I did it.
I bought the first packs I’ve bought of 1985 Topps in 25 years. How exciting?
Last night, I bought them on ebay. I was hoping to do as much foot traffic as I could, and actually purchase most of my packs the old fashioned way; buying them at a store. After my recent failed attempt (see below) I decided to get the ball rolling on the internets.
I’ve been outbid on several boxes, and I’m hoping to do a majority of the set that way, but for the mean time, this will get me rolling:
I bought 3 wax packs and one “rack” pack.
The wax packs, so called because they are sealed with wax on the back, have 15 cards and a slab of shitty gum.
You can count on a few things in one of these packs…
1 – The card on the back is ruined, as far as any collectible value is concerned. The wax used to seal the pack stains the back of the card, rendering it useless. The worst thing in the world, when I was a kid, was seeing one of your favorite players on the back, knowing full well it was ruined as soon as you pulled it out.
2 – That awful “bubble gum” slab also likely stained a card or two. I’m not sure what residue comes off these awful things, but it destroys about 1 out of every 4 cards it comes into contact with.
So out of the 45 cards I purchased, I can expect 3-6 to be in poor condition before I pull them out of the pack. I’ll also likely get a double or two, bringing that total to 5-10. In other words, 10-20% of the entire purchase is already wasted. Sweet!
Since this is my first purchase in this endeavor, I also need to set precedent. When I open a pack, or make a purchase, I’m going to keep a running tally of what I’ve spent and how far along I am in the set.
Purchases:
- 3 wax packs + shipping = $11.35
- 1 Rack Pack + shipping = $5.95
- —————————————-
- Total $17.30
- Total cards – 1 (Mark McGwire times 5…so sad)
- Cards to Go – 791