@Kep13 said:
Rcv'd my 40 Acuna cards from Topps yesterday. Pulled out only 5 that have a shot at a PSA 10. Many had print dots on the front, various black marks on the back, white lower corner on the front, etc...at what point can one return to Topps for replacements? I don't think you can return just because it won't get a grade of 10. Also, if they supposedly stop printing cards once the set is taken down and a new set of 3 is put up, how do they have cards to send out replacements? I would imagine there are some people who ordered 1000 Acunas -- can they return 500 if they have print marks on the front, etc?
This is just a guess?
If someone asked for 1 replacement for their collection? They may be amenable.
But returning 500 e.g.? They're knowing this is someone dealing and they just might treat it differently?
Print runs are way up for the latest set wk 8. At over double some of wk 1 and 2 cards. The set is growing in popularity and I think the first couple sets will have some pretty good value. The quality better get there if they want this to keep going.
Looking for 77 cloth 9s and 10s. 54 Red Hearts and now 64 Stand ups
One of my original questions remains -- if they are replacing a lot of cards for a big-time dealer, and other small-time players, how many cards are they TRULY printing of each player? They state on the site that only up to how many are ordered, but that obviously isn't true given they are sending out replacements...here's hoping sometime down the road we find out that print numbers are double what is showing online for each player
If someone asked for 1 replacement for their collection? They may be amenable.
But returning 500 e.g.? They're knowing this is someone dealing and they just might treat it differently?
One of the biggest sellers of these cards on ebay is a Topps Platinum Club Member, which means he spends big dollars with them in the Now program. (I mentioned his ebay name earlier in the thread so I won't repeat it here because I don't want to be accused of promoting his sales).
That being said, he is a stand up seller and he has made several large returns lately because he won't send out inferior cards.
Point being that even the big sellers are as frustrated with the quality issues as smaller buyers like us.
Hope they get this solved soon so we can get back to talking about how great these cards truly are!
I see your POV Robert.
To be honest, I didn't think of that way.
edit: I'm buying as a collector - that's the prism I view things.
Got my Acunas today. Very pleased with the quality. A few with very minor print dots and the top card had a very small bit of white showing on the bottom right corner.
"I will email them back Monday about this. If this is widespread we can kiss the integrity of the print runs goodbye as mentioned earlier in this thread by Kep13."
Robert, what did you ever find out about not having to return your cards that you requested be replaced?
robert67 -- are you still out of the Topps Living purchasing? I have gotten my Albies and Soto cards and the quality has improved dramatically. of the 20 Soto's I got, I would guess well over half have a good shot at a PSA 10. Only one was off-centered of the bunch, and only one had a spot of some sort on the front -- none of them had white showing on the corners on the fronts....they must have listened to the complaints and stepped up their game...
I only ordered 5 Albies but got PSA 10's on all of them. Have a couple of Acuna's in a sub now. 99% of the Topps Now, On Demand, MOW, etc have also received 10's. Did have one of my Rookie Sensation sets that had some dinged corners but it was too late by the time I opened it.
There are some crazy profits being experienced with these PSA 10s, especially cards from the first handful of sets...heck even raw cards could have been had for $3 or so a card, and those now go for $300 raw...that's a quick gain, especially for those who had the insight to buy a bunch of those early 3-card sets...
I mentioned a long time ago, I sent them cards 1-4.
The CSR Andy is no longer with them and the new guy Kory had no idea what I was talking about.
I complained thru their email and got the standard - "we're out" routine.
I then kicked it up a notch "and" gave a full copy of all my purchases to include Topps Heritage and reference stone193 as a Topps Vault purchaser over the last 14 yrs (I've spend a bundle!).
My point was to get them off of thinking of me as a scammer - to be honest - until they told me they had none - I had no idea how expensive these cards were!
Here's the email I got today:
Just goes to show: the squeaky wheel may just get the grease?
justice has prevailed, Stone...congrats...took much longer than you intended, but at least they made it right...wonder why they are holding off on putting Trout in one of the 3-card sets? I would guess he may break the record as far as production for a single card?
I have an honest question - for those who are speculating and not collecting the set just to collect it, is the appeal merely just getting the cards, forwarding to PSA at the $20 service level to get them back relatively quickly, and hoping for 10's to flip them for $50? I guess you're turning $25 into $50, but if you don't hit 10's, then you take a decent hit.
