Best Memory of Opening Wax Packs

[SmokyBurgess]

I rode my bike 3 blocks to a neighborhood store and bought a pack of 1966 Topps baseball. Still remember finding the Willie Mays card, but have forgotten the rest of the cards in the pack.

Still have Willie although he has a little wear and a little crease.

[GrayGhost]

From when I was younger, or later when I paid too much and opened em? As a kid, Id say it was my mom coming home w a "tray pack" of 1975 topps. First pack right on bottom was Hank Aaron, and I can remember hollering w happiness.

Miss my mom, being young and opening cards as kid.

[mr2686]

Best memory for me was 1971 (11 years old) riding bikes down to Sam and Sally's liquor store after playing baseball all day long during summer school break. Two of my friends and I would grab 32oz sodas and several packs of cards and start opening them. When someone got a card they already had, didn't matter if it was Aaron or Mays etc, we gave it to one of the other two that didn't have it. Didn't need to "trade" or sell...geez, those were the days.

[Howe’s Hunter]

we all brought home made treats to school to share with classmates on our birthdays. My fourth grade year, I was diagnosed as diabetic and spent six weeks in the hospital. The first birthday party in class after I got back, the girl who was turning 10 brought cupcakes for everyone else, and me a wax pack of Topps 1972 baseball cards. The first card in the pack was Willie Mays. (it was her idea to get the baseball cards, since she knew I had just started to collect that year, but she had to promise her mom to stand there and take the piece of gum when I opened the pack, since it wasn't sugar free. I remember Becky kept apologizing for that, but saying she had promised her mom she would bring it back home to prove I hadn't chewed it...)

[dstraate]

What and awesome school party. And today all I want is for kids to stop bringing in these Wal Mart cupcakes of death. You know the ones: 2 inches of sugary cake and 4 inches of neon colored frosting. It makes me cringe when a parent comes through the door carrying those things. I'd switch them out for packs of '72 Topps anyday.

My best memory is when (Score I think?) started adding the Dream Team Subset sometime in the 90s. I just remember how striking and artsy the cards were. Black and White photography, the best players in the game. For me, they were undoubtedly the first "Chase" cards. Although I also cringe at the direction that "Chase" cards have gone.

Seems I do a lot of cringing these days

[sox1903wschamp]

Summer 1968 opening a 1968 Topps 5 cent wax pack on the way to a Little League game in Watertown Square (Watertown, MA). I played in a park right behind City Hall in Watertown that is still there today.

Anyway, the pack contained my 2 favorite Red Sox at the time, Rico Petrocelli and Jim Longborg out of 5 cards. I was in card heaven. I have no idea on the other 3 cards. They were not Red Sox

[Tim Fritz]

Buying my first whole box of wax packs in '85 to complete my set. I was in heaven with all those packs to open. Last card I needed was the Gooden rookie. I think my head it the ceiling when I finally got it in one of those packs. And I think I can attribute at least one childhood cavity to all the gum that day.

My first wax pack memory was my mom buying me '76 football from a very small grocery store across the street from my dads work. I wrote my name on all the cards, so mine wouldn't get mixed up with my sisters. At the age of 4 I wrote my name backwards. MIT. I don't have those anymore and would love to find one some day.

[sycks22]

It was in the early '90's and when we went to a local card shop and there was sitting a '84 Topps pack. It was like $10 or something which is pretty much a house payment for a 10 year old kid so I took the plunge. One of the first cards was the Mattingly rookie. It was jumping up and down like crazy and still remember that day. I think it booked around $30 at that time. Great times.

[celoknob]

7 years old, in the backseat on the way to a birthday party, I opened a 1975 Hank Aaron. Like many of my '75s I loved them till they were flimsy and full of creases.

I passed that Aaron on to my son a few years back and bought myself a PSA 7. Not sure what that says about me or the hobby.

[deadballera]

Loved going to to the corner store market and buying some packs. Then stuffing the hard gum into my mouth.

[jbbama]

a good 1/2 mile (actually took the short cut on the main road, i would have in big trouble if caught) to the local gas station with my small tupperware box bungee tied to my Huffy #4 bike handlebars. I was able to purchase 3 packs of '81 Donruss or 3 packs of '81 Fleer for $1 (tax included). I then would hurry home (short cut again) and rip into them like no tomorrow. I remember Fernando Valenzuela Fleer (R) being the big card. The good ole days of rubber bands and empty matchbox car cases for carrying them around.

