of the big three, and it was off-center...

    But all was not lost. 16 contenders were found for PSA 10...

    I admire your continued effort on this. Keep it up Chris!

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Stone193 said:

    Your "10" prospects look really nice with great centering - and that's a tough set to find'm that way.

    Thanks Mike...agree that 1983 Fleer are a real centering challenge!

    @NGS428 said:

    I admire your continued effort on this. Keep it up Chris!

    Thanks...the unopened market continues to be white hot, but I am still having more fun ripping than I am looking at piles of unopened. Thanks to all who continue to follow along and comment...

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The 1984 Fleer set is such a clean, beautiful set. This break took awhile because I spent a ton of time enjoying the photos on each card. Many of them I had never seen before, since I have ripped very little from this set over the years. Here are the stars and rookies that did not make the grade...

    I still love the look of these two RCs. If not for the print flaw with the Mattingly, it would have been a rough-cut contender. Seriously, how cool looking are these cards!!! Iconic 1980s...

    I was pleasantly surprised to find 37 contenders for PSA 10, highlighted by Mr. Sandberg’s 2nd year...

    Hope you all enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed this rip!

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Have never ripped 84F Chris.

    Think ya did good on the 10 prospects tho.

    The rough cuts look like they were done with a rusty dull Boy Scout knife.

    Would you sub the checklists?

    Mike
  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 29, 2019 2:14PM

    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    The 1984 Fleer set is such a clean, beautiful set. This break took awhile because I spent a ton of time enjoying the photos on each card.

    They really seemed to capture the essence of each player w/a nice mix of action and staged shots. They look gorgeous in the pack fresh white, but a lot of others I've seen have yellowed over the years.

  • JWBlueJWBlue Posts: 487 ✭✭✭

    I never used to like 1984 Fleer. Only recently have I begun to appreciate them. Of course the 1984 Update Set is the set of the 1980s.

    As LC said they do seem to yellow which is disappointing.

  • ahopkinsahopkins Posts: 1,094 ✭✭✭✭✭

    1984 Topps, Donruss, and Fleer are my favorites. The Fleer set has a special place in my heart. Great looking cards, Chris.

    Andy

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Stone193 said:

    The rough cuts look like they were done with a rusty dull Boy Scout knife.

    Would you sub the checklists?

    Haha...yeah, thought these were OPC Fleer for a minute. Yes, I will sub the checklists when the time comes. Thanks for the comments Mike!

    @LarkinCollector said:

    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    The 1984 Fleer set is such a clean, beautiful set. This break took awhile because I spent a ton of time enjoying the photos on each card.

    They really seemed to capture the essence of each player w/a nice mix of action and staged shots. They look gorgeous in the pack fresh white, but a lot of others I've seen have yellowed over the years.

    Agree, the bright white really makes this set pop!

    @JWBlue said:
    I never used to like 1984 Fleer. Only recently have I begun to appreciate them. Of course the 1984 Update Set is the set of the 1980s.

    100%...1984 Fleer Update is the powerhouse of 1980s baseball!

    @ahopkins said:
    1984 Topps, Donruss, and Fleer are my favorites. The Fleer set has a special place in my heart. Great looking cards, Chris.

    Thanks Andy...there will be more of each of the 1984 breaks to come, so stick around. Thanks for continuing to comment!

  • cecropiamothcecropiamoth Posts: 959 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    I haven’t ripped much 1984 Fleer before, so I am excited for this next box. For some reason I have always felt this box was made in lower production versus the balance of 1980s material. Clean boxes can be really hard to find. Let the hunt for a perfect Mattingly and Strawberry RC begin...

    Agree. 1984 Fleer is one of the few remaining boxes I still need to complete my run of BBCE FASC 1980-1989 Topps, Donruss & Fleer baseball wax boxes. I got most of mine 3-4 years ago (happily) and I haven't looked real hard...perhaps they even have been available.

    Jeff

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As you could have guessed, up next is a wax box of 1985 Fleer. This is one of the harder 1980s boxes to find. Classic design with the key RCs of Clemens, Puckett, Gooden, Davis and Hershiser. Let the search for perfection begin...

  • JWBlueJWBlue Posts: 487 ✭✭✭
    edited March 31, 2019 4:05PM

    1985 Fleer : Probably the most underrated set of the 1980s. Sharp cards.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is a tough year condition wise. Here are the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...

    The big two made an appearance, but neither was dead centered...

    There were 10 contenders in the box, highlighted by a nice looking Gwynn...

  • JWBlueJWBlue Posts: 487 ✭✭✭

    The 85F Clemens is such a unique card. Closeup of a player on the field.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Up next is a wax box equivalent of 12 wax rack packs. Jose can you see...

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Those dark blue borders make 1986 Fleer so tough. Here were the stars and rookies in these packs...

    Found this nicely centered Canseco RC, but the chipping on the bottom edge doesn’t make the grade. Still sweet to pull this iconic 1980s RC...

    Only managed to find 2 contenders for PSA 10...

  • JWBlueJWBlue Posts: 487 ✭✭✭
    edited April 3, 2019 2:03PM

    Back to the 1984 Fleer.

    As mentioned in this thread there is a tendency for the white borders to become yellow. Was there any noticeable yellowing of the borders out of the packs?

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JWBlue said:
    Back to the 1984 Fleer.

    As mentioned in this thread there is a tendency for the white borders to become yellow. Was there any noticeable yellowing of the borders out of the packs?

    Nope...these were stark white as if they were printed yesterday. When stored properly, away from moisture and heat, I have never had a problem with my 1984 Fleer yellowing. I have seen it on some for sale though.

  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Up next is a case fresh box of 1987 Fleer. I love this year...

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