I haven't purchased any directly, but there are a couple that are neat that I may pick up raw just to have, but most can still be had for $5 shipped. Just trying to understand the financial aspect of racing to grab them direct, understanding that if one of the cards ends up being a true low population, it will be valuable at that point in time.
For me, I buy 20 cards of each of the guys I like, for $75 or so for the 20 cards. so at $3 per card, and add in $7 per card fee if I use bulk, it doesn't take too many 10's of the ones I send in to pay for the 20 cards, and I have the remaining ones to either hang onto or later sell. So if I spend $75 and then get the best 5 graded, let's say...I'm in it for $110, and I am relatively sure that 4 of the 5 will get 10's (Topps has really gotten better with the quality of this product), which more than pays for the lot...and I still have the other 15 cards to do with what I will...the 10's from the first six 3-card sets should hold their value for a while, especially if they are good players, as not only were less made of those early sets -- the quality of the cards was awful, so there won't be thousands of PSA 10's to be had of those cards...
Thanks. I learned something - I didn't realize there was a discount for buying quantity. Your strategy makes sense. If you aren't in a hurry and do the bulk submission, then it's relatively cheap.
I question, though, the prospect that 10's on the newer releases (especially the rookies, which seem to sell like 20K to 40K cards) will hold much value in the long-run, as they would be the most plentiful of the bunch. On the other hand, if you are collecting the whole set and the set continues for many years, the set itself would end up probably containing all of the major rookies from each year, which is kind of neat.
Wow, just caught this thread. What a concept from Topps. This is making them a lot of money. Which I am all for as it keeps the industry fresh and alive. Very nice.
Aaron Judge Sales at $7.99 a card x 13,256 = $105,915.00
Cost of print, design, artist, licensing. They substantially save on distribution since they are shipping individually with no need to truck out boxes or packs, this concept is fantastic for business. Very impressed, and the artwork is vividly photo realistic.
Anyone have an average market value on the Aaron Judge card now that it is sold out?
I think there are still many, many collectors, like Coinpro, who still haven't heard about Topps Living...and let's face it, PSA 10's of collectible guys typically will bring decent money...I plan to sell some of my 20 cards I get for the players I buy, and save some, as I too like the artwork and design of the cards...I think there will be plenty of people who stumble on this set throughout the remainder of 2018, so i think there is still a little room for growth...you won't get rich (except for the cards from the first few 3-card sets) buying these cards, getting them graded and selling the 10's, but as I said earlier, I am just using the sales of the 10's to pay for the 20-card lots I purchase. I only wish I had known about this set from day 1 and had purchased cards from the first couple sets...the people coming to the party from here on out will probably want to go back and get the cards they missed at some point? -- and the population of those first few sets is definitely low...
The Topps LIving is very cool. I stumbled onto this guys booth at the National. He had sold out of a few of his early cards for hundreds of dollars each, all raw. Said someone was going around the National buying all the Topps LIving of certain players. I think this guy buys 100's of each player each week.
I talked to him for awhile. He was abundantly clear, because I pressed him on this, that Topps only makes the number of cards that were ordered. If they are replenishing the pond, then that's really bad news.
It is confusing when you guys use the word "set". Isn't the Topps Living a continuously running group of 3 cards per week. There is never really a "set", right? At some point, there will be hundreds/thousands of these individual cards all part of the same design? If someone is selling a "set", I'd serious consider buying one if it had every player every printed since inception.
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.
The Topps LIving is very cool. I stumbled onto this guys booth at the National. He had sold out of a few of his early cards for hundreds of dollars each, all raw. Said someone was going around the National buying all the Topps LIving of certain players. I think this guy buys 100's of each player each week.
I talked to him for awhile. He was abundantly clear, because I pressed him on this, that Topps only makes the number of cards that were ordered. If they are replenishing the pond, then that's really bad news.
It is confusing when you guys use the word "set". Isn't the Topps Living a continuously running group of 3 cards per week. There is never really a "set", right? At some point, there will be hundreds/thousands of these individual cards all part of the same design? If someone is selling a "set", I'd serious consider buying one if it had every player every printed since inception.
Hiya John
Good question and observations.
I'm sure Topps had to make a certain amount of cards above the order for replacement. They do seem to keep that "close to the vest" since initially the guy told me they had "no" replacement for my order.
On the set? Have no idea other than to say - perhaps we should call it an "ongoing never-ending" Living Set?
