1984 Donruss Baseball - the unofficial but legal thread

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 5:20AM

I have not taken the time yet to read the entire thread. That will take a while.

I was just wondering what all has been said about the 1984 Donruss Mattingly in a PSA 10. I just got one graded and it came back a 10. Mine was #32 graded a 10. Just got it in the mail Tuesday.

I plan on listing it on Ebay here in the next couple of weeks.

Let me know if anybody wants to see the scan.

tennesseebanker · January 19, 2006 5:24AM

We always want to see a scan, Especially of a Mattingly 10.

BugOnTheRug · January 19, 2006 5:34AM

Let's see the scan. The last one sold on ebay was slightly off T/B. I'm curious how yours is centered.

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 5:47AM

I will try to scan it when I get home.

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 9:32AM

I am going to try this. Here goes!

1984 Donruss Mattingly PSA 10

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 9:45AM

I did have it. Now I'm having problems reloading it. Any suggestions? I am using the "direct link" at the bottom and pasting it in the URL space for picture.

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 1:12PM

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ArnyVee · January 19, 2006 1:14PM

Looks like a pretty sweet Mattingly there!

Wish that I could have it for my set....what's the opening bid gonna be on that bad boy?

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 1:17PM

$1.00. No reserve.

That's no joke. That what I start all of my auctions at.

Any guess as to how much it will go for?

BugOnTheRug · January 19, 2006 1:31PM

that's a very nice mattingly - $800-900 is my guess.

ArnyVee · January 19, 2006 1:38PM

Mattinglys were going for $450 to $600 for awhile in PSA 10. I even passed up an opportunity to pick one up on Buy It Now for $450 and it ended up going for around $600. Nowadays, seems like there are some folks willing to pay at least $700 for the card. So, Bill's estimate might not be too far off.

frankhardy · January 19, 2006 2:04PM

I wonder why there are only 32 10's? Is it really that tough?

Stingray · January 19, 2006 8:59PM

As with other 84 Donruss, I would expect centering to be the issue with why there are only 32 10s.

Stingray

alnavman · January 20, 2006 11:22AM

That's a great looking Mattingly. I just opened a set and send one in to PSA this week. I also sent in another Vance Law and an Alan Ashby. Let's see how these fair....

Bill: The Fitzgerald out of the set I just opened was your favorite view - OC.....sorry.....

rvc · January 20, 2006 12:10PM

hey bill , frobel arrived, thanks again! hope to return the favor sometime.

sweeeeeet mattingly, now that's a 10.

ajetfan · January 20, 2006 1:15PM

Hello All:

I just finally got my grades posted on a "November Special" submission. Here's the 1984 Donruss' from the invoice:

1984 DONRUSS 9 AL OLIVER DIAMOND KINGS-STEELE 9
1984 DONRUSS 20 BILL MADLOCK DIAMOND KINGS-STEELE 9
1984 DONRUSS 26 WADE BOGGS DIAMOND KINGS-STEELE 9
1984 DONRUSS 332 ALLAN RAMIREZ N/A 9
1984 DONRUSS 425 DAVID GREEN N/A 10
1984 DONRUSS 461 DANNY JACKSON N/A 10

Date Received: 12/05/2005
Date of Grades Posted: 01/20/2006
Date Shipped: 01/20/2006

I'm planning on keeping the Diamond Kings in my collection, but I'm thinking about ebaying #332 (PSA9), #425 (PSA 10), and #461 (PSA 10). The population of the PSA 9 is listed at 3 9s and 1 10. The pop of 9s should be going up to 4 to reflect my card on the next update (Monday morning). Both 10s have a current population of 1 each and that will go up to 2 when the system is updated.

What do the very low population PSA 10s generally go for on ebay? I already did a search of closed auctions and no commons in PSA 10 have sold in the period that ebay's searches go back. Is there a site that tracks ebay closed item prices for a longer period?

If anyone could give me a general idea of what the low pop PSA 10 commons go for, I'd really appreciate it as I'm not really sure if I'm going to list these cards and knowing what they usually go for would help me to make a decision. Thanks in advance for any help!

Here's my email and thanks again!

Robert (ajetfan)
----------
1978 Topps low pop PSA 9 auctions on ebay

mccardguy1 · January 20, 2006 2:05PM

Arnyvee....The Angujar made it here today. Thanks so much for the generous gift of that card! By the way how is that not a 10???

I will keep my eyes out for something you can use. Thanks again......Andrew

BugOnTheRug · January 20, 2006 2:11PM

Andrew,
pm me your address and I'll send you a couple psa 9's for your set. A belated Merry Christmas!