[brob28]

I remember shoveling snow from neighbors driveways with my collecting buddy to make money to then ride our bikes to the corner store to buy cards. I think it was in late March and there was about 7 inches of the white stuff but we laughed our asses off riding our bikes in the snow to get those cards!

[39special]

I remember going to the local candy store in '77 any buying packs with my paper route money.Toward the end of the summer I remember saving enough money and got a box.I think it was around $9.00.I was in heaven opening all those packs.34 years later,I'm 18 cards away from finishing the set!

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by sycks22

It was in the early '90's and when we went to a local card shop and there was sitting a '84 Topps pack. It was like $10 or something which is pretty much a house payment for a 10 year old kid so I took the plunge. One of the first cards was the Mattingly rookie. It was jumping up and down like crazy and still remember that day. I think it booked around $30 at that time. Great times.

My story is very similar to yours Pete. The pack I bought in the early 90's was 1985 topps, I paid $8 and found an Oral Hershiser

I was a young Dodger fan and bought the pack in hopes of finding the card... Good times indeed.

[Beatles Guy]

Mom bought me a '79 Topps pack for doing something (can't remember what). I pulled a Mike Schmidt. It and all the other cards became wallpaper above my bed

[Kzoo]

Originally Posted by sycks22

One of the first cards was the Mattingly rookie. It was jumping up and down like crazy and still remember that day. I think it booked around $30 at that time. Great times.

My memorable pack opening experience was buying a wax pack of '84 Donruss from a card shop up in Flint, MI. for around $10 or maybe more. This was in the late '80s and the Mattingly RC was HOT!! I was lucky enough to get the Mattingly in that one pack and my buddies couldn't believe it......and the two guys working at the shop really couldn't believe it as they looked at each other in disbelief.....almost as if one guy was mad at the other guy for missing that card when he searched the wax packs. I was excited, they weren't so much.

Matt

[leftygrove10]

For me, the year was 1980. I had bought lots of cards that year and was closing in on a complete set of 1980 Topps cards. However, I was missing the Willie Stargell card. But one night, on the way home from church, my mom bought me a pack of cards. I opened the cards in the dark car and was thumbing through them. In the dim moonlight, I thought I could see a... Willie Stargell card. Sure enough, it was Willie. He was staring back at me as if to say... Here I am... I do exist! I couldn't believe it! Living just a couple hours from Pittsburgh and having watched them in the 1979 World Series, I was ecstatic! I doubt that my mom quite understood my excitement. But of all the packs I have ever opened, that is the one that I remember.

[GrayGhost]

Later on, in adulthood, I could remember the early /mid 90s when the Hot corner, a small closet of a shop in Storrs, CT, was selling packs. Dave Scranton, the owner, was as HONEST AS THE DAY IS LONG, and his packs clean as a whistle. Two visits in a row. One day, 40.00 I think for a 1986 Fleer basketball. Jordan Sticker, Ewing, Bird I think and JORDAN RC.

Week later, got a 73 baseball hi number for around 40-50 . hoping for a nice Dwight Evans, who I had a customer for. SCHMIDT Rookie.

Oh, and the best of all. my friend Neil Sakow had a big deal w Al Rosen in the late 80s. one day before he came, I went to the store and all the stuff was piled up. Anyways, Neil let me buy 1965 cello packs for TWELVE BUCKS. Remember a Clemente and Maris, Koufax and a McCovey, all which would grade nine or maybe ten. Man, I wish I had those cards and packs today.

[HRBAKER]

Used all of my allowance and odd job money to buy '67 Topps. Would ride my bike to the A&P to get them. When I was flush, I would buy the 25 cent wax trays with 6 packs. Most of the time I would buy 2-3 packs. Life was great, I loved the design and my favrorite team the Cardinals would win the WS.

[scmavl]

Great stories everyone (and great pulls, Scott!).

