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1989 Donruss Rack Pack Case

I know what you’re thinking … Junk Wax!

Well, sort of …

I mean, sure, 1989 Donruss is about as Junk Wax as things get, and there were millions and billions and trillions of them produced.

Still and all, this is 31-year-old issue with rookie cards of big names like Ken Griffey (Jr.), Randy Johnson, Craig Biggion … Sherman Corbett.

And, with 72 “bags,” each of which contains 45 cards (and 9 puzzle pieces!), you’re looking at 3240 cards, or about five of each of the 660 cards in the set (and 648 puzzle pieces!).

That’s a lot of gradeable cardboard … rookie cardboard of some Hall of Famers. And it would be great fun to rip this stuff, too, don’t you think?

And besides … it’s not wax at all.

Behold …

Junk Cellophane!

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-DONRUSS-RACK-PACK-CASE-FACTORY-SEALED-72-UNOPENED-PACKS-OF-45-CARDS-EACH/353196165655?hash=item523c21ca17%3Ag%3AuFYAAOSw1NJfSUVW&LH_Auction=1

Is there anything better than sitting down with a box of fresh wax packs with dreams of uncovering your next big baseball card find? It’s the stuff from which collections and lifetime cardboard connections are made!

If you grew up in the 1970s or 1980s (and probably the 1990s) as a baseball card collector, you know the feeling well. You’d wait all week or all month for a chance to pick up a few packs at the grocery store or local card shop and then rush home to dig into your new treasures.

You scoured the pages of Baseball Cards and Sports Collectors Digest waiting for word of any new releases, and then you planned your life around getting your hands on some.

They were golden days full of anticipation and hope, joy and (yes) disappointment when you pulled Tom Brookens instead of Alan Trammell.

As the decades have passed, the value of our baseball cards have ebbed and flowed, but something else has happened … something amazing.

Thanks to the Internet and thanks especially to shopping websites like eBay and Amazon, we can find most of the cards we dreamed about as kids just about any time we want. Just a few keystrokes, and we’re there.

This page is dedicated to reliving those thrills of youth by bringing to light one incredible (in some way) unopened lot of baseball cards each day. Sit back and enjoy the ride, and be sure to check back regularly to see what new goodies we’ve discovered.

(Check out our previous Wow! Wax listings here.)

(Over the next little while, I’m going to be unfurling a set of experimental types of posts to see if they strike any cardboard chords. Let me know what you think, and I’ll adjust as we go. Also, note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay or Amazon and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

See the full listing on eBay (affiliate link)

Topps 1980 Burger King: 4 Unopened Packs — Jerry Koosman, Tom Seaver, Bruce Sutter, Ron Guidry

Burger King cards have caused confusion in the hobby for 40 years or more because, generally speaking, they look just like base Topps cards from the same year … but with subtle differences.

Different card numbers, sometimes a different photo.

Always the same design, basically, at least.

The 1980 Burger King cards in this lot (affiliate link) shouldn’t cause quite as much confusion, though. That’s because they’re part of the “Pitch, Hit, & Run” series that features a Burger King logo on card fronts.

Won’t find that on the base set!

Still, how cool is it to see these unopened cello packs that have somehow remained sealed since they came off the grill four decades ago?

Very is the correct answer here.

This lot also includes a bunch of “loose” BK cards, like some fries that fell out of the box, but that the server plopped in your bag, anyway.

Bonus! Yum!

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

Four (4) Unopeed Boxes of 1987 Kraft Macaroni & Cheese w/Baseball cards

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So, sometimes you’ll hear card geeks like me waxing (haha) poetic about how you can (or can’t) chow down on that good old vintage gum that comes in old wax packs of (Topps) baseball cards.

I mean, is it actually safe to chew gum from, say, 1987? Was it even save back then?

Tough calls.

But this lot ratchets up the intensity of this argument a couple of notches. I mean … actual unopened boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese from that same summer — 1987!

Wow! Indeed … wow!

Makes me feel like a kid again, especially when you see that all four boxes feature Don Mattingly (and, yes Steve Garvey), who was still right at the top of the hobby mountain even as the home runs began to flow all across the game.

The only question here is … would you eat this stuff?

It’s a moot point for me, because how could I ever even dream of opening those beautiful, perfect boxes??

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

Twelve (12) 1984 Topps Rack Packs — Sugarless Bubble Gum!

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The next time you’re lamenting how today’s safety-first regulations and advertising are robbing us of everything fun, come back to this eBay listing (affiliate link) and remind yourself the joy-robbing started no later than the mid-1980s.

I mean, just look at those gorgeous Topps rack packs, with Tom Seaver showing … and Rick Sutcliffe showing … and Fergie Jenkins showing … and

… and …

*gasp*

SUGARLESS bubble gum?!?

Why not just give us powerless video games? Or popcornless movies? Or recessless schooldays?

Bleh.

But, hey, at least these beauties still deliver 36 cards per pack, which means you’d score a cool 432 Topps cards for you $175

That’s fun stuff, at least.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1984 Fun Food Baseball Buttons Wax Box

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OK, so this is not really *wax* in the strict sense, but “wax” is really a state of mind … right?

What we do have here, though, are 36 paper pouches, each containing three baseball buttons, and they’re spectacular!