ArnyVee · January 20, 2006 9:40PM

Andrew, glad that you got the card! I was trying to figure out why it wasn't a 10 either.

alnavman · January 23, 2006 9:36AM

Got word that PSA received my recent submission.....I'll let everyone know how it fares......and a bonus, this moves the thread back near the top!!

ArnyVee · January 23, 2006 10:14AM

Al, how many did you send in?

alnavman · January 24, 2006 8:35AM

I send in 50 cards altogether but there were some baseball and 73 Topps basketball mixed in also.....about 15 were 84 Donruss if I remember correctly...

frankhardy · January 24, 2006 9:25AM

Did anybody see the article in the new SMR? Don Mattingly is on the front with a feature article on the 1984 Donruss set. I knew how many Mattingly 10's there were (32), but I didn't realize until I read that article that only 1% are 10's.

softparade · January 24, 2006 10:58AM

I just read the GREAT write-up in the new SMR featuring 1984 Donruss. Guys, I will be in on these I PROMISE after my 78 Topps set is complete and my wedding is past

. This kind of write up makes me wish my beloved 1978 Topps had such attention!

rvc · January 24, 2006 11:10AM

i was just wondering when the new smr would arrive but i never thought our '84 d's were gonna get a write-up

BugOnTheRug · January 24, 2006 11:56AM

Is the article online or in print? There were a few of the 84D guys (including me) who helped Kevin with the article and I'll bet all the pictured cards are from the 84D train guys!

Where's that article?!?!?

ArnyVee · January 24, 2006 9:25PM

I helped Kevin a bit as well with the article, but I'm sure not as much as Bill did.

I haven't received the new SMR, but am DEFINITELY looking forward to it!

alnavman · January 25, 2006 7:46AM

Cool.....so Bill's a celebrity now.......Way to go Bill.........only problem I see is that now with everyone jumping in it's going to be tougher to get cards........wish I had more unopened to break!!

ArnyVee · January 25, 2006 11:11AM

That would be a good thing because we would possibly see 4SC and some of the other 'bulk' graders send in larger submissions and make our sets complete!

RayBShotz · January 25, 2006 12:19PM

Kevin Glew should be noted and applauded for his authorship work on the upcoming article on the 84' Donruss set. From what I understand the Mattingly is on the cover. Very high profile coverage. I also helped Kevin and participated in an email interview regarding the set and I'm pretty psyched to see the results of his labors.
He emailed me to tell me the SMR has already reached him in Canada, so we should be seeing ours shortly.
RayBShotz

ArnyVee · January 25, 2006 12:21PM

Here's the article....

Donnie Baseball was also Donnie “Donruss” for much of the ’80s.

For a stretch, the beloved Yankee’s 1984 Donruss rookie was the most coveted card from the hobby’s most celebrated set. And while interest has waned since Mattingly’s retirement, his inaugural issue remains the most significant card in a set considered by many to be Donruss’s finest.

“The Mattingly rookie is so important,” said Ray Boehm, a Maine native whose ’84 Donruss set ranks sixth on the PSA Set Registry. “Donnie Baseball just dominated the mid-to-late ’80s and was such a true Yankee … It’s a tough one to find centered but a nice, mint Mattingly rookie does it for me.”

Bill Davidson, a Northern California resident who owns the PSA Set Registry’s top set, has also noticed the centering issues with the legendary Bronx Bomber’s card. He points out that only around one per cent of Mattingly cards submitted to PSA have been graded 10s.

Still, the passionate hobbyist stops short of calling the Yankee great’s card difficult to find in high grade. He believes the prestige the single carries, as well as the fact that counterfeits have been produced, have resulted in the card being subjected to increased scrutiny by graders.

The Mattingly is the anchor of the 658-card set that also offers two additional unnumbered “Living Legends” singles (A-Rollie Fingers and Gaylord Perry, B- Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski) that were included in wax packs but excluded from factory sets.

Reportedly printed in smaller quantities than previous Donruss issues, the 1984 product also introduced hobbyists to “Rated Rookie” cards, a cachet that would become a staple of Donruss sets for years. Also distributed in wax and rack packs were pieces from a 63-piece Duke Snider puzzle.

Unintentionally, error cards also helped this groundbreaking set gain notoriety. The Diamond Kings issued in packs, for example, were printed with the artist’s name spelled incorrectly (“Steel” instead of “Steele”). The mistake was revised for the factory sets. A similar scenario arose with the Mike Stenhouse and Ron Darling cards. During the pack run, these singles were produced with no card numbers, an oversight that was remedied for factory sets. In both cases, the numbered versions command a premium.

Other notable rookies in the set include Joe Carter, Andy Van Slyke, Darryl Strawberry, Tony Fernandez, Tony Phillips, and Tom Henke. Complimenting these freshmen are sophomore singles of Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, and Ryne Sandberg.