Was watching an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond where he was eating cheese from a sampler given to him and he responded: "I can't stop eating..." That's what's happened to me with the Living Set - I like the cards and design and "can't stop adding..."
If I had one critical thing? The card stock could've been a bit thicker.
@Sdub said:
It is confusing when you guys use the word "set". Isn't the Topps Living a continuously running group of 3 cards per week. There is never really a "set", right? At some point, there will be hundreds/thousands of these individual cards all part of the same design? If someone is selling a "set", I'd serious consider buying one if it had every player every printed since inception.
I thought about getting in on the Living Set on day 1. Especially given the Judge demand. But I’m not a flipper so the potential investment return wasnt a motivator, and ultimately decided against it because if completing the set can never be done, then my OCD would get the best of me. If there are 660 or 792 cards I need, fine, I’ll give it a try. But never ending? I’d end up rocking back and forth holding a stuffed animal.
Same reason I don’t collect T206, I guess. Just can’t be done. I totally get others doing it. Just not for me.
I took the time to scan the set up to #72; when I get the latest new set that's being mailed (also there's a latest still being processed), I'll have another complete sheet to post.
I hope for those who don't collect? This might be interesting to view?
@GreenSneakers said:
I thought about getting in on the Living Set on day 1. Especially given the Judge demand. But I’m not a flipper so the potential investment return wasnt a motivator, and ultimately decided against it because if completing the set can never be done, then my OCD would get the best of me. If there are 660 or 792 cards I need, fine, I’ll give it a try. But never ending? I’d end up rocking back and forth holding a stuffed animal.
Same reason I don’t collect T206, I guess. Just can’t be done. I totally get others doing it. Just not for me.
Perfect statement. I agree will all. Not having a finite total would drive me crazy.
That is a great looking set Mike! Very cool to see them all together. Thanks for taking the time to lay them out on display and share pictures. I wasn’t aware of this set until now, but I can see its appeal given the amazing artwork and nice player selection. Keep it going buddy…
Comments
This is just a guess?
If someone asked for 1 replacement for their collection? They may be amenable.
But returning 500 e.g.? They're knowing this is someone dealing and they just might treat it differently?
I'm with you Robert.
When I'm paying 15 bucks for a set, I'm expecting that they have the cards centered (55/45) and no major print defects or dinged corners.
Perhaps I'm asking for too much? And if so? I'm willing to call it a day.
Print runs are way up for the latest set wk 8. At over double some of wk 1 and 2 cards. The set is growing in popularity and I think the first couple sets will have some pretty good value. The quality better get there if they want this to keep going.
54 Red Hearts
and now 64 Stand ups
.
.
One of my original questions remains -- if they are replacing a lot of cards for a big-time dealer, and other small-time players, how many cards are they TRULY printing of each player? They state on the site that only up to how many are ordered, but that obviously isn't true given they are sending out replacements...here's hoping sometime down the road we find out that print numbers are double what is showing online for each player
.
I see your POV Robert.
To be honest, I didn't think of that way.
edit: I'm buying as a collector - that's the prism I view things.
I think sometimes I live under a rock?
Got my Acunas today. Very pleased with the quality. A few with very minor print dots and the top card had a very small bit of white showing on the bottom right corner.
I'm holding out for the Joe Charboneau cards, have they been released yet?
Work in progress - Unopened Racks/Cello/Wax with star power for Baseball, Football and Basketball
Collecting unopened 80's boxes and graded packs
I may be hoarding too much 80's junk wax but I like it!
.
There's never a wrong time for a Joe Charboneau reference!
.
"I will email them back Monday about this. If this is widespread we can kiss the integrity of the print runs goodbye as mentioned earlier in this thread by Kep13."
Robert, what did you ever find out about not having to return your cards that you requested be replaced?
.
robert67 -- are you still out of the Topps Living purchasing? I have gotten my Albies and Soto cards and the quality has improved dramatically. of the 20 Soto's I got, I would guess well over half have a good shot at a PSA 10. Only one was off-centered of the bunch, and only one had a spot of some sort on the front -- none of them had white showing on the corners on the fronts....they must have listened to the complaints and stepped up their game...
I've been procrastinating giving them a call.
Sent 4 cards for exchange - all badly OC - they sent me the wrong cards and I have more than 4.
I guess I better get moving on the call.
