Did a 84T vending box, and here are my favs! Ryans for days! And the Straw was SOOO close to gem. Bottom right just a touch soft and a tiny watermark. Lovely centering!
@NJ80sBBC said:
I ripped so many of these packs as a kid hunting for Sheffields, Alomars and of course, Griffeys. Tom Gordon was bigger than Randy Johnson at the time. Sabo was also a big card.
Sabo, Gordon, Alomar and Sheffield (because he was Gooden’s cousin) were the rage in 1989. Great memory you shared...thanks!
@WaveofCards said:
Did a 84T vending box, and here are my favs! Ryans for days! And the Straw was SOOO close to gem. Bottom right just a touch soft and a tiny watermark. Lovely centering!
Thanks for sharing your results Jason. I know the feeling of seeing a card so close to perfection only to have one small blemish hold it back! Great looking Straw regardless. Mattingly looks like a solid 9!
I had time for a quick rip tonight of two 1986 Fleer Update sets that I pulled from a sealed case a few months back. Man these cards are condition sensitive! The rip went really quickly, since there was not a single card that was centered out of the 264 previously untouched cards. Here were the key cards in the set..
Both of the Bonds XRCs are emblematic of the centering that plagued both sets. Oh well, still love the look of this card...
The 86 Traded, Rookies & Update sets were hugely coveted when I really got into the hobby. Only TT was anywhere to be found around me. 86FU singles were around. 86D The Rookies might as well have never existed bc I sure as heck never saw them. I eventually paid up big to get the set in late 89 - prob $60.
The names from these sets bring me right back to the beginning of the hobby for me.
John
Conundrum - Loving my unopened baseball card collection....but really like ripping too
While not the most exciting set, 1988 Donruss always brings back memories for me and is a solid condition challenge in GEM MINT. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I feel like the Alomar RC is an overlooked card. It is the only true RC he had and is a tough card to find perfect. This one isn’t worthy of a 10 either...
However, I was loving the rookie power contained within these 4 contenders for perfection!
@NJ80sBBC said:
The 86 Traded, Rookies & Update sets were hugely coveted when I really got into the hobby. Only TT was anywhere to be found around me. 86FU singles were around. 86D The Rookies might as well have never existed bc I sure as heck never saw them. I eventually paid up big to get the set in late 89 - prob $60.
The names from these sets bring me right back to the beginning of the hobby for me.
John
I’m with you John. 1986 TT was the only set available in my area too. I paid $15 at a show for the 1986 Donruss “The Rookies” Bo Jackson XRC when I finally found one for sale in 1988. I was sure that purchase was going to cement my future wealth in cardboard 🤣
Time to head back to the middle of the decade and rip one of my favorite sets, 1985 Topps. This year has some iconic 1980s RCs...McGwire, Clemens, Puckett, Gooden, Davis and Hershiser to name a few. This set is a condition nightmare, so I will simply hope for the best. Up next is a fresh vending box from a case I personally opened a while back. Got to love the fresh vending pattern...
Found 13 wax boxes of 88 Donruss in the garage. I forgot just how much of this stuff we went through. Found 27 boxes of opened/busted wax from back in the day. 5 2500 sort boxes full. 6 loose leaf folders. Cases of Upper Deck 90/91 I still have to uncover. 147 wax boxes from 87 to 93. Smaller sort boxes from 88 to 92. Spending some time pulling out HOFers from the opened remains. Two cases 90 Donruss rack packs that the glue is letting loose. 3 boxes of 24 ea. 87 Topps rack packs.
Last time I even look at this stuff was in 99 according to some of the boxes that I wrote on.
As expected, the condition of 1985 Topps presents one of the biggest challenges of the 1980s when hunting for GEM MINT perfection. Regardless, this is one beautiful set to view. When you do find a perfect card, you appreciate just how cool Topps vision was for this design. Here are the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I was happy to find multiples of these key RCs. For some reason, the McGwire has always remained more elusive to me when I rip...
Out of the 500 untouched cards, only 2 contenders emerged. That is a 0.4% hit rate, which continues to affirm this is one of the hardest sets to find perfect examples...
