Looking forward to seeing the results of your rip! Congrats on selling your home…great way to celebrate. Nic nailed the list of key RCs. The only other I would add to your watch list is the Dwight Gooden Record Breaker. That card is notoriously off centered and worth good money in a PSA 10.
To build some momentum while you wait for your 1985 Topps rack box to arrive, how about I rip another 1980 Topps vending box? I have always loved this set. The last of the “vintage” sets in my mind. Here we go…
Always a fun rip when you are hunting for the all-time stolen base king! Here are the stars and rookies that miss the mark of PSA 10….
Rickey showed up not once, but twice in this fresh vending box. The beauty of this RC cannot be overstated in its’ iconic place in the hobby. I love the greens and yellows that pop in this design and gorgeous photo of a young Henderson in his unique batting stance. While they are vending fresh, I expect the one on the left to grade a PSA 7 and the right one a PSA 6. Still sick to pull two…
I managed to find 10 candidates for PSA 10, headlined by a Pete Rose double. Centering on 1980 Topps is a nightmare and rendered over 95% of these cards ungradeable. Here are the winners…
I think the left Rose has a legit shot at PSA 10, while the one on the right looks like a high-end PSA 9…
Excited for Joe’s 1985 Topps rip. That is one of my favorite sets from the 80s. Good luck my friend!
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
Sorry, all of the photos are taken with my phone. Computer and scanner are non functional.
Removed the rack packs.
No racks with Puckett, Clemens or McGwire on top or bottom.
Strawberry worth a premium?
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
The good news is most of those top cards look to be centered, which is a nightmare for 1985 Topps. No real premium for those two Strawberry cards on top, but NY fans will likely have some interest if left unopened. You should look for a regular Ozzie Smith on top of any packs…good things usually follow.
@jordangretzkyfan said:
The good news is most of those top cards look to be centered, which is a nightmare for 1985 Topps. No real premium for those two Strawberry cards on top, but NY fans will likely have some interest if left unopened. You should look for a regular Ozzie Smith on top of any packs…good things usually follow.
I'll check!
Centering is pretty good.
Funny you mention Ozzie, I thought I found one that had a shot at a 10, until I saw the print spot.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
@jordangretzkyfan said:
The good news is most of those top cards look to be centered, which is a nightmare for 1985 Topps. No real premium for those two Strawberry cards on top, but NY fans will likely have some interest if left unopened. You should look for a regular Ozzie Smith on top of any packs…good things usually follow.
So far centering not horrible, but generally towards the bottom.
Print dots galore, hard to find a single card without a few.
Top card Ozzie All Star, then a few cards down, possibly the best looking card of the day!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Nice looking Ozzie and Rickey. If not for the print dots, they would have a chance. My memory is that the McGwire RC usually is a few cards after the Ozzie Smith, hence my comment on check for him on the top of any rack packs.
Sweet looking Gooden RC. One of my favorite cards as a kid. Thanks for continuing to share the rip!
@JoeBanzai said:
Got a Puckett, but way off center and print spots.
>
>
I recently ripped several rack pack from the 80s and cherry picked several potential PSA10 HOFers, except every one has some sort of print circle that draws your eye to it. (like the print circle to the right of "TWINS" on your Puckett).
But then I see in another thread....
I guess this is an older PSA graded card?
Would this card be a 10 today with the print circle above the "1983"?
Some of my potential 10s had the print circles on the back, and I hesitate to submit those, thinking it's not coming back a 10.
I recently ripped several rack pack from the 80s and cherry picked several potential PSA10 HOFers, except every one has some sort of print circle that draws your eye to it. (like the print circle to the right of "TWINS" on your Puckett).
But then I see in another thread....
I guess this is an older PSA graded card?
Would this card be a 10 today with the print circle above the "1983"?
Some of my potential 10s had the print circles on the back, and I hesitate to submit those, thinking it's not coming back a 10.
Between the print spot above 1983 and the yellow one on Johnny’s cap, I cannot imagine that gets a PSA 10 with today’s standards. I have tossed aside many cards like that from 1980’s rips thinking I would get a PSA 8. I always take the approach that if I am hoping an imperfection slips by, then I should not be subbing it…but that’s just me.
Finished my rip today. Overall happy with the cards I got, BUT print dots killed me on some and centering was, as expected, hit and miss.
Got one Nolan Ryan, very nicely centered, print dots did me in on this one.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Lots of Strawberry cards. Print spots galore. The All Star card has junk on top of holder on left border, not on card.
