1976 Topps Baseball Wax Trays in Triplicate

grote15 · July 12, 2014 3:07AM

I have always been fond of wax trays~the packaging and the graphics and the different ads on back of different trays from different years over time. The trays from 1977 and earlier are also especially difficult to find, and this year, 1976, is one of my favorites. As the cellophane wrapping on these trays was especially thin and brittle, these trays were also prone to splits or tears around the cardboard corners of the tray. I have never even seen a photo of a wax tray from 1973. If anyone here has one, please post it!

Big80s · July 12, 2014 3:41AM

Cool trays, Tim! Thanks for sharing. Do boxes of 70s wax trays ever come up for sale?

grote15 · July 12, 2014 3:46AM

<< Cool trays, Tim! Thanks for sharing. Do boxes of 70s wax trays ever come up for sale? >>

There was a case of 79 trays that sold last year. I have never seen a case or even a box come up for sale earlier than that. In fact, I have never even seen an empty box for 78 baseball trays. If anyone has one, please PM me as I am actively looking for one.

MantleFan23 · July 12, 2014 4:42AM

Tim,

Love the Trays!! I could look at unopened all day! If I had your collection, I'd probably never leave the house!!

Jeremy

jmaciu · July 12, 2014 5:05AM

Sweet trays!

Dboneesq · July 12, 2014 7:06AM

Tim ... not mine but I HAD to post it!

grote15 · July 12, 2014 7:18AM

<< Tim ... not mine but I HAD to post it!

>>

Doug, that is my pack, both literally and figuratively, LOL!!! I got it from a guy who was a group of 5th series packs from a once-full box, and I managed to get that one separately.

Dboneesq · July 12, 2014 7:22AM

HAHAHA ... I THOUGHT it looked familiar!!!!!

tsalems1 · July 12, 2014 7:22AM

Nice stuff Tim!

Dboneesq · July 12, 2014 7:39AM

The following were taken from a May 2012 thread and were originally posted by John Moran. Edited to add: Check out the wholesale prices of the cases!

grote15 · July 12, 2014 7:48AM

I've seen those pics, Doug, but have yet to see even a photo of a 1971 or 1973 baseball tray.

It's kind of cool too that untill 1970, trays consisted of six packs instead of three! Amazing pieces of unopened product!

grote15 · July 12, 2014 8:03AM

Edited to add: Check out the wholesale prices of the cases!

18 CENTS per TRAY!!

If a 65 tray came up for auction right now, it might command 18 THOUSAND!!!

Dboneesq · July 12, 2014 8:32AM

<< Edited to add: Check out the wholesale prices of the cases!

18 CENTS per TRAY!!

If a 65 tray came up for auction right now, it might command 18 THOUSAND!!! >>

Cents???

jmaciu · July 12, 2014 8:36AM

<< Edited to add: Check out the wholesale prices of the cases!

18 CENTS per TRAY!!

If a 65 tray came up for auction right now, it might command 18 THOUSAND!!! >>

Where is the time machine?? I need it stat!

grote15 · July 12, 2014 8:37AM

<< 

<< Edited to add: Check out the wholesale prices of the cases!

18 CENTS per TRAY!!

If a 65 tray came up for auction right now, it might command 18 THOUSAND!!! >>

Cents??? >>

Yes, Cents! (18c per 6-pack)

ldferg · July 12, 2014 9:48AM

Love these trays. Remember busting so many 78 football and 79 baseball like they were going out of style when I was a lad. Haha

baz518 · July 12, 2014 9:50AM

Nice trays, Tim. I always love seeing pics of the older ones. And those ads have me drooling like Pavlov's dog, Doug. I wish I had more trays in my collection, but with such a lack of focus on sport selection... I've at least stuck with similar pack types, most of which don't quite carry the premium that trays do.

jmoran19 · July 12, 2014 9:58AM

That Moran dude is a total d*ck!

The 62 sell sheet advertises 3 pack trays not 6

grote15 · July 12, 2014 10:15AM

I wonder if Topps actually produced trays in 1971 and/or 1973. Surely, someone would have seen at least a picture of one by now.

ThoseBackPages · July 12, 2014 2:52PM

What time is the rip?

grote15 · July 12, 2014 2:59PM

<< What time is the rip? >>

Rip a 76 tray??? The odds are better you'll see cpamike rip half a dozen 70s racks before I rip one of these! LOL!

gemint · July 12, 2014 10:48PM

Great trays Tim. Thanks for posting. I remember seeing them at an ice cream shop. I didn't buy the. because $0.40 or whatever they were charging for them was like all the money in the world to this 8 year old.

I didn't even realize there were trays prior to 1967. Murphy's book only shows them back to '67. Has a tray older than '67 ever surfaced?

elsnorto · July 12, 2014 11:23PM

I really dig the wax trays as well. In terms of football, the only ones you see offered fairly regularly are the 1979 and, to a lesser degree 1978.

Those are the only ones I have in my collection currently, with the notable addition of 1976 (which needs to go back to BBCE to be put in their new rack pack holder).

1976:

1978:

1979:

Snorto~

cpamike · July 13, 2014 3:47AM

Nice rack trays Scott!!! I love the 1976 Football.