@In4apenny said:
Found 13 wax boxes of 88 Donruss in the garage. I forgot just how much of this stuff we went through. Found 27 boxes of opened/busted wax from back in the day. 5 2500 sort boxes full. 6 loose leaf folders. Cases of Upper Deck 90/91 I still have to uncover. 147 wax boxes from 87 to 93. Smaller sort boxes from 88 to 92. Spending some time pulling out HOFers from the opened remains. Two cases 90 Donruss rack packs that the glue is letting loose. 3 boxes of 24 ea. 87 Topps rack packs.
Last time I even look at this stuff was in 99 according to some of the boxes that I wrote on.
Sounds like a fun treasure hunt awaits you as you dig through the piles of nostalgia. I love that this thread is bringing others to dig out buried treasure for a trip down memory lane. As you are digging, take a moment to sift through the centering of the cards. I am betting that like me, you will see that finding a dead centered card is as rare as your buddy trading you his only 1986 Donruss Canseco RC during the 40/40 season of 1989.
@softparade said:
Love the '85 Topps set! Haven't seen you bust much of this! Or I just miss it every time.
So far I have ripped 9 vending boxes of 1985 Topps and 1 rack box during this journey. There will be more to come. It is one of my favorite sets from the 1980s!
Thanks Nic! This was a good box condition wise, just not much star power on the GEM MINT contenders. The good thing about Fleer is that you get nearly a complete set in every box. The bad news is when you pull an O/C Griffey on the first pack, you pretty much know there won’t be another one waiting for you. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the cut...
Here were the key cards, but none were dead centered...
I did manage to find 17 contenders for PSA 10 though, so all was not lost. A 2nd year Edgar highlighted this group...
1 box each of 87 Donruss, 88 Fleer, 89 topps, 89 Fleer, 89 Donruss. 2 boxes 89 Score, 89 Bowman plus the boxes of 88 Donruss. I had bought a case of 89 Bowman sold all but one, thought I had more. Why did I buy all that 1990 Score? Why?
I find it interesting to look at your rejects. Almost all of them are off center, but in the same general way- too much border at the top, not enough at the bottom. Just an interesting commentary on how you can often see which way a box will go based on the first few cards. Topps was occasionally consistent. Just not in the way we might have wanted them to be!
kevin
@jordangretzkyfan said:
As expected, the condition of 1985 Topps presents one of the biggest challenges of the 1980s when hunting for GEM MINT perfection. Regardless, this is one beautiful set to view. When you do find a perfect card, you appreciate just how cool Topps vision was for this design. Here are the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I was happy to find multiples of these key RCs. For some reason, the McGwire has always remained more elusive to me when I rip...
Out of the 500 untouched cards, only 2 contenders emerged. That is a 0.4% hit rate, which continues to affirm this is one of the hardest sets to find perfect examples...
@tulsaboy said:
I find it interesting to look at your rejects. Almost all of them are off center, but in the same general way- too much border at the top, not enough at the bottom. Just an interesting commentary on how you can often see which way a box will go based on the first few cards. Topps was occasionally consistent. Just not in the way we might have wanted them to be!
kevin
I fully agree Kevin. It is typical that the cards from the same sheet have consistent centering in the same box. Sheet mix within the same pack is usually the reason some are centered and others are not within the same pack.
Good box, though! I've had 50/50 luck with Big mac and little less with Rocket, so that was pretty decent!
I've done 2 wax boxes of 85 T on my channel, and you are correct about the condition and elusiveness of Gem Mint 10's. We had a pretty well-centered box plagued by fish eyes/watermarks. Had a perfect Doc in every way, except a fish eye in the background right by his face. Big Mac seems to be o/c left to right more often than not. PS- Love this thread! Keep it going
@jordangretzkyfan said:
As expected, the condition of 1985 Topps presents one of the biggest challenges of the 1980s when hunting for GEM MINT perfection. Regardless, this is one beautiful set to view. When you do find a perfect card, you appreciate just how cool Topps vision was for this design. Here are the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I was happy to find multiples of these key RCs. For some reason, the McGwire has always remained more elusive to me when I rip...