Bummer to get so many and all are 😞
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Happy to get two, but lots of problems on both. I can see why there are so few 10's if these are an example of what they produced. Nothing horrible, but not sure their worth grading. Any guesses on the grades?
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
@BBBrkrr said:
I love the 85 set but their quality control was horrible. So hard to get perfect cards from any pull but you got some nice ones.
Thank you!
After opening a wax box of these a couple of years ago, I decided to never RIP wax again.
Most of the cards here are decently centered, but print spots are on a high percentage.
Being a Twins fan, I was hoping for a mint Puckett. The best I think they will get is a "7".
Also wish they were centered better side to side like the majority of the other cards. I don't mind if a card is off top to bottom (within reason) but these 2 are pretty ugly. 😩
Unsure what to do with the McGwire's. Will have to check eBay to see if they are even worth grading.
The Clemens has a shot!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Thanks for sharing the break, Joe. Such a great set with so many iconic RCs. The Trammell looks like it has a shot at a 10. The second McGwire looks pretty clean in your picture with maybe a little edge wear / rough cut on the left edge. That said, maybe still a MINT 9, which sells for $100. The first McGwire looks like an 8 to me based on centering and a few print spots. That Clemens looks really nice. Easy PSA 9 with a shot at a 10. Best of luck!
@jordangretzkyfan said:
Thanks for sharing the break, Joe. Such a great set with so many iconic RCs. The Trammell looks like it has a shot at a 10. The second McGwire looks pretty clean in your picture with maybe a little edge wear / rough cut on the left edge. That said, maybe still a MINT 9, which sells for $100. The first McGwire looks like an 8 to me based on centering and a few print spots. That Clemens looks really nice. Easy PSA 9 with a shot at a 10. Best of luck!
Thanks! After all your fantastic rips, I'm glad you enjoyed this one.
The Trammell looks perfect, probably a "9" 😁.
I don't see much difference in the 2 McGwires, right down to the rough cut/chipping in one small area on the left edge. I thought an 8 would be generous on either, but I'll take a 9!
The Clemens looked like a 10 at first and then I noticed the registration problem. It shows up best on the bottom of the "Red Sox" box. I checked a few PSA 10's on eBay and it looks like some are similar to mine.
I apologize for the quality of the pictures, no scanner at this time.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Hi there - just wanted to chime in that this thread was one of the best things I read when I was getting back into the hobby a couple years ago, so many thanks for that. OP, curious if you chose to grade any of your "for grading" pile in the 1980s special PSA ran a couple months ago. Just wondering what the hit rate might be for someone as discerning as you have been. Thanks again!
I was just looking through my collection...am I the only one that likes to play period appropriate music while looking at them? Like on the Music Choice channels, playing the 70s channel when looking at 70s cards/sets, 80s channel for 80s cards/sets, and so on?
@vigo2025 said:
Hi there - just wanted to chime in that this thread was one of the best things I read when I was getting back into the hobby a couple years ago, so many thanks for that. OP, curious if you chose to grade any of your "for grading" pile in the 1980s special PSA ran a couple months ago. Just wondering what the hit rate might be for someone as discerning as you have been. Thanks again!
I appreciate the compliment on this thread. Glad to know it proved useful as you came back into the hobby, and happy you are still a part of it. I have held off grading during the heightened PSA pricing and increasingly critical grading standards. At this point it would only likely pay out on the key HOFers and rookie cards, but certainly not the commons and minor stars.
I did help a friend looking for some clean PSA 9 candidates from my non-sub piles. I identified 18 stars and HOFers from 1980-1981 Topps that I thought had a solid chance at landing the MINT 9 grade. His results came back with ten PSA 9, seven PSA 8 and one PSA 7 if I recall correctly. All had four sharp corners and clean edges. Centering was 60/40 or better on all of them. There were no surface blemishes. What I noticed is that if the photo registration was not perfectly crisp or there were any print marks, the grades dropped to PSA 8. This insight has helped me realize PSA is getting much tougher on image quality. I intend to double check image crispness before I send any in going forward. I hope this intel is helpful.
PSA didn’t ding me for the line on leg, but I avoided the print spots Chris mentioned in the blue, FWIW - sorry for the light reflection by his thigh...
@NJ80sBBC said:
I saw this thread pop up and thought to myself that Chris was going at it again. Man I was so excited.
Chris,
Curious. How tough are 86D and 87D in terms of % to meet your potential 10 standards?
