What is(are) Your Best Pack(s) Opened?

minnesotahusker · April 16, 2009 7:35AM

Interested to hear about your experiences. Do you remember the best packs you've opened? I don't have the experience or resources that most of you have, so my pack opening experience is limited.

I have a few.

Back in 1989 when Upper Deck released their first issue, I pulled two Griffeys out of the same pack. At the time, it was a $10 card. But it was still exciting.

I pulled a 1995 Upper Deck Roger Clemens autograph out of a pack.

My biggest pull was a Gretzky Topps rookie. I bought five packs from a friend in the mid 90s at $25/pack. The last pack had the Gretzky as the last card. I had it graded with BGS and got an 8, and held on to it for quite a while. I listed it on ebay, not caring if I sold it. So I put $499.99 on it in my store and it sold. I really wish I would have just held on to it.

BPorter26 · April 16, 2009 7:59AM

I'm not a big ripper, but I pulled a 1997 Bowman Derek Jeter Green Auto and of course I sold it, I wish kept that card. In 1992 I pulled a Shaq beam team out of Topps Stadium Club basketball and a week later pulled a beam team Jordan. Needless to say I do not own those cards today. It was a thrill at the time.

ElToroLoco · April 16, 2009 8:50AM

Nice pulls! One of my most memorable was a 1993 Donruss Elite auto of Will Clark pulled on my birthday. My mom got the box for about $8. I still have it and have no intentions of ever selling it.

larryallen73 · April 16, 2009 8:53AM

That's easy... '81 Donruss back in '81. When they first came out the packs were very poorly colated. I remember opening a pack that had 5 or 6 George Brett's in it. Sure they are worthless now but they were big back in '81!

itzagoner · April 16, 2009 8:58AM

pulled a Sandberg RC from a Topps pack several years ago and slid into a Card Saver and thought, "Huh, nice."

a few months later i sent it in and got a PSA 10...still got it, won't sell it.

bman90278 · April 16, 2009 9:32AM

I haven't really opened up too many packs in the last few years and I was out of the hobby for almost 20 years. I would say my best rips were when I was a kid...I came up with a couple of Eddie Murray rookie cards ( Still have them), I pulled a Sandberg RC (can't find it), still have my original Tony Dorsett RC cards...I think things are different now...back in the 70's I was just happy to get any all star or Dodgers and that was it...Today its a big business sport and the average kid isn't really going to have a big pull like the past.

leathtech · April 16, 2009 9:32AM

the last 2 group BBCE rips have been very very very good to me pulled a Jordan rookie and then a Gretzky rookie

lsutigers1973 · April 16, 2009 10:21AM

Nothing too exciting that I can remember from one pack but I did get a hot box from Walmart of 2002 Fleer Tradition. Every pack had a GU'd card in it.

summerof68 · April 16, 2009 3:26PM

I'm 52 now and I distinctly remember back to 1968 which was my first year collecting cards. A new Thrifty's Drug store had its grand opening in our town of West Covina, Ca. and I rode down on my bike to buy some baseball cards. One isle had dozens of '68 bb raks and I looked them all over for any Dodgers showing as they were my favorite team. I purchased around 6 or so raks that had dodgers showing and immediately opened them outside the store. In one rak I found two Mantles. I remember this as if it happened yesterday because back in '68 Mantle & Mays were the two cards I always looked for because I had a friend who would trade me loads of Dodger cards for those two players. I spent the next two years using my paper route money to bust '69 & '70 bb raks. Sadly 3 years later in 1973 at the age of 16 I burned several large boxes of '68 thru '70 Topps baseball cards on Halloween night roughly--25,000+ cards. By then my interests had switched from cards to girls & cars so I decided that halloween night to hand out the cards in 100-card bundles to the trickotreaters. But right from the start the kids began complaining because they wanted candy instead. So my mother began handing out candy and I spent the rest of that evening throwing 100-card bundles into the fireplace. I know it sounds rediculous but back in '73 the cards had no value other than sentimental. It's been 36 years since that fateful night and it still burns my ass everytime I think about it!!

SidePocket · April 16, 2009 4:59PM

I don't smoke anymore, but there was a pack of Marlboro's back in 72 I'll never forget.

NickM · April 16, 2009 6:10PM

I pulled 3 autographs from 11 packs of 2001 Fleer Greats of the Game basketball purchased in 2003 from a card store for $2.50 a pack: Bobby Knight, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and George Mikan. Mikan was a SP, with apparently only 100 signed.