My most memorable pack was on a visit to my grandmother in Alabama in 1989 (I was 12) and there was a tiny card shop in this rural town. My grandmother reluctantly let me stop there and go in and buy a couple of packs of cards. I went to get some '89 Topps hoping for another Gregg Jefferies. But there on the table was a box of '89 Upper Deck. Since I usually got my cards in supermarkets in my hometown, I'd never had the chance to buy a pack. Also, they were $1.99 per pack instead of .50 like Topps. But I took the plunge and bought one pack and went back out to the car. Before we were out of the parking lot, I'd already torn into the pack... and there it was... THE Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. I ran back in the store to show the owner, I was so excited.

I wish I'd kept that card. I traded it for an '86 Topps Cecil Fielder. What was I thinking?

[7nohitter]

When I was 13, in 1990, I was able to ride my bike down to Walgreens and pay $1.49 for Upper Deck packs...man, those were like gold...WAAAY better than the $0.75 Topps packs!

[chris6net]

I seem to remember buying my first packs in 71 and 72. Where I lived it was Mets country as the Yankees were on the downswing and Tom Seaver was King. I always remember that the most popular card to get was not Tom Seaver but the Mets Team card. CN

[iwantitiwinit]

Sol's stationary store, Stamford, CT, 1967 my Dad would buy the NY Daily News after church at St. Mary's and give me 10cts for a pack. Love the green backs on the 67's, I remember Felix Milan being in that first pack. Ended up ruining most of those cards putting them in the spokes of my Orange Schwinn Sting Ray 5 speed with the sissy bar. Remember that bike, haven't thought about that in a long time.

[btcarfagno]

So many memories...mostly generic. Places i used to buy the packs...B&B downtown...the corner store...the local Pathmark grocery store with the tray packs. The only time i can recall getting a particular card in a pack was in 1980 coming home from a birthday party (9 years old) with a bunch of the other kids in the back of a station wagon opening up the goody bag that had a pack of baseball and a pack of hockey. The baseball pack had nothing special and I was not a hockey fan at that point. I opened up the hockey pack and asked one of the other kids about the players. Pretty soon every kid in the car was offering me the world for this guy named Gretzky. Partially because I figured I had something nice and partially because I wanted to spite the rest of the kids I did not trade the card.

Tom C

[boysblue]

late 60s....my brother and i would take our weekly allowance money and bike down to mallat's gas station where hockey cards were sold inside the attached store. can't remember any specific cards, but the smell of the gum is etched forever. we used to flip 'em and trade 'em with friends at school. oh, what memories.

[Jcfowler6]

It was the late 70's. My dad came home from work and handed me a pack of football cards. It was the best. I remember Franco was in there and that made my day. My dad, not that it was a bad thing, didn't bring me home things so that was pretty special.

Thanks Dad.

[timber63401]

Started busting wax in 87 at the ripe old age of nine. Thought I was king of the world when I pulled an Ozzie Smith. To this day if I see a 1987 Topps Ozzie Smith I get a happy feeling inside.

[Boccabella]

My sister's 1971-72 high school boyfriend came over one night before Christmas with a nicely wrapped box that I knew had basketball cards inside. He put it under the tree and I got to open it before Christmas. I'd never had a FULL box of anything. I was overwhelmed and started opening packs like crazy. My sister wasn't happy. She thought I should ration them and proceeded to hide them in her dresser drawer. That didn't last long. I think if I'd have stuck that box away today, the $2.40 he paid for it would have turned into about $15,000 today.

I still remember pulling a 1974 Hank Aaron out of the nickel vending machine inside the front doors of the local K-Mart and the same store later with a huge display bin near the front checkout, full of 1979 Topps tray packs they were selling for a quarter. Bought a few, then bought a case from Mike Cramer and either opened or sold them all off within a year. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[alanu]

Not one specific memory, but just the overall memories of walking to the local stores to get packs of cards in the late 60's, early 70's. The two local stores were the Public Market and the Modern Market. The Modern Market always had non-sports packs too.

[bosoxfan]

As a nine year old growing up in New Jersey, seems everyone was a yankee fan in 1968. I remember opening my first pack of baseball cards and getting two Yastrzemski cards in the same pack. Yaz had won the triple crown in 67 so he was first on all 3 league leader cards. What's better than that? Along with his regular issue card he appeared on a world series subset card.

If you turned over all the All star cards and put the puzzle together, it showed a great picture of Yaz. I became a redsox fan for life and Yastrzemski was my favorite player from that moment on.

