Now, of course, Upper Deck solved this conundrum in 1989 by encasing their cards in MRE Wrap, but did you know that Donruss actually beat them to it? The Cloud is all the rage these days, and anybody whos anybody has at least one something running there, or aspires to. I was blown away with the quality. RARE does not usually apply to baseball cards of the Junk Wax era. You know how, when you see a stack of 1982 Fleer baseball cards, they look all dingy and old? However, pulling a Jeter that is in good enough shape to grade out as a Gem Mint 10 can be very tough. If youve been around the hobby for awhile, youve undoubtedly run across 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. In recent years, weve seen a rise in collectors acquiring unopened wax boxes and hobby boxes, and some of these sealed boxes go back 50 years, making them some of the most valuable factory-sealed baseball cards on the market. Junk By entering your email address you agree to receive email versions of the Baseball Card Market Report. Several hundred rack packs. So, sometimes youll hear card geeks like me waxing (haha) poetic about how you can (or cant) chow down on that good old vintage gum that comes in old wax packs of (Topps) baseball cards. Rose slashed his way past Ty Cobb and his 4191 hits on September 11, 1985, and the hobby loved him for it before, at that moment, and afterward. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that went to auction earlier this month sold for a record $12.6 million on Sunday. Rookie Card #1, 3. SP was a high-end product from Upper Deck. (Over the next little while, Im going to be unfurling a set of experimental types of posts to see if they strike any cardboard chords. If you have a box from this era, here are a few resources to help you know what to look out for: Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Provenzale points to the most famous card in the industry the T206 Honus Wagner card, of which there are only believed to be 60 believed in existence. Wax And, among the 66 luminous luminaries who were Major League Leaders, youll find high-luminosity guys like Mike Smithson, Walt Terrell (Hoosier! Chipper Jones, a prospect for the Atlanta Braves, was included in the Desert Shield set, and his rookie card quickly became one of the set's most valuable and sought-after cards. The only question here is would you eat this stuff? But there the packs were, with a god-awful Babe Ruth drawing but tremendous waxy promise. In 1986, Donruss was the hottest brand going thanks to the presence of a Jose Canseco Rated Rookie card, but Fleer wasnt far behind thanks to rookie cards of Canseco, Cory Snyder, Lenny Dykstra, Benito Santiago, Cecil Fielder, and many others. Valuable Collectibles Hiding in Your 1990 Pro Set Hockey. And thats why this eBay lot is so jaw-dropping. If you love oddball baseball cards, the 1980s were the decade for you. Yep, and hes looking pretty svelt there, too. You can relive the thrill of discovering those gorgeous cards all those many springs ago with this pristine cello pack featuring Hall of Famer on the front and Pedro Guerrero always in the discussion about best players in the game back in those days on the back. Measuring standard card size and packaged with gum for 25 cents, Star Stickers were like another whole parallel (125 cards) but one that you could stick on stuff. Imagine its Christmas morning in 1978, and the living room is littered with wrapping paper and baubles and toys that will be forgotten about before you head back to school in January. The world of sports trading cards has seen many valuable cards over the years, but some of the most valuable cards come from the 80s and 90s. I mean, right there on the front panels are sparkling cards of Lee Lacy, Gary Lavelle, and Randy Moffitt. Sosa was traded from the South Side of Chicago to the North Side for George Bell, and many people dont realize that Sosa and Frank Thomas were on the same team in the early 90s. Very meta, and very cool, even if not extremely valuable. cards It may be time to head back to school, but that doesnt mean you cant have fun with it. I went big time on a box of 1991 Leaf Series I and plunked down a whole $12 for this premium junk wax. Who? The Pirates drafted Bonds in 1985. If youre a card collector, you are also most likely a fantasy player. Milk Chocolate Bar. Only the gum stick knows for sure. As a kid collector from the 1980s, this type of post does strike a chord with me! Its a moot point for me, because how could I ever even dream of opening those beautiful, perfect boxes?? 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson and 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and I want to know who would make your hobby post-2000 Mount Rushmore in the comments section! Or a mid-career card of a Hall of Famer? 