Sports Cards Mania

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,948
That painting is so good.

Anyway, the Wander sticker auto thing, out of curiosity, would you prefer a redemption if you were guaranteed it on card, encased but where it may take months or years? Like, Inception is not a low end product, and this is the gem card of the set, and it's a sticker auto + an unrelated player worn patch? It's kind of a bummer. I mean I'll never have the card but still even with my distaste for redemptions, I think I'd rather wait if I was ensured of getting it.
The only thing I truly dislike more than sticker autos are redemptions. I'm sitting on over 25 redemptions that are each 5+ years old. And on almost every single one, the card is worth SIGNIFICANTLY lower now than it would have been had I received a sticker auto at the time of the set release date. It's honestly ridiculous that these card companies can get away with this shit, basically giving out an "IOU" for something you spend a small fortune on, and then by the time you get it, you've lost almost all of the value. Topps/Bowman isn't awful, and neither is Upper Deck, but Panini is fucking terrible, IMO. I've got 1/1 Logoman autos from National Treasure, RPA's for guys like Jaylen Brown from Spectra, etc. that I will most likely never see, and now have to wait for "replacement cards" in which they use present day value, not the value that the card would have been worth when the product was released. I called them on January 19th, and was told it would be 6-8 weeks (this is the 25th time I've heard this in 5 years) to receive the replacements. I called again on February 7th, again on March 3rd, and I'll be calling again this week. There needs to be a class action suit against these card companies regarding redemptions. No other companies in the world are allowed to market and sell you something, and then hand you a piece of cardboard that basically says "We'll get it to you when we get around to it...." Could people imagine ordering stuff from Amazon, have the driver show up with an envelope and say "Sorry, out of stock, no refund, we'll just deliver it when we have it."
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,841
Won one of these Brady rookies on ebay last week. Obviously not the BIG EXPENSIVE stuff, but I like it. The PSA 10 ones appear to be going for about $1500+ now.

50619
 

bradcote

Member
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Jul 27, 2005
3,150
Keepin' it real in Maine
The only thing I truly dislike more than sticker autos are redemptions. I'm sitting on over 25 redemptions that are each 5+ years old. And on almost every single one, the card is worth SIGNIFICANTLY lower now than it would have been had I received a sticker auto at the time of the set release date. It's honestly ridiculous that these card companies can get away with this shit, basically giving out an "IOU" for something you spend a small fortune on, and then by the time you get it, you've lost almost all of the value. Topps/Bowman isn't awful, and neither is Upper Deck, but Panini is fucking terrible, IMO. I've got 1/1 Logoman autos from National Treasure, RPA's for guys like Jaylen Brown from Spectra, etc. that I will most likely never see, and now have to wait for "replacement cards" in which they use present day value, not the value that the card would have been worth when the product was released. I called them on January 19th, and was told it would be 6-8 weeks (this is the 25th time I've heard this in 5 years) to receive the replacements. I called again on February 7th, again on March 3rd, and I'll be calling again this week. There needs to be a class action suit against these card companies regarding redemptions. No other companies in the world are allowed to market and sell you something, and then hand you a piece of cardboard that basically says "We'll get it to you when we get around to it...." Could people imagine ordering stuff from Amazon, have the driver show up with an envelope and say "Sorry, out of stock, no refund, we'll just deliver it when we have it."
The ball is rolling on the lawsuit: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/money/topps-panini-trading-card-class-actions-claims-redemption-cards-an-unlawful-lottery/
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,948
That suit seems to only pertain to the specialty cards that don't specify a player. The argument is that it's an illegal lottery.

I think they need to be sued for consumer fraud, and unfair business practices myself. We'll see how it shakes out, but that lawsuit won't stop them from issuing redemptions except in limited circumstances (I haven't read much on it other than what is the article though).
 

BernieRicoBoomer

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Sep 20, 2007
805
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So I just got some hanger packs for Topps Series 1 baseball...they indicate to look for relics and autographs. I have only gotten those in hobby boxes. Do they actually show up in other packs and retail configurations?
 

Fishercat

Svelte and sexy!
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May 18, 2007
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As a general rule, relics/autos are rarer out of retail packs than hobby packs, definitely still possible. I generally only buy decent volume for A&G but I've pulled relics out of retail a few times there.