“I think that, without a doubt, the ’84 Donruss set is their classiest issue. Best set of the ’80s,” trumpeted Boehm.

And a number of hobbyists agree, citing the set’s design as a reason for its desirability.

“I really fell in love with the simple design and the great quality of the photography. It really reminded me of my all-time favorite set – the 1957 Topps baseball set,” said Arnold Varona, a Florida-based hobbyist whose set ranks second on the PSA registry.

Davidson concurred.

“For starters, it’s a classic design – blazing white borders on all sides which highlight each card’s unique background. Add in quality photography, card design and nice colors, it’s hard to ignore. When you closely look at each card of the set, it’s evident that care was taken to include poses that are extremely pleasing to the eye. For instance, there is very little inclusion of background players.”

Similar to the Mattingly rookie, however, cards from this product are often hampered by centering problems. The Joe Carter rookie is one single that is renowned for being off-center.

“Typically these (Joe Carter rookies) are off left to right, but you can find them centered if you are patient enough,” noted Davidson.

The savvy collector points out that it’s certain common cards – not the high-profile rookies – that are most challenging to find in high grade. The Joel Youngblood (Card #480), for instance, is particularly tough.

“Everything I see of him in raw is just grossly off centered,” explained Davidson. “I haven’t found any that were even close to worth submitting (for grading) from a centering standpoint.”

If he had to pick the most elusive card to find in pristine condition, however, it would be the Omar Moreno (Card #637). Aside from centering issues, this single is typically hindered by a “spider web paper defect” in the upper-left portion of the card. It’s a flaw that likely occurred in the manufacturing process.

Davidson has also noticed that, in many cases, the cards produced for factory sets are smaller than those printed for packs.

“Factory sets tend to have cards with thinner borders, which is the direct result of factory cards being cut to a slightly smaller size than wax or rack packs,” he said.

But these idiosyncrasies are part of what has endeared this set to collectors. Hobbyists say that the best sources for high-grade cards are eBay and trading with fellow collectors.

“I’ve always loved the set. That combined with the enthusiasm of the other ’84 Donruss registry guys and an opportunity to trade for a high-end raw set from a friend motivated me to get started,” said Boehm.

In recent months, interest in this once red-hot set has picked up again.

“It is a very popular set now and will likely gather more interest as the children of the ’80s grow up and begin to spend disposable income on the cards they knew as kids … If this happens and interest builds, the investment potential will grow as well,” said Boehm.

Varona agreed, “In ranking this set amongst the ’80s Donruss sets, it is head and shoulders above the rest … It is a good long-term investment because there aren’t cases and cases of the stuff lying around.”

Of course, there are not a lot of hitters like Mattingly “lying around” either. That’s the reason George Steinbrenner hired the 1985 American League MVP as his hitting coach after 2003 season – marking Donnie Baseball’s return to the Yankees’ dugout. And with the resurgence of interest in the 1984 Donruss set, Donnie “Donruss” seems to be making a comeback of his own.

5STAT · January 25, 2006 1:10PM

Arny,

careful what you wish for with bulk 1984 Donruss. submissions....I know a friend here in MA... who's sitting on hundreds...yes hundreds of 84 D sets!! Amoung other things....it was part of a $300K deal that went south for me last year.

This man's collection has been my "Great White Whale" for 15 years...we get so close and yet never to seem to pull the trigger on the deal....

Atleast "I'd" trickle the stuff into the market....not to say what can happen if someone else does....

1mouzon · January 25, 2006 3:28PM

I've been reading the '84 Donruss post for awhile. You guys have convinced me...one day I will have to begin on one.

ArnyVee · January 25, 2006 9:34PM

1mouzon, if you're looking to get into the set, you might want to do it a lot sooner than later. The more folks are starting to collect the set, the higher the demand for the cards and the higher the closing bids for the cards. At this point, you can still find some very affordable deals, but after this article, I'm not sure how it's going to affect the demand.

5stat, you are making us '84 Donruss collectors salivate saying that your 'white whale' has hundreds of sets! Try and make that deal and trickle away.

BugOnTheRug · January 25, 2006 9:58PM

Thanks for posting the article Arny. Maybe I'll get the SMR in today's mail. Kevin did a nice job and I'm pleased that the 84D set now has received some real visibilty. Maybe those sitting on the fence with this set will now indulge, and maybe some of those tougher commons will now come out of the woodwork.

5Stat - that's amazing and just goes to show that 'stuff' is out there, you just have to be fortunate enough to find it. Maybe the guys here and yourself could work out a deal for the 84's, but I'll bet this guys collection would be an 'all or nothing' event, as your experience with him describes.