I only ordered 5 Albies but got PSA 10's on all of them. Have a couple of Acuna's in a sub now. 99% of the Topps Now, On Demand, MOW, etc have also received 10's. Did have one of my Rookie Sensation sets that had some dinged corners but it was too late by the time I opened it.
There are some crazy profits being experienced with these PSA 10s, especially cards from the first handful of sets...heck even raw cards could have been had for $3 or so a card, and those now go for $300 raw...that's a quick gain, especially for those who had the insight to buy a bunch of those early 3-card sets...
.
I have a good one.
I mentioned a long time ago, I sent them cards 1-4.
The CSR Andy is no longer with them and the new guy Kory had no idea what I was talking about.
I complained thru their email and got the standard - "we're out" routine.
I then kicked it up a notch "and" gave a full copy of all my purchases to include Topps Heritage and reference stone193 as a Topps Vault purchaser over the last 14 yrs (I've spend a bundle!).
My point was to get them off of thinking of me as a scammer - to be honest - until they told me they had none - I had no idea how expensive these cards were!
Here's the email I got today:
Just goes to show: the squeaky wheel may just get the grease?
justice has prevailed, Stone...congrats...took much longer than you intended, but at least they made it right...wonder why they are holding off on putting Trout in one of the 3-card sets? I would guess he may break the record as far as production for a single card?
I have an honest question - for those who are speculating and not collecting the set just to collect it, is the appeal merely just getting the cards, forwarding to PSA at the $20 service level to get them back relatively quickly, and hoping for 10's to flip them for $50? I guess you're turning $25 into $50, but if you don't hit 10's, then you take a decent hit.
I haven't purchased any directly, but there are a couple that are neat that I may pick up raw just to have, but most can still be had for $5 shipped. Just trying to understand the financial aspect of racing to grab them direct, understanding that if one of the cards ends up being a true low population, it will be valuable at that point in time.
For me, I buy 20 cards of each of the guys I like, for $75 or so for the 20 cards. so at $3 per card, and add in $7 per card fee if I use bulk, it doesn't take too many 10's of the ones I send in to pay for the 20 cards, and I have the remaining ones to either hang onto or later sell. So if I spend $75 and then get the best 5 graded, let's say...I'm in it for $110, and I am relatively sure that 4 of the 5 will get 10's (Topps has really gotten better with the quality of this product), which more than pays for the lot...and I still have the other 15 cards to do with what I will...the 10's from the first six 3-card sets should hold their value for a while, especially if they are good players, as not only were less made of those early sets -- the quality of the cards was awful, so there won't be thousands of PSA 10's to be had of those cards...
Thanks. I learned something - I didn't realize there was a discount for buying quantity. Your strategy makes sense. If you aren't in a hurry and do the bulk submission, then it's relatively cheap.
I question, though, the prospect that 10's on the newer releases (especially the rookies, which seem to sell like 20K to 40K cards) will hold much value in the long-run, as they would be the most plentiful of the bunch. On the other hand, if you are collecting the whole set and the set continues for many years, the set itself would end up probably containing all of the major rookies from each year, which is kind of neat.
Hiya Aaron
I'll speak for the collectors - I thought the concept was really cool and I happen to like the cards and the artwork.
I do wish the card stock was a little bit thicker tho.
I have to say, the set's a bit pricey at 5 bucks per in the set.
I did buy a few extra of some of the HOFers - my idea was to give them as presents.
I think - if people are speculating? That ship may have sailed - the "word is out."
I'm sure.
Hey Mike,
I agree - more people know about the set now, so speculating seems like a futile effort.
Some of the cards are pretty cool. I'm contemplating picking up a Neshek to get it signed TTM.
Wow, just caught this thread. What a concept from Topps. This is making them a lot of money. Which I am all for as it keeps the industry fresh and alive. Very nice.
Aaron Judge Sales at $7.99 a card x 13,256 = $105,915.00
Cost of print, design, artist, licensing. They substantially save on distribution since they are shipping individually with no need to truck out boxes or packs, this concept is fantastic for business. Very impressed, and the artwork is vividly photo realistic.
