Best bang for buck
 

Hey guys,

Been out of collecting for quite a few years and was really just a vintage guy. Miss the days of opening packs so thought about maybe buying a box or two. My question is, what is the best manufacture to buy these days and still have a good shot at some auto cards as well as get a decent amount of cards. I see these boxes listed now days with like 8 packs and only 4 cards per pack for 200-300 dollars (holy sh*t) thats just crazy. Is there no boxes anymore where you get like 36 packs with 15-20 cards and still get a chance at some “rare” cards at a decent price?

A Topps jumbo hobby box is about the only thing with any quantity nowadays. At the moment the newest series 2 has 460 cards per box with one garunteed autograph and two relics. These run for about $150. Not a terrible deal but the odds are extremely slim you pull $150 in value back.

Not to take anything away from the thrill of opening packs, and this isn't something I normally do, but maybe look into getting involved with one of the many Breaker companies online. They generally seem to get first crack at all the newer, better products out there that are more likely to have higher end memorabilia, autographed, and serial numbered cards. Not sure you'll get a lot of cards, but you will be able to be more selective in choosing a certain team(s) and possibly upping your chances to get those higher end cards. You also don't have to pay for an entire box/case when you do it through a Breaker, just for the team(s) or whatever subgroup the Breaker is selling a particular issue by. So it can actually be a more economical way to get higher end cards you're interested in. Though I don't know for sure, I believe you can find out what kind and quantities of special cards, including sought after rookies, are going to be included in the different issues as they are released. So you can try and focus on getting the rights to those particular teams or groups the Breakers are going to be selling so you can have a better chance of getting the players/teams you actually want.

Now you don't get to actually open the packs yourself, but instead go online to watch someone from the Breaker company open the packs for you. You still get the suspense and thrill of seeing a pack opened, and watching the cards being pulled out to see what you won, as well as what others won from the same box/case. And I understand some of the Breakers can be more entertaining and interactive as well. It isn't for everyone, but that seems to be how the bulk of the new cards are being sold anymore. Good luck.

Like you I'm a vintage guy but I miss opening packs.

For current stuff, Topps flagship is still probably the best for this (Series 1, Series 2, Update). You can get an auto, relic, parallels, etc. and the price isn't terrible (although it's more expensive now than it was a couple years ago).

But as a previous poster said, you really won't get your value back out unless you get lucky and pull something rare. But that's part of the fun I guess. If you consider the price of the box as an "entertainment expense", then any good cards you get are just a bonus.

Another thing I like to do is open up old junk wax (1991 Donruss, early 90's Score). You can still sometimes find those cheap, and even though the odds are LOOOONG, there is still technically a chance to pull a rare insert or auto (although I never have :)). But's that good, cheap fun.

This is not meant to be sarcastic. I see folks say they usually or only collect “vintage”, or they are a “vintage” collector. Is there a hobby norm for what constitutes vintage or is it like the term “variation”, everyone has their own definition ?

That’s actually a good question. I think many collectors (such as myself) would say vintage stops and modern starts around 1980 or 1981 when print runs started to skyrocket, Fleer and Donruss entered the picture, etc.

I think that is the most commonly accepted definition (as evidenced by the thread categories and BST sections here on Net54).

But I’m sure there are many that disagree and include more or less years in their definition of vintage.

If someone considers 1991 donruss as vintage (because it’s now 30 years old) I wouldn’t have a problem with that.

(I can’t believe 1991 Donruss is 30 years old!!! :) )

my definition of vintage is anything that i understand. once all those crazy parallels and prizms and refractors and other stuff began popping up, it was too confusing :D

I agree with this. But would Tiffany sets be considered parallels? Is Desert Shield a parallel? There is also the 1992 Topps Gold Winners. Certainly Topps Gold would be a parallel, and the Rockies and Marlins 1993 inaugural would be parallels although they were only in complete set format. So that still means to me that somewhere in the 80s is the cutoff between vintage and modern. To me, the start of modern would be the superior card stock of 1989 UD.

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It's a great question! When I was starting out "vintage" was commonly regarded as pre-1974, meaning the time when cards were issued in series. Personally that's my definition, but at the same time I've been doing this 40+ years so I can respect if people who are new to the hobby regard vintage as anything 20th century.

Yes a good question. I agree with the poster above that says vintage is 1980 and earlier.
Bob

Back to the original post - I think there’s some potential fun/value in older but not old boxes…if you do a little research you can sometimes find a deal on boxes 2-10 years old.

But generally speaking, the boxes that are worth more open than sealed are few and far between. So, figure in “entertainment value” when looking at prices.

Thanks for all the replies. Like many, I started collecting in mid 80's so I consider anything pre 1970 as Vintage.