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

@Cory1976 said:
That is a great story. I'm happy to hear your friend and you could relive your childhood through cards.

@tkersting said:
Great story. This is what it’s all about for me, reliving childhood memories.

@NJ80sBBC said:
Thanks for sharing such a great story Chris. Completely agree with you on the value that the cards bring to me. I am blessed that I have friends who collect and we text almost daily about cards. And whenever we get together I always break out a bunch of stuff to rip. We share stories of those golden collecting years in late 80s/early90s. So much fun.

And that memory of your grandfather and you sharing some special time over 88D is priceless.

John

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the folks on this forum and all the kind words. It is so much more fun to share our collecting journeys with one another.

@80sOPC said:
Nice Clemens! I have ripped multiple cases of 85 opc and it’s impossible as well. 40+ Puckett’s and not one that is perfect.

@SumoMenkoMan said:
This is the era that got me hooked so I definitely enjoy reliving the experience through this thread.

@JoeBanzai said:
Beautiful Clemens! Was there a McGwire in the box?

I ripped a box a couple of years ago and got no Puckett, no McGwire and a Clemens with a huge print spot on the back.

@Frozencaribou said:
Beautiful Clemens!

Thanks for the positive comments! No McGwire in this box Joe. I was saved by the Clemens this round for sure 🙂

No Jose this round, but here were the handful of stars...

These 2 look like PSA 10 candidates at first glance...

Always fun to rip 1986. No Canseco’s in either set of racks, but some nice looking cards were found. Here are the stars and rookies that missed the mark...

Pretty happy to land these 7 candidates for PSA 10 in this batch of racks. Headliner is clearly the Rose...

Time to see how 1987 Topps cello stacks up against the vending I have been ripping...

Time for a quick audible before getting back to ripping 80s. Found this case laying around and had the urge to hunt for a Joe Montana AUTO. Always fun to rip UD’s premiere offering. I have always liked the hologram running back inserts in this set too. Here goes a case fresh box...

Ok...slightly better round this time. Here are the stars and rookies from the box...

Pulled these key cards, but none are perfect...

Glad to have found 2 candidates for PSA 10 this round. The Ripken AS is attractive looking to me for some unknown reason. Not in a creepy stalker way, just in a forgotten card sort of way...like an ex-girlfriend...

Let’s hunt for a Billy Ripken FF. This box comes from an error case I cracked, so that will be the version if one is in here...

@tkersting said:
Do you happen to have the date code on the case? Looks like a full blackout Johnson version, wonder if they are all the same variation throughout the case.

Case code is 90172, right at the end of the Ripken FF run. They will always be the same variations throughout this case.

@brad31 said:
Odd that the Johnson is blackout but the Ripken is F Face. Would have thought the Ripken was corrected before the Johnson was blacked out.

Actually, the order of error variants being corrected from most rare to least is:

1) Treadway “target” error
2) Johnson Marlboro error
3) Ashby, Moses, Heep, Trillo “typo” back errors
4) Ripken FF error
5) Heath/Brookens wrong back errors
6) Romine wrong photo error

Some of the interim Ripken corrections are obviously more rare like white scribble, airbrush and black scribble given the short print runs in early January of 1989.

Always such a condition challenge! Not a single candidate for PSA 10 in these 500 untouched cards. Still a fun rip. Here are the key cards...

Feels like a 1980s basketball kind of day. I loved the David Robinson SP RC back in the day...

@DotStore said:

@jordangretzkyfan said:
Let’s hunt for a Billy Ripken FF. This box comes from an error case I cracked, so that will be the version if one is in here...

Great thread and thanks for posting the pictures of the cards you pull

The print run per box was pretty certain for those '89 Fleer boxes. You almost always got one (and just one) of the Billy FF card per box.

Thanks for following and commenting along the way! Yes, Fleer boxes follow a very consistent pattern and almost always yield only one of each card with typically less than 10% doubles.

@NJ80sBBC said:
Lake life! Sounds fun Chris!

I remember back in 1987 asking the owner of my local Card shop what those long blue and white boxes were behind the counter. Tommy replied that they were “vendors boxes” and had 500 cards for $7. Say no more! That was big and better per card cost than the $12 for the 87T wax box. I bought quite a few that year and built out a heckuva 87T rookie hoard for a kid just starting out. What a set!

John

Thanks John. Hope your stash of 80s boxes continues to grow and you are finding new Fleer rack treasures. I am with you on the strange vending boxes that are aesthetically horrible, but gave a much cheaper cost per card. That was a collection building benefit to a kid of the 80s. Just wish I would have bought more 1980 vending from my LCS back in the day at $20/box. They had 1983 for $15/box too. Ah, the good old days!

This set continues to be elusive when it comes strictly to PSA 10 candidates. Here are the ones that miss the mark...

Pulled these key cards...

There was only 1 candidate for PSA 10 in this entire box. Yep, Mr. Clutterbuck...the card every kid dreamed of pulling in perfect condition!!

@JoeBanzai said:
1987 is simply horrible, but you are REALLY having bad luck. Looks like that box had mostly low centered cards. :-(

I realize it's the wrong decade, but what are your thoughts on 1990 Topps?

Yeah, this 1987 Topps vending case has been particularly brutal with the vast majority OC top to bottom as you suggest. Hopefully future cases yield better luck. I am only about half way through this case.

I have thought 1990 Topps was a sleeper for years. The iconic Frank Thomas RC, great Griffey rookie-cup card and the rookies of Walker, Sosa, Bernie Williams and Juan Gonzalez make this a solid set for rippers and unopened collectors. Add the small chance of landing partial blackless cards, the Thomas NNOF and a 1-2% hit rate on PSA 10 cards, and you have the makings of a set that will continue to have strong desirability. The prices on unopened have really shot up over the past 2 months. I think they still have some room to run longer term, but at $50/box and $100/box for BBCE FASC they have hit their ceiling for now in my opinion. At those prices, I would rather spend my money on 1990 Leaf boxes if I was chasing Frank Thomas RCs. I also think 1990 Bowman is a sleeper and better value currently. Bowman seems to be the hardest unopened of the Frank Thomas RCs...