BBCE Packs - Early 80's
 

Every year my buddies and I go to Cooperstown for induction weekend. Only a couple of us still collect cards but last year we had a good time opening some junk late 80's and early 90's stuff. This year I was going to step it up a bit and maybe grab some stuff from the late 70's early 80's - 78 to 83 - nothing crazy / nothing too valuable. So I was going to pick up some stuff from BBCE. I am assuming that this site is pretty legit? While at the end of the day it doesn't matter who is in the packs - the worse the players the better the stories, I still don't want searched/previously opened packs.

So 1st can I feel confident that the packs are legit and unsearched?

Second - Is there any difference between wax and cello packs in terms of the randomness of what they put in? I know with cello you can see at least 6 of the cards, but with 51 cards versus 15 cards and a price tag of $8 versus $15 the 51 seems a lot more fun and just a better deal overall.

Any knowledge on the topic would be very helpful. Looking to make a purchase in the next few days so I am ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Thanks!

They are far from perfect but also your best bet of getting factory sealed wax packs/cellos. They are similar to PSA. For the most part they are correct but sometimes stuff gets buy them that shouldn't.

Have fun, I also love ripping cheap wax/cello packs.:)

Almost all of my unopened is from BBCE, and a few case breaks from CU, via BBCE. IMO, wouldn't buy from anyone else. But that's just me, I don't have time to be screwed over.

I have ripped some stuff. I find Cello to be the least likely to have minty cards. Would be curious to hear what others think about likelihood of mint cards in other types of packs.

Good to know but the minty card part isn't a deal breaker in this case. We will probably be 6-8 beers deep at the point of opening these by a camp fire. Obviously I will try to prepare to maintain the best condition possible under the circumstances. But no guarantees.

With that being said if I buy an 80's cello pack 42 cards versus a 15 card wax pack - do they insert the Henderson cards at a different rate? I would assume not. I would assume that besides seeing a few cards in the cello the randomness would be the same. Obviously if the Henderson is showing they aren't sending that to me.

Like if I bought those Christmas packs those are basically hand selected. I can get 1975 packs for $15 with a Yaz showing. Obviously I am not pulling a Brett out of that pack. But I am assuming that Topps Wax/Cello from the early 80's are really no different in randomness?

Racks and Cellos were packaged in a certain sequence. They can be sequenced searched without ever tampering with the packs. In other words, if you know the top or bottom card and you know the packaging sequence, you know the rest of the cards in the pack.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=234449

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=202888

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=162027

I don't think Steve is dishonest at all. In fact, I would trust his products over most any other dealers. However, he does make mistakes and I don't think he has near the knowledge that most here give him credit for.

Steve Hart
 

Steve is an honest dealer and a stand up guy. He can be trusted 100 percent. I trust his products 100 percent. People that bash him most likely had their packs kicked. I prefer that an authticator exercises caution.

My example... I had 22 86 fleer basketball packs kicked at the national a few years ago. I opened them all. They were fine. I got two Jordans and a bunch of other decent cards. Those packs were worth 10k plus. I wasn't thrilled but if Steve exercising caution is a perceived weakness...I wish others authentications would follow his lead.

If you want better condition cards, then go with cello packs. But, if you the sequence of the cards based on whats on the top and bottom, then all the good packs have been opened and the crappy ones thrown in one box from several other boxes. I dont trust many people selling boxes on ebay. Steve is the most trustworthy, but I find it hard to believe he has the time to thoroughly check all the packs to make sure they weren't tampered with. With that being said, the older the pack, the less likely I would trust it. If your going to buy, then your best bet is BBCE.

I was going to buy an older pack from BBCE of 1975 baseball and get it graded by PSA to save for an investment. If PSA says it was tampered with, then I am going to have an issue.

If I'm not mistaken, PSA leans on Steve for unopened authentication. I doubt he looks at single packs from the '70s but he is their expert consultant on unopened material, so I'd guess the same techniques are used.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

PSA sends all packs to BBCE for authentication before grading them.
James

80's wax
 

My favorite to crack has been 1982 and 1983. I typically stay away from cello as after 30 years someone has probably tried to get a view of what's inside (without opening) which will damage the edges. You will lose at least 1-2 cards per pack from gum and wax stains on wax packs. Any reputable dealer would be advised vs. any random seller on eBay. If trying to keep the price down, look at Donruss and Fleer for post 1981. You really have to get lucky to get your money back on these as the box and grading costs make it difficult, but that doesn't seem as important per your message. Have fun ripping them open!