Best early 1980s wax to buy and break open

[markf31]

Seeing what some of your opinions are regarding what company and year of early 1980s baseball wax boxs could be the most rewarding to break open.

1980 with Ricky henderson comes to mind for me. Your thoughts?

[old13man]

I like 85' Topps with McGwire, Clemens, and Puckett rookies.

[t206blogcom]

83' and '84

Sandberg, Mattingly, Strawberry, Boggs, etc.

[vintagetoppsguy]

I think you'll get more bang for your buck with '83. That has the Boggs, Gwynn and Sandberg rookies, Ripken 2nd year and loaded with HOFers.

I'm not too sure I would bust a lot of '84 wax, mattingly might not get into the Hall and Strawberry definitely won't.

[dherm360]

I still bust a box of 1982 Topps every year but I agree if not 1980, I would go for 1983

[t206blogcom]

I've recently opened two 84 wax boxes, a handful of loose wax packs and two cello boxes. I got a ton of HOF's and several of the key cards, except only one Mattingly out of all of that - and it was in a wax pack with wax covering 1/3 of the back. It probably would've made more financial sense to buy a PSA 10 Mattingly and call it a day.

I opened a cello box of 82 and didn't get a single Ripken.

I opened a wax box of 83 and got several Sandbergs, Gwynns and one Boggs - and it had a gum stain.

I pulled several Bonds from a 1987 Topps wax box. Also opened 1989 Topps and Bowman boxes recently - got 3-4 Bowman Griffey Jrs.

I have (3) 1988 Donruss cello boxes, (2) 1991 Leaf and (2) 1991 Upper Deck boxes coming my way. Not sure why I bought any of the ones still in the mail - stupid impulse buys and figuring I'd be outbid. *sigh* At least it'll be several days of mindless entertainment - until the wife wants to use the dining room table again.

Now I've been faced with boxes upon boxes of common loose cards - the leftovers from the box breaks. So far, I've been donating them for a small tax write off. Seems nobody wants them for set collecting. If anyone wants a box of 82 and 83 commons, let me know before I donate them or throw them out (last night I put about half a wax box worth of 84 Topps commons in the recycle bin as I had no box or space - and no desire - for them).

[JasonL]

All,
wondering what sellers you have been using for these purchases?
BBC Exchange?
Any other reliable/trustworthy?
Thanks,
Jason

[jhyde77]

I like '83 O-pee-chee boxes for the Gwynn and Sandberg.

[t206blogcom]

Originally Posted by JasonL

All,
wondering what sellers you have been using for these purchases?
BBC Exchange?
Any other reliable/trustworthy?
Thanks,
Jason

I've been pleased with Krukcards via Ebay.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by jhyde77

I like '83 O-pee-chee boxes for the Gwynn and Sandberg.

I like this idea...Go with something that's a little more odd, and maybe under appreciated. The standard issues are what they are, and they're readily available by the thousands(if not millions)...Sure, they don't carry the same value, but you're more likely to find someone who doesn't have an OPC, than you are a basic Topps..

As far as standard-issue wax though. I'd think that '83 and '85 Topps would be the best bet, with a triple shot of key(HOF or HOF worthy) rookies in each.. If you're looking to grade and flip, Donruss had some quality control issues early on, so maybe '83 Donruss could give you the chance to land some higher grade Gwynn, Sandberg and Boggs'.. '84 Donruss was always a beautiful and very popular set.. Then your gamble is not only about "if" you'll get the key cards, but also centering... Higher risk, higher reward..

[BenG76]

I would'nt recommend 84 Topps. I busted 3 boxes and only got 1 Mattingly and 1 Strawberry. I like 83's for some reason. I have a 85 Topps box waiting to be opened sometime soon. I have a soft spot for 86 Topps for some reason as well. I have about 6 boxes sitting now that I plan to open and make a nice set sometime.

[UOFLfan7]

Defiently '85 Topps. Probably one of the better 1980's sets out there and some of the cards in that set could be worth something one day. At least the McGwire rookie.
I like the 1980 set as well, but that one is sort of an obvious choice and while I like the design of the 1987 Topps, the only card in that set that is worth your while is the Bonds rookie and you can pick one of those up in mint condition for under 25$ on Ebay.
Other sets that might be worth your time would be the 1982 Topps and 1983 Topps sets.

[bobfreedman]

I have a soft spot for 89 Upper Deck

[7nohitter]

I LOVE '89 UD....Griffey chase....the 'silver' wrapper...I think cost $1.49 back in the day...some high end shit!

[evensen_dashagua]

I was born in 1984 and have fond memories of collecting starting with 1989 and 1990 Topps (like so many others). Though there's really no monetary return, my favorite years to break Topps boxes from are 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1991. 1991 is especially fun, as one can generally find two wax boxes on EBay for $15 or so.

My 3 year old son likes opening packs and putting cards into a binder. We're slowly going through some 2012 Topps base packs together right now. When we're done, I'll just get a cheap late-80s Topps set to keep him busy.

1980 Topps is where things become a bit too expensive. Same goes for '84 or '85 Donruss. It might be easier to buy the entire set than to find an unopened box.

EDIT: People actually pay in the $25 range for 1987 Topps Bonds? If that's true, my cards might not be as worthless as I think. ;-）