Round, enameled, bright colored “borders,” full color photos, baseball’s biggest stars … these babies are great!

In all, there were 133 pins/buttons issued, so you’d need to buy at least two boxes to get the full set (which you could also buy all at once from dealers, then and now).

Either way, this is a sweet blast from the past, and an unusual issue that won’t break the bank.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Super Unopened Wax Box

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Another oddball set from 1984, Topps Supers were exact replicas of the base card for each of the 30 players included in the set … except huge.

Unfortunately, nobody really knew who Don Mattingly was when the 1984 season began, so he’s not here … but the Darryl Strawberry rookie is.

With just one card per pack but 36 packs in a box, you *should* stand a good chance of getting one of everything with this lot.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Unopened Wax Box

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Now THIS box is almost certain to contain either the Darryl Strawberry rookie or the Don Mattingly rookie, or both (though you can never be sure thanks to funky 1980s card collation).

Either was, the 1984 Topps set is chock full of classic cards, and you know it would be a blast to tear through this puppy.

Unless, of course, you have the willpower to keep it intact.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1984 Fleer Baseball Unopened Wax Box (33 packs)

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The 1984 Fleer set has basically the same lineup as the Topps set from that year, except with fewer cards overall (less “special” subsets, mostly).

The Fleer cards also seem to be a bit more scarce, though the demand may also not be quite as strong.

In any case, this lot falls three packs short of a full box, but you do get the display box.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1984 Donruss Baseball Unopened Wax Box

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This is the holy grail of 1984 baseball boxes, of course, as it possibly contains the fabled 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly rookie card that changed the hobby forever.

Not to mention the first round of Rated Rookies and the Darryl Strawberry rookie card.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1985 Donruss Baseball Unopened Wax Box

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While the 1985 Donruss set may not have one signature card that defined a whole hobby era, like the 84D Mattingly above, this set is loaded with big-name rookies …

Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, Eric Davis, Bret Saberhagen, Alvin Davis, Danny Tartabull, Jose Rijo.

Granted, most of those dudes fell short of Hall of Fame standards, but they’re still standards among 1980s rookie cards.

And, for only $200 or so, you could relive the thrill of searching for them under wax wraps.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Scratch-Off Wax Pack

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You’re not going to find any break-the-bank rookie cards or breathtaking beauty in this wax pack.

But, man …

If you grew up collecting cards in the 1970s or 1980s, this thing will take you back like that! (snaps cyber fingers)

These scratch-offs came in three-player panels, and you could play a baseball game by scratching off the dots … like a lottery ticket for Little Leaguers.

When you went to the store with your mom and tried to score some baseball cards but ended up with these instead, it was muy disappointing.

Today, though, how can you not get all warm and giddy at the prospect of nine American League cards and nine National League cards and a stick of gum inside a four-decade-old wrapper???

You can’t, Skippy.

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

And, some older entries that may be sold by now, but that are still fun to pick through …

1978 Topps Baseball Holiday Rack Back with Bert Blyleven on Top … and Upside Down!

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Imagine … it’s Christmas morning in 1978, and the living room is littered with wrapping paper and baubles and toys that will be forgotten about before you head back to school in January.

But there’s one package left — a smallish rectangular one that could be a watch or maybe … maybe something better?

The good news is, it’s got your name on it.

As soon as you pick it up, the contents inside slide shift, just a little, and you know what’s inside … a folded up rack pack of baseball cards!

You excitedly tear open the wrapping paper and unfurl your treasure, a 1978 Topps Baseball Holiday Rack Pack.

There in the first panel is Don Money. Not too bad, but not spectacular.

In the third panel is Buddy Schultz. Who?

And in between is Bert Blyleven, who you know as a sort of good pitcher for the faraway Texas Rangers. He’s upside down, too.

So, cool, baseball cards.

Nothing compelling enough to pull you away from your Godzilla action figure, though, so you toss the cards in the pile of Christmas Crap (TM).

Fast forward 40+ years, and someone has uncovered your forgotten treasure and thrown it up on eBay for sale. 

Here in 2019, of course, Bert Blyleven is a  Hall of Famer and these cards are 41 years old. 

Who wouldn’t want them?

Check out the full eBay listing here (affiliate link).

1963 Topps Baseball 1-Cent Unopened Wax Pack

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Do you remember the first “old” rookie card to explode in popularity based on what was happening on the field?

I sure do …

It was the 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie that he shares with Al Weis, Pedro Gonzalez, and Ken McMullen.

That card was already popular among collectors when Pete headed back to the Cincinnati Reds in August 1984 as player-manager, but it was then we all realized he’d be taking aim at Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record on the Riverfront.

Couple that happy occurrence with the general hobby explosion and the nascent rookie card craze, and you had a phenomenon that couldn’t be stopped.

Even now, 35 years later and after enough scandal and strife to choke a horse, Pete’s RC is a hobby staple.

Will you find the Rose rookie here in this one-cent wax pack up for auction on eBay right now? Or maybe the Willie Stargell rookie? Or a mid-career card of a Hall of Famer?