Thanks
John
Hi John,
Always good to hear from you my friend. Hope your Fleer Rack collection continues to grow. My rip experience for those Donruss years has been 1986 Donruss = 1.8% and 1987 Donruss = 0.7% that meet my standards as a strong PSA 10 candidate. Centering and edges seem to be slightly better in 1986. The all black edges on 1987 Donruss are prone to showing any little speck of an edge chip. The easier way to find PSA 10 candidates for 1987 Donruss is factory sets. I don’t tend to open those because the print orientation on the back of the factory set cards is flipped as compared to pack pulled cards from that year.
@STLKabong said:
I'm still trying to figure out what I missed on this one....
That is a beautiful OPC Ripken. Hard to tell why a PSA 6 from the front. The lower left corner shows some very light wear and there is a tiny “fisheye” above the SS position. Those to me would make it a PSA 7 - 8 worst case. I wonder if there is a print flaw on the back?
@STLKabong said:
I'm still trying to figure out what I missed on this one....
That is a beautiful OPC Ripken. Hard to tell why a PSA 6 from the front. The lower left corner shows some very light wear and there is a tiny “fisheye” above the SS position. Those to me would make it a PSA 7 - 8 worst case. I wonder if there is a print flaw on the back?
Looking at the back, it looks like the top left corner has an issue.
This thread was the first one I read when I got back into collecting, too. I only started submitting cards for grading last year, so I'm still trying to learn the finer points. Most of the cards I'm submitting now I'm using for that learning curve. I appreciate your feedback!
Just bought this Chris, what is your opinion on these? I LOVE opening rack packs. Might try to put together a mint set. Trying to have some fun with the hobby.
Griffey's in a 10 go for $400.00 nothing much other than that. Several stars go for around $50.00.
I was a bit surprised at the price, being a Griffey rookie year.
Maybe I'll rip it and post results. Might be a good investment to keep sealed?
Joe
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Looking at the back, it looks like the top left corner has an issue.
This thread was the first one I read when I got back into collecting, too. I only started submitting cards for grading last year, so I'm still trying to learn the finer points. Most of the cards I'm submitting now I'm using for that learning curve. I appreciate your feedback!
Thanks for sharing the back image! That’s it. There was slight paper loss on the back upper left edge during the card cutting process. Glad this added a bit more insight for this group on making sure we also evaluate the card back before submitting. I appreciate you sharing.
@JoeBanzai said:
Just bought this Chris, what is your opinion on these? I LOVE opening rack packs. Might try to put together a mint set. Trying to have some fun with the hobby.
Griffey's in a 10 go for $400.00 nothing much other than that. Several stars go for around $50.00.
I was a bit surprised at the price, being a Griffey rookie year.
Maybe I'll rip it and post results. Might be a good investment to keep sealed?
Joe
I always love ripping 1989 Donruss, since it’s a fairly inexpensive trip down memory lane and contains RCs of Griffey, Johnson, Schilling, Smoltz, Biggio and Sheffield. Rack is the best product for high grade candidates, plus you will land some stars showing on top for fun. The biggest challenge will be finding dead centered cards. Corners are usually clean in racks, but edges can be rough cut as they cranked the presses that year. Also look for black ink print spots/lines that year. If you decide to bust, please share the results. Congrats on the fun case purchase at a great price.
Comments
Joe,
Looking forward to seeing the results of your rip! Congrats on selling your home…great way to celebrate. Nic nailed the list of key RCs. The only other I would add to your watch list is the Dwight Gooden Record Breaker. That card is notoriously off centered and worth good money in a PSA 10.
Chris
To build some momentum while you wait for your 1985 Topps rack box to arrive, how about I rip another 1980 Topps vending box? I have always loved this set. The last of the “vintage” sets in my mind. Here we go…
Henderson.
Always Rickey Henderson.
YES! Hope you get some beauties.
Still waiting for my box to be delivered.
Always a fun rip when you are hunting for the all-time stolen base king! Here are the stars and rookies that miss the mark of PSA 10….
Rickey showed up not once, but twice in this fresh vending box. The beauty of this RC cannot be overstated in its’ iconic place in the hobby. I love the greens and yellows that pop in this design and gorgeous photo of a young Henderson in his unique batting stance. While they are vending fresh, I expect the one on the left to grade a PSA 7 and the right one a PSA 6. Still sick to pull two…
I managed to find 10 candidates for PSA 10, headlined by a Pete Rose double. Centering on 1980 Topps is a nightmare and rendered over 95% of these cards ungradeable. Here are the winners…
I think the left Rose has a legit shot at PSA 10, while the one on the right looks like a high-end PSA 9…
Excited for Joe’s 1985 Topps rip. That is one of my favorite sets from the 80s. Good luck my friend!