Out of the 500 untouched cards, only 2 contenders emerged. That is a 0.4% hit rate, which continues to affirm this is one of the hardest sets to find perfect examples...
You have more patience than I do with those 88 Fleer! Looking at those would make me dizzy. I think it's interesting to see the Puckett, Gooden, Sandberg, and Davis cards. They really highlight what Fleer was trying to do with that set in terms of the background/foreground. I've never cared much for them, but there are a few of the cards that highlight Fleer's intentions with that set and show it off to its best advantage.
kevin
As a kid, 1987 Fleer was hugely popular and beyond my financial reach. So when I got word from some buddies that a pizza shop on the other end of town had boxes of 1988 Fleer I pedaled my bike the 4 miles to check it out. Sure enough, for $.50 a pack I finally had access to Fleer Wax! I made that ride several times to pick up packs for a couple of months.
It is amazing how inefficient the marketplace was back then in terms of distribution of product to meet demand. I thought I had struck gold! Not my favorite design, but great memories ripping these packs.
John
Conundrum - Loving my unopened baseball card collection....but really like ripping too
@tulsaboy said:
I think it's interesting to see the Puckett, Gooden, Sandberg, and Davis cards. They really highlight what Fleer was trying to do with that set in terms of the background/foreground.
Aside from his RCs, I think Gooden has a couple of the most attractive cards from the 1980s. I particularly love his 1986 Topps card. Same for Davis.
@softparade said:
Have you ripped much 1989 Topps? That's another one I haven't seen much off. Am I wrong?
I’ve ripped 21 boxes of them in this blog so far 🙂
@NJ80sBBC said:
As a kid, 1987 Fleer was hugely popular and beyond my financial reach. So when I got word from some buddies that a pizza shop on the other end of town had boxes of 1988 Fleer I pedaled my bike the 4 miles to check it out. Sure enough, for $.50 a pack I finally had access to Fleer Wax! I made that ride several times to pick up packs for a couple of months.
It is amazing how inefficient the marketplace was back then in terms of distribution of product to meet demand. I thought I had struck gold! Not my favorite design, but great memories ripping these packs.
John
Love this story John. Fully agree that Fleer was the hard brand to find during the mid/late 1980s. I found a slew of 1987 Fleer rack packs at Toy’s R Us and thought I won the 11-year old lottery! Even pulled a Bo Jackson and Ruben Sierra RC out of the 5 racks my grandpa bought me that day...
@tulsaboy said:
I think it's interesting to see the Puckett, Gooden, Sandberg, and Davis cards. They really highlight what Fleer was trying to do with that set in terms of the background/foreground.
Aside from his RCs, I think Gooden has a couple of the most attractive cards from the 1980s. I particularly love his 1986 Topps card. Same for Davis.
I agree! The 1986 Topps Gooden card is a thing of beauty. The orange and blue, with Gooden front and center mid-delivery, makes for a stunning card. One of the reasons Topps featured it on the 1986 packaging, I'm sure. Though the 8 year old me totally hated Gooden and those 1986 Mets for what they did to Clemens and the Red Sox...
kevin
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. There were no Mattingly or Strawberry RCs in this box, but I did manage to find some contenders. First, here are the stars and rookies that did not make the grade...
These 9 contenders for GEM MINT emerged. I am really liking the VanSlyke RC in this group. Cool looking card!
Do you have any of the 1988 Topps Jumbo Cellos featuring the glossy rookie inserts? I've always wondered why the McGwire is nearly impossible to find in GEM MINT 10 (only 3 of 5976 total graded), and also whether the condition challenge applies to the rest of the set, since there's so few of them graded outside the McGwire.
Aside from the nostalgia of ripping this set, it is one boring set of cards. I love the McGwire Rookie Cup card aesthetically, but the rest of the set leaves a lot to be desired. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
Pulled these two Glavine RCs, but the centering just isn’t there for a PSA 10...
@Horse said:
For the sake of all humankind, this thread DESERVES to reach 100k views.
Thank you sir! Hopefully folks are still enjoying the thread. The good news is that I should have enough material to get us there 😉
@Donyoguy said:
Do you have any of the 1988 Topps Jumbo Cellos featuring the glossy rookie inserts? I've always wondered why the McGwire is nearly impossible to find in GEM MINT 10 (only 3 of 5976 total graded), and also whether the condition challenge applies to the rest of the set, since there's so few of them graded outside the McGwire.
