Box Break part II / III

 Here's part two of the retro box break... and also part three of the Anniversary break?!?

Before opening any packs I perused the face cards to try and match the collecting preferences of my friends in the Anniversary break. So if you're collecting the base set or glossy All-Star set *cough* Fuji  don't add any new singles to your set build until you receive these 😉

These are the packs I kept:

Yup, two Mel Hall cards in the same spot. I could not inflict that horror upon any of you, so I'm stuck with 'em. 

I was too busy playing tic-tac-toe with Blue Jays to see there were two Enos Cabell cards facing front in the same spot as well. Not a single Hall of Famer base card facing front, but the Cecil Fielder RC might be the best card in the set anyhow. 

Got two Tim Wallach All-Star cards facing front, too. Wonder why they seem to choose the same cards to top off each rack pack? And why they wouldn't put bigger names to entice kids to buy them? This was a BBCE sealed box so I know it wasn't searched. I checked the backs and found three Hall of Famers: Jim Rice, Rod Carew, and Steve Carlton. So the stars are in these packs -- at least some of 'em. 

There's no way I would have completed a Glossy set even if I'd kept every pack.

x Sparky Anderson
2 Eddie Murray
x Lou Whitaker
2 George Brett
1 Cal Ripken
x Jim Rice
1 Rickey Henderson
x Dave Winfield
1 Carlton Fisk
1 Jack Morris
1 American League team
1 Dick Williams
x Steve Garvey
x Tom Herr
x Graig Nettles
1 Ozzie Smith
1 Tony Gwynn
x Dale Murphy
1 Darryl Strawberry
1 Terry Kennedy
2 LaMarr Hoyt 
x National League team

Six Padres seemed excessive until I remembered that 1) the 1986 set has 1985 All-Stars, and 2) the 1985 All-Stars were largely chosen based on their 1984 performance. San Diego won the NL pennant in '84 - but the Tigers won the World Series and they only had half as many cards in this insert set? Was the NL just totally bereft of name-brand players in '84-85?

As for the main set, I opened them pack-by-pack and sorted them on my kitchen table, just as I did with my first-ever set build which was actually 1987 Topps, but ..close enough.

I cracked these open during a rain storm, which reminded me of a similar day sometime in '86. My mom agreed to drive me to the corner store to pick up packs of Garbage Pail Kids and we got back home just as the sky darkened ominously. I remember spreading out my packs on the dining room table while thunder boomed and rain poured outside. Maybe I should rip a box of GPK for this Anniversary break? 

Don't worry, I'm not going to send you all GPK stickers lol. But while I'm on the topic, Series 4 was the set I was most familiar with, as it was the most common and current release in the summer of '86 -- just like 1986 Topps baseball. 

Series 3 packs were released in January 1986, but they may have well been released before I was born. A couple older kids on my block had Series 3 singles and I was in awe of each and every one. Similar to how I viewed my older brother's baseball card ablum and his random singles from 1982-1985. 

6 year-old me when I saw a 1 year-old card/sticker 

I knew someone who had Garbage Pail Kids stickers from Series 2. And boyyy did he let us know it. He even claimed that he had an Ashcan Andy from Series 1 (the '52 Topps of GPK lol) but he never took it out because it was "too valuable" and our goober hands would wreck it or whatever. Psssh. He sooo did not have an Ashcan Andy.

Oh! Speaking of round metal things.. I saw the Stanley Cup! It was so random and unexpected. Yesterday I decided to take my bike out for a ride in downtown Cranford(town next to me) because Saturday was a washout, and I was on my way to get a burger when I turned the corner and saw three guys getting out of a car. They all looked to be about my age (i.e. not pro athletes) and one of them was carrying The Stanley Cup!!!? 

In New Jersey. 

Like..huh? 

I had actually not watched much of the playoffs and it took me a second to figure out who had won when I got semi-close to the guys and shouted "You got the Cup?!?! That's awesome!" across a side street. 

They did not reply to me because of course they didn't. They're friggin Carolina Hurricanes 😡

If I were a few years younger, if my wife were still around, or if it were a member of a team I haven't hated for three decades.. I might have followed them and asked for a picture with it or something. 

Instead I went on my way, grabbed my burger, and immediately started searching "Day With the Cup" online. All the internet would tell me was that little-used spare forward Nic Deslauriers had it in another part of the state on Friday. It's Day with the Cup, not weekend. 

This wasn't Nic though. Even though he's at the end of his career he's still noticeably younger than the guy I saw. 

