1952 Topps High/6th Series sealed wax for sale

[Brianruns10]

Hey All,

Heritage Auctions has this item for sale:

http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7075&lotIdNo=347001#98599859297

It is graded as being a sixth series wax pack, and Heritage touts it as such.

But I thought all the prevailing scholarship showed that the last series were in blue and red packs that resembled the 53 wax packs (sans the date), hence the confusion by those who claimed 52 highs were mixed in with first series 53s.

I know there is a diagnostic for the first series, the different advert on the back touting the felt patches one could get, but since this pack isn't the dateless blue-and-red, could it really be a high series pack?

[Paul S]

I'm not qualified to speak of the veracity of the pack, but they spend such a large majority of the description with the tempting purple prose of what's inside that it's a distraction of the real questions you are asking, and those type of questions are what should have been addressed in the description.

[Brianruns10]

I went and wrote a message to Heritage Auctions. The more I think about it, the more problematic the listing can be.

While it has been shown at least SOME of the high numbers were packaged in blue and red wrapping, it cannot be proven that they weren't also packaged in the red and green wrapper.

But if they WERE it would not be possible to distinguish them from earlier series offerings, since only the first series wrappers had any distinguishing characteristic, an advert for felt emblems which was replaced by one for team pennants.

Without opening the pack, they cannot claim with absolute certitude that the pack is a high series one, as it can just as easily be a series 2-5 pack. The difference in value would be tremendous.

What do you all suppose a proven, verifiable high series sealed wax pack would go for? Regular packs I've see go for 5 or 10 grand...safe to say a high number pack would be 20-25k?

BR

[Volod]

"Without opening the pack, they cannot claim with absolute certitude that the pack is a high series one, as it can just as easily be a series 2-5 pack. The difference in value would be tremendous...."
Brian, I wish I could add something more useful to this discussion, but it seems to me that anyone owning this unopened pack is going to value it for it's unopenedness. Thus, I don't see how that value can vary according to the contents, since they would perforce need to remain unknown...but, maybe we're dealing with a semantic issue instead?

[Brianruns10]

It's all about the odds. If it was a pack containing series 2 or 3 cards, then at best you might find a nice Berra, but likely a bunch of commons, and a pack you paid 5000 for may contain $1000 in cards.

But if your pack was a high number pack, where PSA 7 or 8 cards can go for 500 or 1000 a pop, and if you find a HOFer, you could have a 10K card...or if you find the Mantle, you could have a 100K card...perhaps even a million if it's the middle card, and gets a coveted 10 rating...that's how the lone perfect 10 Pafko came about...it was opened in a pack, and was the center card.

So the rewards are much greater, hence the anticipated value.

And honestly, if I had a common series 52 pack, yes, I'd keep it sealed, but if I had a high number sealed pack...I'd probably open it.

[Bestdj777]

It's all about the odds. If it was a pack containing series 2 or 3 cards, then at best you might find a nice Berra, but likely a bunch of commons, and a pack you paid 5000 for may contain $1000 in cards.

But if your pack was a high number pack, where PSA 7 or 8 cards can go for 500 or 1000 a pop, and if you find a HOFer, you could have a 10K card...or if you find the Mantle, you could have a 100K card...perhaps even a million if it's the middle card, and gets a coveted 10 rating...that's how the lone perfect 10 Pafko came about...it was opened in a pack, and was the center card.

So the rewards are much greater, hence the anticipated value.

And honestly, if I had a common series 52 pack, yes, I'd keep it sealed, but if I had a high number sealed pack...I'd probably open it.

I could not buy any unopened back because it would be open within minutes of arriving at my apartment. I wonder what the gum taste like after all those years...

[esquiresports]

I'll take this over the empty case box any day. Hah!

[Volod]

Don't know if the literature has any information about it, but has anyone ever attempted to CT-scan an unopened pack to try to identify, say, the topmost or bottom card? Maybe too expensive in most cases, but if you were dealing with a pack that is claimed to be a high-number series '52 Topps, could be worth considering - if only by the grading company.