Vintage case rips?

zef2044 · January 28, 2026 6:53PM

It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve been on the boards. Anyone still here from back in the day for the 1975 mini rip?

ElMagoStrikeZone · January 28, 2026 7:05PM

Fun rip it was. Welcome back.

Stone193 · January 28, 2026 11:21PM

@zef2044 said:
It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve been on the boards. Anyone still here from back in the day for the 1975 mini rip?

Welcome back! Wow - 20 years...

I did pickup 5 mini packs from a sealed case rip - don't remember when it was - the packs are pristine.

Did you leave the hobby? I miss a whole bunch of people from the "old days" buddy.

grote15 · January 28, 2026 11:52PM

I'm still here! And still collecting minis! My set is still active on the registry though I haven't upgraded a card in years. That case break was a memorable one. Hope all is well!

balco758 · January 29, 2026 4:55AM

I'm still here and was part of that rip. Still have 15 or so cards that graded nicely from it.

handyman · January 29, 2026 7:02AM

Slightly

zef2044 · January 29, 2026 8:00AM

Wow, great to see some of the old names! Yes, I left the hobby but have slowly regaining interest. I was actually looking through some stuff and came across all the raw minis I have from the rip. I have about 300 other cards that were next to go in for grading back in 2007ish that I never sent in. Looks like it's gotten timelier and more expensive to submit since then!

It's crazy that some of us were the young guys back then and now we're the old farts!

jmoran19 · January 29, 2026 11:43AM

Still have my mini pack with Brett showing on the back from this

ArtVandelay · January 29, 2026 11:50AM

This one was before my time. I've been a part of some good ones, but nothing like a vintage case rip of 1975 minis. wild!

CW · January 29, 2026 1:45PM

I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

gemint · January 29, 2026 2:45PM

Great to see you're doing well. I remember the rip well. I think this was the first group rip we did using BBCE to manage it. You and a person I won't mention went to BBCE to break the case after that other person tried to ask everyone for mini rappers for his 'coffee table'. I don't think we ever had an issue with group rips from this rip forward. I have three mini boxes plus a partial that all came from group buys on these forums.

How was the centering of your cards? From what I recall, the centering in the case wasn't great...as is typical with minis.

grote15 · January 29, 2026 3:35PM

I wonder how Gary's bar top turned out!

As I recall, packs were around 30 bucks each for this case break. The good old days!

ldferg · January 29, 2026 3:58PM

I remember the rip well. Ahh...the gold ole days.

zef2044 · January 30, 2026 6:54AM

The centering on mine were brutal. I got two 9's from the 9 packs I had - Lou Brock and Larry Gura.

Any chance Gary stayed out of jail since then?

ArchStanton · January 30, 2026 7:06AM

The first minis I got with this group were around 2009. I did pull a Nolan Ryan that was graded PSA 9 from that rip.

zef2044 · January 30, 2026 7:08AM

Here is the original thread.

Such great memories scrolling back through that! I wish we didn't have to host our own pics back then. So many are gone.

gemint · January 30, 2026 8:33AM

That was fun reading back through how it all came together. It's hard to believe it's almost been 20 years since we did that break. I didn't recall how many packs I bought but this reminded me I bought a full box. I'm not sure if it's my FASC box or one of the non wrapped ones. Was Steve labeling as FASC back then?

gemint · January 30, 2026 8:58AM

Here's some eye candy for the thread. If the box I received was FASC, then none of these came from it since my box is still sealed. If it was an unwrapped box, then chances are a few of these packs are from the rip.

grote15 · January 30, 2026 9:29AM

@gemint said:
Here's some eye candy for the thread. If the box I received was FASC, then none of these came from it since my box is still sealed. If it was an unwrapped box, then chances are a few of these packs are from the rip.

Beautiful packs and no gum tears!

You sure took your time submitting them!

grote15 · January 30, 2026 9:32AM

Here are a couple of mine from that case break.

Yankees70 · January 30, 2026 10:12AM

Awesome packs - thanks for sharing guys.

zef2044 · January 31, 2026 7:37AM

Love this! Thank you guys for indulging me. Sure wish I didn't rip everything I bought back then!

Stone193 · January 31, 2026 12:36PM

I pretty much never participated in rips but I do have this stack of mini's - perhaps they needed more participants to finish the box?

It has on it FASC - 8-14; I'm guessing 2014? Have no idea what I paid for the packs?

smallstocks · January 31, 2026 2:11PM

I did the rip but wish I had left the packs closed. Every card was off center!

mccardguy1 · January 31, 2026 3:28PM

I am still here but never jumped into the rip. Funds were tight then and I couldnt afford it but I enjoyed seeing all of the cards.

We need a reunion!!

Sidepocket1 · January 31, 2026 8:08PM

Got many stars from those packs including a Yount, but pretty brutal centering. Still have a pack or 2 though.