I remember back in the early 90's on a trip to Seattle, I met an individual who had a room devoted to unopened Topps wax products all of which he bought new every year - 1970's and '80's stuff. I don't remember what all he had, but I do remember (and seeing with my own eyes) about 10 or 15 unopened wax cases of 1980 Topps he bought new in 1980. He had no interest whatsoever in selling, then or in the future.

Just wonder how many Psa 10's of Rickey could be lurking in those cases?!?!

Bill

alnavman · January 26, 2006 7:04AM

Wow, great writeups everyone. I haven't gotten my SMR yet and it sounds great......And wow, talk about a collection....hundreds of 84 Donruss sets....I thought it was cool that I have a buddy who has several sets that I'm trying to get him to send me.....that number sure makes my small "white whale" pale in comparison!!

5STAT · January 26, 2006 12:16PM

the "White Whale" also had 15,000 1986 Fleer Basketball singles....20K 1987 Fleer...and over 400 wax/rack cases...I dug through it 2 days a week for 2 months and never got through it all...
The killer was, we were ready to seal the deal when I noticed that there were 5 cases of 1981 Topps FB racks gone..as well as 2 wax cases of 1986 Topps football (all of which were there a week earlier)....yet the price didn't go down!!! God only knows how much else he had cheery picked after I had gone through it....

As far as I know...he's still sitting on it all....hope he chokes on 'em!!

ArnyVee · January 26, 2006 12:36PM

After noticing that I hadn't updated my upgraded cards that I sent Al, I went through and realized that I had about a dozen 10s that I hadn't added to my set (previously all 9s)! So, I went ahead and did it as well as add a couple of pics of some 1 of 1 PSA 10s.

Also, I was able to win the Boggs DK that was out there! So, getting a little closer to completion.

alnavman · January 27, 2006 5:37AM

Way to go Arny....what 9's did you upgrade??? if you don't mind let me now......If I need them we can work something out....thanks al.

Writer11 · January 27, 2006 9:07AM

Here's the official link to the 1984 Donruss story in the March 2006 issue of SMR:

Text

ArnyVee · January 28, 2006 10:48AM

Cool...the article on the website included a few of my cards!

Al, I hadn't updated the upgrading that I had already done. Although, I have the PSA 9 #325 Duane Walker (now that I dealt for the 10 that you had), a PSA 9 #50 Jim Rice and a PSA 10 #619 Bob Stoddard in addition to the ones in my eBay store. I also acquired a few graded cards in another deal that I made....PSA 8 #54 Rickey Henderson, PSA 9 #60 Nolan Ryan, PSA 8 #61 Pete Rose, PSA 9 #106 Cal Ripken Jr, PSA 9 #183 Mike Schmidt, PSA 8 #248 Don Mattingly & PSA 9 #324 Tony Gwynn.

Let me know if you need any and we can make a deal on them. Anyone interested, please let me know.

BugOnTheRug · January 28, 2006 12:20PM

Looks like the article is in both the online and hardcopy versions. Very cool. Kevin did a nice job of including input from several of the clan. It will be interesting to see if we notice any differences in registry participation, raw and unopened set prices, and psa graded card prices via ebay.

Looks like a new chapter in 84D interest might be around the corner.......you never know. Regardless, I'll have my trigger finger ready on the first BIN psa 10 Youngblood that hits the bay......

frankhardy · January 28, 2006 1:13PM

Here it is!!!

Shameless spam on Mattingly PSA 10

ArnyVee · January 28, 2006 1:31PM

Good luck with the Mattingly 10!

I set a little snipe that should guarantee you a decent amount for the card

rvc · January 29, 2006 2:58AM

who's bbcardbuyer on ebay?

softparade · January 29, 2006 6:48AM

Guys,

What happened with the wax case on e-bay. Anybody bite?

ArnyVee · January 30, 2006 4:59AM

I know that I didn't bite on the case. But, I never checked back to see if anyone did.

By the way, I finally got the new SMR in my hands and it's very nice to see the exposure that our set is getting. Richly deserved if I may say so!

ArnyVee · January 30, 2006 5:10AM

Any last minute submissions going out for '84 Donruss cards?

rvc · January 30, 2006 7:28AM

arny, i dont think there's any rush " Your submission must be postmarked by February 28, 2006 so act now!"

i have a darling #30 going in : probably 9, longshot for 10

ArnyVee · January 30, 2006 7:38AM

Doh! I should've looked...I thought it was a "January" special.

Good look on that Darling! I noticed that you are going after that David Green! I have the other 10, so we'd own both of them in the world!

1984 Donruss Baseball - the unofficial but legal thread

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