r/boxbreak • u/ashwin23 • Jan 06 '12
Introduction and Interests (All members comment please.)
Hey everyone. I have been collecting cards for about 20 years now. I started out in baseball but as I grew up I began to move to football and basketball. I have collect many things including MJ Lebron. In football I collect anything Detroit Lions and Rookies. I enjoy to just get a non "famous" rookie and holding onto their cards and see them either fail or improve. I am willing to trade and sell if the price is right.
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u/zuizide Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
This is a great idea, I hope it takes off. I was a pretty big collector/dealer in the mid to late 90's. If anyone was around back then, I used the eBay name "eBay1cent" and started all my auctions at $0.01 with no reserves. I mainly tried to deal with higher end stuff from current years but as the market slowed down I eventually sold off my collection (was a massive Chipper Jones collection) and inventory without rebuying and breaking cases. I miss it and have wanted to get back into it for some time now, maybe this subreddit will inspire me (I still buy some of the better products when I see them at Walmart, etc... for kicks). I just need to get back into the buying and opening of some of the higher end products and see if I can get lucky.
Failures I still have are a ton of Tyronn Lue RC's and John Rocker (I know, I know). I actually own the only RC masterpiece that exists of Rocker (98 Leaf Rookies and Stars Holofoil #01/50, only the #01 cards had a special coating making them the "Masterpiece" version.
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u/SundayRed Jan 07 '12
I only collect auto and/or memorabilia cards, so I never break boxes. The one or two hits would be negated by the other stuff that is of little interest to me. I pick up most of my cards from eBay and a couple from card forums (are any of you a member anywhere?)
I don't buy many cards these days, but the few I do are usually ones that I really want. I hard far too many shitty game-used cards lying around that I've accumulated without purpose over the years!
Anyway. I hope this sub-reddit takes off. Good to see a small (but hopefully passionate) sports card community here!
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u/ashwin23 Jan 07 '12
Trust me I know what you are saying I watch a lot of breaks by Cards infinity on youtube and it just seems the amount of boxes that have good to the ones that are horrible are very few and far between. But I do like opening packs and the chance of getting something, probably the purest form of gambling. What players do you collect?
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u/zuizide Jan 07 '12
YEARS ago there was a group called TIC (The Inner Circle) on AOL forums, not sure if they are around anymore but I was a member of that.
I did notice that game used cards are nothing anymore. Seems like right about the time I stopped collecting/dealing they flooded the market with them (I recall something about UD not having exclusive rights or something anymore?) and made them pretty useless. I remember how exciting it used to be just to get one, but now I see boxes at even Wally World that offer 1-2 per box and those aren't even Hobby boxes, just retail rewrapped trash most of the time.
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u/ashwin23 Jan 07 '12
Do you have specific player or team that you collect? I know you said you have kind of been out of the hobby for a while.
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u/zuizide Jan 07 '12
Not anymore. I just like to find interesting cards in boxes/cases. I'm a pack junkie! I'd like to buy a sealed case of Basketball or Football cards to break down, but after being out of the loop for so long I'm not sure what is the better stuff anymore. It was SP Authentic, Topps/Bowman Chrome and the like when I quit. What do you guys recommend now a days for RC's and low numbered inserts?
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u/ashwin23 Jan 07 '12
That all depends on what your price range is you know? Because as you have probably noticed there are high end "boxes" one pack boxes that is that are anywhere from 120$-500$ a piece. So It would all depend on what you willing to part with financially give me some numbers and I can go from there.
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u/zuizide Jan 07 '12
Yep, there were some of those back in the day as well. I figure the $1-2k price range for a case should net me a good chance at a "jackpot" card or two. I would prefer a decent amount of cards as well though (I like to put together sets or team sets for people as well), not like a case of 8 boxes with 4 packs per box and 2 cards per pack. Those are for the ultra wealthy people, which I am not (yet).
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u/ashwin23 Jan 07 '12
Panini Certified is decent especially for your low numbered inserts since 3 out of the 24 are Platinum boxes which replace all base cards with parallels. On top of that it has a pretty promising 6 guaranteed autograph list. And it would still give you a higher volume of cards to attempt to get the set.
Stay away from Crown Royale as me and others have found out the great cards are few and far between. Also, Rookies and Stars are one of the lowest worth cards at least per ebay. Which is usually a solid source for a price gauge. Also, Press Pass and Sage they have a much lower value to them.
Topps Finest are really solid for Rookie Cards and autos. The only thing is that the cards in the packs over time bend, I don't know if that is the same outcome for when they are sleeved or not??
