Which year/brand of cards do you see the most of? In other words, which set is the most mass produce

frankhardy · December 1, 2008 10:56PM

I have bought several large collections in the past few years. To me, the most mass produced set out there has to be 1987 Topps. It doesn't matter what I get or which box I look through, it seems like there are 1987 Topps everywhere.

What would you say is the most mass produced set?

mikeschmidt · December 1, 2008 11:32PM

1988 Donruss might give 1987 Topps a run for its money

StopYurWhining · December 1, 2008 11:37PM

1987 topps, 1988, 1989, topps just vomitted out product.

I personally opened about 30, 1989 topps wax and cello boxes lol.

Dboneesq · December 2, 2008 12:16AM

I STILL have about 10 cases of 1988 Donruss product in my basement. Have had them sitting around since I "MADE MY INVESTMENT" 20 years ago. Great investment, right? LOL

I remember about 1 or 2 months AFTER I purchased about 20 or so cases, Donruss came out with an announcement that the production number they originally announced was "Incorrect". In fact, the correct amount they produced was about TWICE what they originally stated. Prices dropped that day and have been trying to get lower (is that possible?) every day since.

Stay Healthy!

Doug

Beck6 · December 2, 2008 12:33AM

I would put a vote in for 89 Pro Set football. I think they are still printing Barry Sanders rookies from that set.

Morgoth · December 2, 2008 12:39AM

Anytime someone comes up to me saying they have some cards they want to sell, it is about 90% chance it will involve these sets

1988 Topps and Donruss
1989 Toppps and Donruss
1990 every set made that year.

For some reason I don't see much 88 or 89 Fleers, even though they are overproduced as well.

It isn't fun to tell them their 20 year old collection is virtually unsellable. Less fun to learn that most of them bought it from Shop at Home/QVC.

The other 10% usually comprises of VG to EX/MT cards from the 70s to mid 80s. These guys actually know about price guides and usually want to sell at high book and get really offended by any offers below that.

Another peeve I have is people who quote PSA 8 graded card pricing when selling their ungraded obviously creased mantle cards to me.

saucywombat · December 2, 2008 12:43AM

Hands down has to be 1990 Topps Baseball. Maybe '89 Donruss Baseball?

There is a bunch of '88 D Baseball out there, but I think regional distribution was still an issue for Donruss in '88. You could get Topps at Sam's Club in 1987 but not Donruss and at say $15 a box the tonned it.

I don't remember Donruss at Sam's until 1990.

julen23 · December 2, 2008 1:25AM

81 topps, unless of course, they knew a grading company would exist some 2 decades later, & find it impossible to find a gem mint card among the 10's or 1000's that would eventually be submitted.

j

mtcards · December 2, 2008 1:31AM

I have a display of cards in my business and advertise that I buy cards and would bet, like the posts above, that 90% of the cards that people have to sell are from the following sets

1987,1988,1989,1990 Topps
1988,1989,1990 Donruss
1990 Fleer
1989, 1990 Score

Pretty much the same years in Football and Basketball too.

What amazes me is when you have a massive amount of 89 Fleer/Donruss, there are NO Griffey RC

Just the other day, I had a guy come in with a folder of 89/90 Score Baseball commons and ask for $100. When I told him his cards were only about $20 in book value, he asked if I'd pay that. I told him, I'd sell him the exact same cards for $10.

I hate being like that, but honestly, if I dont, he would be back in 3 days later asking for $50 and then $40 and so on.

Morgoth · December 2, 2008 3:40AM

I wouldn't feel bad as long as you do it in a way that they understand it isn't them its the manufacturers that overprinted them. They just picked the wrong years to collect.

frankhardy · December 2, 2008 3:50AM

Someone mentioned 1988 Fleer. I know they are by no means rare, but I just don't run across many of those (in comparison to the rest of those from 1987 to 1991). Too bad that there are no rookies to speak of in that set because it really is a sharp looking set.

MeteoriteGuy · December 2, 2008 4:15PM

1988 Donruss is plentiful partly due to no reason to open the packs. One cool RC, worth less then $1.00, doesn't get people going.