Sadly, I don’t. Those cases are pretty tough to track down and I didn’t sock any away. If they were run on the same production lines as the Topps All-Star cards inserted into rack packs, then I am guessing it is a centering issue. I can never seem to find a centered copy. Additionally, there are often roller lines across the gloss on the front of those cards. Thanks for the comment!
@jordangretzkyfan said:
Aside from the nostalgia of ripping this set, it is one boring set of cards. I love the McGwire Rookie Cup card aesthetically, but the rest of the set leaves a lot to be desired. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
@jordangretzkyfan said:
Aside from the nostalgia of ripping this set, it is one boring set of cards. I love the McGwire Rookie Cup card aesthetically, but the rest of the set leaves a lot to be desired.
'88 Topps was my first set, so the nostalgia will always be powerful, but man what an awful issue. The photography in particular is unimaginative at best and flat out lazy at worst. Cool shot of Canseco, but that's seriously the best you can do for McGwire, the guy that just shattered the rookie home run record? Same with Schmidt, the active career home run leader at the time. The color schemes are bizarre too. Some were logical (Mets- Blue/Orange, Red Sox- Red/Red), and then you have Yankees with Red/Yellow and the White Sox with Pink/Green.
One thing that's always amused me about this set was the fact that they whiffed on Mark Grace, Gregg Jefferies, Roberto Alomar et al, but included Joey Meyer. Topps had a history to that point of excluding players with no major league experience from their main sets (draft pick and Olympic issues aside), yet they chose to feature Meyer for what I'm sure was a good reason at the time. They would proceed to pass on Griffey the following year.
Can anyone name a player before Meyer that Topps featured before he played in a major league game? I'm genuinely curious.
I’m going to work on finishing the 1988 Donruss case I broke a few weeks ago, before I grab a box from the early 1980s. Here are 12 more racks. Hoping for a perfect Jefferies RC...
@Donyoguy Topps may have included Meyer as a result of his historic 582 foot HR hit at Mile High Stadium for the Denver Zephyrs (AAA), June 1987. Meyer was a slugging prospect for the Brewers who ended up playing only a couple of years. His big league career highlight was a walk-off HR off Roger Clemens. As I recall (back to my teenage memories) it was an oppo-jack, the ball hitting the right field foul pole.
Joey Meyer's 582-foot home run | Nine Innings - The Denver ...
Also, I don't get the hate on this issue. It has a mid 60's flavor to me. And the photography? LOL you haven't seen bad and lazy unless you collect Topps Heritage like I do with the majority taken at spring training facilities with the same back ground.
1988 Topps is the victim of no rookie anchor and being at the height of the junk years. Aside from all that...... 1988 Topps ROCKS
@softparade said:
What is that '88 Topps variation?
Also, I don't get the hate on this issue. It has a mid 60's flavor to me. And the photography? LOL you haven't seen bad and lazy unless you collect Topps Heritage like I do with the majority taken at spring training facilities with the same back ground.
1988 Topps is the victim of no rookie anchor and being at the height of the junk years. Aside from all that...... 1988 Topps ROCKS
I’m loving the support for 1988 Topps. Solid gif Arthur!
This round of 1988 Donruss was a bit of a let down. As you guys know, my favorites from this year are the Grace and Jefferies RCs. Neither made an appearance this time. Here are the stars and rookies that missed the grading cut...
I did find these 4 contenders out of the 540 pack fresh cards, which is a 0.8% hit rate for those keeping score. Tough year with the thin card stock and dark borders...
Comments
Did a 84T vending box, and here are my favs! Ryans for days! And the Straw was SOOO close to gem. Bottom right just a touch soft and a tiny watermark. Lovely centering!
Jason C.
Wave of Cards on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC52it5FXdZvDcbj_Ps7Fyqw
Sabo, Gordon, Alomar and Sheffield (because he was Gooden’s cousin) were the rage in 1989. Great memory you shared...thanks!
That was a great box of 1989 Fleer! First, here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the cut...