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. All of which is to say that this eBay lot will take you back to those rollicking wax-ripping days of your childhood, thusly broadly defined. Another oddball set from 1984, Topps Supers were exact replicas of the base card for each of the 30 players included in the set except huge. The card's popularity surged following President Bush's death in 2018, with many collectors seeking to add it to their collections to honor his legacy. Discover how grading works, what, Read More The Complete Guide to Pokmon Card GradingContinue, Whether youre a longtime Doncic fan or looking to invest in the future of basketball, dont miss this, Read More 15 Most Valuable Luka Doncic Rookie CardsContinue, 1. Thomas could have easily been an NFL tight end, and he played baseball at Auburn, not too long after Charles Barkley and Bo Jackson roamed the campus (go watch the SEC Storied documentary Bo, Barkley and the Big Hurt!). Do you remember the first old rookie card to explode in popularity based on what was happening on the field? The 1990 Score McDonalds set is the exception. Finding a lot like this in 1987 especially early in the year would have made you feel like you uncovered a hidden gold mine in your back yard. Maybe inspiring the imagination with their funky shapes. Fleer cleaned things up even more and put out a really nice, solid set. Upper Deck shook up the collecting world with improved glossy card stock, inserts worth chasing, counterfeit-defying holograms and foil wrappers instead of wax, Gonos wrote. A Google search will deliver several articles and videos on Junk Wax Era cards that have value. There are 24 packs per box and 12 cards per pack, making the odds of hitting a Jeter pretty good for any brave baseball card collector willing to shell out up to $15,000 to rip open a box. Why, every superstar is encased in his own little bit of cloud on premium white cardstock with a Super Glossy finish. Its the new scene, cat. Check out this video for details! The card is part of the 1993 SP (Special) set, which Upper Deck produced. As much as I cant stand Donruss cards from the 80s, the 86 set is pretty sweet. The downside was that most hockey cards from 1990-91 were produced in such vast amounts that it is considered the start of the Junk Wax Era for hockey cards. Ripken's card was part of the 1982 Topps Traded set released later in the year after the regular 1982 set had already been issued. They were amazing at the time (and now, too, imo). But 1987 Fleer baseball was about as plentiful as summer days in Pittsburgh without a Barry Bonds scowl. While there are some PC-worthy cards in the 1993 SP Upper Deck set, there is one big chase card that overshadows the rest and thats the Derek Jeter rookie card. Youre not going to find any break-the-bank rookie cards or breathtaking beauty in this wax pack. Thats deep, bro. Also, a better Hall of Fame candidate than Jack Morris. 30 Standout Baseball Cards from the Junk Wax Era Always the same design, basically, at least. The 1986 Topps baseball card set was not the greatest in the companys history. The perception, at least, was that Fleer and Donruss cards were printed on superior cardstock and existed in much fewer quantities than their Topps counterparts. PSA 10 graded card was last sold for $1,150 on March 2023. We'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.. 1987 Topps Glossy Send-Ins Gary Gaetti Cause or Effect? #365 Gary Payton Rookie Card. At the same time, Fleer and Donruss had overcome their early growing pains to leapfrog over Topps in terms of card quality and values. Especially one from the 1970s? Because that year, if you bought specially marked containers of Mrs. Butterworths syrup, you also got three 1980 Topps baseball cards PLUS ALL TIME RECORDS all packed in a handy cellophane package. Herein, youll find 94 unopened packs in total, ranging from four1976 Fleer Football Action Team Sticker wax packs to six 1993 Bowman Football Jumbo packs, with a few 2013 football packs tacked onto the end. Would you rather have Keith Hernandez or Mike Schmidt on your team? I thought Id share seven terms renewed collectors might not understand: NFT/NFS = Not for sale / Not for trade (usually in a Twitter post when someone wants to just show off a cool card and not get inundated with offers), PWE = Plain white envelope (the cheap way to mail more inexpensive cards), RAK = Random act of kindness (like sending a free card to someone you know who collects that player), Rainbow = All the colored parallels for one players card, Razz = A raffle where a number of spots are sold, and just one or two are chosen as winners, RPA = Rookie/patch/autograph (all on the same card). ), but they look somehow brighter sitting there under plastic, all new and stuff. Jose Cruz was actually six feet tall but felt Patek-ish because he crouched like a tiger. Theres not much to say about todays Wow! Most of the boxes Ive bought in the past year, from card shops or eBay, have been priced in the $5 to $20 range and have been firmly from the heart of the Junk There are many reasons why this card is considered iconic, but inexpensive. And, for only $200 or so, you could relive the thrill of searching for them under wax wraps. And, sure, the Buy-It-Now price is set at $1100, but when was the last time you saw one of these? In his run-up to the record, all of Roses cards jumped up in demand and value, and he was arguably the hottest of all non-rookie players all across the land. Speedsters can help fantasy players a lot, but its all about power and WAR in collecting. Pikachu Pokmon Card Value Its Worth More Than You Can Imagine! As strange as it is, this was the base card in this set. By entering your email address you agree to receive email versions of the Wax Pack Gods newsletter. PSA 10 card is currently selling on eBay for $22,200 in 2021. Whether you are new to the hobby or just getting back into it, theres one thing you learn quickly: Stop using cards as drink coasters. Theres a consensus about one in particular a 1993 SP Derek Jeter rookie card. The Fleer cards also seem to be a bit more scarce, though the demand may also not be quite as strong. