Been buying up packs, sets and boxes now I need to decide how to sort

[wdwfan]

I've been buying a few boxes and sets from the junk wax era (1980s-1992). I've broken some of the boxes, and I've decided I wanted to break apart the sets and organize them for trading/selling. My question is where should I put certain players.

A.) Rookies
Which RCs should I pull? I know there's the big ones like Ripken ('82), Boggs, Sandberg, Gwynn ('83), etc. I know I need to pull out those. But what "second tier" RCs should I pull out of the commons box? I'm referring to guys like Julio Franco, Joe Carter, Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco, Bo Jackson, Barry Larkin, Palmeiro, Clark, Biggio, Sheffield, Edgar Martinez, Smoltz, Sosa, Gonzalez, etc.

B.) Stars
Who should I consider stars? I know guys like Ripken, Gwynn, Boggs, other HOFers are going to sorted into individual players and pulled from the commons box. But what about other second level stars or HOFers that are past their prime/collectible time? I'm talking guys like Rose, Schmidt, Frank Robinson (mgr card), etc.

Again, this is for years like 1980-1992. I'm going to be sorting everything into commons boxes and then into stars and RCs and setting up to sell at shows. Going to sell the commons for the following prices: 1980 for 15 cents each or 8 for $1, 1981-1985 for 10 cents each (!2 for $1) and 1986-1992 for 5 cents each (or 25 for $1).

[swarmee]

Sounds like a lot of work for no gain. I just donate mine to charity. Is your goal to actually make money?

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Sounds like a lot of work for no gain. I just donate mine to charity. Is your goal to actually make money?

Like swarmee said, donating them is by far the best way to make $ with junk era cards. If you can find a place that will take them.

From my experience those cards are worth WAY more still in packs and boxes. Once opened they are basically worthless.

I tried giving mine away with no luck and finally ended up burning around 250k cards from that era. I even tried selling a full large USPS box full of only star and super star players. I got $.15 for my troubles, yes 15 cents.

[steve B]

That's weird.

A friend of mine picked up a bunch of boxes of junk wax era stuff, something line 10-15 3200 count boxes.
I checked it out for him and found a handful of cards I liked, mostly oddball stuff or UD cards with different holograms.

He got it for free from a town free or cheap stuff website.

I offered $50 sight unseen, but he knows I rarely sell things and basically held that as a last resort. He advertised it all, less a couple boxes of game cards, and ended up getting $60.

I've taken similar boxes to flea markets, and didn't sell much. It did lead to my favorite sale though. One kid asked how many cards he could get for his handful of change. He had maybe 35 cents. After getting moms permission, I told him he could have as many as he could hold in two hands. He ended up with a couple hundred cards.

I have done well with that sort of stuff at yard sales. Unsorted, unless it was a set, and mostly not in baseball card boxes.
I used to pull any card that was in Beckett, plus players I thought had an outside chance at a career milestone like 3000 hits or strikeouts etc.
I still have most of that stuff.

[Tripredacus]

Even tho there has been a recent boom in interest in junk wax era products, the supply is still much larger than the demand. I think it is just due to the cards having very low value, and being priced accordingly people can just buy a box or a complete set for cheap.

If you want a feel for the secondary market, go to a card show. If anyone has those cards, they are likely to be dime box or cheaper, or bulk lots. Then you can get an example of how it is done, and whether your idea will work out. If you are doing it just for fun, maybe do team lots. I used to do that on Ebay but it was a lot of work. Even so, never made a profit.

[buymycards]

I used to sell a lot of this stuff at shows. People won't pay 1 cent each for commons. I was selling 3000 count boxes for $8 (The empty box costs $4). Sometimes they would sell and sometimes they wouldn't. Most stars and rookies from 1986 through 1992 went into my dime box, along with most of the inserts. If someone offered me $30 for a 3000 count box of dime cards, I took it. There were other dealers that brought dozens of these types of boxes.

There are some exceptions, such as tough inserts and big name rookies, but good luck getting more than a buck for most of these.