The odds are against you on all those fronts considering there’s just one card in the pack, but it sure is fun to wonder, isn’t it?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1975 Topps Baseball Cello Pack with Keith Hernandez on Front and Mike Schmidt on Back (PSA 9)

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Would you rather have Keith Hernandez or Mike Schmidt on your team?

Looking back at their careers, it’s pretty easy to say that Schmidt will give you more peak value and more long-term value than Mex.

But Hernandez has a stronger Hall of Fame case than you might remember, so you really couldn’t go wrong with either guy.

And what if you could have both?

That would be the bee’s knees, right?

Right.

And that’s why this eBay lot is so jaw-dropping.

In one 1975 Topps cello pack, graded PSA 9, you get both Hernandez and Schmidt.

In particular, the Hernandez rookie card, which he shares with Phil Garner, Bob Sheldon, and Tom Veryzer is on the front of the pack.

And that’s Schmitty there on the back, but facing out.

Gorgeous!

And, sure, the Buy-It-Now price is set at $1100, but when was the last time you saw one of these?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

=========================

Older entries — below are some awesome unopened lots from years gone by. These auctions are over, but the listings are still fun to peruse.

Let me know if you enjoy this sort of post so I know whether I should continue with new updates.

1979 Topps Baseball Rack Pack with Ralph the Doorman on Top

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The headline for this 1979 Topps baseball rack pack says, “GO 4 OZZIE SMITH RC.”

To which I say … poopoo.

To be sure, the 1979 Topps set does indeed does hold the Ozzie Smith rookie card, but this pack is perfect as it is.

On the front, you have Dave Goltz, who was a pretty good pitcher for awhile and also played Ralph the Doorman on The Jeffersons.

Then you have Gorman Thomas, whose whole demeanor screamed “beer league” but who slugged like Dave Kingman for the Milwaukee Brewers, including the 1982 Harvey’s Wallbangers team.

And then, there’s Wayne Gross, who hit a lot of home runs for the post-Dynasty Oakland A’s and always looked very 70s-y.

On the back, you have the small-man All-Stars.

Freddie Patek was the size of an average Dachsund but was an All-Star shortstop for the Kansas City Royals and somehow hit 41 homers in the Major Leagues.

Jose Cruz was actually six feet tall but felt Patek-ish because he crouched like a tiger. Also, a better Hall of Fame candidate than Jack Morris.

And, finally, Rob Picciolo wasn’t small at all, but his name is really close to “piccolo,” which is like a small flute. And he hit like he was using a piccolo for a bat.

So there’s that.

And all that argues that this pack should be kept intact, just the way it is, forever.

Ozzie be darned.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Fleer Baseball Wax Boxes (2)

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When Fleer finally won the right to produce baseball cards in 1980 after decades of struggle, they wanted to make sure collectors knew they were here to stay.

So, not only did they issue a 1981 base set that was fairly OK plus showcased one of the greatest error cards of all time (C. Nettles), they also blessed us with their first Star Stickers set.

Measuring standard card size and packaged with gum for 25 cents, Star Stickers were like another whole parallel (125 cards) … but one that you could stick on stuff.

This eBay lot gives you 72 chances — two full wax boxes — for you to let 1981 Fleer Star Stickers get stuck on you.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1987 Donruss Baseball Wax Boxes (4)

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There were three kinds of collectors in the early spring of 1987 — those who had access to 1987 Fleer baseball cards, those who had access to 1987 Donruss baseball cards, and (mostly) those who had access to neither 1987 Fleer nor 1987 Donruss baseball cards.

Somehow, my little corner of the world was blessed with a goodly supply of 1987 Donruss, and my keen 15-year-old wax-sniffing nose sussed them out at every turn.

Even more luckily, I convinced my parents to float me a loan for all the burnt orange packs I could find. The math is still burned into my brain, too — 36 packs per box at 40 cents a pack is $14.40 per box.

It was a bargain when you consider that most of the country couldn’t even glimpse Donruss and that boxes were going for $20 or more by Spring Training.

So, yeah, lots like this one — four unopened boxes of 1987 Donruss wax packs — make my old man heart go pitter-patter and leaves me with drool pooled at my feet.

I know that we all know now that 1987 Donruss is not rare, but it’s still awesome to me.

And, can you believe the opening bid is only $10 a box. Why, that’s not anywhere close to $14.40!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1987 Fleer Baseball Cello Packs (8) — Barry Bonds on Top (2)

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Finding a lot like this in 1987 — especially early in the year — would have made you feel like you uncovered a hidden gold mine in your back yard.

I mean, the 1987 Topps woodies were everywhere … 1987 Donruss was scarce but seemed to exist in pockets.

But 1987 Fleer baseball was about as plentiful as summer days in Pittsburgh without a Barry Bonds scowl.

Speaking of Bonds, his rookie card appears on two of these eight cello packs.

And so does the Will Clark rookie card, one of the iconic images of the decade.

Kevin Mitchell makes one appearance, as do Nolan Ryan, John Kruk, and Jose Canseco.

As a side note, 1987 was the year of Mitchell’s mini-breakout, two seasons before his monster MVP campaign in 1989.

Another funny thing … in 1987, not everyone was sure Ryan would make the Hall of Fame despite all the strikeouts. Too one-dimensional and completely over the hill.