I had never heard of this guy (I'm not exactly current on Carolina's front office staff) but apparently he's the third  member of the organization to bring the Cup to New Jersey. I'm still not happy they won it though. 

New Jersey hockey fans got a chance to see the Stanley Cup up close this week, more than 20 years after the Devils last won the championship.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Nick Deslauriers brought the trophy to North Wildwood, where fans posed for photos on the pier. Deslauriers, a former Philadelphia Flyer, said he grew to love the Jersey Shore during his time in the area.

The day before, Hurricanes assistant coach and Wood-Ridge native Bill Burniston brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown firehouse, Ridgewood High School, W’s Village Grill in Oakland and Parkwood Deli in Ridgewood, giving fans another chance to celebrate hockey’s biggest prize.

Before I left for that surprise Stanley Cup viewing... I recorded the third and final installment of the Chrome Anniversary Box Break trilogy. Ugh I am never filiming myself ever again ever...

We're still a month out from my actual blogging anniversary but I want to get the rest of the prize haul posted this week and mail out the gifts next week. You'll see why soon enough.

Thanks for reading!

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Retro Break!

 

One thing I wanted to chase down for my anniversary/birthday this summer was old wax packs from my youth. I knew that JB's Sportscards had some early 1990s packs but had no idea that their wax pack stash went even further back. 

Additionally, the card show I stopped at last weekend had much more retro packs including rack packs of 1983 Topps. I initially picked up a pair - along with a pack of 1986 Fleer - but balked at the price. $135 total. I put back one of the '83 Topps rack packs and my new total was $75.

$60 for one of these sounds high to me, but I had to get at least one. These predate my card collecting years (I was 3) and I probably won't see an entire box of unopened 1980s rack packs again at least until the end of this post... I resisted the urge to rifle through all the packs for a favorable face card and picked this one after a short sifting mainly for the Tigers team card. (If a Red Sox player or HOFer was facing up I would have grabbed one.) 

Here's how I know the retro wax guy at the show overcharged me. The 1986 Fleer pack, with no HOF rookie cards possible, was $15. The 1983 Fleer pack on the left was purchased from JB's store. Potential PSA 10 rookie cards of Ryne Sandberg, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs... $10 a pack. 

I will not be opening the 1986 Fleer pack, for two reasons. The first reason is that I already have the completed set and at $15 a pack, with little chance of seeing another one in the wild, it makes no sense to unseal it. The second reason? 1986 Fleer is the first pack of cards I can remember buying as a 5-6 year old. I know I saw packs on the shelf at my local WaWa, next to Bazooka Joe and Charms blow pops. If Topps or Donruss packs were also on the shelves, I don't remember them. In my mind, Fleer was first. Maybe I was drawn to the stickers? 

Since I don't have any personal attachment to the 1983 packs I'll go ahead and crack those open. Fun fact: these 1983 packs will be the oldest I've ever opened. My father in law opened a 1977 Topps pack from the 2011 Topps diamond giveaway(a 34 year-old pack at the time.)

Besides the Ryno/Gwynn/Boggs rookies, we're looking for any of the 43* Hall of Famers who were active at the time (hat tip to Night Owl for the research) Mike Schmidt, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Yaz, and Robin Yount in particular. 

*an appropriate number since these packs are 43 years old
**N.O.'s count lists 52 Hall of Famers. However that counts 9 HOFers who were managing in '83

Here we go...

Wow, the cards are so crisp! The Lonnie Smith made me smile. Jon Bois fans know why. 

Jim Palmer is a nice Hall of Famer to have, since the Orioles were World Champs in '83.

I somehow pulled both side of the Black & Blue franken-card - but out of order (I was momentarily stunned by how off-center Vida was lol) 

Kent Tekulve makes an appearance. I had to explain to my friend Brandon at Baseball Brittie why this old reliever he'd never heard of was so popular. 

And... that's it. No Red Sox but some nice cards. I definitely would buy more if I see them again at JB's.

Now for the $60 rack pack of 1983 Topps. Less value per card here, but more chances to hit a HOFer. 

Let's start with the top window. 

Soo many leader cards. The Dodgers and Cubs cards are nice. There was no Bob Emergency in the early '80s, that's for sure. 

Window #2 felt thicker... because it had an extra card. 

A few of these were off-center including the Rose. But the Eckersley is sharp. 

Last window. Let's get the right Boggs this time...

Nope. Another Gaylord Perry, a couple minor stars, and a Red Sox common. Also, another extra card. Did that happen often with Topps, or were these resealed somehow? 

