2016 Topps Epic Gold 1/1 Clemente
 

looking for some opinions on this 1/1? clemente card

how are these type of “buyback” cards typically viewed by player collectors?

i don’t think they are considered part of any player’s “master set” for registry purposes but not 100% sure of that

i also have no idea how to value it

i have always been interested in “parallel” sets form these years but this is a part of “modern” where i have zero experience

thanks

An entirely niche product that Topps created. I have a couple of the anniversary ones only because a particular variant was included with it. Other than that, they don't invoke much overall interest for me to try to complete a set or subset of them.

I have a bit of a hard time seeing a 60's card of any sort truly being a 1/1 just because Topps slapped a gold stamp on it. But, others will and that is ok.

Regardless, a very nice Clemente card for sure.

Butch

I find them to be cool oddball cards and will pay a very small premium for them.

If that card is worth maybe $50 in that condition, I could see it selling for around $200 with the Topps buyback 1/1 stamp on it. Maybe $500 OBO is the best way to sell?

Player collectors will look for them, but no, they aren't part of registry sets because PSA only will grade cards that are checklisted, and Topps RARELY (not never) puts out a list of the buybacks they release. Plus, there have to be at least three or five of any specific card spec for it to be eligible for a PSA registry set. You can't grade a 1/1 and add it to a registry set just to make the set impossible to complete.

that makes sense. I was probably thinking more "player collector" than registry anyway but my fingers typed before I thought through it...I used to chase limited modern Yaz cards and I should have known better

I may have been in shock from realizing i sold my T206 Steve Evans way too soon....

how did a 2016 card end up looking like an original clemente from 1965?

It is an original Clemente with a new foil stamp added by Topps to make it a rare 1/1.

ahhh there ya go. learn something new every day :)

Typically with buy back cards, they are original year of issue and are autographed. Of course, with Clemente this isn't possible.

Recently in the Topps Archives Signature Series, yes. But most commonly they're just vintage cards with a new stamp.

These remind me of some of the T205/T206 buybacks they did a while back. They kept the actual card as is but encased it in one of those Allen and Ginter type frames they do for game used/Auto minis. Not incredibly popular but I personally loved them and always paid a small premium when i was focused on the sets and saw them pop up. Not sure how much someone, even a player collector, would pay for a stamped 1/1 g-vg buyback but i think the consensus view at 2-3x vintage card value is likely. Sadly a 1/1 blue Prizm foil shimmer snankeskin parallel could sell for 10 times that lol.

Did you read the thread of the board member that was caught scamming by buying vintage T206s off ebay and then reselling them in buyback frames to get the bump in value? That was a crazy thread.

That one was many years ago with Larry H.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=243385

As for the OP,

Honestly these are more valued on the market than untouched cards by modern collectors. This is why the buybacks are faked as they sell for a premium. As for the Clemente, even in poor condition I would conservatively expect it to sell for roughly 100-250% more than a 65' in similar condition if auctioned and listed properly on eBay.

Also, these like all one of ones cannot be placed in a master set, so do not count toward one (you can add it simply to show you have it, but they carry no points and will not be part of the master checklist). As for player collectors, many including myself chase buybacks of their players.

Similar exemplars -

1961 at roughly 250% Premium - https://www.ebay.com/itm/25622921798...Bk9SR_rSxvGLYw

15 cent 1987 card selling for 50 bucks - https://www.ebay.com/itm/23484866649...Bk9SR_rSxvGLYw

Keep in mind, none have the magic "1/1" in the embossing so the profit margin is indeterminate with the demand of Clemente.

Thanks Justin. I had not seen those two examples when I did a cursory search a few weeks ago. I also had not considered having the card graded/authenticated but for $15 as part of a larger submission that might make sense too.

With condition if you were to choose grading, I would ask for Authentic only.

It's clear it would likely be a 1.5 or 2.5 at best, the only concern with these would be a fake gold stamp. If it was a better condition card I would maybe go numerical, here I think it would be a hindrance with modern collectors so obsessed with grading numbers.

i would tend to agree with that assessment...similar to working with autographs...do you grade the card and the auto, etc.

I am not concerned about authenticity...it was pack pulled by me. That 1961 example was somewhat interesting...my card is in worse shape, but it is the 1/1.

The sale price is based entirely on the Topps buyback stamp. I'm not sure three's any reason to grade it.