Topps Factory Sets - question about full seal and tape seal
 

I have a bunch of Topps Factory sets and most are factory sealed. I have 2 from 1996. One is completely sealed with cellophane and one is sealed with two pieces of what looks like packing tape. I am fairly confident that some of the early factory sets were sealed with tape.

For instance, I have 3 1989 Topps Factory Sets with the plainer white box (the one WITHOUT Jose Canseco card showing). I think that is called a hobby set, correct? The other is retail, right? Well, anyway, I am sure that the tape on those is factory tape. But what about my 1996 set? Did they seal with tape as late as 1996? What years did Topps use factory tape to seal a set?

Factory Set
 

What was the first year for "factory" sets ?

I think they had one in 1974 and then again in 1982. I also know of a 1985 (pain box). I think factory sets as we know them started in 1986. I am not sure about 1984, 1983, or 1981 and earlier.

None between 74 and 81 for sure. I'm not certain about 1981, I was hanging out at a dealers, and sometimes sorting for free stuff, but I don't remember if there were 81 Topps Factory sets. I do know both Topps and Fleer did them in 82. Topps were complete and just needed to be taken out of the case. Fleers were a pain. Vending boxes labeled A through ......C maybe D or E? Factory set was box a plus part of box B then the rest of box B plus some of Box C and so on. I think the vending boxes weren't 500 count like Topps. My set is still in the box plus dealers outer box, I can check at some point if nobody remembers.

I was away from there 84- 87, so I don't know about those years, I have some old magazines I can check if I can find them easily. Could be a while if not.

Steve B

The original question dose a 1996 Topps factory come with outer wrap or simply tape to seal it needs to be more specific. In 1996 there were a number of factory sets issued. You mentioned that for a number of years 1986 through 1991 there were Factory sets and Christmas sets. 1986 was the return of the Christmas set and is I think a good set to hold ( a Christmas set has a colorful outside box and the name comes from the fact that the 1974 factory set was in the sears Christmas catalog) these are the most sought after sets. The early factory sets came in a plain box and in 1988 they used a plain ugly brown cardboard box with no writing at all 15 sets to a case. In 1996 they had a couple different "christmas" sets hobby retail etc. as well as the mantle cereal boxes. the retail set has a gold stamp on a brownish background and the hobby set is a white background with a red stamp. There were also a set of 4 Mantle cereal boxes that contained a complete set. The retail set comes in a couple configurations based on how many cards were in the box. The scarcest of these has a three card panel inside of Jeter. and has a small yellow starburst saying the panel is inside the set. I have 3 96 sets all different and all wrapped one has tape inside as well. So if you have a retail set with tape "Maybe" ..
Hope this helps.
Jonathan

I have 2 1996 Topps Factory sets. Both are the darker color boxes with Mantle cards in the background. One is with the Tri-card stamp and one is not. The one with the Jeter Tri-card stamp (of course) is the one with the tape. Suspecting the worst, I took a hair dryer and heated the tape to remove it and, sure enough, the previous owner had taken out the Jeter Tri-card. That was the main reason I was asking the question.

My factory sets run from 1986 to 2012. I have 3 or 4 that have tape that I suspect are not supposed to have tape. I will be replacing those sometime in the future.

If anybody can put a list together of the sets that come with factory tape and those that don't, I would greatly appreciate it.

74 had a factory set sold in the Penny's catalog. I also had a 1985 factory set that I got from Toys R Us. So there was for sure factory sets in those years.

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