The most common football might be 1991 Upper Deck. I always see boxes of it for sale, despite a pretty good RC crop.

VitoCo1972 · December 2, 2008 4:31PM

I see way too many packs of 1952 Bowman Large Football everywhere I go. I mean with no good cards and packs only worth $0.05, it's no wonder.

Sorry, just wanted to freak out Perkdog and BigDaddyBowman

Estil · December 2, 2008 4:37PM

<< Someone mentioned 1988 Fleer. I know they are by no means rare, but I just run across many of those (in comparison to the rest of those from 1987 to 1991). Too bad that there are no rookies to speak of in that set because it really is a sharp looking set. >>

They must not be very rare considering the Tiffany set can be had for $20 at BBCE.

saucywombat · December 3, 2008 2:05AM

88 Fleer Rules. I rank it right behind 84 Donruss in 80's eye appeal. Followed closely by '83 Topps.

Estil · December 3, 2008 2:22AM

<< 
I remember about 1 or 2 months AFTER I purchased about 20 or so cases, Donruss came out with an announcement that the production number they originally announced was "Incorrect". In fact, the correct amount they produced was about TWICE what they originally stated. Prices dropped that day and have been trying to get lower (is that possible?) every day since.
>>

That can't be right. I thought in those days (and is that true today?) production numbers were super secret, maybe even more so than nuclear launch codes. It wasn't until 1993 Finest (4000 cases) that production numbers were first made public for any product.

Morgoth · December 3, 2008 2:24AM

88 Fleer was glossy, 88 Topps was Tiffany.

If I was doing a complete topps run I would definately use Tiffany sets for the late 80s sets.

Dboneesq · December 3, 2008 2:44AM

Estil,

Not sure that those numbers were so secret. I do remember all the other dealers talking and all of us being pissed when it was found out (maybe it was NOT an official announcement?) that the '88 Donruss production run was DOUBLE what it was thought to be.

Stay Healthy!

Doug

slantycouch · December 3, 2008 3:28AM

<< 88 Fleer was glossy, 88 Topps was Tiffany.

If I was doing a complete topps run I would definately use Tiffany sets for the late 80s sets. >>

I wish Topps had randomly inserted Tiffany cards into packs around that time, instead of just selling complete Tiffany sets. They would be much more fun to collect now, and also worth a lot more because so many of them would have been beaten up by kids over time.

Being able to just buy the Tiffany factory set is too easy for me. There's no challenge.

Estil · December 3, 2008 4:00AM

Sure there's a challenge; it's called finding a set that doesn't look all icky yellow on the borders. Or is my eyes playing tricks on me when I see those scans of even high graded Tiffany cards with those yellowed borders?

Estil · December 3, 2008 4:02AM

<< Estil,

Not sure that those numbers were so secret. I do remember all the other dealers talking and all of us being pissed when it was found out (maybe it was NOT an official announcement?) that the '88 Donruss production run was DOUBLE what it was thought to be.

Stay Healthy!

Doug >>

But did they know the EXACT numbers? For example, in the Beckett Alamanc, 1989 Upper Deck was originally meant to be limited to "only" one million of each card but this number was increased (perhaps up to double that) because of how ultra popular the set was.

slantycouch · December 3, 2008 4:06AM

<< Sure there's a challenge; it's called finding a set that doesn't look all icky yellow on the borders. Or is my eyes playing tricks on me when I see those scans of even high graded Tiffany cards with those yellowed borders? >>

haha touche.

Ahmanfan · December 3, 2008 4:19AM

1 million? wow.

StopYurWhining · December 3, 2008 7:09AM

1990 upper deck baseball, 1991 UD football (thank GOD i presold boxes for $45 each woohoo!) 191-92 UD basketball ....

see a pattern ? lol

WinPitcher · December 3, 2008 9:01AM

1988 Donruss gets my vote.

Steve

WinPitcher · December 3, 2008 9:03AM

1989 Upper Deck was originally meant to be limited to "only" one million of each card

That was until they saw what Griffey's were going for and produced another million for themselves.

Steve

Which year/brand of cards do you see the most of? In other words, which set is the most mass produce

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