Nick

purduepete · April 16, 2009 7:36PM

<< <i>I'm 52 now and I distinctly remember back to 1968 which was my first year collecting cards. A new Thrifty's Drug store had its grand opening in our town of West Covina, Ca. and I rode down on my bike to buy some baseball cards. One isle had dozens of '68 bb raks and I looked them all over for any Dodgers showing as they were my favorite team. I purchased around 6 or so raks that had dodgers showing and immediately opened them outside the store. In one rak I found two Mantles. I remember this as if it happened yesterday because back in '68 Mantle & Mays were the two cards I always looked for because I had a friend who would trade me loads of Dodger cards for those two player. Ironically 5 years later at the age of 16 I burned several large boxes of '68 thru '70 Topps baseball cards on Halloween night (roughly 20,000+ cards). I had intended on handing them out in 100 card bundles to the trickotreaters but initially the kids were complaining because they wanted candy instead. So my mother began handing out candy and I spent the rest of that evening throwing the cards hundreds at a time into the fireplace. I know it sounds rediculous but back in '73 the cards had no value other than sentimental. True story and it hurts everytime I think about it 26 years later!!! >>

That sucks! If you only knew then what you know now about those cards...

thedutymon · April 16, 2009 10:17PM

Good Day,
Couple of years ago, group rip here, pulled two Dorsetts out of the same 78 Topps pack, One was super, other had wax, cleaned with nylon, sent in. Both came back as MINT 9's. Made over $325.00 off the two cards.
Neil

jimmyg · April 16, 2009 10:48PM

1988 Score. Gregg Jefferies was the last card in the pack. I did a little pirouette when I pulled that baby.

billwaltonsbeard · April 16, 2009 11:17PM

<< <i>1988 Score. Gregg Jefferies was the last card in the pack. I did a little pirouette when I pulled that baby. >>

I can't believe you didn't keep that pack unopened! Can you imagine what that pack would be worth today?

minnesotahusker · April 17, 2009 1:02AM

<< <i>I'm 52 now and I distinctly remember back to 1968 which was my first year collecting cards. A new Thrifty's Drug store had its grand opening in our town of West Covina, Ca. and I rode down on my bike to buy some baseball cards. One isle had dozens of '68 bb raks and I looked them all over for any Dodgers showing as they were my favorite team. I purchased around 6 or so raks that had dodgers showing and immediately opened them outside the store. In one rak I found two Mantles. I remember this as if it happened yesterday because back in '68 Mantle & Mays were the two cards I always looked for because I had a friend who would trade me loads of Dodger cards for those two player. Ironically 5 years later at the age of 16 I burned several large boxes of '68 thru '70 Topps baseball cards on Halloween night (roughly 20,000+ cards). I had intended on handing them out in 100 card bundles to the trickotreaters but initially the kids were complaining because they wanted candy instead. So my mother began handing out candy and I spent the rest of that evening throwing the cards hundreds at a time into the fireplace. I know it sounds rediculous but back in '73 the cards had no value other than sentimental. True story and it hurts everytime I think about it 26 years later!!! >>

OUCH!!!

I worked in a baseball card shop for almost ten years and if I had a dollar for each story I heard similar to yours and throw in the story about my mom throwing away my cards, I would have enough money to buy a nice PSA 9 Jordan rookie.

lsutigers1973 · April 17, 2009 1:06AM

<< <i>if I had a dollar for each story I heard similar to yours and throw in the story about my mom throwing away my cards >>

I think everyone has one of those stories including myself and I knew the values when she threw them away. This was pre-eBay so a lot of them had minimal value at the time. I still love my Momma though and still talk to her on occassions.

hammered · April 17, 2009 1:09AM

I was 7, went to Newberry's Drug Store every Saturday to buy rack packs of 1976 Topps baseball. I remember pulling several of the Aaron RB (my favorite card). I kept the Aarons, Dodgers, gave the Reds to my brother and no idea what happened to the rest.

richtree · April 17, 2009 1:12AM

I remember opening an 89 upper deck pack down at the card store. If you guys remember the 89 upper deck cards sometime stuck together and sometimes you would get dups in the same packs.

I got 4 Gary Sheffield's (upsidedown SS) in one pack. I thought it was great then but now I have 57 of this same card and don't know what to do with them., lol.

What is(are) Your Best Pack(s) Opened?

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