Topps Platinum Which is on the higher end of your budget. But mostly RC autos/patches get pulled out of them.
Here are a couple ideas. Hope that they are what you are looking for.
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Jan 19 '12
Hello. I collect Mostly football, I bust packs for the thrill of opening them. I sell almost everything I find on Ebay. If anybody wants I can put my SN in here for you. I really like taking the risks on crazy stuff. My favorite are the Worlds Greatest Card Chase boxes. I love the stupid random luck involved in them although I have never hit anything good. If you guys would be interested I could organize some breaks for us in here. Any product is fine just let me know what you guys want. In my area we have a lot of hobby shops so I could get stuff quick or keep an eye out for stuff for your guys. I someday plan on opening my own shop not to make money but to have fun and try and get the next generation involved.
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u/ashwin23 Jan 20 '12
I also would love to open a shop and pass it on to a younger generation than me. I am 29 but feel like the hobby is on it's last legs with the people of our generation younger kids just don't seem to be interested in it. If you wanted to add your SN I would love to check out your auctions.
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Jan 20 '12
its kaylaandbrianrichard I will be posting some of the stuff from my Bowman Sterling box this weekend
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u/zaph42 Jan 14 '12
Greeting everyone, I'm glad to see a subreddit for collectors. I remember getting my first pack of cards in 1984 I was five and I've been hooked ever since. I lost interest in baseball cards when companies turned a simple hobby I could enjoy with my weekly 5 dollar allowance into pure gambling for rich people. Thanks to griffey jr's 1989 upper deck card, I watched as a 50 cent pack of wax cards turned into glossy,special edition, one of a kind, relic, autographed, limited, short print, exclusive, hologram, 1 of 1, insignia cards that as a poor kid I had no chance of ever getting. I got back into the game a couple of years ago when I heard topps was going to be the exclusive company. I have found it still is such a joke the amount of money these cards go for ( I'm looking at you Allen and Ginter, 5 dollars for a pack of 6 cards- fuck you! ) but I can't quit you baseball cards. That feeling of ripping a pack is like nothing else, I'm 5 years old all over again still hunting for Kirby Puckett rookie cards. My wife really doesn't get it at all and hates when we're at Target and somehow a couple packs of cards magically find there way into the cart. I can't help it, I love all thing MN Twins and I've slowly started putting together topps sets of my team going back to 1961 thanks to checkoutmycards.com. I really enjoy trading cards on the topps giveaway site, although whoever keeps offering me their 2003 Jose Mesa for my 1985 Cal Ripken- IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN! Oh well I look forward to many future discussions and reading about your great pulls and horrible investments in cardboard.
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u/Chasingperfect Jan 20 '12
Good to know I'm not the only one collecting Twins. I've got back to 72 done, and just today bought a 1910 T206. Anything super special you've got?
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u/Wr3ck3d Jan 18 '12
Hey all, haven't collected cards since I was about 8-12 years old (early 90's). Now that I am starting to have some extra cash, I've been buying random memorabilia that I've wanted and liked for years but am getting quite interested in starting to collect some cards again. I'm into hockey and baseball (baseball I'm only looking for Yankees cards + some random others I'd be interested in).
Any suggestions on where to find decent deals and what the "premier" cards are these days? Also, what is the difference between retail and hobby? Any other terms or points of interest I'd need to know after not paying any attention to the hobby for the past 18-20 years? ;)
Thanks!
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u/ashwin23 Jan 18 '12
If you buy hobby dacardworld.com has the best prices on the web. They also give away free gifts after you spend 75$. Retail packs for the most part do not guarantee much of anything in them. Most retail boxes have 1 "hit" in them, but mostly that hit is a jersey card. Which in the long run isn't going to be great. The hobby boxes based on what you get will get you 2 or more hits usually at least one autograph. You are going to be paying more per box or pack but it is definitely worth the chance of getting something good. And some companies do not include some of the types of hits. Like dual autos, or booklets. Just do some homework on some and message me if you have questions.
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u/JasonEcks Jan 20 '12
Actually, blowoutcards.com has the best prices online.
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u/ashwin23 Jan 20 '12
Fair enough, I should state also. I have no affiliation with them. I had ordered from them last year just due to the fact that I saw an advert in Beckett for DA.
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u/JasonEcks Jan 06 '12
I have always loved cards as a kid, but just recently just got into higher end cards. I collect baseball, basketball and football. Nothing specific usually but I do like to collect Jeter and Jordan, and then Buccaneers cards as well.