I purchased most of the cards as parts of larger collections, so I got rid of the junk at the shows and put the better cards on eBay.

Rick

[wdwfan]

My goal is to be able to help others working on sets from those years. I enjoy building sets, and I am sure others do too. It's frustrating to try and find stuff for said sets. So I'm hoping to help others out.

My goal isn't to make money. If I happen to make a few bucks on the side, so be it. I"ll turn around and use that few bucks to buy more sets/packs/boxes/cards.

Originally Posted by swarmee

Sounds like a lot of work for no gain. I just donate mine to charity. Is your goal to actually make money?

[wdwfan]

I've talked to the local Boys and Girls Club about donating, and they won't take them. The nearest children's hospital is in Dallas, about 140 miles away. I'm not donating them to Goodwill. So there's really no option to donate.

So you would burn a 1980 Topps Nolan Ryan (BV $10) or 1982 Topps Cal RIpken Jr. RC (BV $40)? I find that hard to believe. I'm really just wanting to pull HOFers and key RCs out of these and then do whatever I need to do with the commons. If I can give them away to people working on sets (for just the cost of shipping), so be it. It helps someone else out.

But I just can't fathom burning or throwing out RCs of guys like Ripken, Sandberg, McGwire, Mattingly and HOFer cards like Ryan, Schmidt, Henderson, etc.

Originally Posted by bnorth

Like swarmee said, donating them is by far the best way to make $ with junk era cards. If you can find a place that will take them.

From my experience those cards are worth WAY more still in packs and boxes. Once opened they are basically worthless.

I tried giving mine away with no luck and finally ended up burning around 250k cards from that era. I even tried selling a full large USPS box full of only star and super star players. I got $.15 for my troubles, yes 15 cents.

[wdwfan]

That's why I asked in the OP which stars and RCs to pull. Everything else will be going into boxes for like 30/$1. I'd surely buy at that price if there was stuff I needed for sets. I'm not willing to buy a complete box of that when I don't need it. But a handful of cards I need for a buck or two? I'd do that.

That's why I asked which cards (RCs and stars/HOFers) to pull.

Originally Posted by buymycards

I used to sell a lot of this stuff at shows. People won't pay 1 cent each for commons. I was selling 3000 count boxes for $8 (The empty box costs $4). Sometimes they would sell and sometimes they wouldn't. Most stars and rookies from 1986 through 1992 went into my dime box, along with most of the inserts. If someone offered me $30 for a 3000 count box of dime cards, I took it. There were other dealers that brought dozens of these types of boxes.

There are some exceptions, such as tough inserts and big name rookies, but good luck getting more than a buck for most of these.

I purchased most of the cards as parts of larger collections, so I got rid of the junk at the shows and put the better cards on eBay.

Rick

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

I've talked to the local Boys and Girls Club about donating, and they won't take them. The nearest children's hospital is in Dallas, about 140 miles away. I'm not donating them to Goodwill. So there's really no option to donate.

So you would burn a 1980 Topps Nolan Ryan (BV $10) or 1982 Topps Cal RIpken Jr. RC (BV $40)? I find that hard to believe. I'm really just wanting to pull HOFers and key RCs out of these and then do whatever I need to do with the commons. If I can give them away to people working on sets (for just the cost of shipping), so be it. It helps someone else out.

But I just can't fathom burning or throwing out RCs of guys like Ripken, Sandberg, McGwire, Mattingly and HOFer cards like Ryan, Schmidt, Henderson, etc.

Opening packs from the early 80's is a huge $ loser. Boggs, Sandberg, and Gwynn rookie can be bought for a few $ each. Unless you pull and get one graded a PSA 10 you are throwing $ out the window of a moving vehicle.

I burned cards from 1985-2000 including all the rookies and star players because for me it was not worth sorting. I made a thread and posted pics on here of it.

