Topps Venezuelans

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by tdawg

Greetings!
I tend to be lurker here, but coming out of the shadows to post something that I think is extremely rare…
At first glance, these appear to be just normal, low grade 1962 Post Cereal cards. But a closer look shows each card have a purplish stamp of 1-15, 1-35 and 1-75.
These are actually post cereal cards that I obtained in Caracas, Venezuela, as an 8-year-old child (lived there from 1961-1970). The “purplish stamps” are the prices of the cereal boxes at the time… 1 Bolivar, 15 centavos, 1 Bolivar 35 centavos, 1 Bolivar 75 centavos. I have no idea why the prices were so different… I wasn’t the one paying ;-) Just the one wanting the cards.
The conversion rate at the time was approximately 4 B’s to the dollar, so the cereal boxes cost about 30 to 45 cents in U.S. currency.
I can say with reasonable accuracy that the cereal was bought at the CADA market in Las Mercedes which is where my family usually bought groceries. I can also say with reasonable certainty that the cereal was imported from the U.S…. so basically the same boxes that kids were buying in the U.S. at the time. Would be interesting to find someone who worked for Post Cereal back in the day to provide info on cereal that was exported. My guess is the cereal wound up in many other countries as well…
I also remember buying Jello boxes with cards on them (I assume also imported), but don’t have any Jello cards with price marking on them…
And yes, I have a nice collection of Venezuelan Topps from back then… Bought wax packs in 62, 64, 66 and 68. Not exactly sure why I didn’t buy the 67’s, although I suspect it had something to do with the inferior quality of Venezuelan stuff at the time. And, no…. I don’t have any wax wrappers… Threw them in the garbage like most everyone else did…

Speaking of rare:

I wonder how many intact Post cereal boxes (w cards) exist today.


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[Cliff Bowman]

I bought a 1959 Topps Venezuelan on eBay from Gilberto of venezuelancards recently but was given a refund without explanation. I contacted him and he told me that Fed Ex is not picking up packages in Venezuela because of the current political climate there .

[TheNightmanCometh]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

I bought a 1959 Topps Venezuelan on eBay from Gilberto of venezuelancards recently but was given a refund without explanation. I contacted him and he told me that Fed Ex is not picking up packages in Venezuela because of the current political climate there .

Ya, that's actually been an issue for nearly a couple of years now. I had the same thing happen to me awhile ago. The seller lived in Caracas and he said that the gov't had shut down all the post offices. I had bought cards from him before, so I told him that I was cool to wait a little while, because I really needed the card. I waited a few months, and eventually he was able to send me the card. That being said, if he was insistent on refunding, or just straight refunded the money and gave me the explanation this seller gave you, I'd totally understand; which I'm sure you do as well.

Just another reason why Socialism is bad, I suppose.

[Exhibitman]

It's not socialism, it is an authoritarian state.

[TheNightmanCometh]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

It's not socialism, it is an authoritarian state.

Socialism is the social ownership of the means of production. “Social” means government, and that’s precisely Venezuela; and has been for decades. You can call Maduro an authoritarian, he is, but the way he became one was through socialist policies; becoming supremely rich, corrupting officials, etc, etc.

[ValKehl]

Ryan, do I correctly assume that you are opposed to Social Security & Medicare, which are examples of socialism in our country? I encourage you to read this piece on democratic socialism by a Columbia U. prof and Nobel Prize recipient that recently appeared in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.8f9847606057

[ALR-bishop]

Thanks for the heads up Josh. I see they have not removed or corrected the listing

[TheNightmanCometh]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Ryan, do I correctly assume that you are opposed to Social Security & Medicare, which are examples of socialism in our country? I encourage you to read this piece on democratic socialism by a Columbia U. prof and Nobel Prize recipient that recently appeared in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.8f9847606057

SS and Medicare are social programs, not socialism.

[sthoemke]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

I bought a 1959 Topps Venezuelan on eBay from Gilberto of venezuelancards recently but was given a refund without explanation. I contacted him and he told me that Fed Ex is not picking up packages in Venezuela because of the current political climate there .

That also happened to me around the end of May.

You can still have items mailed DHL, but the cost is considerably more (about twice as much(?) )