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. RC in 2019 Topps Archives. So, not only did they issue a 1981 base set that was fairly OK plus showcased one of the greatest error cards of all time (C. Nettles), they also blessed us with their first Star Stickers set. by ; 28 kwietnia 2023 We still hadnt come to grips with the idea that baseball cards didnt always go up in value or that there actually could be too many baseball cards too many sets, too many cards/sets/boxes in a print run, too many choices, too many everything. I mean, look at this 1983 Donruss rack pack up for sale right now on eBay . (8/26/2018), 10 Christmas Gifts Any 1980s Baseball Card Collector Will Love, Top 12 Places to Buy (or Sell!) And, for only $200 or so, you could relive the thrill of searching for them under wax wraps. If you continue to use this site, we'll assume you're OK with that. The 1984 Donruss card was his first major league baseball card. Could the in-between hold a Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, or Ryne Sandberg rookie card? Its a 25-card food set distributed only at a grand total of 11 McDonalds restaurants in rural Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho for less than a month in the Spring of 1990. The 1984 Topps Don Mattingly rookie card fits that bill perfectly it wasnt the main attraction when Donnie Baseball was making his name during that fabled summer of 1984, but it became a hobby favorite in a flash and has maintained that status for nearly 35 years. Maybe the folks at Topps had the same experience sometime around 1980. Its gorgeous! Thats when leagues were over-licensing to anyone who wanted in on the gold rush, David Gonos wrote for The Athletic. In recent years, And in case youve forgotten or dont want to read my original post on the subject, let me clarify: its an unholy sight to which no Cincinnati Reds fan hell, no Philadelphia Phillies fan should have ever been subjected. If you grew up in the 1970s or 1980s (and probably the 1990s) as a baseball card collector, you know the feeling well. With just one card per pack but 36 packs in a box, you *should* stand a good chance of getting one of everything with this lot. PSA 10 graded card was last sold for $3,300 on January 2023. Here in 2019, of course, Bert Blyleven is a Hall of Famer and these cards are 41 years old. At the same time, collectors were having trouble filling their one-of-everything desires because 1984 Donruss was downright scarce and it was a really nice looking set for a change. Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this post and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Thin cardstock, terrible photography, more errors than a Dick Stuart highlight reel, slightly self-indulgent card backs. How much would you pay to complete your baseball card collection? Would one of them have influenced the other to use/avoid steroids? Easy enough to cherrypick rack and cello packs, and even wax packs had theirproblems ever hear of resealing? Then Id reinvest, maybe in another full vending case if I made enough the first time around, and do the whole thing again. In the in-between are goodies like six 1985 Topps baseball wax packs, three 1982 Donruss wax packs, two 1981 Topps baseball cello packs, and three 1989 Upper Deck baseball packs. Rookie Card #98T, 8. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Another funny thing in 1987, not everyone was sure Ryan would make the Hall of Fame despite all the strikeouts. His career spanned from 1990 to 2008, during which time he hit 521 home runs and recorded over 1,700 runs batted in. So, are your baseball cards worth anything? As soon as you pick it up, the contents inside slide shift, just a little, and you know whats inside a folded up rack pack of baseball cards! And this eBay lot? Its value has dropped due to Rodriguez's involvement in performance-enhancing drug scandals. We carry some of the top brands including Topps, PSA 10 graded card was last sold for $14,000 on August 2022. Its probably seen a hard life, or its just aged, like I have. Depending on the year, that would have like quadrupled, tripled, or at least double my collection. For collectors of a certain age there is something oddly comforting about junk wax cards. Is there anything better than sitting down with a box of fresh wax packs with dreams of uncovering your next big baseball card find? You know, with its Tony Dorsett rookie card and its lineup of Hall of Famers like Walter Payton, John Riggins, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, and all the