Centering on the Rickey's VERY nice!
Two possible mint Rose cards a bonus.
1980 topps my favorite set
congrats!!
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
Sorry, all of the photos are taken with my phone. Computer and scanner are non functional.
Removed the rack packs.
No racks with Puckett, Clemens or McGwire on top or bottom.
Strawberry worth a premium?
The good news is most of those top cards look to be centered, which is a nightmare for 1985 Topps. No real premium for those two Strawberry cards on top, but NY fans will likely have some interest if left unopened. You should look for a regular Ozzie Smith on top of any packs…good things usually follow.
I'll check!
Centering is pretty good.
Funny you mention Ozzie, I thought I found one that had a shot at a 10, until I saw the print spot.
Best cards so far. Some weird print spots on upper left on Strawberry and a tiny print dot on "A's" green "box" on Rickey.
So far centering not horrible, but generally towards the bottom.
Print dots galore, hard to find a single card without a few.
Top card Ozzie All Star, then a few cards down, possibly the best looking card of the day!
Nice looking Ozzie and Rickey. If not for the print dots, they would have a chance. My memory is that the McGwire RC usually is a few cards after the Ozzie Smith, hence my comment on check for him on the top of any rack packs.
Sweet looking Gooden RC. One of my favorite cards as a kid. Thanks for continuing to share the rip!
Got a Puckett, but way off center and print spots.
>
>
I recently ripped several rack pack from the 80s and cherry picked several potential PSA10 HOFers, except every one has some sort of print circle that draws your eye to it. (like the print circle to the right of "TWINS" on your Puckett).
But then I see in another thread....
I guess this is an older PSA graded card?
Would this card be a 10 today with the print circle above the "1983"?
Some of my potential 10s had the print circles on the back, and I hesitate to submit those, thinking it's not coming back a 10.
Between the print spot above 1983 and the yellow one on Johnny’s cap, I cannot imagine that gets a PSA 10 with today’s standards. I have tossed aside many cards like that from 1980’s rips thinking I would get a PSA 8. I always take the approach that if I am hoping an imperfection slips by, then I should not be subbing it…but that’s just me.
Here's a few more that miss the mark;
Finished my rip today. Overall happy with the cards I got, BUT print dots killed me on some and centering was, as expected, hit and miss.
Got one Nolan Ryan, very nicely centered, print dots did me in on this one.
Saberhagen rookie. Chance at a 10?
Nice looking Trammell!
Boggs and Gwynn.
Got a second beautiful Rickey with the same print dot on front. Also had a piece of garbage on back that effects the front surface as well.
A couple of nice Tommy John cards.
I love the 85 set but their quality control was horrible. So hard to get perfect cards from any pull but you got some nice ones.
Black Jack.
At first glance, these look great, but some strange print imperfections in the black and also in red box.
Ripken; regular cards, print spots. All Star cards off center.
Next up, Ryno. All centered low, print spots on regular cards.
Lots of Strawberry cards. Print spots galore. The All Star card has junk on top of holder on left border, not on card.
Bummer to get so many and all are 😞
Two Ozzie's beautifully centered with a huge print blob. Chris knows what this could mean 😁
Happy to get two, but lots of problems on both. I can see why there are so few 10's if these are an example of what they produced. Nothing horrible, but not sure their worth grading. Any guesses on the grades?
This might be the card that saves me! I was a little worried before I looked at some 10's on eBay. Wish me luck on this one.
Thank you!
After opening a wax box of these a couple of years ago, I decided to never RIP wax again.
Most of the cards here are decently centered, but print spots are on a high percentage.
Being a Twins fan, I was hoping for a mint Puckett. The best I think they will get is a "7".
Also wish they were centered better side to side like the majority of the other cards. I don't mind if a card is off top to bottom (within reason) but these 2 are pretty ugly. 😩
Unsure what to do with the McGwire's. Will have to check eBay to see if they are even worth grading.
The Clemens has a shot!
Thanks for sharing the break, Joe. Such a great set with so many iconic RCs. The Trammell looks like it has a shot at a 10. The second McGwire looks pretty clean in your picture with maybe a little edge wear / rough cut on the left edge. That said, maybe still a MINT 9, which sells for $100. The first McGwire looks like an 8 to me based on centering and a few print spots. That Clemens looks really nice. Easy PSA 9 with a shot at a 10. Best of luck!
Many 85 Ripkens are afflicted with the weird line down his right leg, so at least you avoided that print defect.
Thanks! After all your fantastic rips, I'm glad you enjoyed this one.