I did pull a Griffey, but none of these were centered well enough...
I found a whopping 37 contenders for GEM MINT. Here are the first 34...
And I was thrilled with these last 3 cards that appear worthy of PSA 10...
Thanks for sharing your results Jason. I know the feeling of seeing a card so close to perfection only to have one small blemish hold it back! Great looking Straw regardless. Mattingly looks like a solid 9!
I had time for a quick rip tonight of two 1986 Fleer Update sets that I pulled from a sealed case a few months back. Man these cards are condition sensitive! The rip went really quickly, since there was not a single card that was centered out of the 264 previously untouched cards. Here were the key cards in the set..
Both of the Bonds XRCs are emblematic of the centering that plagued both sets. Oh well, still love the look of this card...
Whoa!
Time to attack some more of the 1988 Donruss rack case I broke. Here are the next 12 racks...
The 86 Traded, Rookies & Update sets were hugely coveted when I really got into the hobby. Only TT was anywhere to be found around me. 86FU singles were around. 86D The Rookies might as well have never existed bc I sure as heck never saw them. I eventually paid up big to get the set in late 89 - prob $60.
The names from these sets bring me right back to the beginning of the hobby for me.
John
While not the most exciting set, 1988 Donruss always brings back memories for me and is a solid condition challenge in GEM MINT. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I feel like the Alomar RC is an overlooked card. It is the only true RC he had and is a tough card to find perfect. This one isn’t worthy of a 10 either...
However, I was loving the rookie power contained within these 4 contenders for perfection!
I’m with you John. 1986 TT was the only set available in my area too. I paid $15 at a show for the 1986 Donruss “The Rookies” Bo Jackson XRC when I finally found one for sale in 1988. I was sure that purchase was going to cement my future wealth in cardboard 🤣
Time to head back to the middle of the decade and rip one of my favorite sets, 1985 Topps. This year has some iconic 1980s RCs...McGwire, Clemens, Puckett, Gooden, Davis and Hershiser to name a few. This set is a condition nightmare, so I will simply hope for the best. Up next is a fresh vending box from a case I personally opened a while back. Got to love the fresh vending pattern...
Found 13 wax boxes of 88 Donruss in the garage. I forgot just how much of this stuff we went through. Found 27 boxes of opened/busted wax from back in the day. 5 2500 sort boxes full. 6 loose leaf folders. Cases of Upper Deck 90/91 I still have to uncover. 147 wax boxes from 87 to 93. Smaller sort boxes from 88 to 92. Spending some time pulling out HOFers from the opened remains. Two cases 90 Donruss rack packs that the glue is letting loose. 3 boxes of 24 ea. 87 Topps rack packs.
Last time I even look at this stuff was in 99 according to some of the boxes that I wrote on.
As expected, the condition of 1985 Topps presents one of the biggest challenges of the 1980s when hunting for GEM MINT perfection. Regardless, this is one beautiful set to view. When you do find a perfect card, you appreciate just how cool Topps vision was for this design. Here are the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
I was happy to find multiples of these key RCs. For some reason, the McGwire has always remained more elusive to me when I rip...
Out of the 500 untouched cards, only 2 contenders emerged. That is a 0.4% hit rate, which continues to affirm this is one of the hardest sets to find perfect examples...
Sounds like a fun treasure hunt awaits you as you dig through the piles of nostalgia. I love that this thread is bringing others to dig out buried treasure for a trip down memory lane. As you are digging, take a moment to sift through the centering of the cards. I am betting that like me, you will see that finding a dead centered card is as rare as your buddy trading you his only 1986 Donruss Canseco RC during the 40/40 season of 1989.
Love the '85 Topps set! Haven't seen you bust much of this! Or I just miss it every time.
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
So far I have ripped 9 vending boxes of 1985 Topps and 1 rack box during this journey. There will be more to come. It is one of my favorite sets from the 1980s!
Time to hunt for a perfect Junior RC...
I said a prayer for you.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Thanks Nic! This was a good box condition wise, just not much star power on the GEM MINT contenders. The good thing about Fleer is that you get nearly a complete set in every box. The bad news is when you pull an O/C Griffey on the first pack, you pretty much know there won’t be another one waiting for you. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the cut...