Has anyone been following Fanatics and Zerocool? The first run were kind of a joke in my view (the price was absurd on the blind dutch auction and the cards looked kind of terrible), but they just put up a Jackass sale for reverse dutch auction and it seems to be their first attempt at a true set. I really dig the transparency of the numbers: they are explicitly clear on the population of each card in the set down to base cards as well as box numbers and how many go out for retail vs. promotion. They also have a full checklist with variations. That is a welcome change from what I've been seeing in the regular sports card world where we often don't have full checklists until it's out. With that said, the cards are really basic, border, photo, name plate - makes base set Topps look fancy. With that said, quality of the actual card stock looked very good to me. Also a small run of cards to box: 50 cards a box and odds wise I think it's just under two boxes per auto once all the autos are added in. Numbered parallels should be a lot more frequent though: napkin math says about 7 per box should be expected, none numbered higher than 250. No other inserts beyond numbered parallels and autographs, though they did end up getting most of the big names you'd want in a Jackass set - Bam absent for obvious reasons, Ryan Dunn sadly left out. Autos for most people too with the big misses being Tyler the Creator and Machine Gun Kelly.

Edit: Zerocool Jackass went for $101 per box (9500 boxes were up for bid) It seems my general math assumptions played out based on the breaks I've seen but collation seems odd. Still saw an auto every two boxes or so with 6-8 parallels per box. There were packs with an auto and two parallels for instance, and then a slew of base cards. I don't know how this would work with sports if they ever do a Zerocool/MLB model for instance - I'm going to imagine prices would be a lot higher.
 
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Bongorific

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Jul 16, 2005
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Balboa Towers
Stumbled on piles of 2021 chrome update boxes while returning something to target. Didn’t get anything fancy, but lots of purple rookie cards. Kelenic, Addell, Patino, India, some others I never heard of. $50 for a retail box of 10 packs/40 cards.
 

LogansDad

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Nov 15, 2006
29,055
Alamogordo
So I just got some hanger packs for Topps Series 1 baseball...they indicate to look for relics and autographs. I have only gotten those in hobby boxes. Do they actually show up in other packs and retail configurations?
One of my two 1/1's came from a hanger. Vald Jr Cyan Printing Plate.
 

Tim Salmon

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Oct 24, 2005
3,293
Oh okay, thanks. I have gotten short prints but no relics or autos. Good to know it's possible!
I had some GameStop rewards, so I used them on a Topps Gypsy Queen blaster (7 packs, 49 cards total). Most of the cards were meh, but this was in there:

50714

Not super-high value, but it was a nice surprise. Numbered out of 50, and supposedly the retail pack odds are 1:11,569.
 

Traut

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I had some GameStop rewards, so I used them on a Topps Gypsy Queen blaster (7 packs, 49 cards total). Most of the cards were meh, but this was in there:

View attachment 50714

Not super-high value, but it was a nice surprise. Numbered out of 50, and supposedly the retail pack odds are 1:11,569.
That’s a cool card!

I really like the Gypsy Queen sets in general and love the on card autos specifically.
 

AlNipper49

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Dope
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Apr 3, 2001
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Mtigawi
Found this full case of 1988 Donruss value packs in my attic. 72 packs of 45 cards, all intact although case is open. Anyone think it might have any value?
You absolutely need to livestream opening that up. I’d pay $200 to the Jimmy Fund for a team in that break.
 

Traut

lost his degree
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Jul 20, 2005
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Traut

lost his degree
Lifetime Member
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Jul 20, 2005
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You absolutely need to livestream opening that up. I’d pay $200 to the Jimmy Fund for a team in that break.
It’s one of those things where it’s probably worth buying to pour gasoline on it and lighting it on fire to increase Tik Tok engagement.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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I believe I will find some neighborhood kids and teach them the art of flipping.

IIRC, we went to an auction (Fine Art, Porsches, Rolexes, Persian rugs) at a hotel ballroom 20 years ago and they didn’t have time for this item and we paid about $20 for it after three hours of boredom.
 

Traut

lost his degree
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I believe I will find some neighborhood kids and teach them the art of flipping.

IIRC, we went to an auction (Fine Art, Porsches, Rolexes, Persian rugs) at a hotel ballroom 20 years ago and they didn’t have time for this item and we paid about $20 for it after three hours of boredom.
I looked at individual graded cards from that set and they all say “Low Pop” in the header. The cards sell for between $20 and $90 for a PSA 10 - Mark Grace, Clemens, McGwire and Canseco all going for $20 plus.

The reason for low pop aside from things like centering issues is that it now costs a minimum of $100 to get a card graded from PSA.
 

Traut

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That 1988 Donruss box sent me down a rabbit hole - this is in equal parts hysterical and insane.

Check out the PSA gradings and auction prices:

https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/baseball-cards/1988-donruss/35534

I want to meet the person who paid to have a Ken Dixon and/or a Bill Wegman 1988 Donruss graded.

The entire list is obscene. Were there this many dares? Did PSA graders piss themselves laughing? Is there some shadow market in this?