Maybe you will have better luck than me and several others.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

That's why I asked in the OP which stars and RCs to pull. Everything else will be going into boxes for like 30/$1. I'd surely buy at that price if there was stuff I needed for sets. I'm not willing to buy a complete box of that when I don't need it. But a handful of cards I need for a buck or two? I'd do that.

That's why I asked which cards (RCs and stars/HOFers) to pull.

The only thing worth keeping is inserts from the 90's. They see to be selling fairly well.

Do people really put junk era set together? Whole sets can be bought for a few dollars.

If you are looking for inventory let me now what you are paying. I still have a ton of 80's-90's stuff.

[wdwfan]

Ok, well I guess it all not worth it. I just can't seem to wrap my head around someone burning a $40 BV Ripken RC or a $20 McGwire RC. Commons that book for 5 cents apiece? Sure. I can see that. But not superstar base and RCs that book for $6, $8, even $15-$30.

But as I said, guess I'll be doing something else. Was just looking to help fellow collectors out by making them available if anyone was working on sets. And yes, people still do build sets. I'm a set builder.

It's more fun to bust 50 cent packs and $8 boxes and trade for stuff you need over going to the LCS and plopping down $50 for a 1985 Topps set or even $25 for a 1987 Topps set.

[slinger23]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

Ok, well I guess it all not worth it. I just can't seem to wrap my head around someone burning a $40 BV Ripken RC or a $20 McGwire RC. Commons that book for 5 cents apiece? Sure. I can see that. But not superstar base and RCs that book for $6, $8, even $15-$30.

But as I said, guess I'll be doing something else. Was just looking to help fellow collectors out by making them available if anyone was working on sets. And yes, people still do build sets. I'm a set builder.

It's more fun to bust 50 cent packs and $8 boxes and trade for stuff you need over going to the LCS and plopping down $50 for a 1985 Topps set or even $25 for a 1987 Topps set.

If it is a key rookie like Ripken or even McGwire, then yes pull it. If it is gradeable, then get it graded. Pull out whatever key cards you want to save. Then, its up to you what you want to do with the rest: recycle, burn, giveaway at Halloween, etc.. Like everybody else has said, a flat rate box full of cards might not sell for hardly anything and a 3000-3200 count box sometimes will barely get $10.00.

[tonyo]

I feel ya wdwfan,

I've come to the reality over the last few years of trying to consolidate my collection that very very very few 80's and 90's cards that I actually purchased from retail stores and LCS packs back in the 80's and 90's are worth even a few cents - unless some random person just happens to be looking for a particular card(s) for their collections.

I pulled out about 10 or 12 rookies and 2nd year cards of Ripken, Henderson, Jeter, boggs, clemens, etc, Then I've been listing "the best" individual cards from my collection on ebay for 7 day auctions starting at $2 each ($3 BIN) over the last several months. Stars like Griffey , Ripken, Ryan, Jeter, Mattingly, all hall of famers, every time ebay gives me 100, 200, or 500 free listings, I almost always use them all. (usually the same cards over and over ) If I've listed 500 or 600 80's & 90's cards like those maybe 5 or 6 times each over the last year, I think I've sold maybe 20 or 30 of them at $2 to $5. People buy the most random cards at the most random times. Someone bought a 94 fleer flair Dennis Eckersley a couple weeks ago for $3, but I had listed that same card probably 6 times for the same price over the last year. It's the old "needle in a haystack" (in reverse?)

I'm giving up on selling my 90's cards, I can't bring myself to throw them away or burn them, so I'm trying to whittle them down to those that will fit in a wooden box I bought at an antique store recently - about 2000 will fit, and I tell ya, even though I know they are basically worthless, it's hard to decide which 2000 I like best.

I just like the cards

[Tripredacus]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Do people really put junk era set together? Whole sets can be bought for a few dollars.

Yes, i have done it in recent years. Something about putting the set together yourself is part of the fun. Buying a whole set is just like cheating yourself out of that. I ended up stopping because I had set too lofty of goals for myself.

Even after I stopped doing all sets, I had tried to do a 1988 Topps all-error/misprint set... but the amount of cards to go through took the fun out of it for me.