[martyp]

1961, I had some money and then found the neighbor's pop bottles. I cashed the bottles in and went to the 5 and dime and bought a wax box. I remember being upset that it cost me $1.25. I was charged sales tax for the first time on baseball cards since I normally only bought one or two packs. On the way back, my friend and I opened them by a trash can in the alley and threw away all the wrappers and half the gum. I do not recall any certain player, but I had 120 new cards.

[daves_resale_shop]

My father frequently took me to the Newton Mass. (I believe it was at the Days Inn) Baseball Card Shows in the Mid to Late 80's... I would typically bring my $5 allowance and spend it on .35 topps packs from 1986-87... At the time Roger Clemens was my Favorite player and I had owned his "Cheapie" Topps rookie, but really wanted his 85 donruss but didn't have the $12 or so dollars to spend on it... On the way out of the show, my father treated me to a pack of 85 Donruss (must have cost about 1.25). And I was ecstatic to find a wonderfully off-center Roger Clemens Rookie Card in the pack!!! At the time I thought it was the pull of a lifetime!!! I still own that very card today!

[jp1216]

1980 Topps BB rack packs from Giant grocery stores in VA and wax packs from the local 7-11. I would gladly accompany my mom to the store and spend the entire time in the candy isle searching racks. My first pack had Steve Garvey on top and also remember looking for Rose & Reggie. My first set to finish was the '80 FB. Trading with friends (age 7) and waiting months to finally pull a Mike Haynes All-Pro. Or maybe it was a trade? Boy were those cards ('80 FB) ugly!

I also remember a neighbor giving out '79-80 Topps Hockey wax packs on halloween. Weird. Wish I had hit that house a few more times....

[Chris-Counts]

In the spring of 1970, when I was nine, my mom sent me to the grocery store to buy some vegetables. As I walked into the grocery store, I was awestruck by a box of baseball cards. At the time, I knew little about baseball, although I collected other stuff, like bugs, Hot Wheels and Odd Rod stickers.

For reasons I can't explain, I spent the money my mom gave me on several packs of Topps baseball cards. I can remember getting a poster of Ollie Brown in the first pack and one of Willie Davis in the next pack. As I was walking home, my father passed by in his car and offered me a ride home. I explained to him what happened and he was surprisingly sympathetic. He drove us back to the grocery store, where he bought my mom the vegetables she wanted — and he bought me several more packs of baseball cards ...

From that day on, I lost all interest in bugs, Hot Wheels and Odd Rods ...

[vintagechris]

My first packs were 1980 Topps FB(I actually loved them then and now). I used to go to the mall where my Mom worked when we had breaks from school.

Like most kids then, I spent hours and hours playing video games. One day on my way to the back of Woolworths where the game room was, I noticed the packs of cards. Bought a couple and was hooked.

From that day until about 1987, My Mom would bring home two packs of cards everyday from work. Mom was a big part of my love for collecting cards. She passed a couple years ago from a long battle with cancer, so I have very fond memories of all those packs Mom bought for me in the 80's.

[djrhanover]

The year was 1959 when I bought my first pack of cards from Mack's, the corner store in my neighborhood. I was seven years old at the time and had all of a quarter, my entire allowance, to spend on cards for the week. Although I don't remember any of the '59's that I got that day, I do very vividly remember finding this 1957 Yogi Berra card in the gravel alley on my way home. I couldn't believe my luck. She's a beauty, and I have had it ever since.

[GrayGhost]

This is an AWESOME thread. Some great stories and memories. Keep em coming.

[Tomman1961]

Remember that ad in Baseball Digest for the cardboard locker to hold your baseball cards? I bought one. When at school, my Dad put the cardboard locker together. I was thrilled I finally had it. Then he opened my dresser draw and there was a 1973 Topps Rack Pack he bought for me. He whispered to me: "Don't tell your mother." No idea who was in that pack. I do remember that nice things my Dad did that day. And my Mother never threw out my cards. They both celebrate their 79th birthday this week.

[53Browns]

I started collecting in the 80's and in 1987 I went to a big area card show and bought 1 pack of 86 Donruss because the card everyone wanted was an 86 Canseco rookie. I opened the pack and three cards in was Mr. Canseco. I thought I had hit the lottery! Laughable now since the card is worth chump change these days. But at the time it was a very exciting memory and a great pull!