We were pretty sure, though, that all these young hitters would end up in Cooperstown.

See how smart we were?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Fun Foods Baseball Buttons Unopened Box

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You’ve heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve, right? That can be good or bad, depending on the blackness or redness of said organ, and on the context.

But what about wearing your favorite baseball player on your chest? That has to be good … right?

That’s what Fun Foods was counting on when they issued their set of 133 Major League buttons in 1984. These really are more pins than buttons, but that’s OK because it’s the “pin” bit that allows you to stick the enameled, round hunks of metal to — or through — things.

There were several hobby retailers who sold complete sets, but you could also buy them in individual paper packages containing three buttons each.

And that’s where this eBay lot comes in — a 36-count box of those three-packs.

The box and packs are nice display pieces in themselves, and they showcase three of the set’s All-Star/Hall of Fame denizens in Jim Rice, George Brett, and Fernando Valenzuela.

Of course, you could only answer the big question by opening the packs — is there a Bob Dernier pin lurking within?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1980 Topps Baseball Mrs. Butterworth’s Unopened Pack

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You ever had a batch of dry, hard pancakes and thought to yourself, “Self, these pancakes taste like cardboard!”?

Maybe the folks at Topps had the same experience sometime around 1980. Or maybe it was the folks at Mrs. Butterworth’s.

Whichever … something inspired someone to marry the two — Topps and Mrs. Butterworth’s, that is.

Because that year, if you bought specially marked containers of Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, you also got three 1980 Topps baseball cards “PLUS ALL TIME RECORDS” all packed in a handy cellophane package.

This eBay lot brings you two of those three-card packs, one with Dave LaRoche on top,  one with Scott McGregor on top.

So, in one fell swoop, you get moisture for your cakes, vintage cardboard, and coverage for the front of your rotation and the back of your bullpen.

Yum! Score!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Rack Pack with Don Mattingly Rookie Card on Top

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You can tick off the movers and shakers of this hobby in your sleep — T206 Honus Wagner, 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan, 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly, 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.

But there is a second tier of cards that helped drive the hobby to new heights, even if in a more supporting role.

The 1984 Topps Don Mattingly rookie card fits that bill perfectly — it wasn’t the main attraction when Donnie Baseball was making his name during that fabled summer of 1984, but it became a hobby favorite in a flash and has maintained that status for nearly 35 years.

So, while this 1984 Topps rack pack with a Mattingly rookie on top doesn’t hold quite the hobby sway that a Donruss version would, it’s still an awesome artifact from one of the great runs in hobby history.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Donruss Rack Pack with Yaz & Bench on Front

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Collecting baseball cards in 1984 was a pretty heady experience.

We were just coming off a year (1983) in which Topps issued one of their all-time classic sets and when Donruss, and especially Fleer, started to get their acts together after two years of misfires.

We expected more and better in 1984, and, for the most part, the major manufacturers delivered.

Topps tried out another version of their picture-in-picture design — not on par with 1983 but not terrible.

Fleer cleaned things up even more and put out a really nice, solid set.

And Donruss … whew!

Donruss went to the Topps archives and basically dusted off the 1957 design, updated it with some wavy lines for the 1980s, added a Don Mattingly rookie card that would blow up the hobby as we knew it, reduced print runs, and called it a day.

Oh … not before they also issued a combo career tribute card for Carl Yastrzemski and Johnny Bench (and one for Gaylord Perry and Rollie Fingers).

It’s a humdinger of a card that was popular right off the bat and still rings collector bells today.

That Yaz/Bench beauty is also the centerpiece of this eBay lot, an unopened 1984 Donruss Rack Pack with the Living Legends right there on top, in the middle.

And if it’s been awhile since your last Benny Ayala fix, this one has you covered there, too.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Scratch-Off Wax Box

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If you’ve been around the hobby for awhile, you’ve undoubtedly run across 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs.

They’re those funky looking red and green cards, laid out horizontally and featuring a player headshot on one end with the rest of the front covered in scratch-off dots that allow you to play a game.

Oh, and they have fuzzy perforated edges.

And they usually turn up one or two or ten at a time, often in terrible shape and frequently separated from their brethren. You can buy them for pennies or less under circumstances like this.

They don’t fit well with other cards from a size perspective, they’re not beautiful, and you hardly ever hear anyone clamoring for them.

Still, it’s pretty cool to see an unopened box of these things, like this lot offers up — 37 years old and as fresh as the day they drove off the showroom floor.

Yep, pretty cool.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Nearly 100 Unopened Packs from the 1970s through 2013

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If you’re reading this, chances are pretty good you spent at least part of your childhood — as I did — ripping open (or carefully unflapping) wax packs of baseball cards.

And if that’s true, I’ll bet dollars to Dave Dravecky cards your collecting career overlapped with the period of 1976-1993, at least to some extent.

All of which is to say that this eBay lot will take you back to those rollicking wax-ripping days of your childhood, thusly broadly defined.

Herein, you’ll find 94 unopened packs in total, ranging from four 1976 Fleer Football Action Team Sticker wax packs to six 1993 Bowman Football Jumbo packs, with a few 2013 football packs tacked onto the end.

But these cards aren’t all football, and they don’t tilt toward the later Junk Wax years of the run, at least not by much.

