Is there much of a market for 800+ wrong backs from 1983?

[frankhardy]

I just acquired a huge collection recently and something got my attention yesterday. There is an 800 count box full of 1983 Topps and every one of them have the wrong back. I have so much material to go through but I was wondering if there was much of a market for these.

[ALR-bishop]

I think this post most likely tanked the market for 83 wrong backs 😊. But it would be neat if you could build a full set of fronts with wrong backs

Not hard to find wrong backs on ebay, but other than those involving star cards have not seen great interest. However I don’t specifically collect them and maybe anyone who does will have a different perspective

[bnorth]

Player collectors like them. I only know one guy who collects them in set form. If you have a Wade Boggs I would be interested.

[Republicaninmass]

It's like anything else, you could risk blowing them out on ebay, or wait for the one guy out there that actually cares!

[packs]

Boggs and Gwynn should get some attention.

[Bigdaddy]

Wrong backs seem pretty common, at least for early '80s Topps. It is the wrong front cards that command such a premium.

[ALR-bishop]

It figures I would have been thinking about this the wrong way all along

[David W]

As a player collector I LOVE wrong backs, but will generally not pay more than 2-3 times what the card goes for correct.

I'm sure the HOF'ers in the lot would easily sell for $5-20 eventually.

Gwynn, Boggs, and Sandberg $20 or more I'd think. But it might take a while before someone bites.

The commons, probably not much of a market.

[swarmee]

I would say they're worth sending the commons and semi-stars to COMC (yes, I realize they're backlogged) and pricing the commons at like $2.50 each and the semi-stars higher. The three HOF RCs in the set would probably be $50 cards, IMO, if they have the right front. Maybe $25 if it's the back of the card and some other front.

[TG19]

PM sent thanks!

[frankhardy]

I found several stars on the front like Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett. I also found some with Wade Boggs on the back.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by frankhardy

I found several stars on the front like Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett. I also found some with Wade Boggs on the back.

If you have any of the stars paired up with both cards they can get a decent premium. Centered backs will also get a slight premium if the star player is on the back. Star players on the front are worth way more than if on the back.

Here is an example of a pair and by far the favorite cards in my collection. A pair consists of having both the card with the player on the front and having the card with the player on the back with the same 2 players on both cards. I you can get lucky and both player are stars that will get a really nice premium.

[David W]

If you have a Willie McGee wrong back, I would be interested

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by swarmee

I would say they're worth sending the commons and semi-stars to COMC (yes, I realize they're backlogged) and pricing the commons at like $2.50 each and the semi-stars higher. The three HOF RCs in the set would probably be $50 cards, IMO, if they have the right front. Maybe $25 if it's the back of the card and some other front.

FWIW, spotted a Sandberg RC wrong back on COMC a couple of days ago and it was priced at $50. Picked it up as it looked pretty clean.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by swarmee

FWIW, spotted a Sandberg RC wrong back on COMC a couple of days ago and it was priced at $50. Picked it up as it looked pretty clean.

I only buy on COMC. Is there any way to see if the 83 wrong backs are actually selling and for how much? I looked on eBay and they are a lot listed at seriously high prices but none are selling. The only sold listings are a few singles for a few dollars or some lots of 20 cards at around $12 shipped.

Wrong backs just don't seem to be selling very well at the moment. They go in and out of being cool/valuable fairly frequently.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I only buy on COMC. Is there any way to see if the 83 wrong backs are actually selling and for how much?

Yes, using the histogram for sales data. You need some history points from playing the Challenges (where you help identify card numbers or serial numbers for them).
But here's what I can see from the 1983 set:
Dale Murphy front ($8 in Nov2020)
The majority of the ones in sold listings have gone for $8-10, even though they're commons.