5,000 ct topps error card boxes 1970's-90's

[cardcop]

I bought one of these 5,000 ct. Topps error boxes for $50.00 w/FREE S-H from what used to be one of the biggest eBay dealers in 2006. The dealer name eludes me right now. But they were known for eBay, and their direct website bulk deals cheap. Not DACW...

Turned out they had hundreds of these boxes which almost certainly came directly from Topps. I do know for a fact that no card company ever had pre-2008 licensing rights to sell single card lots like this [but did illegally anyway] other than in factory sealed packs, or factory sets. i spoke to both the MLB and NFL Players Associations.

After going through around 1,000 cards I could easily see they were searched. The majority were blank back/fronts, about 15-%-20% were wrong back/fronts. So I called the dealer and asked them why they were searched and this was not mentioned. They admitted that these were all returned boxes [and most strip searched for minor-stars on up] and that the original price was $200 a box. They offered a refund or another box less likely to be so searched. I took another box.

The second box had several dozen $1.00-$2.00 wrongback of 1987-1991 STAR/RC'S, plus a couple of dozen 1970's wrongbacks w/a couple of semi-stars. However both boxes had the exact same common card errors in lots of 500 or more. Overall I was satisfied. After opening thousands of boxes, I only pulled one football blank back once in my collecting history and none others besides some errors in enough quantity to be in Beckett.
I did buy a few really cool multiple error cards on eBay cheap since 1997. OUT THE BACKDOOR IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET CARDS LIKE THIS...

I have been collecting by buying boxes from 1987-1996. I started donating all my extra cards [stars/RC'S too] and real in-person obtained autographs to hospitalized children or Toys For Tots every year from 1989-2015. Then I switched over to collecting ON CARD ONLY Certified Autograph Inserts from 1996 until 2018.

James

[bnorth]

Did you buy them from Kruk Cards? I bought one of their 5000 count error boxes. It was advertised to have 82 Topps wrongbacks. I was working on putting the 82 WB set together at the time. No 82 WBs and they told me too bad when I messaged them. They did say I could return it on my dime but I declined.

On a side note the commons actually sell the best. The star players are easy to find. There are other weirdos like me who put blank back/front sets together and the commons are the hard to find cards.

Out the backdoor was NOT the only way to get these cards. Many ended up in packs. The card makers also sold them directly to certain dealers/collectors. I know this as a fact because I personally bought cards directly from one of them. I also bought/sold/traded with a few others that done the same back in the 80s/90s.

Welcome to the forum.

[cardcop]

Thank you bnorth! It was indeed kruk cards. It was on the tip of my tongue all day.
In my 2nd box (they paid shipping both ways-guess it depends on which employee), there were several '82 wrong backs going back to '78 as well.

I know dealers that busted '88-91 cases who got a box with nothing but wrong backs. But personally only pulled one out of thousands of boxes,
but you're totally correct; luck of the draw i guess.

Thanks for the welcome to the board!

James

[sthoemke]

I aquired a couple thousand blank front Topps cards from Kruk cards.

I have a good quantity of Fred McGriff and Lee Smith blank fronts, both HOF'ers.

[philliesfan]

I have some 1987 blank fronts sheets. Some are on ebay now. They are 264 count sheets.