Mike D's Adventures in Wax

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

Cracked all the '89 Donruss rack packs.

Pulled 5 Griffey Jr's, 4 Randy Johnson, and it seems mostly 3-9 cards.

I've started listing a few cards on eBay, but I can't imagine I'll make the $50 I spent on the case. I guess the approach is to try to make a little back, and the rest is "entertainment fee" for the fun of opening and sorting.

My best advice if you want to make money is to get a very few of the key cards graded if they are worthy. I just recently sold a 1987 Topps bo Jackson psa 10 for around $38. If the Griffey would grade a 10 it is around $200. But if it’s a 9 it’s worth less than $20 so you have to be really sure it’s a 10. Otherwise the junk wax stuff is usually worth more unopened - as are all cards.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

My best advice if you want to make money is to get a very few of the key cards graded if they are worthy. I just recently sold a 1987 Topps bo Jackson psa 10 for around $38. If the Griffey would grade a 10 it is around $200. But if it’s a 9 it’s worth less than $20 so you have to be really sure it’s a 10. Otherwise the junk wax stuff is usually worth more unopened - as are all cards.

It's not really "make money" as much as it's "make some of it back".

I've actually never had any cards graded. The whole "hoping for 10's" things is a bit too much like gambling for me. Looking at population reports for '89 Donruss on PSA, looks like many have tried the same and gotten burned.

That last part sounds mildly depressing. I guess the fact that I open stuff makes me a "hobbiest"

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

It's not really "make money" as much as it's "make some of it back".

I've actually never had any cards graded. The whole "hoping for 10's" things is a bit too much like gambling for me. Looking at population reports for '89 Donruss on PSA, looks like many have tried the same and gotten burned.

That last part sounds mildly depressing. I guess the fact that I open stuff makes me a "hobbiest"

I just picked up a case of 1989 Donruss wax last weekend and had fun ripping it open. If your luck was anything like mine, there would have been no Griffs worth grading. Not one was remotely close to being centered. That being said, it's not the only money card in the set if graded. The Schillings are now going for $50-65 in PSA 10, I believe in anticipation of him possibly getting into the Hall next year. I'm sending in about 15-20 of the cards in a bulk sub but I am being overly picky on what I'm sending.
Even if you don't send in anything for grading, pick the most centered, sharpest cards(best to use maginfication) and just put them back, you...or your son may want to send them in for grading one day!
Best of luck/fun in your rips and thanks for sharing!

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by Promethius88

I just picked up a case of 1989 Donruss wax last weekend and had fun ripping it open. If your luck was anything like mine, there would have been no Griffs worth grading. Not one was remotely close to being centered. That being said, it's not the only money card in the set if graded. The Schillings are now going for $50-65 in PSA 10, I believe in anticipation of him possibly getting into the Hall next year. I'm sending in about 15-20 of the cards in a bulk sub but I am being overly picky on what I'm sending.
Even if you don't send in anything for grading, pick the most centered, sharpest cards(best to use maginfication) and just put them back, you...or your son may want to send them in for grading one day!
Best of luck/fun in your rips and thanks for sharing!

Yeah, in addition to the Griffey and Schilling, there's also the Randy Johnson.

I do have a couple non-89 Donruss cards I'm thinking about getting graded, maybe if they come back decent and I feel like I can tell the difference between a 9 and a 10, I'll give a few a try.

The suggestion of using magnification is a good one, though...my old eyes probably can't tell the difference!

[Mike D.]

The five Griffeys sold for a total of $14.50 delivered.

Minus shipping and fees, that still should pay for about 25% of the box.

So, 5 of the cards covers a quarter of the cost. Now, if only I was more optimistic that the remaining 3,235 cards would cover the other 3/4.

[Mike D.]

Sold a set of the 1988 Topps Superstars today. $2.99 plus $3.50 s/h.

67 cards sold...5,600 or so to go!

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

My best advice if you want to make money is to get a very few of the key cards graded if they are worthy. I just recently sold a 1987 Topps bo Jackson psa 10 for around $38. If the Griffey would grade a 10 it is around $200. But if it’s a 9 it’s worth less than $20 so you have to be really sure it’s a 10. Otherwise the junk wax stuff is usually worth more unopened - as are all cards.

I had no idea donruss griffeys were going for that much. I bought 3 or 4 for like 40 bucks each a while back along with some fleer, score, and topps traded.