Cello Pack Fake?

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

How can the repack story be hokey if they are admittedly cards obtained by a 3d party at some point and repackaged....which they obviously are. And they are "real" Topps cards, right ?

I have no idea when they were first offered. That is what I want to know. Personal curiosity. Murphy first offered his around 2001. Justin--you say you saw them in the early 80s. Were they Christmas packs or something else ? That would be a new fact for me

Ben says he saw them K Mart in the 1980s. You don't believe him ? Others have posted in other threads they think they bought them in the 80s at retail, but could not recall where. Agree you would think there would be more first hand accounts if they were sold at any large retail stores.

No one I am aware of has said they were a 50s product. In numerous threads over time I have seen reference to repacking in the 60s and 70s, but with no concrete evidence or first hand knowledge, That's what I want to know. When did they ( Christmas racks) first appear ? who started them ? When and where, if anywhere, were they sold at retail ? Just hobby curiosity.

And they are not garbage. They are real Topps cards in plainly visible condition, usually mid range.

Agreed they are not a Topps product and not mint cards

Do not understand why people get so upset about them. If someone buys them thinking they are something other than repackaged already circulated cards then that is another issue about the buyers. I am just interested in the actual history of these things. But you already know I am weird, I collect recurring print defects

You are the last person I want to pick on Al!

I get really upset at these silly Christmas packs as I honestly see them purported as vintage by unscrupulous sellers pretty much every day of the year and it’s just sad.

I would never call Ben a liar as well, and while I have seen numerous repack items at stores (I think there was a specific company that did this but I don’t remember the name in the late 80s and early 90s), I have never seen a Christmas Pack or heard of one seen in a true retail environment. If Ben saw an actual version of these Christmas repacks in KMart, it would be the first account I have heard in my collecting career.

I do vaguely remember the same dealer each time in the boom years of mall shows having these. Maybe 1987ish? They usually had no collectors at the table and it was likely one of those scam grandma deals buying something for the grandkids.

When stating “garbage”, I am saying these often sell to the uninformed for good money. This is why they keep making them. If I paid 200 bucks plus for a stack of commons in VG, I would be furious.

[JustinD]

I will add that the person who I would trust to locate info on these is Dave Hornish and he also is the only person I know to have a photo of a real vintage repack.

I do remember seeing the netted kind with packs in the 80s in stores as well as cards being in Easter basket repacks.

Dave does have a picture of a netted repack with a 52’ pack that I would consider of the era.

[bnorth]

This is my memory and I texted my brother to confirm.

I had forgot all about ever buying any of these Christmas rack packs. Then a few years ago I bought my brothers collection from him. Like our father my brother is a pack rat and saves everything. When going through his collection there was a empty Christmas rack pack. I noticed the KMart sticker on it and kinda remember seeing/buying some myself. I don't remember what was in them but my brother says they had Topps cards from the last few years in them and it was 1988 or 89. He had nothing newer than 1992(quit collecting) in his collection so the pack was from then or before.

[JustinD]

Thanks Ben!

That makes sense with all the stuff going on during the ultra junk wax period. I stopped collecting while in college which would line right up with that period and picked back up a few years later with my first “real job” ,lol.

Do you remember how they were packed? Was it a stocking or like the bubbles on cardboard like Donruss was using?

[JustinD]

Found this from that time which is UPC coded and looks like an overstock dump. Was it like this?

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by JustinD

Thanks Ben!

That makes sense with all the stuff going on during the ultra junk wax period. I stopped collecting while in college which would line right up with that period and picked back up a few years later with my first “real job” ,lol.

Do you remember how they were packed? Was it a stocking or like the bubbles on cardboard like Donruss was using?

It looked like the Christmas rack packs sold on eBay without the little handle thing some of them have. Not sure exactly how similar because I found it looked at it and was like WTF did he keep this for and threw it away.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by bnorth

It looked like the Christmas rack packs sold on eBay without the little handle thing some of them have. Not sure exactly how similar because I found it looked at it and was like WTF did he keep this for and threw it away.

This is a really interesting piece of information to have had the same packaging for these well into the late eighties. As I oh so vaguely remember and would never have the confidence to testify to, lol. The table at those mall shows had nothing older than 79' in those packs.

This makes me think the timing on these might (going on a hunch here, no crucifixion's please from the peanut gallery) be a mid-late 80's repacker. If someone untoward saw the simplicity and vintage styling of the packing and decided to forge vintage products...it might be a starting point.

Any of us in the game during the 80's and 90's know well that the halo's put on some of those dealers have certainly lost their tarnish over the years as we age. Mark Murphy had more than a couple stains on his shirt as I remember from accounts.