[wdwfan]

I agree. It's more fun to buy a few packs or boxes and bust to get started then trade your extras or other stuff for stuff you need. I enjoy set building. Always have. In fact, I just sat down and started sorting my 2018 Topps Walmart into order to put a set(s) together. Never gets old.

I think I'm going to keep 1 each of the Topps sets as I'd like to get a run of Topps sets from 1975 (when I was born) until now then work my way back into the 50s. The other sets (Fleer, Donruss, Score, Leaf, UD), I'll probably pull the key RCs and HOFers (and Rangers if I need them for my PC) and put everything into 5k boxes to get ready to head to the dumpster at work.

Originally Posted by Tripredacus

Yes, i have done it in recent years. Something about putting the set together yourself is part of the fun. Buying a whole set is just like cheating yourself out of that. I ended up stopping because I had set too lofty of goals for myself.

Even after I stopped doing all sets, I had tried to do a 1988 Topps all-error/misprint set... but the amount of cards to go through took the fun out of it for me.

[4k6]

Yep, I got the junk wax bug recently (1987 Topps), nostalgia? Bought four unsearched vending boxes off ebay cheap, had fun going through them.

Then, stopped at a tag sale, had to ask if they had any baseball cards. Sure enough guy brings out a box of 86-89 Topps, mostly 87s, offered/sold $10 for the fun (hey there were Bonds, Larkins, etc in there).

I've actually starting sorting them to try and build a complete set....nah WTF am I doing?

To the dump they go

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by 4k6

Yep, I got the junk wax bug recently (1987 Topps), nostalgia? Bought four unsearched vending boxes off ebay cheap, had fun going through them.

Then, stopped at a tag sale, had to ask if they had any baseball cards. Sure enough guy brings out a box of 86-89 Topps, mostly 87s, offered/sold $10 for the fun (hey there were Bonds, Larkins, etc in there).

I've actually starting sorting them to try and build a complete set....nah WTF am I doing?

To the dump they go

Having fun is what you are doing.

I love the junk era sets. I would rather thumb through a 87 Topps set than even a 52 Topps set any day of the week. This is because I have seen most of the players in that 87 set play in person. I have great memories of those players.

My other comments are purely on opening packs and then trying to sell them.

[wdwfan]

I've mainly been buying those sets and busting them up, pulling the RCs and stars and then trying to help other set builders where I can, whether giving cards away or selling them in lots like 30/$1. But that's why I originally asked which stars and RCs to pull and keep. Don't plan on grading any as I don't deal with the whole graded thing. I simply want cards from when I started collecting to be able to relive those memories.

I've only opened a handful of packs. Got a few at a flea market recently, 3/$1 packs of 1989 Donruss, 1987 Topps, other 1986-1992 product. I've also bought a couple of boxes (2x 1991 UD for $5 each, a 1987 Topps for $10). But mainly it's buying sets and breaking them up.

Originally Posted by bnorth

Having fun is what you are doing.

I love the junk era sets. I would rather thumb through a 87 Topps set than even a 52 Topps set any day of the week. This is because I have seen most of the players in that 87 set play in person. I have great memories of those players.

My other comments are purely on opening packs and then trying to sell them.

[midmo]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

I've mainly been buying those sets and busting them up, pulling the RCs and stars and then trying to help other set builders where I can, whether giving cards away or selling them in lots like 30/$1. But that's why I originally asked which stars and RCs to pull and keep. Don't plan on grading any as I don't deal with the whole graded thing. I simply want cards from when I started collecting to be able to relive those memories.

You know who the stars are. There's nobody hiding in those sets. Pull them, get a table at a local show and see what happens. Since I started actively setting up at shows again in the last 4 years I've had exactly zero people ask for junk era cards. Pre-war sells great. 50's & 60's sell great. Granted I have very few modern cards (70's-90's), but rarely does anybody even look at those stacks. Maybe you'll have a different experience. Give it a shot and let us know. Good luck.