Here were the key cards, but none were dead centered...
I did manage to find 17 contenders for PSA 10 though, so all was not lost. A 2nd year Edgar highlighted this group...
1 box each of 87 Donruss, 88 Fleer, 89 topps, 89 Fleer, 89 Donruss. 2 boxes 89 Score, 89 Bowman plus the boxes of 88 Donruss. I had bought a case of 89 Bowman sold all but one, thought I had more. Why did I buy all that 1990 Score? Why?
You got Griffey’s best bid Buhner. I will have to be more specific with my prayer next time . 🙂
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
I find it interesting to look at your rejects. Almost all of them are off center, but in the same general way- too much border at the top, not enough at the bottom. Just an interesting commentary on how you can often see which way a box will go based on the first few cards. Topps was occasionally consistent. Just not in the way we might have wanted them to be!
kevin
I fully agree Kevin. It is typical that the cards from the same sheet have consistent centering in the same box. Sheet mix within the same pack is usually the reason some are centered and others are not within the same pack.
Good box, though! I've had 50/50 luck with Big mac and little less with Rocket, so that was pretty decent!
I've done 2 wax boxes of 85 T on my channel, and you are correct about the condition and elusiveness of Gem Mint 10's. We had a pretty well-centered box plagued by fish eyes/watermarks. Had a perfect Doc in every way, except a fish eye in the background right by his face. Big Mac seems to be o/c left to right more often than not. PS- Love this thread! Keep it going
Jason C.
Wave of Cards on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC52it5FXdZvDcbj_Ps7Fyqw
Time to chase a perfect Grace. Up next is a box of 1988 Fleer...
And Jeffries!
ummm, Edgar is the man in 1988
Spoken like a true fan of the 1980s!
Yes, Edgar is the man and I support your fandom, but Grace will always be #1 in my childhood heart when it comes to 1988 🙂
Such a fun rip. So many memories come back every time I break one of these. Here are the stars and rookies that continue to pile up...
I pulled all the key rookies, but none were centered well enough...
I did manage to pull these 21 contenders for GEM MINT, highlighted by the Ron Gant RC and McGwire RB...
You have more patience than I do with those 88 Fleer! Looking at those would make me dizzy. I think it's interesting to see the Puckett, Gooden, Sandberg, and Davis cards. They really highlight what Fleer was trying to do with that set in terms of the background/foreground. I've never cared much for them, but there are a few of the cards that highlight Fleer's intentions with that set and show it off to its best advantage.
kevin
Have you ripped much 1989 Topps? That's another one I haven't seen much off. Am I wrong?
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
As a kid, 1987 Fleer was hugely popular and beyond my financial reach. So when I got word from some buddies that a pizza shop on the other end of town had boxes of 1988 Fleer I pedaled my bike the 4 miles to check it out. Sure enough, for $.50 a pack I finally had access to Fleer Wax! I made that ride several times to pick up packs for a couple of months.
It is amazing how inefficient the marketplace was back then in terms of distribution of product to meet demand. I thought I had struck gold! Not my favorite design, but great memories ripping these packs.
John
Aside from his RCs, I think Gooden has a couple of the most attractive cards from the 1980s. I particularly love his 1986 Topps card. Same for Davis.
I’ve ripped 21 boxes of them in this blog so far 🙂
Love this story John. Fully agree that Fleer was the hard brand to find during the mid/late 1980s. I found a slew of 1987 Fleer rack packs at Toy’s R Us and thought I won the 11-year old lottery! Even pulled a Bo Jackson and Ruben Sierra RC out of the 5 racks my grandpa bought me that day...
I agree! The 1986 Topps Gooden card is a thing of beauty. The orange and blue, with Gooden front and center mid-delivery, makes for a stunning card. One of the reasons Topps featured it on the 1986 packaging, I'm sure. Though the 8 year old me totally hated Gooden and those 1986 Mets for what they did to Clemens and the Red Sox...
kevin
I should finally have time to get to some rips this weekend. Let’s get started with a 1984 Topps vending box...