The Trammell looks perfect, probably a "9" 😁.
I don't see much difference in the 2 McGwires, right down to the rough cut/chipping in one small area on the left edge. I thought an 8 would be generous on either, but I'll take a 9!
The Clemens looked like a 10 at first and then I noticed the registration problem. It shows up best on the bottom of the "Red Sox" box. I checked a few PSA 10's on eBay and it looks like some are similar to mine.
I apologize for the quality of the pictures, no scanner at this time.
Hi there - just wanted to chime in that this thread was one of the best things I read when I was getting back into the hobby a couple years ago, so many thanks for that. OP, curious if you chose to grade any of your "for grading" pile in the 1980s special PSA ran a couple months ago. Just wondering what the hit rate might be for someone as discerning as you have been. Thanks again!
I was just looking through my collection...am I the only one that likes to play period appropriate music while looking at them? Like on the Music Choice channels, playing the 70s channel when looking at 70s cards/sets, 80s channel for 80s cards/sets, and so on?
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
I appreciate the compliment on this thread. Glad to know it proved useful as you came back into the hobby, and happy you are still a part of it. I have held off grading during the heightened PSA pricing and increasingly critical grading standards. At this point it would only likely pay out on the key HOFers and rookie cards, but certainly not the commons and minor stars.
I did help a friend looking for some clean PSA 9 candidates from my non-sub piles. I identified 18 stars and HOFers from 1980-1981 Topps that I thought had a solid chance at landing the MINT 9 grade. His results came back with ten PSA 9, seven PSA 8 and one PSA 7 if I recall correctly. All had four sharp corners and clean edges. Centering was 60/40 or better on all of them. There were no surface blemishes. What I noticed is that if the photo registration was not perfectly crisp or there were any print marks, the grades dropped to PSA 8. This insight has helped me realize PSA is getting much tougher on image quality. I intend to double check image crispness before I send any in going forward. I hope this intel is helpful.
I saw this thread pop up and thought to myself that Chris was going at it again. Man I was so excited.
Chris,
Curious. How tough are 86D and 87D in terms of % to meet your potential 10 standards?
Thanks
John
PSA didn’t ding me for the line on leg, but I avoided the print spots Chris mentioned in the blue, FWIW - sorry for the light reflection by his thigh...
Bosox1976
I'm still trying to figure out what I missed on this one....
My cards on COMC
Hi John,
Always good to hear from you my friend. Hope your Fleer Rack collection continues to grow. My rip experience for those Donruss years has been 1986 Donruss = 1.8% and 1987 Donruss = 0.7% that meet my standards as a strong PSA 10 candidate. Centering and edges seem to be slightly better in 1986. The all black edges on 1987 Donruss are prone to showing any little speck of an edge chip. The easier way to find PSA 10 candidates for 1987 Donruss is factory sets. I don’t tend to open those because the print orientation on the back of the factory set cards is flipped as compared to pack pulled cards from that year.
That is a beautiful OPC Ripken. Hard to tell why a PSA 6 from the front. The lower left corner shows some very light wear and there is a tiny “fisheye” above the SS position. Those to me would make it a PSA 7 - 8 worst case. I wonder if there is a print flaw on the back?
Looking at the back, it looks like the top left corner has an issue.
This thread was the first one I read when I got back into collecting, too. I only started submitting cards for grading last year, so I'm still trying to learn the finer points. Most of the cards I'm submitting now I'm using for that learning curve. I appreciate your feedback!
My cards on COMC
Just bought this Chris, what is your opinion on these? I LOVE opening rack packs. Might try to put together a mint set. Trying to have some fun with the hobby.
Griffey's in a 10 go for $400.00 nothing much other than that. Several stars go for around $50.00.
I was a bit surprised at the price, being a Griffey rookie year.
Maybe I'll rip it and post results. Might be a good investment to keep sealed?
Joe
Thanks for sharing the back image! That’s it. There was slight paper loss on the back upper left edge during the card cutting process. Glad this added a bit more insight for this group on making sure we also evaluate the card back before submitting. I appreciate you sharing.
I always love ripping 1989 Donruss, since it’s a fairly inexpensive trip down memory lane and contains RCs of Griffey, Johnson, Schilling, Smoltz, Biggio and Sheffield. Rack is the best product for high grade candidates, plus you will land some stars showing on top for fun. The biggest challenge will be finding dead centered cards. Corners are usually clean in racks, but edges can be rough cut as they cranked the presses that year. Also look for black ink print spots/lines that year. If you decide to bust, please share the results. Congrats on the fun case purchase at a great price.