Holiday Rack Packs?

[ALR-bishop]

Do you have a source for the “known”packaged in the 80s. They are obviously still being packaged today, and Murphy did not surface them until the early 2000s, but I have still not seen any concrete info on when they were first packaged, by whom, or where they were actually retailed ( if at all )

[JackW]

Any thoughts to the "100 Genuine" claim in the description?

https://auction.lelands.com/bids/bidplace?itemid=94957

[rlorenz]

Bishop - I do not have a source right off hand....But here is what i do remember. I specifcally remember seeing these on ebay from Mark M in 1995. I also remember these card shows and conventions 92-93. So I could be off on my years but I do distively remember them.

That said they are for sure being made still, there is no question the only reason i got mine is it looked cool. and frankly did not cost me a arm and a leg :-)

[ALR-bishop]

In the notes above I received from Murphy and his partner Mathews both say they came across them in 2001, and their SCD ads started shortly thereafter. But they could not or would not say who they got them from, or where they came from originally, when they were packaged or where, nor could they name any stores were they were know to have been retailed at Christmas or otherwise

[rlorenz]

I trust your notes :-) - Bishop. I recall seeing them in the 90's for sure on ebay right around XMAS. So i recant my statement i should say the 90's not 80's :-).

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Do you have a source for the “known”packaged in the 80s.

The bottom line though is these packs do not consist of new unsold Topps cards repackaged by a jobber just weeks after the end of that year's baseball season to be sold as rack packs by mass market merchandisers such as F.W. Woolworth, S.S. Kresge, W.T. Grant or Zellers. No one to my knowledge has vouchsafed that he remembers seeing these Xmas rack packs in five-and-dime stores or supermarket checkout lines in the 1950's or early 1960's. Moreover the cards contained are not necessarily pack fresh. Therefore they're a fraud.

[swarmee]

Welcome to the party. Did you bring Zima?

[Balticfox]

Huh?! Who's Zima?



If you're talking about the drink (I looked it up), it's not sold in my neck of the woods. But if you absolutely, positively need to get there fast, you might try this beverage:

[NiceDocter]

Maybe a better holiday title for these "Rack Packs" would be April Fools Day

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Huh?! Who's Zima?

You re-opened a 5 year old thread for no reason, as far as I can tell. So you're "late to the party."

[ALR-bishop]

John---I should try to gather up all the old threads discussing these. Maybe at 5 years older the packs have gone up in value

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by swarmee

You re-opened a 5 year old thread for no reason....

You're wrong. I had good reason. These Xmas Packs still crop up all over the place and I was wondering whether there was any new data or speculation to undermine or contradict my previous impressions.

Nor of course is any reason needed to post in a thread of any age other than interest in the topic.

Originally Posted by swarmee

So you're "late to the party."

There's no statute of limitations on posted content. Posts are pretty well there for the duration.

[ALR-bishop]

Matt— if you read through this thread and those linked in the posts I think you will know as much as anyone. Even Murphy the guy to originally sold them admitted they were cards repackaged by someone other than Topps. What has never been clear is when they were first churned out. I think most feel it was the 90s rather than the 60s or 70s. I think it is pretty clear some are still being churned out. I have seen posts by some who say they saw them in retails sores around Christmas but no solid proof has been posted to my knowledge. Nor has an exact date for their initial appearance been established beyond Murphy’s ads for them in SCD discussed in the listed threads

As I recall Murphy said the packs he originally obtained ( he never identified the seller) were from 54-63. Later they started showing up for years prior and later.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Huh?! Who's Zima?



If you're talking about the drink (I looked it up), it's not sold in my neck of the woods. But if you absolutely, positively need to get their fast, you might try this beverage:

Other than a handful of special releases, it hasn't been sold in any US neck of the woods since 2008.

Friends and I tried it when it first came out.
One remarked "Zima Zucks" which it did, awful stuff.

And that's a use of Zucks about 20 years early.....