I’m going to try to collect the most absurd PSA10s of this set. None currently for sale on eBay.
 
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Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,439
That 1988 Donruss box sent me down a rabbit hole - this is in equal parts hysterical and insane.

Check out the PSA gradings and auction prices:

https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/baseball-cards/1988-donruss/35534

I want to meet the person who paid to have a Ken Dixon and/or a Bill Wegman 1988 Donruss graded.

The entire list is obscene. Were there this many dares? Did PSA graders piss themselves laughing? Is there some shadow market in this?

I’m going to try to collect the most absurd PSA10s of this set. None currently for sale on eBay.
Maybe the player himself or family?
 

ThreeIfBaerga

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May 31, 2005
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Back Brain Kick, MA.
So I was cleaning out an old box of cards and stumbled across two Topps rookie Gretzky cards. Did a quick google and it looks like the O-Pee-Chee rookies are the ones going for big money with a 10 grade. Topps seem to be all over the place. Mine look to be to be really good condition, one was in plastic, so I must have been anticipating a big score 40 years ago. Is it worth it to have them professionaly graded?
 

DanoooME

above replacement level
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Mar 16, 2008
19,831
Henderson, NV
That 1988 Donruss box sent me down a rabbit hole - this is in equal parts hysterical and insane.

Check out the PSA gradings and auction prices:

https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/baseball-cards/1988-donruss/35534

I want to meet the person who paid to have a Ken Dixon and/or a Bill Wegman 1988 Donruss graded.

The entire list is obscene. Were there this many dares? Did PSA graders piss themselves laughing? Is there some shadow market in this?

I’m going to try to collect the most absurd PSA10s of this set. None currently for sale on eBay.
There seems to be a small contingent that likes to collect entire sets of PSA 10s, 9s etc. I see some of the rarer ones come up for auction on occasion.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,948
There seems to be a small contingent that likes to collect entire sets of PSA 10s, 9s etc. I see some of the rarer ones come up for auction on occasion.
it's not that small of a contingent, but yes, this is absolutely true. Most folks aren't collecting sets from pre-2000's that aren't graded (as in every card is graded). The recent increase in the cost of grading is mostly irrelevant, as a ton of those graded commons were done years ago, when the price of the grading was commensurate with the value of the card and/or the set you were getting graded. Nobody paid $100 to get a 1983 Fleer Porfirio Altimarino graded.

You'll see a lot of sets marketed for sale as "all graded PSA 5 or higher," etc., and then in the description, you'll tend to find the specific grades for the big cards from the set.
 

Green (Tongued) Monster

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Jun 2, 2016
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Anyone else get hobby boxes with no relic or autograph or is it just me? 3 times now…
That is pretty surprising that it has happened on three separate occasions on the same year's product. If they are indeed hobby boxes, then an autograph or relic should be guaranteed. It happened to me once, but with Panini product. I took pictures of all of the cards on a table and sent in a complaint. They sent me an auto in the mail. I would assume Topps would do the same. I am guessing that you did not get a redemption card either?
 

BernieRicoBoomer

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Sep 20, 2007
805
Bound Brook, NJ
That is pretty surprising that it has happened on three separate occasions on the same year's product. If they are indeed hobby boxes, then an autograph or relic should be guaranteed. It happened to me once, but with Panini product. I took pictures of all of the cards on a table and sent in a complaint. They sent me an auto in the mail. I would assume Topps would do the same. I am guessing that you did not get a redemption card either?
Yeah, Topps appears to have a process for this. I'm not sure how that works when I bought from an online retailer...will they just claim that the retailer screwed me or something? Not sure, but I will look into it. One of the heritage boxes had a pack with only 6 cards in it, which I assume was meant to be the pack with a relic. That particular box had maybe a total of 8 common inserts in it and nothing at all otherwise. Everything seemed to be properly sealed and I assume Steel City Collectibles is reputable.

No redemption cards in any of these either.
 

Green (Tongued) Monster

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Jun 2, 2016
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Hanover, PA
Yeah, Topps appears to have a process for this. I'm not sure how that works when I bought from an online retailer...will they just claim that the retailer screwed me or something? Not sure, but I will look into it. One of the heritage boxes had a pack with only 6 cards in it, which I assume was meant to be the pack with a relic. That particular box had maybe a total of 8 common inserts in it and nothing at all otherwise. Everything seemed to be properly sealed and I assume Steel City Collectibles is reputable.

No redemption cards in any of these either.
Steel City is definitely reputable and this is solely a Topps issue. I am sure they will make things right, although this is a hassle for you.