In the in-between are goodies like six 1985 Topps baseball wax packs, three 1982 Donruss wax packs, two 1981 Topps baseball cello packs, and three 1989 Upper Deck baseball packs.

If you’re doing the math, that leaves about 75 other packs, and they all fall sorta in the same general vicinity of cardboard space-time as those I’ve already mentioned.

Someone is gonna have a lot of fun, in other words, and maybe feel just a little younger in the process.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1974 Topps Deckle Edge Test Issue Unopened Pack

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Man, is there anything better than a Topps test issue? Especially one from the 1970s?

Especially especially when the PSA Population Report shows ups that fewer than 50 of any particular card from said test issue has ever been submitted for grading?

Like, say, some 1974 Topps Deckle Edge cards.

Have you seen these things, Daddio?

I mean, they’re black-and-white, sure, but big. And, well, deckled.

It’s the new scene, cat. It’s where it’s at!

And this eBay lot? A completely far-out unopened pack of these sweet squares (rectangles)!

In a word … groovy.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Donruss Rack Packs with Pete Rose (Montreal Expos) on Top (2)

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Look … I’ve already told you how I feel about Pete Rose in a Montreal Expos uniform.

And in case you’ve forgotten or don’t want to read my original post on the subject, let me clarify: it’s an unholy sight to which no Cincinnati Reds fan — hell, no Philadelphia Phillies fan — should have ever been subjected.

And the baseball cards that commemorated the occasion … pure and utter cardboard blasphemy.

But …

Even I, as jaded and homerish as I am, can admit the 1985 Donruss Pete Rose Expos card doesn’t look all that bad from an aesthetic point of view. The photo is colorful and sharp, and the Montreal colors look good inside the love-it-or-hate-it black border.

Plus, this card is 33 years old now and automatically better than new stuff just because it’s old and I’m old.

Plus plus, the Expos are gone now and Pete is banished, so it’s sorta like the whole thing never happened. It’s all fiction. The card is nothing but a comic.

And besides, this eBay lot offers up two of the Pete Rose cards on the front of 1985 Donruss rack packs. Super cool, right?

That’s a great bonus, too, because you can take two of these abominations out of circulation at once. And they look great.

Ugh. I’m so conflicted.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1978 Topps Football Unopened Wax Box

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So … seasons change.

We’re deep into the NFL preseason schedule, the first Indiana high school football games went down Friday, and the gridiron is starting to tug at the heartstrings once again.

Even though baseball is entering the stretch run, then, there’s no way I can ignore tantalizing football product when it pops up … right?

And, at this moment, what could be more tantalizing than and unopened wax pack box of 1978 Topps football cards?

You know, with its Tony Dorsett rookie card and its lineup of Hall of Famers like Walter Payton, John Riggins, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, and all the rest.

That’s what this lot gives you.

And if it’s a bit rich for your blood, with its Buy-It-Now of nearly $700, you could opt for the companion lot offering four unopened wax packs from the same set (affiliate link).

Hut! Hut!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1986 Topps Mini League Leaders Unopened Wax Box

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The Cloud is all the rage these days, and anybody who’s anybody has at least one something running there, or aspires to.

Back in 1986, though, clouds had much more limited applicability …

Providing shade in the summer.

Warning us of ensuing storms.

Maybe inspiring the imagination with their funky shapes.

And, of course, providing a nice, pillowy picture frame for the 1986 Topps Minis League Leaders set.

If you like your baseball cards dreamy, man, this is the issue for you!

Why, every superstar is encased in his own little bit of cloud on premium white cardstock with a “Super Glossy” finish.

Miniaturized, no less!

And, among the 66 luminous luminaries who were Major League Leaders, you’ll find high-luminosity guys like Mike Smithson, Walt Terrell (Hoosier!), Danny Cox, and Gary Pettis.

(Not sure why I didn’t make the set because I once tied for the Major League lead among all fans for fewest games attended in person.)

Anyway, this eBay lot gives you a pretty good shot at all these guys and plenty more — it’s a complete unopened box.

Prime-time Tom Browning awaits!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Fleer Baseball Cello Box

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You know how, when you see a stack of 1982 Fleer baseball cards, they look all dingy and old?

They have dark photos, an elementary-school-kid design, and plenty of errors.

They often have fuzzy corners and creases, and, somehow, about a third of the 1982 Fleers I’ve ever encountered have marker marks on them.

Like someone fought them with his Sharpie light saber or tried to force them into being Topps or Donruss cards through creative will.

Overall, though — dark and dingy.

That’s not really the case with this eBay lot — a cello box full of (wouldn’t you know it?) unopened 1982 Fleer cello packs.

Sure, the cards inside are the same old cardboard you’ve always spruced up with your markers (you’re the one!), but they look somehow brighter sitting there under plastic, all new and stuff.

And the box itself is a great display piece.

And and, you can see Jim Rice and Dale Murphy right there on top of two of the top packs, ready to flash some slugging 1980s lumber.

Can Dave Kingman be far behind?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Junk Wax Cornucopia

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The late 1980s and early 1990s were fun but times in the hobby.