Dennis, do you need this Gibby? If anyone needs 1983 set fillers let me know.

Quick story about that Gary Gaeti RC - it's not the first time I've owned this card. When I was about 8 or 9 , I was browsing at my local shop, a hole-in-the-wall called Bobby's Umpire. A customer had just ripped open a bunch of packs and put all the singles he didn't want into a brown paper bag. When he got up to leave he saw me and offered the bag of cards. I excitedly accepted and rifled through the bag as quick as can be. Before he was out the door I shouted "You gave me a Gary Gaeti rookie card!" I'll never forget his response: "So?" It meant a lot to me at the time, but I get why he didn't care. 

So the 1983 Topps rack pack was subpar. Let's move on to 1986, shall we?

I bought this for just under $200 at Dave & Adam's, which works out to roughly $8 per pack. A much, much better value than the 1983 - even with the lack of star power potential.

Per Night Owl's math there are 37 Hall of Fame players in the 1986 Topps set (and 7 managers) no Rookie cards of Hall of Famers; the best RCs possible are Cecil Fielder, Darren Daulton, and Ozzie Guillen I guess? This is pure nostalgia for me. Not the first cards I ever purchased -- the first cards I ever collected. 

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Hopefully there's a complete set in here. I already see Cecil :)

Results of the break will be posted next week. 

What's the oldest pack of cards you have ever opened - either by year or by age (how long it stayed sealed)? 

Thanks for reading!



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Lowering My Standards

For much of my collecting life I've been a stickler for condition. When I was younger, it didn't matter to me if cards had frayed corners, scratches, or poor centering - I was happy to get my hands on anything. As an adult I'm much more discerning. It's one reason why I gravitated toward graded cards.

While it is exciting to have a high-grade copy of a card, especially a superstar's RC or a vintage Hall of Famer, it's more about the eye appeal for me than the prestige or resale value. The same reason I'm finicky about corners and centering is likely the same reason I replace my used 9-pocket pages and penny sleeves every three years or so.

In the post-pandemic landscape of higher prices and lesser quantities, having such collecting OCD can be costly. In addition to replacing supplies, I've attempted to replace off-condition singles from completed sets such as 1986 Topps football and 1989-90 Fleer basketball. At least a half-dozen times I've completed trades on TCDB for cards I already had, hoping for an upgrade, only to receive a worse copy. What a waste of stamps, cards, and time.

This past week, two users were nice enough to describe their cards as "well-loved" before accepting the trade. I told them that I appreciate the honest description of the cards, but that I was looking to upgrade a completed set. 

I'm still trying to upgrade 17 cards from 1986 and 1987 Topps football, including rookie cards of Karl Mecklenburg, Anthony Carter, Bruce Smith, and Charles Haley. Carter and Al Toon in particular have been very tough to find with acceptable centering. 

I also need to upgrade newer cards, as a pair of COMC purchases for my 2014 set build - Mike Trout and Marcus Semien - arrived with dinged corners. I learned to live with such flaws after attempting (twice) to upgrade the Logan Morrison base card. Not sure I can accept having a dinged Trout and/or Semien RC in my set.

Upgrading cards already in my collection is a luxury not unlike paying $35 for a PSA 9 Pie Traynor card for my 1961 Golden Press set build. All of my Golden Press singles are graded EX-MT 6 or better, and $35 is a fair price for a Mint 9 considering the market. However, I'm two cards shy of completing half of that set, and legendary names like Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Speaker, Wagner, and Cy Young are missing from my set build. If I'm going to complete this 33-card set I might need to lower the bar to include lower graded singles or ::gasp:: ungraded copies.

Which brings me to my 1956 Topps set build.

I'm considering this set my magnum opus, my lifetime achievement award. An heirloom to leave to my childrens' childrens' children (unless I have to sell it for my kids' college fund first.)  I've sacrificed several high-value rookie cards to fund this project. Sidney Crosby Upper Deck RC? Gone. Connor McDavid Upper Deck RC? Gone. Stephen Curry Upper Deck RC? Gone.

Mid-grade second-year Roberto Clemente cards don't grow on trees, you know.

I'm at 57% completion of the '56 set, with several big names behind me. I'm not giving up on the set build.. but I am lowering the bar.

This Walt Dropo single cost me $20 on COMC:

Dropo was a legend in my home state, excelling at baseball and basketball at the University of Connecticut. I sort-of saw him signing autographs at a card shop upstate when I was a kid. I spotted the store from the road, decided to stop in for a few packs, and saw that he was sitting at a table up front. I didn't know who he was at the time :/

This Jim Wilson single was part of the same COMC order, setting me back $3.19:

Spending $15+ on PSA graded singles of the Jim Wilsons and Ray Moores of the set doesn't make much financial sense when Willie, Whitey, Pee Wee, and other HOFers are still needed. 