When I went through the complaint process with Panini, an auto or relic was promised on the box. They could have sent me either, but sent an auto. Hopefully Topps does the same.
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
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Jul 19, 2005
17,367
My son was going through my old baseball cards this weekend and refreshed a memory I had successfully blocked for probably a decade now. 6 year old me hated the Oakland A's for some reason. In my infinite wisdom I folded a good number of my A's cards in half. Including my Rickey Henderson rookie card. :mad:
 

deanx0

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My son was going through my old baseball cards this weekend and refreshed a memory I had successfully blocked for probably a decade now. 6 year old me hated the Oakland A's for some reason. In my infinite wisdom I folded a good number of my A's cards in half. Including my Rickey Henderson rookie card. :mad:
Yeah, my old 1977, 1978, and 1979 Topps sets are short of Yankee cards for some unknown reason...
 

Fishercat

Svelte and sexy!
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May 18, 2007
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So, fun note. Due to this thread I had finally bought some cardboard boxes to store my cards I'd picked up through Target card pickups and the like and I was going through them and found some 2016 Bowman Chrome. It was a break here like 5 years ago where I was randomized into what was likely the worst team in the set at the time (Seattle) so I kind forgot about it after I got the cards. Penny sleeved up the one hit and stashed the rest.

The one hit? Well it's a good reminder to sleeve and store no matter what their prospects look like at the time. Tyler O'Neill Auto to 50. Not the premier actual 1st Chrome Auto but a subset, but still...that was a fun one to re-stumble on.
 

AlNipper49

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Apr 3, 2001
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So my ten year old is starting collecting and I’m kind of overwhelmed with the options. He doesn’t need the best packs as with kids he does somewhat value volume over quality. At the same time I’d rather not buy him junk. I’m thinking that $4-$5/pack would be fine since that’s what he’s currently used to with Pokémon. Any suggestions?
 

Traut

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So my ten year old is starting collecting and I’m kind of overwhelmed with the options. He doesn’t need the best packs as with kids he does somewhat value volume over quality. At the same time I’d rather not buy him junk. I’m thinking that $4-$5/pack would be fine since that’s what he’s currently used to with Pokémon. Any suggestions?
Topps Series 1 - you can pull some great stuff. The cards retail for $19 for a blaster that contains 8 packs. You will probably pay $30 at a card store. Which is still a good buy.

Fat packs are like $9 at target and the product seems to be easy to find this year.

$25 on Amazon: 2022 Topps Series 1 Baseball Trading Cards Blaster Box (99 cards per box) View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SYGKKKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XECF9QREF5XCKW91VS56
 
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Bongorific

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Jul 16, 2005
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Balboa Towers
Topps Series 1 - you can pull some great stuff. The cards retail for $19 for a blaster that contains 8 packs. You will probably pay $30 at a card store. Which is still a good buy.

Fat packs are like $9 at target and the product seems to be easy to find this year.
Traut is wise. If you’re going baseball, Topps S1 is great. It’s an entry level price but still a nice looking card. Whereas with basketball, the Hoops cards look and feel like dogshit.

Topps Stadium Club comes out around end of June. Prices similar to Series 1, I really like the design and photos.

Target and Wal Mart are the only place you’ll pay retail. They have all different size packs and boxes, online and in store once again.

Unlike Target and Wal Mart, card stores get hobby boxes. More packs and you’re guaranteed a certain number of auto and relic cards. The only place you’ll find hobby boxes at retail price is on the Topps website. If you go on the morning of a release you can usually grab a box (2 max). Note you need an account so set that up ahead. Last year I bought 2 boxes of stadium club on Topps website for $100 each whereas card shops were around $130
 
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Fishercat

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May 18, 2007
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Topps S1 is in other places too. Barnes and Noble, some gas stations, etc. Topps S1 is a great reasonable entry point though. Fun rip. Heritage is okay but I find it more boring.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
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Topps is everywhere. I’d want my kid to be unique and be able to trade better. Can’t trade if everyone has it.
 

Bongorific

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Jul 16, 2005
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Balboa Towers
Topps S1 is in other places too. Barnes and Noble, some gas stations, etc. Topps S1 is a great reasonable entry point though. Fun rip. Heritage is okay but I find it more boring.
Good to know. It was way back in the day, but since I started looking again a couple years ago, I’ve only seen it in target and walmart
 

AlNipper49

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Topps Series 1 - you can pull some great stuff. The cards retail for $19 for a blaster that contains 8 packs. You will probably pay $30 at a card store. Which is still a good buy.

Fat packs are like $9 at target and the product seems to be easy to find this year.

$25 on Amazon: 2022 Topps Series 1 Baseball Trading Cards Blaster Box (99 cards per box) View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SYGKKKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XECF9QREF5XCKW91VS56
This is perfect! Thank You.