[Danny Smith]

Originally Posted by jp1216

1980 Topps BB rack packs from Giant grocery stores in VA and wax packs from the local 7-11. I would gladly accompany my mom to the store and spend the entire time in the candy isle searching racks. My first pack had Steve Garvey on top and also remember looking for Rose & Reggie. My first set to finish was the '80 FB. Trading with friends (age 7) and waiting months to finally pull a Mike Haynes All-Pro. Or maybe it was a trade? Boy were those cards ('80 FB) ugly!

I also remember a neighbor giving out '79-80 Topps Hockey wax packs on halloween. Weird. Wish I had hit that house a few more times....

Thats awesome! Most of my cards as a kid came from the rack packs that i searched endlessly in the candy aisle at giants in maryland.

[brass_rat]

This thread is great, thanks to everybody for sharing. Chris, I can only imagine you looking at veggies and then the cards, back at the veggies, then making a "tough" decision...haha.

I remember my very first pack was 1987 Topps (I was 7 at the time)...it was during a summer camp visit to the batting cages and the associated arcade. I was really excited and promptly went home to tell my parents that I now collected baseball cards.

In the early 90's my mom would take my sister and I to the mall and to the local card shop, Extra Innings. I'd use my allowance to buy a box of cards, I vividly remember the yellow boxes of 1990 Score and green boxes of 1991 Score. My family would order pizza for dinner and watch the four shows that made up TGIF on tv, and I would open my cards. Great times...

Steve

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

In the spring of 1970, when I was nine, my mom sent me to the grocery store to buy some vegetables. As I walked into the grocery store, I was awestruck by a box of baseball cards. At the time, I knew little about baseball, although I collected other stuff, like bugs, Hot Wheels and Odd Rod stickers.

For reasons I can't explain, I spent the money my mom gave me on several packs of Topps baseball cards. I can remember getting a poster of Ollie Brown in the first pack and one of Willie Davis in the next pack. As I was walking home, my father passed by in his car and offered me a ride home. I explained to him what happened and he was surprisingly sympathetic. He drove us back to the grocery store, where he bought my mom the vegetables she wanted — and he bought me several more packs of baseball cards ...

From that day on, I lost all interest in bugs, Hot Wheels and Odd Rods ...

[slantycouch]

Love all these stories! So good.

My favorite memories of opening packs are the ones my mom would get for me and we'd open together. She always was into my hobbies whatever they were. She was as excited as I was when we'd pull the last card needed for a set. I submitted this story to another site a few years ago, but I think it fits well here too:

My somewhat unhealthy obsession with baseball cards began in 1987. After purchasing my first card -- a 1986 Sportflics Pete Rose -- from my neighbor, I was hooked. Spring came, and the green and yellow boxes of cardboard gold arrived in our town. Don Mattingly, in my eyes less a baseball player and more a deity, was on the box. It was fate. Sure, those wood borders were ugly as sin, but I couldn't have cared less. How does an eight-year-old kid scrounge up enough money to attempt to build a 792-card set, you ask? He runs to his mother and begs, that's how. I did my share of chores that summer. Dusting. Vacuuming. Sweeping. But my mom's weakness was breakfast. She loved going out and enjoying her morning coffee, eggs and toast. I knew that if I went with her, she'd always surprise me with a few packs. I know now she just wanted to spend time with me, and if she had to bribe me a little, so be it. After my mom passed in 2004, I found a box of 1987 Topps neatly hidden in our basement where countless Christmas presents had undoubtedly been nestled over the years. One more reminder of those fun summers with my mom, Don Mattingly, and a whole lot of stale bubble gum.

[abothebear]

I remember walking down the main street with my best friends on the way back from the dime store opening up the '85 Topps packs we just bought hoping for the team USA cards. I don't remember it so vividly because of the cards I pulled, but because of how cool it was to be downtown unsupervised as a 7 year-old and buying cards myself for the first time. I think I got an Obie McDowell.

[rainmanesq]

most of my pack opening memories are generic + the cards weren't that great as i grew up in the mid 80s. however, i LOVED the gum + always enjoyed reading the stats on the back + trying to build the monster sets. my grandpa got me into the hobby + so opening packs was our special thing to do together. now that he's dead, i miss those simpler times.

a few years ago, i opened a 1977 pack off ebay + ate the gum. it wasn't very tasty, but i had a blast doing it!