rest. Weve seen pitchers with harder stuff (Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan) and pitchers with better singular seasons (Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw). Because so many baseball cards were printed between roughly 1987 and 1993, the values plummeted significantly.. The 1990 Topps Tiffany Frank Thomas rookie card was printed in much smaller numbers than the regular Topps card, making it a rare and valuable item. Among collectors, its fairly common knowledge that there are certain individual baseball cards that are worth a fortune, such as the iconic 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, the legendary 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, or the glorious 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. The card collecting hobby has its own language, so people returning to the hobby might need a glossary! The unopened boxes that did survive are incredibly scarce and highly sought after, even though the only notable rookie card in the set is Chipper Jones (the Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez rookie cards wouldnt arrive until Topps issued its Traded set that year). Catchers are often forgotten in both hobbies. It must have been a relief or at least a surprise when collectors found these beautiful (yes they are!) 9. You could see three players on the front and three players stats on the back. After an underwhelming debut in 1981 and a maybe even more underwhelming sophomore effort in 1982, Fleer needed to do something big in 1983 if they wanted to keep up with Donruss (ha!) Donruss went to the Topps archives and basically dusted off the 1957 design, updated it with some wavy lines for the 1980s, added a Don Mattingly rookie card that would blow up the hobby as we knew it, reduced print runs, and called it a day. Henderson's legendary career is attributed to his status as one of the greatest base stealers in baseball history. 1987 Topps Tiffany Barry Bonds rookie card #320, 9. Makes me feel like a kid again, especially when you see that all four boxes feature Don Mattingly (and, yes Steve Garvey), who was still right at the top of the hobby mountain even as the home runs began to flow all across the game. Mattingly was a fan favorite and helped lead the Yankees to several successful seasons in the 1980s. I believe I bought about $10 worth.maybe 300 cards. According to the Athletic, SP was a high-end product from (card brand) Upper Deck. It comes with a PSA value of $360,000 for a condition grade of 10. Let me know what cards you think should be on the list! Its where its at! Did you know the Atlanta Braves drafted Randy Johnson in the 1982 MLB Draft? How Junky was the Junk Wax Era Try 104 packs across 52 different products, spanning baseball, basketball, and football from 1988-99, with all but one falling before 1996. Here are some of the most valuable baseball cards from the 80s and 90s: The Bowman Tiffany Collection was a limited edition set, with only 6,000 copies of the Griffey Jr. card printed. Its like a Golden Corral buffet everything seems not that good, but the fried shrimp and the banana pudding aint bad at all! The following year, he made his major league debut, and his rookie card was included in the 1993 SP set. The good news is, its got your name on it. 1990 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson rookie card #482, 13. OK, so this is not really *wax* in the strict sense, but wax is really a state of mind right? Add steroids and controversy to the overproduction stigma, and many of the rookie cards of this period pale in comparison to those from a decade earlier or even a decade later, in many cases. Finding Underrated Basketball Cards of the Junk Wax Era Still, one sealed Topps Desert Shield wax box recently sold for $7800, making these some of the most valuable baseball cards of the junk wax era. Whichever something inspired someone to marry the two Topps and Mrs. Butterworths, that is. And this lot offers up a bunch of that all in one convenient package. 1988 Topps Big Kal Daniels Had Big Expectations. In a recent auction, a lot of eight unopened 1952 Topps baseball wax packs were sold for $873,300. By 1986, the hobby was fully engulfed in the flames of rookie card mania thanks to the exploits of young phenoms like Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Eric Davis, Don Mattingly, and that summer of 86, Jose Canseco and Wally Joyner. PSA 10 graded card was last sold for $276,000 on August 2022. I know that we all know now that 1987 Donruss is not rare, but its still awesome to me. ), Junk wax baseball cards didnt get their name because theyre rare and valuable. 