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

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  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Thanks for doing this Chris. I look forward to seeing your results every day.

  • erba
    erba Posts: 345 ✭✭✭✭
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    Love the hockey! Some big names and as a HUGE Neely fan, happy to see you got one. Love to see you open more hockey!

  • lwehlers
    lwehlers Posts: 1,032 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    i am not much on hockey cards but that sure was a fun box to open. great job.

  • NJ80sBBC
    NJ80sBBC Posts: 841 ✭✭✭✭
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    I am sitting with (3) vending cases of 1986. One was BBCE but bottom unglued. Other 2 are wrapped and intact respectively.

    I do have several loose boxes too. I don’t have a desire to rip it. But now starting to see the fun of the chase.

    We shall see. Thanks for sharing

    John

    Conundrum - Loving my unopened baseball card collection....but really like ripping too
  • jordangretzkyfan
    jordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    1986 Topps is a fun drug to open…and a fairly inexpensive rip. Just a real roll of the dice.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 21, 2025 3:12PM
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    100% agree. This was my favorite set from the 80's for the reasons you listed. The Puckett, Clemens, McGwire, and Gooden were selling for $15-$20 within a year of release.

  • baseballfan
    baseballfan Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭
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    haven't checked in a few days cool rips

    that Hockey box was great!!!!

    Fred

    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

  • Stone193
    Stone193 Posts: 24,832 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Wow do I ever concur Chris.

    When vending was cheap, I did a lot of 82 and 83T and most cards were OC and ones that weren't? A chip here and there - so no 10s. Ones I did send in - 9 and this was before they went nuts on grading unless you got the grader of death.

    As usual thanx for sharing and Merry Christmas!

    Mike
  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I think the 84 set is one of the most under appreciated of the 80s due to the lack of rookies but I think it’s very cool. Some great images from the year.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Mattingly Topps rookies were selling for $25 within one year after release and if I remember correctly the Donruss was selling for $75-$100. There was very few hotter players/baseball cards than Mattingly from 1984-1989.

  • Jeffafett
    Jeffafett Posts: 15 ✭✭
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    Good Ol Donnie Baseball.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    In terms of right to left centering - Is the centering on the left based on the space immediately to the left of the purple YANKEES letters? Is that where it starts and must come close to equaling the white on the right of the card?

  • jordangretzkyfan
    jordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Yankees70 said:
    In terms of right to left centering - Is the centering on the left based on the space immediately to the left of the purple YANKEES letters? Is that where it starts and must come close to equaling the white on the right of the card?

    I have always thought it to be the border by the frame by his head shot should be the same width as the border by his shoes. Like these…

  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    And 83 with maybe the weirdest Nolan Ryan photo of his entire run.

    Don’t forget that one.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Thanks Chris for the clarification.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 23, 2025 1:12PM
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    Any realistic chance the Boggs could receive a 9 or is it most likely an 8?

  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    And Rickey. Dude was so cool I don’t think he could ever not have a great photo.

  • jordangretzkyfan
    jordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Yankees70 said:
    Any realistic chance the Boggs could receive a 9 or is it most likely an 8?

    I would expect an 8, but I will likely sub it and hope for a 9.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Good luck. Hopefully you pull a nicely centered PSA 9 candidate for Henderson and Ryan.

  • JoeBanzai
    JoeBanzai Posts: 12,854 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    GO CHRIS!

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    So happy for you - what a great box. Merry Christmas.

  • ElMagoStrikeZone
    ElMagoStrikeZone Posts: 2,230 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yahtzee! Well done.

  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Very nice assortment for you!

  • JoeBanzai
    JoeBanzai Posts: 12,854 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    FABULOUS!
    Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Here come all the perfectly cornered 79s with 30/70 centering!

    I LOVE that set but Topps never returns the love.

    Good luck

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Does the 78 Topps Baseball Vending/Wax boxes usually have decent centering? I know the 77 and 79 boxes usually have poor centering.

  • West22
    West22 Posts: 303 ✭✭✭
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    Thanks for posting all the fun rips! And Merry Christmas to all the followers of this great thread.

  • Yankees70
    Yankees70 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Thanks Chris. I was looking forward to this all day. Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus to all.

  • MParker79
    MParker79 Posts: 34 ✭✭
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    Thanks you for taking us along, and sharing your experience with us. Fascinating traveling back in time like this. Have a happy new year!

  • 1982FootballWax
    1982FootballWax Posts: 2,838 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    Crazy to think these cards sat untouched for 46 years. The fresh color and clean edges make them look to be from a time warp. Always gets my adrenaline going to instantly be back to childhood moments when I was truly loving the hobby for its simplicity and dreaming of pulling my favorite player.

    As I mentioned earlier, centering this year is notoriously poor. There are no magic boxes from this year where every card is dead centered. Will never happen. So you just hope to find a handful of beautiful cards that beat the odds. Kind of like staying above the Mendoza line…

    To be clear, Mendoza managed a hit about 1 in every 5 ABs and lives in infamy for one of the worse MLB averages over a sustained career. With 1979, you are hoping for decent centering about 1 out of every 20 cards.

    Career AVG for Mendoza on back of 1979 card is erroneous.

    it's not .278 it's .204 :smile:

    It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
    Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)

  • BBBrkrr
    BBBrkrr Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yeah, hard to have a .278 average when you never had a season above .221!

  • bgr
    bgr Posts: 4,982 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I just got caught up on your rips. Really enjoyed going through them. Thanks for posting them.

  • bgr
    bgr Posts: 4,982 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    That Ozzie might be unworthy of grading, but he signs and I find that you can balance a card like that nicely with well-placed signature and inscriptions.

    Something like this. Note: this is not signed. Just an example.

  • Stone193
    Stone193 Posts: 24,832 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Some nice cards Chris.

    Yes - too bad on the centering on some cards - that's what plagues the 79T set IMO. I opened 1 box around 1992 and got zero Ozzies. I gave a lot of the cards away - so I don't even know how many I have left.

    Nice choice on the Mendoza - for the "stat" guys here - yes - he's the infamous "Mario" (Mendoza Line) who everyone refers to that hang on around .200 BA with fielding skills that save them. I believe it was Manager Bochi who made the term infamous while he was a player? He was no tower of power himself as a backup catcher.

    Mario does have a WS ring from 1979 tho he never played in any of the games to the best of my knowledge.

    Mike
  • Donyoguy
    Donyoguy Posts: 34 ✭✭
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    @Stone193 said:
    Mario does have a WS ring from 1979 tho he never played in any of the games to the best of my knowledge.

    No ring for Mario. He was on the Mariners in 1979, as evidenced by this beauty which apparently sold for $1009 earlier this year.

  • jordangretzkyfan
    jordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 27, 2025 3:03PM
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    Baz - awesome knowledge of the likely sequences and congrats on hitting all the key rookies. Centering is always the challenge on 70s and 80s Topps. Funny how collectors never even gave centering a thought back then. Now it is what makes 9s and 10s so valuable.

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Stone193
    Stone193 Posts: 24,832 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 27, 2025 4:11PM
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    @Donyoguy said:

    @Stone193 said:
    Mario does have a WS ring from 1979 tho he never played in any of the games to the best of my knowledge.

    No ring for Mario. He was on the Mariners in 1979, as evidenced by this beauty which apparently sold for $1009 earlier this year.

    Thanx - had some bad info in my head.

    Mike

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