We still hadn’t come to grips with the idea that baseball cards didn’t always go up in value or that there actually could be too many baseball cards — too many sets, too many cards/sets/boxes in a print run, too many choices, too many everything.

Sure, we had a sneaking suspicion when the 1991 Anaheim National Convention became nothing but a promo fest and when we could still buy truckloads of 1989 Bowman for pennies a pack by 1993.

All we really cared about was the more.

And that’s what this eBay lot is about … more Junk Wax product than just about any other listing out there.

How much is more in this case?

Try 104 packs across 52 different products, spanning baseball, basketball, and football from 1988-99, with all but one falling before 1996.

It’s a great cross-section of a spiraling hobby that could have lost its soul but looks pretty good all these years later.

And, you know, busting all these packs would make you feel like a Kardboard King even if the cards aren’t worth the (thick) paper they’re printed on.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Oddball Heaven

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If you love oddball baseball cards, the 1980s were the decade for you. And, like with just about everything else surrounding the hobby, Topps was the king of 1980s oddball issues.

From big heads to real 3-D cards to just plain old big cards, Topps had it all.

And this lot offers up a bunch of that all in one convenient package.

In particular, what you’d be bidding on — if you bade — (or BINned):

1980 Topps Baseball Superstars – 1 box, 36 cards, all opened
1984 Topps Super Baseball – 1 box, 20 unopened packs, 16 opened packs + wrappers
1985 Topps 3-D Baseball – 1 box, 22 unopened packs, 4 opened packs
1990 Topps Doubleheaders – 1 box, 36 unopened packs
1990 Topps Heads Up Baseball – 2 boxes (1 box with 24 unopened packs, 1 box with 21 unopened packs)

Drink it all in.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Stickers Unopened Box

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If you made it through the lean hobby years of the Topps monopoly, man, were you rewarded in 1981!

Not only did you get a new Fleer set and a new Donruss set, both with enough errors to keep your English teacher in haughty bliss all the way through high school, but you got extras.

Fleer Star Stickers.

Topps Traded.

Topps scratch-off thingies.

And, yes, Topps stickers.

For just 15 cents a pop, you could buy paper packets of these babies all day long. Then, if you manged to tear open the pack without ripping the stickers themselves, you could affix them to the appropriate page in the accompanying sticker album.

Or to your locker.

Or your TV, if you were feeling lucky in dealing with your dad.

It was great.

And this eBay lot lets you relive all that with an unopened box of 100 packs of 1981 Topps stickers.

Lots of chances to perfect your no-tears tearing.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1986 Topps Baseball Cello Packs with Pete Rose on Front (2)

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The 1986 Topps baseball card set was not the greatest in the company’s history.

The design was just so-so, for one thing. The rookie card class was pretty weak, for another (thought Cecil Fielder beefed it up when he came back from Japan in 1990).

But one thing 1986 Topps did have going for it was Pete Rose — like, all over the place.

Rose slashed his way past Ty Cobb and his 4191 hits on September 11, 1985, and the hobby loved him for it — before, at that moment, and afterward.

In his run-up to the record, all of Rose’s cards jumped up in demand and value, and he was arguably the hottest of all non-rookie players all across the land.

Topps capitalized on that popularity the next year by issuing a whopping nine Rose cards in their base set — the normal Rose at #1, a Record Breaker at #206, a manager/Cincinnati Reds team card at #741, and six retrospective cards (#2-7) that showed miniature versions of Pete’s previous 24 base Topps cards.

It’s those latter multi-card cars that make a cameo in this eBay lot (affiliate link) and its sister lot (affiliate link) — four Rose cards showing sixteen Rose cards on the top of four 1986 Topps cello packs.

Very meta, and very cool, even if not extremely valuable.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Topps Baseball Cello Pack with Don Sutton on Front

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The early 1980s were a pretty dismal time for baseball cards or, more precisely, baseball card designs.

Because, even though Fleer managed to finally break the Topps monopoly and pulled Donruss into the market with them, the onslaught of new cards did little to excite the senses or capture the poetry of the game.

Dark and dingy photos, half-hearted designs, lousy cardstock, errors all over the place — things were pretty messy in 1981 and 1982.

In 1983, though Donruss and Fleer started to figure things out and issued their best sets to date.

Too bad for them Topps stepped on the gas an issued one of the greatest, sunniest sets of all time.

You can relive the thrill of discovering those gorgeous cards all those many springs ago with this pristine cello pack featuring Hall of Famer on the front and Pedro Guerrero — always in the discussion about best players in the game back in those days — on the back.

Could the in-between hold a Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, or Ryne Sandberg rookie card? Only the gum stick knows for sure.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Super Unopened Boxes (3)

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You ever create something that’s just so good, so unbelievably groundbreaking that all you want to do is find a way to broadcast it to the world? Blow it up to the size of a skyscraper and shine a light on it for all the world to see?

Apparently, that’s how Topps felt in 1984.

On the heels of their gorgeous 1983 set, Topps decided that the best thing to do was tweak the thing a bit. You know, make the inset headshot square instead of round, fill it in with a garish color, add big block letters down the left-hand side.

Fuzzy up the photos just a bit because the sharpness of the 1983s was too much for the human eye to withstand.

You know, that sort of thing.