1990 Upper Deck Hockey. Just like the Clemens from the box Man, those were good days. It used to be that you had to do something pretty special, like hit three home runs in one World Series game, before you could have your own baseball-themed candy bar. Rookie Card #220, 2. And as the story goes, most of the unsold boxes were dumped into the Atlantic Ocean after years of collecting dust in a warehouse. In fact they are quite the opposite, according to PSAcollector.com. But there is a second tier of cards that helped drive the hobby to new heights, even if in a more supporting role. If Donruss put Manny Trillo inside one of these sections, you can bet your sweet bippyManny is still there waiting for you. Wax Pack Gods, 100 Most Expensive Magic The Gathering Cards Sold on eBay in the Last 30 Days, 1989 Upper Deck Baseball Cards 28 Most Valuable Wax Pack Gods. This eBay lot gives you 72 chances two full wax boxes for you to let 1981 Fleer Star Stickers get stuck on you. 1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett RC #93. This eBay lot brings you two of those three-card packs, one with Dave LaRoche on top, one with Scott McGregor on top. (snaps cyber fingers). Wax listingshere.). Like someone fought them with his Sharpie light saber or tried to force them into being Topps or Donruss cards through creative will. And, oh yeah if you dont like the stars showing on this lot, the seller has two other 1985 Topps Rack Pack lots to choose from here and here (affiliate links). And, well, deckled. The early 1980s were a pretty dismal time for baseball cards or, more precisely, baseball card designs. (My other Mount Rushmore baseball cards? The 1984 Fleer set has basically the same lineup as the Topps set from that year, except with fewer cards overall (less special subsets, mostly). In 1991, the junk wax era was in full gear. Unfortunately, nobody really knew who Don Mattingly was when the 1984 season began, so hes not here but the Darryl Strawberry rookie is. But not quite, and they wanted to spread that word. While the exact years of the Junk Wax Era are a bit fluid, well loosely define the period as the years from 1987-1995. Collecting baseball cards in 1984 was a pretty heady experience. If youre reading this, chances are pretty good you spent at least part of your childhood as I did ripping open (or carefully unflapping) wax packs of baseball cards. We cover the most valuable baseball cards from the 80s and 90s. Thats a great bonus, too, because you can take two of these abominations out of circulation at once. And, at this moment, what could be more tantalizing than and unopened wax pack box of 1978 Topps football cards? Somehow, my little corner of the world was blessed with a goodly supply of 1987 Donruss, and my keen 15-year-old wax-sniffing nose sussed them out at every turn. It was a bargain when you consider that most of the country couldnt even glimpse Donruss and that boxes were going for $20 or more by Spring Training. While there are other cards from the Junk Wax Era that still have some tangible worth, the above list is populated with rookie cards of current and future Hall of Famers, as well as those who, unfortunately, will be forever linked to baseball's ugly Steroid Era. Baseball cards have been around for more than a century, and the hobby has seen a spike in collecting in the last few years. They were golden days full of anticipation and hope, joy and (yes) disappointment when you pulled Tom Brookens instead of Alan Trammell. $360,000 for a PSA 10, $7,800 for a PSA 9. Burger King cards have caused confusion in the hobby for 40 years or more because, generally speaking, they look just like base Topps cards from the same year but with subtle differences. The card was produced in limited numbers, with only 241 copies ever made. Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, Eric Davis, Bret Saberhagen, Alvin Davis, Danny Tartabull, Jose Rijo. They often have fuzzy corners and creases, and, somehow, about a third of the 1982 Fleers Ive ever encountered have marker marks on them. When they do not perform well, you want to punch a wall! Yep, before The Kid ever took the Kingdome field, Mike Cramer and the Pacific Trading Card Company treated the hobby to the *drumroll* Ken Griffey Jr. From big heads to real 3-D cards to just plain old big cards, Topps had it all. Sure, there are super rare cards or relics, but if were talking base cards, inserts, parallels or autographs, rookie versions of those cards always lead the way. The design was just so-so, for one thing. I mean, just look at those gorgeous Topps rack packs, with Tom Seaver showing and Rick Sutcliffe showing and Fergie Jenkins showing and. And, really, what else could you call a near life-size rendering of the great Al Holland? That can be good or bad, depending on the blackness or redness of said organ, and on the context. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates. Dark and dingy photos, half-hearted designs, lousy cardstock, errors all over the place things were pretty messy in 1981 and 1982. It didnt even matter that the cards werent all that great. See, a single vending case contained 24 vending boxes, each with 500 brand new, perfect cards (probably not perfect, but thats how it seemed). The Topps Traded set included players who had been traded or signed as free agents during the offseason. 3 Unhappy Hobby Things Some Collectors Do, Ranking the Top 5 NBA Rookies From Each of the Past 5 Years, 8 Baseball Rookie Cards Were Hoping To See in Topps Series 2. If there were a Mount Rushmore of baseball cards, this Junior card might earn that Teddy Roosevelt spot just because it represented the era when more people collected cards than any other time in history.