Xmas Rack Packs

[tigers6884]

I have seen these up until 1969 and they may be even newer ones around. There are various theories about the origins.

One theory is they were legitimately packaged yearly by a company other than Topps until the early 60s. During the 80s, another individual began selling them using the same packaging as the originals used.

Regardless they are not a Topps rack and the hidden cards are typically o/c. I often thought about getting a 67 rack but unknowing collectors will bid them up to a level which is simply not worth it, at least to me.

[David W]

I picked this up with Lou Brock on it a few years ago.

[buckydent]

I don't trust them either. Typically they were indeed put together after the production year, and in some cases years later. The trick to get you to bite was to put one or two star cards on the outside showing, with mostly commons on the inside. I bought a 1971 rack in the series with Clemente and Mays, the Mays was showing but the Clemente inside was 90/10 top bottom centering and the rest garbage including doubles in the same pack ! As for searching - the sides of the pack need to be nice and tight, if they are not and you can shuffle each of the cards slightly, to see the players in sequence, the pack has been searched. I have a 1981 rack pack box of football, not as vintage as the 1971 topps baseball and did get two Montanas ( one showing on the bottom of a pack and one inside - but some of the packs were not tight and were clearly searched which was upsetting ), but I bought it long before football cards were worth anything, which explains why I still got two Montanas ( there were no Paytons, Bradshaws etc ). I can't comment on graded packs aside from those showing a star on top which look pretty cool.

[ALR-bishop]

I have a run of them from 52 to 63 ( also have regular wax packs from those years). I bought them from Mark Murphy ( 53 to 62) several years ago. I knew they were repackaged cards when I bought them. I bought them for entertainment and the mystery. I have always thought it interesting that many say they were repackaged cards sold by a retailer....with different theories about exactly when. But yet no one ( as far as I know) can say for sure what retailer(s), where, and when. I agree there has probably been a lot of further "repackaging" since. Hopefully someday someone will be able to document exactly how these things first appeared. Murphy either did not know or would not say

[steve B]

I bought a 58 just for the curiosity of it.

I wouldn't have thought the cards would be well centered, so many weren't.
I'd have to think they came from unsold cards, or cards leftover after packaging. Back before tight inventory controls most places overproduced, or produced a certain ammount of whatever they were making. So if they printed a million cards and then only got orders for 950,000 they's have loads of leftovers. There were a lot of small businesses that made decent money buying overruns for very little to repackage or just resell if packaged already.
And many still do, there's just less manufacuring overruns and more overstocks of poor selling stuff. (Treat Inc in Cards, and I think a couple others)

What company made those mesh christmas stockings full of trinkety toys and gold coin chocolates? These Christmas packs strike me as being similar.

With cards coming out so early now I've thought there would be someone rewrapping cards with a happy easter wrapper......Nothing so far.

Steve B