And when they were all done, Topps darn near fell into the pond and drowned while looking at their own reflection in the neighborhood cardboard pond. Their creation was almost too beautiful for words!

But not quite, and they wanted to spread that word.

So they took 30 of their favorite 1984 cards, blew them up to 5″ x 7″, plopped them into plastic “wax” packs and called them super.

And, really, what else could you call a near life-size rendering of the great Al Holland?

This eBay lot lets you capture all that Super kitsch with three unopened boxes of 1984 Topps Supers, minus one pack.

And, if you don’t like the cards, at least the listing gives you a new euphemism for … well … something.

As in, that lot is one pack shy of three boxes.

It’s going to be big.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1987 Topps Vending Case

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For the first several years I collected, I harbored this dream about world domination … and it all hinged on Topps vending cases.

See, a single vending case contained 24 vending boxes, each with 500 brand new, perfect cards (probably not perfect, but that’s how it seemed).

12,000 cards all in one shot.

Depending on the year, that would have like quadrupled, tripled, or at least double my collection.

And it would have yielded 15.15 repeating copies of every card in whichever set was involved.

That’s where the magic would happen.

I’d get a vending case, pull all the Mark McGwire rookies or Vince Coleman rookies or Bill Doran rookies or first Padres Steve Garvey cards, and then sell the excess for beaucoup bucks.

Then I’d reinvest, maybe in another full vending case if I made enough the first time around, and do the whole thing again.

And again and again and again until I had retired at age 15.

It was going to be great.

Except … I always got distracted by Donruss and Fleer and Topps Stickers and Action All-Stars and Fun Foods. It’s hard to be happy with 15.15 repeating of a bunch of things when you have to have one of everything.

It would have been great, though.

Those memories are part of what draws me to lots like this one, a full 1987 Topps vending case. It’s sad, because the Buy-It-Now price is only $79 and these cards were supposed to be gold by now.

It’s also sad because the case itself is so beat up. It’s probably seen a hard life, or it’s just aged, like I have.

But it’s happy because the blue boxes themselves are shining through a crack in the case cardboard, and they look pretty gorgeous still.

Mostly, though, it’s happy because there are 12,000 Topps baseball cards inside. Can you feel those old dreams stirring?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Milk Chocolate Bar

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It used to be that you had to do something pretty special, like hit three home runs in one World Series game, before you could have your own baseball-themed candy bar.

And then along came the 1980s, with its baseball card boom and the incessant hyping of every rookie from Paul Assenmacher to Paul Zuvella.

So, when the Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. with the first pick of the 1987 draft, the results were predictable …

Comparisons to his father …

Comparisons to Willie Mays …

Predictions of greatness …

The first-ever Upper Deck baseball card (Non-Salesman Sample Division) …

And his own candy bar.

Yep, before The Kid ever took the Kingdome field, Mike Cramer and the Pacific Trading Card Company treated the hobby to the *drumroll* Ken Griffey Jr. Milk Chocolate Bar.

It was Junior.

It was Milk Chocolate.

It looked like a baseball card.

It came in a Griffey-laden wrapper.

It was spectacular.

You can buy one — right now — on eBay. Better grab your Tums.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Fleer Baseball Rack Packs (3)

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After an underwhelming debut in 1981 and a maybe even more underwhelming sophomore effort in 1982, Fleer needed to do something big in 1983 if they wanted to keep up with Donruss (ha!) and Topps.

Mission accomplished. Almost.

If it weren’t for an all-time great Topps issue that spring, the 1983 Fleer set would have been at the top of the heap — upgraded brown-gray borders, Super Star Specials, copious stats on card backs, and oooooooooo photos on card backs.

Throw in big-time rookie cards of Ryne Sandberg, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Ron Kittle, Frank Viola, and, um, George Wright, and you had a combination that was hard to beat (even though Topps did).

This eBay lot of three 1983 Fleer rack packs gives you all of that awesomeness right in your face, and it doesn’t even make you guess too much about what you’ll get.

I mean, right there on the front panels are sparkling cards of Lee Lacy, Gary Lavelle, and Randy Moffitt. Oh, and Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, Gwynn, and Boggs.

And if you can resist any Champ Summers baseball card, you’re a stronger man than I.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Ralston Purina Baseball Cards Unopened Packs (4)

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How much would you pay to complete your baseball card collection?

I mean, sure you’d give up hard-earned money for your cardboard fix … but would you chuck down box after box of gut-churning, cavity-inducing powdered, compressed, malted, generally blech wheat products?

Let me tell you … you would if you were 12 years old in 1984 and had the chance to add another set to your burgeoning collection via several thousand calories worth of Cookie Crisp.

That is, if you were serious about this thing.

I didn’t matter that the cereal tasted like Yoda’s refrigerator or that it coated your insides like blown-in insulation or that it caked in your teeth like Dog Chow in a German shepherd.

It didn’t even matter that the cards weren’t all that great.

Or that you could buy them on the cheap more than 30 years later.

Like in this eBay lot (affiliate link), which features four packs of the 1984 Ralston-Purina baseball cards, or this companion lot (affiliate link) that offers another four packs.

And these packs won’t even send you to the dentist.