Anyone have an average market value on the Aaron Judge card now that it is sold out?
all around collector of many fine things
I think there are still many, many collectors, like Coinpro, who still haven't heard about Topps Living...and let's face it, PSA 10's of collectible guys typically will bring decent money...I plan to sell some of my 20 cards I get for the players I buy, and save some, as I too like the artwork and design of the cards...I think there will be plenty of people who stumble on this set throughout the remainder of 2018, so i think there is still a little room for growth...you won't get rich (except for the cards from the first few 3-card sets) buying these cards, getting them graded and selling the 10's, but as I said earlier, I am just using the sales of the 10's to pay for the 20-card lots I purchase. I only wish I had known about this set from day 1 and had purchased cards from the first couple sets...the people coming to the party from here on out will probably want to go back and get the cards they missed at some point? -- and the population of those first few sets is definitely low...
Final.
I did get my replacement cards from Topps.
We're still best friends.
The Topps LIving is very cool. I stumbled onto this guys booth at the National. He had sold out of a few of his early cards for hundreds of dollars each, all raw. Said someone was going around the National buying all the Topps LIving of certain players. I think this guy buys 100's of each player each week.
I talked to him for awhile. He was abundantly clear, because I pressed him on this, that Topps only makes the number of cards that were ordered. If they are replenishing the pond, then that's really bad news.
It is confusing when you guys use the word "set". Isn't the Topps Living a continuously running group of 3 cards per week. There is never really a "set", right? At some point, there will be hundreds/thousands of these individual cards all part of the same design? If someone is selling a "set", I'd serious consider buying one if it had every player every printed since inception.
Collecting Unopened from '72-'83; mostly BBCE certified boxes/cases/racks.
Prefer to buy in bulk.
Hiya John
Good question and observations.
I'm sure Topps had to make a certain amount of cards above the order for replacement. They do seem to keep that "close to the vest" since initially the guy told me they had "no" replacement for my order.
On the set? Have no idea other than to say - perhaps we should call it an "ongoing never-ending" Living Set?
Was watching an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond where he was eating cheese from a sampler given to him and he responded: "I can't stop eating..." That's what's happened to me with the Living Set - I like the cards and design and "can't stop adding..."
If I had one critical thing? The card stock could've been a bit thicker.
It's a "set" in the same vein that SIFK is a "set" with a continually updated checklist: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/misc-sports/mega-sets/sports-illustrated-kids-1989-present/composition/14690
It’s also what Topps calls it - all of their references on their website refer to it as a Set so we’re just calling it like we see it.
Jim
I thought about getting in on the Living Set on day 1. Especially given the Judge demand. But I’m not a flipper so the potential investment return wasnt a motivator, and ultimately decided against it because if completing the set can never be done, then my OCD would get the best of me. If there are 660 or 792 cards I need, fine, I’ll give it a try. But never ending? I’d end up rocking back and forth holding a stuffed animal.
Same reason I don’t collect T206, I guess. Just can’t be done. I totally get others doing it. Just not for me.
I have bought a few and they are cool. Waiting for Mike Trout !
yeah, it's nuts they haven't done Trout yet...just not sure what they are waiting for...they know people are going to order that one, so why wait?
Hi everyone
I took the time to scan the set up to #72; when I get the latest new set that's being mailed (also there's a latest still being processed), I'll have another complete sheet to post.
I hope for those who don't collect? This might be interesting to view?
(in order from top left to right 1-72)
That's cool seeing all that art in one big shot like that...very nice art in my opinion...
Perfect statement. I agree will all. Not having a finite total would drive me crazy.
Me neither.
I decided to collect the cards (not viewing as a set) strictly for the artistic value.
I'm primarily a game board collector but find interest in many things like pins and ephemera.
For me at this point? It's about having fun and enjoying what I pick up I guess.
That is a great looking set Mike! Very cool to see them all together. Thanks for taking the time to lay them out on display and share pictures. I wasn’t aware of this set until now, but I can see its appeal given the amazing artwork and nice player selection. Keep it going buddy…
Thanx Chris and Kep.
For those who didn't follow?
The set is being done by Mayumi Seto - with pencils.
She was at the National but I missed her.
Wow! Great looking set MIke. I purchased a couple of sets, but a little late to the game.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
Thanx David.
Here's the next group - #73-81
Really good artwork. Man, I am still waiting for the Mike Trout !
Don Mattingly this week. Getting.
Kris
My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black
Yup -- the Trout waiting period extended again...I haven't bought any since Andujar...saw a raw set of the first 57 cards go for just over $700
.
Topps better get on this. No questions that these fakes will hurt sales. There's a good chance that a few of the fakes were graded.