[oldjudge]

Although I had bought cards for a few years before this, the packs I most vividly remember opening were from the 1960 set. I can still recall the thrill of pulling a Mickey Mantle out of the middle of one pack that I had purchased at Sam Stoler's candy store in the Bronx. The card colors, the sweet smell of the gum on a warm summer day..those were great times. Although I don't collect modern cards I recently bought a nice 1960 Mantle trying to recreate those feelings. It was nice, but not the same.

[Ronnie73]

I remember two exciting times of opening packs.

The first was around 1988 and I ordered an unopened box of 1987 Donruss Baseball for $50 and 3 packs of 1984 Donruss Baseball for $5 each from a dealer listing in SCD. All I can remember about the 1987 Donruss Box was I didn't get the Mark Mcgwire Rated Rookie. The 1984 Donruss packs I opened later that night and the first one I picked up, I could see the name on the back of the card showing faintly through the wax paper and it was the Don Mattingly Rookie. I gently opened the pack up and there he was. Perfectly centered with 4 sharp corners. I didn't mind the light wax on the back of the card. At the time, this card was not affordable for me to buy and never thought i'd get one. One of the other packs had a Kevin McReynolds RR.

The second was early in 1989 when Upper Deck was released. It was about a week after the Dale Murphy Reversed Negative was discovered. I had plans to go to a local monthly card show that weekend and someone there was selling unopened early packs. I bought 3 packs at $10 each. I opened them when I got home. The first two had nothing good that I remember but the last pack as I was slowly searching through the cards, I saw the back of the Dale Murphy. I was told by my mother that I started to shake and when I turned the card over and saw everything reversed, she said I stopped breathing for about a minute .

I've opened thousands of packs over the years but those two cards that I still own today, I will remember forever.

Ronnie73

[margoaepi]

Amazing thread! My first pack was 86 Topps. I was at the Jersey Shore with my family for vacation, and the kid in the house next to us showed me some cards, and I was hooked. I was only 6, but each time I got a pack I discovered new players and teams and it was just awesome. I vividly remember getting Willie Mcgee and Cecil Upshaw in my first pack. Some people say that 86 and 87 Topps are ugly cards, but to me, they are wonderful.

The biggest thrill ever was a 1990 Leaf pack. It was a $4 or a $5 pack because it had the Frank Thomas and Dave Justice rookies. I never went for those because who wants to blow it all on one pack when you can get way more Topps for your money, but one time I did it. Opened them up on the car ride home and pulled the Justice. I don't think I was ever so excited in my young life.

[blackandgold]

I started collecting in the late 60's, and Easter was always fun because mom and dad would put a Topps rack pack in with all the candy.
My favorite memories though are Sunday mornings, when I (sometimes) got to go with my Uncle Billy to the Whispering Pines to get his paper. I would get a dollar for whatever I wanted. It was always the same - 10 packs of Topps baseball. He was a like a second father to me. He passed away in 1989, but I still smile when I think of all those Sundays, hoping to find as many Pirates as I could.

[SteveMitchell]

Opening packs as a youngster was my favorite pastime - even better than playing ball or snow sledding during the off-season.

My most memorable pack to open occurred in 1957 - the year I first discovered baseball cards at Jordan's Variety store in North Deering (Portland), Maine. My family and I were on our return trip home from visiting my grandparents in far-away Bangor (about 125 miles which required 3-4 hours in those days of poor roads and an occasional flat tire). Toward the end of the journey my mother recalled having earlier purchased some cards for me and reached into her purse - pulling out a pair of one-cent Topps packs. One of the two contained card #1 Ted Williams, Boston's greatest ballplayer. Who the other one was, I do not recall which any 8-year-old-Red-Sox-fan-who-is-crazy-about-baseball-cards can understand!

From 1957 until 1964, however, the season's first pack(s) of cards opened and enjoyment experienced are still fresh in mind - as is the smell of that pink gum. Seeing cards devoted exclusively to checklisting in 1961 (and team cards with statistics to study) as well as multi-player cards of favorites and League Leader cards for the first time - these all rank especially high on my list of early hobby memories.