71waxforever · February 1, 2026 8:59AM

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

There's less of them but continue to be much cheaper. The 75' has become an expensive product for wax. Surprising to me how much Yount has come down in value lately. Compared to Brett not even close.

fattymacs · February 1, 2026 9:27AM

The old group rips were great. We used to rip 72 OPC 2nd series almost every time a box became available, Got a lot of gum damaged cards but also some really nice pulls. My best was a Clemente In Action that graded PSA 9. Still have a pile of wrappers from those old rips, Gary's bar didn't get any of mine.

grote15 · February 1, 2026 10:30AM

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

Yes, I remember that being the case as well. The Conlon stash swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and though minis have risen in value since then the regular sized wax packs in particular have skyrocketed over the years. The difference in value is much less significant between mini and regular 75 cellos thanks in large part to Fritsch. The value difference between mini and regular sized 75 racks, though, is still huge.

Stone193 · February 1, 2026 11:45AM

I'm just curious.

Does anyone remember if we had a rip in Aug of 2014? And how much did we pay per pack?

orioles93 · February 1, 2026 1:35PM

@Stone193 said:
I'm just curious.

Does anyone remember if we had a rip in Aug of 2014? And how much did we pay per pack?

the one in 2013 was $45 per pack

lahmejoon · February 2, 2026 10:01AM

Group Break history that I particpated in:

$31.50 on 3/16/10
$35.85 on 11/16/11
$45.00 on 1/15/13
$56.25 on 9/4/13
$75.00 on 5/16/14

$3,000.00 FASC box on 8/8/14

craig44 · February 3, 2026 5:56AM

welcome back! that group rip was a few years before my time, but it is great to see a "vintage" member return to the fold. dont be a stranger.

craig44 · February 3, 2026 6:13AM

i also remember when there was a 1.5-2x multiplier on 75 mini singles. for some reason, I think I can remember rookies being 1.5x regular and stars 2x regular. not sure why there was a difference. that multiplier left after conlons hoard though.

I also recall that back in the early 90s when brett and yount were both heading toward 3000 hits, their 75 rookies were pretty much neck and neck in price. it is interesting how much Brett has pulled ahead in more recent times. I would say Brett rookies in PSA 9 are 2.5-3x yount psa 9 prices.

Bosox1976 · February 3, 2026 7:47AM

@fattymacs said:
The old group rips were great. We used to rip 72 OPC 2nd series almost every time a box became available, Got a lot of gum damaged cards but also some really nice pulls. My best was a Clemente In Action that graded PSA 9. Still have a pile of wrappers from those old rips, Gary's bar didn't get any of mine.

Hahaha. You did a little better than me on that rip…

fattymacs · February 3, 2026 8:55AM

@Bosox1976 said:

@fattymacs said:
The old group rips were great. We used to rip 72 OPC 2nd series almost every time a box became available, Got a lot of gum damaged cards but also some really nice pulls. My best was a Clemente In Action that graded PSA 9. Still have a pile of wrappers from those old rips, Gary's bar didn't get any of mine.

Hahaha. You did a little better than me on that rip…

I still have a few raw cards from those rips including another pack fresh Clemente In Action (no damage, similar centering to yours pictured)

I belive I had an Aaron with the dreaded gum stain

71waxforever · February 3, 2026 9:27AM

@grote15 said:

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

Yes, I remember that being the case as well. The Conlon stash swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and though minis have risen in value since then the regular sized wax packs in particular have skyrocketed over the years. The difference in value is much less significant between mini and regular 75 cellos thanks in large part to Fritsch. The value difference between mini and regular sized 75 racks, though, is still huge.

Was it Fritsch. Thought is was someone else where there was a huge find of boxes of mini's and they slowly went into circulation?

grote15 · February 3, 2026 10:39AM

@71waxforever said:

@grote15 said:

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

Yes, I remember that being the case as well. The Conlon stash swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and though minis have risen in value since then the regular sized wax packs in particular have skyrocketed over the years. The difference in value is much less significant between mini and regular 75 cellos thanks in large part to Fritsch. The value difference between mini and regular sized 75 racks, though, is still huge.

Was it Fritsch. Thought is was someone else where there was a huge find of boxes of mini's and they slowly went into circulation?

Yes, for regular-sized 1975 cellos, it's Fritsch. If you are referring to 1975 mini wax, you are probably thinking of Charlie Conlon whose estate liquidated his stock of mini wax and cello cases via REA back around 2009. They were all sold at once, with some lots consisting of multiple cases even. Fritsch, to my knowledge, has never really had much in the way of regular-sized 1975 wax (or mini wax for that matter).

gemint · February 3, 2026 11:41AM

@grote15 said:

@71waxforever said:

@grote15 said:

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

Yes, I remember that being the case as well. The Conlon stash swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and though minis have risen in value since then the regular sized wax packs in particular have skyrocketed over the years. The difference in value is much less significant between mini and regular 75 cellos thanks in large part to Fritsch. The value difference between mini and regular sized 75 racks, though, is still huge.

