What is the most overhyped, overpriced Junk Wax era card?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Even back in 1989, the Ripken was a $50 card. Save for the brief time when very few people knew of the "error", this card has always had value.

I don't think there was ANY time when few people knew it was an error.

It was pretty instantaneous. I was set up at a 3 day Mall show when the bomb dropped about this card, and they were selling for $100 right out of the pack. I sold a few myself for that price. People didn't even know if it was going to be pulled from circulation or corrected yet...but they were banking as if it was.

It was pulling other cards up with it to. Griffey Jr. was already hot and the 2nd year Jefferies card and Mattingly card were pretty popular to.

Bottom fell out pretty quickly on these though. Even when they started correcting the FF card, people lost interest I believe, almost as soon as the inaugural Upper Deck issue came out a little while later that year.

[gonefishin]

Regarding the FF card. A couple of years before COVID, I traded a complete sealed box to my friend for lunch at Taco Bell. We sat at the table and he opened the box. He drew 2 of the cards from the one box. We both laughed it off, and he told me "I lost money on that deal!". That's how much value we placed on that card - at that particular point in time.

To those of you that treasure the card, sold the card for a lot of money, or bought the card for a lot of money, that's great. As long as you're the one that's content.

[Eric72]

Yeah, as I wrote, the time was brief. As you know, news traveled differently in 1989. Going into that weekend you mention, there were almost certainly some dealers who did not know.

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I don't think there was ANY time when few people knew it was an error.

It was pretty instantaneous. I was set up at a 3 day Mall show when the bomb dropped about this card, and they were selling for $100 right out of the pack. I sold a few myself for that price. People didn't even know if it was going to be pulled from circulation or corrected yet...but they were banking as if it was.

It was pulling other cards up with it to. Griffey Jr. was already hot and the 2nd year Jefferies card and Mattingly card were pretty popular to.

Bottom fell out pretty quickly on these though. Even when they started correcting the FF card, people lost interest I believe, almost as soon as the inaugural Upper Deck issue came out a little while later that year.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Yeah, as I wrote, the time was brief. As you know, news traveled differently in 1989. Going into that weekend you mention, there were almost certainly some dealers who did not know.

It was really odd. Back then I was doing local shows every weekend. This was the 1st weekend unopened Fleer product was available for 1989. I don't remember for sure, but I think Fleer beat everyone else to market that year.

When Friday setup started, the dealers who carried the new product started off at about 30 bucks a box and it was all about the Griffey Jr. and 2nd year Jefferies cards. People started noticing the FF cards straight away. You couldn't miss it LOL.

The prices of the FF cards and the unopened product was escalating throughout the weekend. By the time Sunday rolled around, raw FF cards were going for 100 bucks and the boxes were going for 125-150 bucks apiece.

Collation was such, you could get 2 out of a box, or you could get zero out of a box, but the gamble was reasonable you could come out ahead.

Bottom fell out fairly quick though.

[Brent G.]

Is there any chance the Griffey is the most printed card of all time? I read somewhere that 1991 Topps were printed at a rate of 4 million apiece. With the initial '89 UD printing and other nefarious printings that apparently filled 800-count boxes and trunks full of uncut sheets, could it have reached that number? It's definitely the most seen card at shows and the most graded, but I guess that still might not compare to peak junk wax numbers.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Is there any chance the Griffey is the most printed card of all time? I read somewhere that 1991 Topps were printed at a rate of 4 million apiece. With the initial '89 UD printing and other nefarious printings that apparently filled 800-count boxes and trunks full of uncut sheets, could it have reached that number? It's definitely the most seen card at shows and the most graded, but I guess that still might not compare to peak junk wax numbers.

Even with the extra printings of Griffey, I doubt it comes close to any random card in even the 1987 Topps or 1988-89 Donruss print runs.

Dealers were openly selling 50-100-500 and 1000 count lots of Bonds, McGwire, Mattingly, Ryan, Greenwell, Bo Jackson, etc...from 1987 Topps, just from Vending cases they were breaking up. Forget the wax boxes that were piled up in every nook and cranny of America at the time.

I don't remember much about the 91's. I was pretty much on my way out of the game by then.

Upper Deck was still pretty limited (and much more expensive) compared to the other 3 major players. I'd guess they made more then Score and Sportflics....but literally nobody cared about those 2 brands, even back then (at least for baseball).

I would also guess Upper Deck printed a lot more in 1990, then they did in 1989.

Not to say there wasn't a ton of Upper Deck out there in 1989, and there weren't a lot of extra Griffey's printed...but still nowhere near other issues.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Even with the extra printings of Griffey, I doubt it comes close to any random card in even the 1987 Topps or 1988-89 Donruss print runs.

Dealers were openly selling 50-100-500 and 1000 count lots of Bonds, McGwire, Mattingly, Ryan, Greenwell, Bo Jackson, etc...from 1987 Topps, just from Vending cases they were breaking up. Forget the wax boxes that were piled up in every nook and cranny of America at the time.

I don't remember much about the 91's. I was pretty much on my way out of the game by then.

Upper Deck was still pretty limited (and much more expensive) compared to the other 3 major players. I'd guess they made more then Score and Sportflics....but literally nobody cared about those 2 brands, even back then (at least for baseball).

I would also guess Upper Deck printed a lot more in 1990, then they did in 1989.

Not to say there wasn't a ton of Upper Deck out there in 1989, and there weren't a lot of extra Griffey's printed...but still nowhere near other issues.

Dave, was it the overproduction and the resulting change in the economics what made you get out?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Dave, was it the overproduction and the resulting change in the economics what made you get out?

I'm sure it had something to do with it, but it was mostly me being a teenager and turning into an adult at the time, with all of the responsibilities that came with that.

The local shows were also getting pretty stale and listless by that time. Working two jobs, taking college courses and juggling a girlfriend (future wife), didn't make me too excited about setting up at a show and struggling to make table fees on my days off.

I liked busting boxes of new stuff (and old stuff) and trying to make my money back, but also loved oddball older material that nobody else seemed to care about...and I never had any interest in being the "new card dealer", with stacks of expensive and often money losing unopened boxes on my table.

...and I don't think it was really the "overproduction" of the traditional sets that got to me. It was the constant introduction of new issues in all the major sports by all the various companies that eventually killed it for me.

I remember really liking OPC Premier (especially the Hockey) and Stadium Club when they first came out, and then within a year I began to dread when they were coming out again.

Mostly though, life got in the way, and my high school brained plan of making a living being a weekend warrior card show guy, was busted wide open for the bad idea that it was.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Is there any chance the Griffey is the most printed card of all time? I read somewhere that 1991 Topps were printed at a rate of 4 million apiece. With the initial '89 UD printing and other nefarious printings that apparently filled 800-count boxes and trunks full of uncut sheets, could it have reached that number? It's definitely the most seen card at shows and the most graded, but I guess that still might not compare to peak junk wax numbers.

A non-zero amount of board members would say T206. Of course, most of them have been lost to time.

ETA: the T206 cards have been lost, not necessarily the board members.

[Rich Klein]

To anyone who thinks logically about this in terms of how many cards are extant, then just about any 1986-95 card is overhyped.

But you have to remember that this is not always a logical hobby. There are a lot of people who remember the Bo Jackson Nike campaign or how the Griffey 89UD was a "holy grail" for a lot of young collectors then so they chase them now.

Sometimes the answer is simpler than it seems

Regards
Rich