Xmas Rack Packs

[Republicaninmass]

pulled a few psa 7's, but at a BIG cost

[smtjoy]

The problems I have with these are-

1- No way to tell between the ones that were packaged in the late 60-70's vs what I feel are ones made by today.

2- Because these were not made by Topps, they do not require any authentication and that gives the resealers the full green light to do as they please. Heck the cards inside could be trimmed and the buyer would have no recourse. Why reseal a pack when you can just make these up?

3- 10 years ago it was rare to even see one or two of these, now they are common every week on ebay which makes me believe that nearly all we see are recently made ones.

4- Watch as more and more of these show up until the market is flooded and enough people get burnt.

They do have a value but I would base it on getting 9 vg common cards.

[ALR-bishop]

I agree with all you points Scott. In fact, I do not think it has ever really been established when the original repackaging was done and by whom. Mark Murphy introduced them into the hobby but neither he nor anyone associated with him could or would ever say what retailer(s) handled them and who did the repackaging and when. Initially Murphy said the packs he obtained ran from 54 to 63, but later 52s and 53s also surfaced.

But, I think the mystery and uncertainty is also part of their allure. After all, people gamble in Vegas and play the lottery, even though almost everyone loses

[ALR-bishop]

A 52 with Robinson showing just went for $ 6 K + on ebay. A 52 with Spahn showing for over $ 1 K, and there is currently a 53 with Mantle showing that is close to $ 2 K

[tigers6884]

The logos and art on these racks always gave me the impression of Christmas stockings filled with junk that I used to see in stores.

On the LH side is the back of a rack currently for sale.

The image on the RH side is an item currently for sale in bulk quantities on a China E-commerce site.

The art for the bow, wreath and merry Christmas logo is pretty close, at least to my eye.

If I looked real hard I could probably find the header card as well.

Jim

[GrayGhost]

They are garbage. the cards are real, but they were packed by third parties and most people Ive seen that open those get nothing, or cards that are only in EX or so shape. the really Unscrupulous ones have a star on top, and the dealers inflate the price accordingly.

Since these were NOT done by Topps, nothing should be trusted. Unless u get em real cheap, not worth it.

[ALR-bishop]

Scott---they are clearly secondary market items. And no doubt whatever they were originally, they have been redone, remade and repackaged since. But, the question is where and how did they originally come to be.

When Mark Murphy first surfaced them several years ago he claimed they were cards bought from Topps in bulk from a 3d party sometime around 1982 and packaged for sale by a retailer or retailers. He and his business partner originally said the packs covered 1954 to 1963. Later he said the 3d party "found" some from 1952 and 1953. They said anything after 1963 was created by yet someone else unknown.

They did not know who the original re packer was, or which specific stores may have retailed them. I know people who say the "remember" seeing them in stores, but can not be specific about where and when. Some say they were packaged in the 60s and 70s. As I said, I was told around 1982 by Murphy and his associate.

The mystery to me here is not what you will find in the packs ( mid to mid + grade cards, mostly commons), but when did they originally come to be and how. I just think of it as an interesting hobby mystery