Was it Fritsch. Thought is was someone else where there was a huge find of boxes of mini's and they slowly went into circulation?

Yes, for regular-sized 1975 cellos, it's Fritsch. If you are referring to 1975 mini wax, you are probably thinking of Charlie Conlon whose estate liquidated his stock of mini wax and cello cases via REA back around 2009. They were all sold at once, with some lots consisting of multiple cases even. Fritsch, to my knowledge, has never really had much in the way of regular-sized 1975 wax (or mini wax for that matter).

I wish I had picked up a case in that auction. I was smart enough to buy a box and I think I paid about $1,000 for it. Flooding the market all at once was a buyer's dream.

grote15 · February 3, 2026 12:22PM

@gemint said:

@grote15 said:

@71waxforever said:

@grote15 said:

@CW said:
I remember back in the old days (late 70s, early 80s) when the minis were valued at roughly 2x the cost of the full size 1975. At least that's how it was in the Sport Americana price guides that came out every year.

Yes, I remember that being the case as well. The Conlon stash swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and though minis have risen in value since then the regular sized wax packs in particular have skyrocketed over the years. The difference in value is much less significant between mini and regular 75 cellos thanks in large part to Fritsch. The value difference between mini and regular sized 75 racks, though, is still huge.

Was it Fritsch. Thought is was someone else where there was a huge find of boxes of mini's and they slowly went into circulation?

Yes, for regular-sized 1975 cellos, it's Fritsch. If you are referring to 1975 mini wax, you are probably thinking of Charlie Conlon whose estate liquidated his stock of mini wax and cello cases via REA back around 2009. They were all sold at once, with some lots consisting of multiple cases even. Fritsch, to my knowledge, has never really had much in the way of regular-sized 1975 wax (or mini wax for that matter).

I wish I had picked up a case in that auction. I was smart enough to buy a box and I think I paid about $1,000 for it. Flooding the market all at once was a buyer's dream.

Yes, in retrospect those lots were the deal of the century. I bought several boxes as low as $900 each. I still have a couple but also opened a few, too. Usually, that's a disaster but some of the cases bore centered minis (a rare occurrence) and I graded quite a few 10s out of those boxes.

jay0791 · February 3, 2026 2:58PM

I see many graded packs have players noted on front and back. Question? Can one tell who is on front or back of every pack?

grote15 · February 3, 2026 4:03PM

@jay0791 said:
I see many graded packs have players noted on front and back. Question? Can one tell who is on front or back of every pack?

Not always. Certain years are tougher than others depending on the wrapper color etc and if the card on back is faced out or not. Determining the card on top of a wax pack (or if the card is faced inward on back) is extremely difficult in most cases. Faced out on back is your best chance.

fmclaug11 · February 3, 2026 6:03PM

Had some nice hits but centering was brutal for me…still have them

leadoff1228 · February 3, 2026 8:21PM

Still have two 75 mini packs from the rip and I’m pretty sure I have a 76 pack in a 74 wrapper from a rip.

zef2044 · February 4, 2026 8:59AM

I wish I was more organized back then. Heck, wish I was now!

I have no idea what I paid for most of what I bought nor what I sold things for. I guess the internet didn't stop forgetting until after 2006.

zef2044 · February 4, 2026 9:16AM

Here are some pics I still have from the BBCE visit and a link to the SCD article

gemint · February 4, 2026 10:23AM

Thanks for posting those zef. However, I was hoping I wouldn't have to see Uncle Fester's face again (on the right in the picture).

coinspacks · February 4, 2026 10:34AM

@gemint said:
Thanks for posting those zef. However, I was hoping I wouldn't have to see Uncle Fester's face again (on the right in the picture).

I got you
1770226443760

ElMagoStrikeZone · February 4, 2026 11:05AM

If ever Merriam-Webster needed a perfect photo to define the word ‘juxtaposition’ it’s right here in this thread. 🤭

lahmejoon · February 4, 2026 11:43AM

I know this isn't the right place, but wanted to throw it out there - if anyone has any raw minis that they either don't want and/or wouldn't grade higher than a 7 (or 6 on account of centering), I'm still trying to complete my raw set that I've only been working on for like 10 years, LOL. I bought a set years ago that was stripped of pretty much every star, MVP, and cards 1-100, but have gotten to within 72 cards. I need 42 cards between 1-100, 16 MVP cards, and the remainder are stars.

BaltimoreYankee · February 4, 2026 11:49AM

Those are some great pix of the '75 minis.
Edited to add: I just checked out the SCD story linked above. worth taking a look at - such a simpler time back then. Didn't realize it was 2006. I think I got involved here in 2012.

Vintage case rips?

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