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. There were no Mattingly or Strawberry RCs in this box, but I did manage to find some contenders. First, here are the stars and rookies that did not make the grade...
These 9 contenders for GEM MINT emerged. I am really liking the VanSlyke RC in this group. Cool looking card!
Feeling like a cello box next...
For the sake of all humankind, this thread DESERVES to reach 100k views.
Do you have any of the 1988 Topps Jumbo Cellos featuring the glossy rookie inserts? I've always wondered why the McGwire is nearly impossible to find in GEM MINT 10 (only 3 of 5976 total graded), and also whether the condition challenge applies to the rest of the set, since there's so few of them graded outside the McGwire.
Aside from the nostalgia of ripping this set, it is one boring set of cards. I love the McGwire Rookie Cup card aesthetically, but the rest of the set leaves a lot to be desired. Here were the stars and rookies that didn’t make the grade...
Pulled these two Glavine RCs, but the centering just isn’t there for a PSA 10...
I did land these 10 contenders though...
Thank you sir! Hopefully folks are still enjoying the thread. The good news is that I should have enough material to get us there 😉
Sadly, I don’t. Those cases are pretty tough to track down and I didn’t sock any away. If they were run on the same production lines as the Topps All-Star cards inserted into rack packs, then I am guessing it is a centering issue. I can never seem to find a centered copy. Additionally, there are often roller lines across the gloss on the front of those cards. Thanks for the comment!
White triangle McGwire RB variation!
Arthur
Hey Arthur! Good eye...I noticed the variation too. Just hoping to land a perfect example in one of these boxes.
'88 Topps was my first set, so the nostalgia will always be powerful, but man what an awful issue. The photography in particular is unimaginative at best and flat out lazy at worst. Cool shot of Canseco, but that's seriously the best you can do for McGwire, the guy that just shattered the rookie home run record? Same with Schmidt, the active career home run leader at the time. The color schemes are bizarre too. Some were logical (Mets- Blue/Orange, Red Sox- Red/Red), and then you have Yankees with Red/Yellow and the White Sox with Pink/Green.
One thing that's always amused me about this set was the fact that they whiffed on Mark Grace, Gregg Jefferies, Roberto Alomar et al, but included Joey Meyer. Topps had a history to that point of excluding players with no major league experience from their main sets (draft pick and Olympic issues aside), yet they chose to feature Meyer for what I'm sure was a good reason at the time. They would proceed to pass on Griffey the following year.
Can anyone name a player before Meyer that Topps featured before he played in a major league game? I'm genuinely curious.
I’m going to work on finishing the 1988 Donruss case I broke a few weeks ago, before I grab a box from the early 1980s. Here are 12 more racks. Hoping for a perfect Jefferies RC...
@Donyoguy Topps may have included Meyer as a result of his historic 582 foot HR hit at Mile High Stadium for the Denver Zephyrs (AAA), June 1987. Meyer was a slugging prospect for the Brewers who ended up playing only a couple of years. His big league career highlight was a walk-off HR off Roger Clemens. As I recall (back to my teenage memories) it was an oppo-jack, the ball hitting the right field foul pole.
Joey Meyer's 582-foot home run | Nine Innings - The Denver ...
https://extras.denverpost.com/nine-innings/inning6.html
Cheers,
Jeff
What is that '88 Topps variation?
Also, I don't get the hate on this issue. It has a mid 60's flavor to me. And the photography? LOL you haven't seen bad and lazy unless you collect Topps Heritage like I do with the majority taken at spring training facilities with the same back ground.
1988 Topps is the victim of no rookie anchor and being at the height of the junk years. Aside from all that...... 1988 Topps ROCKS
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
Arthur
I’m loving the support for 1988 Topps. Solid gif Arthur!
This round of 1988 Donruss was a bit of a let down. As you guys know, my favorites from this year are the Grace and Jefferies RCs. Neither made an appearance this time. Here are the stars and rookies that missed the grading cut...
I did find these 4 contenders out of the 540 pack fresh cards, which is a 0.8% hit rate for those keeping score. Tough year with the thin card stock and dark borders...
I heard this box shouting my name, but it might just have been Mike screaming that I haven’t ripped any 1983 Fleer for awhile...