I do have some ungraded 1956 singles, but I try to select the best possible examples. Even after examining scans of the front and back there's always a chance that a card will have a hidden flaw.

Like a scratch mark across Wilson's cap. 

If I want to complete the '56 set by the time I turn 56 I'll need to average just over 10 new additions per year..  or add one new card per month for the next twelve years. 

Guess I'll have to resist the urge to upgrade every flawed single in my connection, vintage or modern.

Thanks for reading!



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Saturday Show and Tell

Before the second half of NBA Week begins I thought I'd squeeze in a recap of all the cards that have arrived at Collector HQ this week. We'll start with the first pair of PWEs for the Swap Meet:

The mysterious Elliptical Man who never provides a last name sent 15 singles, including loads of legends:

I knew Moses Malone was great - but I didn't realize just how dominant he was until researching my 1982-83 "Topps" Basketball set. Tim Hardaway will be a Hall of Famer eventually.. right?

Very nice mix of cards here. Thank you Brendan!

Jeff, author of the blog Wax Pack Wonders, contributed 14 cards:

1980's Fleer! I'm now back up to 32% of thie 1988-89 set, after purging some PSA singles.

These six Reggie Miller cards bump Karl Malone off the top spot in my collection; I have 54 Mailmen and I now have 56 Millers - not including his cameo in the Hardaway card.

Six Hakeem Olajowon cards round out the PWE.Thank you Jeff!

I bought a pair of hockey cards from Harris Sports Cards on eBay:

Tyler Seguin is the 27th card I've added to my 2015-16 Exquisite set build. There are 30 cards in this subset/base set, but try telling that to TCDB. I was excited to add the Whalers logo sticker to my order for $1. Couldn't find it at any of the online retailers I frequent, and no one had it for trade on TCDB.

I tried filling sets through Sportlots. Bandit24 offers free shipping if you order more than 80 cards from him.

I ordered 109.

My 1986 Topps Football set is complete; these are all upgrades. Pat McInally invented Starting Lineup figures.

My wife had about 80 of the 180 cards in the 1994-95 Upper Deck SP insert set and I've nearly completed it for her. I'm down to just 8 needs, with one card on the way from Baseballcardstore.ca.

2013 Topps is almost complete. I just need three Mike Trout cards, the Manny Machado rookie, and nine other randos. 2013 Topps Update is less complete. I'm at about 85% of the 330-card set.

Another very ambitious set build I'll probably never finish - 2018 Topps Chrome. The good news is I've got 61% of the set. The bad news is I still need the Ronald Acuna RC, the Rafael Devers RC, and the Shohei Ohtani RC. Yikes.  The Ron Artest Hoops Decade RC has a roller mark on it. I'll probably have to upgrade.

1995-96 Playoff One on One is another one of wifey's starter sets I'm trying to finish. I've added about 40% of the 2019 Score football set over the past couple of months - and at far less than the cost of a blaster.

I picked out a couple of cards for my team PCs, including a Xander Bogaerts insert and an Aaron Rodgers base card. By the way, every single card in my order was 18 cents.

Except for this Wayne Gretzky sticker from 1985-86 Topps. This was kind of an impulse buy at $3.95.

I made some room in my Hartford Whalers binder (by taking out New Haven cards) so I started filling in those empty slots. Also picked up a couple of Colorado Rockies cards. I might add the Rockies and Scouts to my list of team collections, since they are part of the Devils' lineage.

Made some progress on my 1988-89 Topps set build - but not quite as much as I intended.

How did I manage to order two Rick Vaive cards? I could have filled in another need. Oh well :/

These are all in nice shape, but the Hrudey is way off center on the back. I might have to upgrade that one.

Finally, the main focus of this order was finishing off my 1992-93 Topps Archives basketball set. I needed 15 cards and Bandit24 had them all. They were the first cards I placed in my cart. Everything else was secondary.

Feckin' hell. Gold parallels.

All of them were gold parallels. It's a nice bonus, I guess. But now I have to go get those 15 base cards.

I've already spent the $1.98 in loot (and a $0.36 refund) on more cards from Bandit - but I didn't bother trying to order these again. 

Have you ever received parallel cards when ordering base set fillers? Did you notify the seller?

Thanks for reading!




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