Tim, you have nothing to worry about. Unless the apocalypse occurs, I'm not ripping any 1970's racks.

esquiresports · July 13, 2014 5:14AM

Great tray photos. So no one has seen 1973 or 1971? What about 1972 and 1970? How far back are trays confirmed (aside from the advertising piece).

grote15 · July 13, 2014 5:18AM

<< Great tray photos. So no one has seen 1973 or 1971? What about 1972 and 1970? How far back are trays confirmed (aside from the advertising piece). >>

70 and 72 trays are scarce but do come up for sale on occasion (Steve sold a 72 tray at last year's National to Jim (MacrosB). I have also seen a few 69 trays, which were 6-pack trays, come up for sale. In fact, Manny (flatfoot) owns one, IIRC. Have never actually seen for sale any other year, and never even a photo of any tray from 1963, 66, 68, 71 or 73. I have a run from 1974 through 1980.

PaulMaul · July 13, 2014 5:38AM

1973 basketball and hockey definitely exist, so it's hard to imagine why baseball wouldn't.

Didn't someone on this forum reminisce about ripping open 1971 wax trays to build sets back in the '70s?

PaulMaul · July 13, 2014 5:41AM

Just looked it up. The post was by Jose, grains of salt appropriate?

grote15 · July 13, 2014 5:41AM

<< 1973 basketball and hockey definitely exist, so it's hard to imagine why baseball wouldn't.

Didn't someone on this forum reminisce about ripping open 1971 wax trays to build sets back in the '70s? >>

I'm not doubting that 73 baseball trays weren't produced, but it does seem very odd that a photo of one has never surfaced.

Grains of salt indeed.

MacrosB · July 13, 2014 7:44AM

Here's the 72 I picked up from Steve along with a 69 and a 73-74 basketball

Jim

grote15 · July 13, 2014 8:07AM

Awesome 69 tray, Jim! I knew if I dropped your name, you'd come out of hiding, LOL..

I believe all 69 trays are 1st series packs, btw.

RedHeart54 · July 14, 2014 3:16AM

Here are a couple of pages from Mark Murphy's unopened pack guide. Though no are pictures, he lists approximate prices for trays going back to 1967. I assume he had proof that those '71 and '73 trays- were produced.

How about that '57 tray??

grote15 · July 14, 2014 5:52AM

I'll gladly take one tray of each from 71 and 73 for $1,500 total, LOL!

Surely, someone, somewhere, must have one of these trays? At this point, I'd say they appear to be more rare than an 86 Fleer basketball case!

Sdub · January 3, 2019 5:57PM

@grote15 said:
I'll gladly take one tray of each from 71 and 73 for $1,500 total, LOL!

Surely, someone, somewhere, must have one of these trays? At this point, I'd say they appear to be more rare than an 86 Fleer basketball case!

Love this thread. It's 2019, can someone please post a photo of all wax trays for all years prior to '75. Just asking for a photo; any photo; from a library, museum; anywhere. I will donate $50 to a charity of your choice to the first person to post an authenticated '71 wax tray.

I would submit that if we cannot product a photo, then that particular year does not exist any longer in wax tray form.

grote15 · January 3, 2019 6:05PM

I've never seen a photo of a 71 or even a 73 baseball tray for that matter. I'm reluctant to declare that none exist (the 61 tray Morphy's auctioned off several months back was the first one ever to surface as far as I know) but they certainly are super rare if any do still exist!

toadstrangler · January 3, 2019 6:11PM

@grote15 said:
I've never seen a photo of a 71 or even a 73 baseball tray for that matter. I'm reluctant to declare that none exist (the 61 tray Morphy's auctioned off several months back was the first one ever to surface as far as I know) but they certainly are super rare if any do still exist!

Have to think Al Rosen ‘52 Topps find. Even though that schlub busted every pack before sending up the white smoke. I love it though lol. Somewhere, it’s out there....

Sdub · January 3, 2019 6:11PM

@grote15 said:
I've never seen a photo of a 71 or even a 73 baseball tray for that matter. I'm reluctant to declare that none exist (the 61 tray Morphy's auctioned off several months back was the first one ever to surface as far as I know) but they certainly are super rare if any do still exist!

OK Tim, I'll up the ante. $50 for any photo of a '71 or '73 wax tray. authenticated.

KendallCat · January 3, 2019 7:24PM

Talk about a tease. I see the title thinking someone has these for sale and it is an old post 😡

KC

jmoran19 · January 3, 2019 8:30PM

Not mine, saved from BBCEX listing, s/b first series packs i believe based on wrapper type

jmoran19 · January 3, 2019 8:33PM

1961 tray mentioned above

KendallCat · January 3, 2019 8:45PM

Awesome stuff guys. 😳

KC

fleet47 · January 4, 2019 12:03PM

Wish there was a site for unopened collectors to post their unique items. Or is there a site? Like the 1961 tray. Amazing !

JakeR2234 · January 4, 2019 12:53PM

Awesome stuff! Great read for a slow Friday at work! That 76 football rack has me drooling!

1976 Topps Baseball Wax Trays in Triplicate

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