When Your Favorite 90's Insert Costs $43,000

steve B · #1 03-06-2016, 12:41 PM

And that's assuming perfect collation/distribution across the entire press run for those packs. Which is far from what happens.

So those dollar amounts are the minimum*

Steve B
*Barring the lucky happening of being on the good end of the odd collation/distribution. I bought a decent quantity of 94 Signature rookies that summer- only a 50 card set which I couldn't complete, and slightly over 50 signatures which I didn't even get close. I kept getting the same *&%) guy - Some Kid in the Yankees system, not even a potential Red Sox player. So I got three Jeter autos.

Rookiemonster · #2 03-06-2016, 01:46 PM

I recently took a liking to the 1998 topps broaderless refractors . I have no idea what it would cost to get a certain card .

I checked it would cost 17,280 for a certain. Assuming you had no luck at all .

Stampsfan · #3 03-22-2016, 01:32 AM

That's why I collect Vintage...

brian1961 · #4 03-23-2016, 01:03 PM

Mouschi---

I thoroughly loved your post. A most thought-provocative commentary of the manufactured rarity world of collecting.

I would have to disagree on one point, my fellow collecting warrior. I usually am an understanding person, with a decent imagination, when it comes to visualizing the sheer amount of money, effort, time, and heightened anticipation in buying packs, boxes, and even cases upon cases of product in the hopes of pulling a rare card of one's hero. I well recognize the chances are extremely slim to virtually none that you will achieve that "ultimate pull". No doubt about it, doing so is a super bowl victory and winning the mvp, in our world.

Where I beg to differ is buying the rare card on eBay, or winning it at auction. I fully agree that procuring the rarity by the latter two methods does not come close to the "in the trenches" costly labor of buying, ripping, and pulling.

However, with my refined comprehension and imagination of the supreme cost, difficulty, and minuscule chances of pulling the white whale, I am able to cherish the card in all its inherent beauty, coupled with the knowledge of what I am holding in my hands and the immense rarity and difficulty of getting the piece initially.

There is a true saying that a man really appreciates what he has had to work hard for, and your scenario fits that to a "t". If I had the 43k to do the diamond mining you describe, I couldn't do it. Again, knowledge, understanding, and imagination save me lots of time, trouble, and the 43k.

I know your hero, Jose Canseco, was at his best prior to when the card companies hit on the idea of the manufactured rarities and relic cards. Be that as it may, I feel his Mother's Cookie cards would be a match, even though a very few dealers offered them back in the day.

Well, enough of my palabre. Again, good post, bro!:d

mouschi · #5 03-23-2016, 01:17 PM

Good insight!

Section103 · #6 03-23-2016, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve B

And that's assuming perfect collation/distribution across the entire press run for those packs. Which is far from what happens.

This. Exactly this. And this assumes that certain high value chase cards were even "distributed" in the first place. I can say with certainty that for a different decade, different sport and different brand - your chances of pulling a 1/10 were far less than even a normal calculation would indicate.

bnorth · #7 03-24-2016, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section103

This. Exactly this. And this assumes that certain high value chase cards were even "distributed" in the first place. I can say with certainty that for a different decade, different sport and different brand - your chances of pulling a 1/10 were far less than even a normal calculation would indicate.

I know exactly what you mean, same sport different company. They pulled star player cards and sold them in bulk to large dealers.

I recently opened a sealed wax box of 90 Donruss my brother bough new off the shelf back in the day and did not pull a single star player.

mouschi · #8 03-30-2016, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section103

This. Exactly this. And this assumes that certain high value chase cards were even "distributed" in the first place. I can say with certainty that for a different decade, different sport and different brand - your chances of pulling a 1/10 were far less than even a normal calculation would indicate.

Who was this? I heard of Upper Deck (i think) selling bulk lots of UD Griffeys and such ... stuff like this happened for a decade? Was this for inserts or? Very curious.

steve B · #9 04-01-2016, 08:18 PM

I'd bet on UD. They got caught doing "stuff" at least twice, and somehow always seemed to just get a pass on it.

The first was the high number hockey one year during the era of announcing the sales after the orders had been taken. High number "Canadian" hockey was something like 900 cases, a big deal at the time. The packs had I think a few low numbers and a certain number of high numbers. (Or if I'm getting it backwards, they were all high numbers ) Pretty big deal at the time, and they got expensive quickly. Then someone found some packs at a show that were different in content from the usual ones. Some checking turned up that there had been "some" cases "found" at the plant and released. Like a few thousand more. hmmm.........."found" once the aftermarket got really expensive, and with contents totally different from the original ones.

The more recent one wasn't sports, but some game card that were authorized for. Pok�mon? Dragonball? Something of that sort.
Anyway, dad buys kid a special pack at Wall-Mart, special rare foil card guaranteed! Apparently a card going for $60 at the time.
Kid opens the pack looks at the card and asks why it's a fake. Shows dad why it's fake- wrong foiling, wrong copyright, a couple other problems.
Dad complains to the store, the store complains to Treat (A huge repackager)and the rights holder. The rights holder demands to know where Treat got the fake cards......from Upper deck the company authorized to print and sell that licensed property in the US!
UD I think lost that license, but counterfeiting your own cards is pretty messed up. I can only assume they were sold under some description that avoided royalty payments or something.

But it could be any of them, I've had some interesting experiences with blaster boxes, either early for fringe products or late in the production cycle for more popular ones. Like Valor FB having two serial numbered cards per pack when the odds said more like one in 4 ? The loose packs didn't have the extra cards.
The Chipz were similar, two special ones in every pack of 4, loose packs only. I think the odds are for the assumed press run, and if the sales lag the extra stuff goes into retail. Not always, but fairly often the last few years.

Steve B

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