Which is the toughest pack to tamper with or re-seal?

softparade · January 4, 2005 6:57AM

Cello, wax or rack?

As much as I love opening wax packs, they are the one I trust least.

softparade · January 4, 2005 7:48AM

guess nobody would want to admit knowledge of such a thing!

I have been buying racks off e-bay lately and have had good luck. I trust them the most

easttexascardsandgames · January 4, 2005 8:29AM

All packs were a crap shoot, I know of at least one dealer back in the day who had a chart and could take a rack or cello pack look at the visible cards and could tell you who was in it Thats why I try to stick to boxes from reputable dealers.

Billa · January 4, 2005 8:48AM

Gosh, you guys are really testing my memory, so if this isn't exactly correct, please get the point (or someone jump in with the exact facts) I'm trying to make: it was common knowledge back in the days of the '87 Donruss (??? not sure) that when you went to the shows and dealers would have wax boxes, you could reach in the top left row, count down 3 packs and pull a rookie Bonds and Palmeiro every time from the pack. Worked like a charm and if you didn't hit it, it was because the dealer already pulled the pack. The only way I would buy any cards from packs is that I bought the entire sealed case.

jaybyrd · January 4, 2005 8:48AM

Cards were inserted in packs in the same sequence usually. I remember going to stores back in 88 looking for Greg Jeffries rookies, blah. Got the pattern down pretty quick and was sitting on a gold mine - till he got to the majors that is.

I would not recommend buying random cellos or racks as a lot of people know the sequence a high dollar card appears in and these have already been removed. I remember buying 20 - 25 racks of 1983 Topps and there wasn't a card even remotely worth a damn in any of them. Buying wax from a reputable dealer is my recomendation unless you can afford a unopened rack or cello case.

softparade · January 4, 2005 8:52AM

I picked up a few 78 topps racks from bballcardso4 on e-bay. Out of them I pulled a McCovey, Rose, Schmidt, and Fisk. My question is, is it so easy to remove the high value cards and re-seal these rack packs? What about graded packs?

jaybyrd · January 4, 2005 9:10AM

I don't think you have worry about re-sealing on rack packs, they usually tear apart too haphazardly for anyone to reseal them. From my experience the only thing you have to worry about is someone knowing the sequence when a 'big money' card is possible.

JrGMan2004 · January 4, 2005 9:12AM

Interesting reading

Very much like early Magic: The Gathering packs... you could see through the packs, and see what the rare card was. So, you can't trust buying early packs, because they most likely have been searched and picked over, only way to go, is original sealed boxes.

softparade · January 4, 2005 9:25AM

Interesting, I suppose if you are after quality commons, single rack pack purchases are not a bad idea.

Fuzz · January 4, 2005 12:23PM

I used to collect packs many many years ago but gave up on them after much of the resealing problems started. Cellos are cake to reseal. There are several ways to do it and they are all pretty much undetectable. Wax is also pretty straight forward to reseal well and I wouldn't trust them much either. Never been much trouble to my knowledge with racks. I would stick with them. The heartburn with racks though as brought up before is that they can be sequenced and sometimes "thumbed to look at inside cards. Poly bags however seem pretty much tamper proof to me but will only have newere issues.
I my own defense, in advance. I used to work with Paul Wright (now the expert at Global) on pack authentication back in the 80's when that work was done. We even did the SCD guide #3 together on packs and wrappers. I would try to fake stuff and send a bit to him to look at. There was also an east coast guy who was brilliant at reseals and told me many of his tricks. I would buy stuff from him sometimese just to look at the artistry. He however, was not interested in searching packs and switching cards. Only fixing a loose seal that might pop in shipment and the like. A top authenticator like Paul knows that the secret to spotting fakes is often not in the seal at all but in many of the other attributes. Always buy from a good source.

mudflap02 · January 4, 2005 1:07PM

Possibly the most intriguing post I have ever read.

Which is the toughest pack to tamper with or re-seal?

Comments