Sorry, Doc.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1986 Fleer Baseball Unopened Cello Packs (15)

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By 1986, the hobby was fully engulfed in the flames of rookie card mania thanks to the exploits of young phenoms like Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Eric Davis, Don Mattingly, and that summer of ’86, Jose Canseco and Wally Joyner.

At the same time, Fleer and Donruss had overcome their early growing pains to leapfrog over Topps in terms of card quality and values. The perception, at least, was that Fleer and Donruss cards were printed on superior cardstock and existed in much fewer quantities than their Topps counterparts.

In 1986, Donruss was the hottest brand going thanks to the presence of a Jose Canseco Rated Rookie card, but Fleer wasn’t far behind thanks to rookie cards of Canseco, Cory Snyder, Lenny Dykstra, Benito Santiago, Cecil Fielder, and many others.

Add in the Future Hall of Famers and All-Stars inserts, and you had a solid set that verged on scorching at various times.

The 1986 Fleer issue may not be en fuego more than 30 years later, but it sure would be fun to crack open the 15 cello packs in this eBay lot to see if you can find your own Joe Orsulak RC prize.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1990 Topps Heads Up! Baseball Stars Unopened Box (24 Packs)

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It may be time to head back to school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it.

And what better way to have some fun than busting open a box of one of those funky Topps test issues risen from the nadir of the Junk Wax Era.

In this case (no, just a box, actually), we a box — 24 full packs — of 1990 Topps! Heads Up Baseball Stars.

Cowabunga!  (That’s a very early-1990s thing to say — look it up.)

Anyway, how cool would it be to have a big ol’ cutout of Ken Griffey Jr.’s head suction-cupped inside your locker? Very cool, that’s how cool, and this could be your lucky day.

Heck, you might get really lucky and pull a Craig Worthington noggin. And there is nobody — NOBODY — starrier than Craig Worthington and his .230 lifetime batting average.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Donruss Unopened Wax Box

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This is the one that changed everything … the one that made Donruss a real baseball card company … the one that cemented our forever fascination with rookie cards.

In the summer of 1984, Don Mattingly came out of nowhere to win the American League batting title, snatching it away from New York Yankees teammate Dave Winfield.

At the same time, collectors were having trouble filling their one-of-everything desires because 1984 Donruss was downright scarce — and it was a really nice looking set for a change.

And, as luck would have it, Mattingly had a rookie card in that Donruss issue.

Uh-oh.

Mattingly+rookie+can’t-find-these-cards-anywhere+New York Hype = explosion

The hobby was never the same, for better or for worse.

This eBay lot gives you all that history in a box — a 1984 Donruss wax box full of thirty-six 1984 Donruss wax packs.

Yum! Even if there is no gum.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Topps Rack Packs (20) … with Stars!

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There’s not much to say about today’s Wow! Wax entry other than …

• 1985 Topps Rack Packs are not, technically speaking, wax.
• This lot offers up twenty (20) 1985 Rack Packs with stars on front (Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray, Robin Yount(2), Reggie Jackson,  …).
• 1985 Topps is loaded with rookie cards Dwight Gooden, Eric Davis, Roger Clemens, Kirby Puckett, Buddy Biancalana to name a few.

This good, take-you-to-your-roots, old-school cardboard right here, even if the Buy-It-Now price ($229.95) may sting a bit — you always have the option to “Make Offer.”

And, oh yeah — if you don’t like the stars showing on this lot, the seller has two other 1985 Topps Rack Pack lots to choose from … here and here  (affiliate links).

Can’t you just hear the crinkles?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Donruss Baseball Unopened Rack Pack

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It’s an age-old problem in this hobby — you find a pile of unopened baseball card packs and you want to buy one and tear into it in the hopes that you’ll find something great like a Greg Gross rookie or Glenn Hubbard’s snake.

But …

What if someone came before you and searched through the packs to get the good stuff?

Easy enough to cherrypick rack and cello packs, and even wax packs had their problems — ever hear of resealing?

Now, of course, Upper Deck “solved” this conundrum in 1989 by encasing their cards in MRE Wrap, but did you know that Donruss actually beat them to it?

I mean, look at this 1983 Donruss rack pack up for sale right now on eBay …

Three wax packs inside of a cellophane rack pack.

It’s gorgeous! It’s amazing! It’s freaking genius!

So don’t worry about having lost out to some jerk from 35 years ago. If Donruss put Manny Trillo inside one of these sections, you can bet your sweet bippy Manny is still there waiting for you.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Donruss Baseball Wax Pack

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It must have been a relief — or at least a surprise — when collectors found these beautiful (yes they are!) red and yellow Donruss wax packs on store shelves in the spring of 1982.

After all, 1981 had been a rough year for the first-time cardmaker, from losing their right to sell gum with their cards to, well, the cards themselves. Thin cardstock, terrible photography, more errors than a Dick Stuart highlight reel, slightly self-indulgent card backs.

The hobby had no guarantee there would even be a 1982 Donruss baseball card set.

But there the packs were, with a god-awful Babe Ruth drawing but tremendous waxy promise.

Inside the packs were goodies like the Cal Ripken Jr. rookie card, the Steve Sax rookie card, the Shooty Babitt rookie card.

Quite a rally from the brink of obscurity!

So it’s always fun and nostalgic when a 1982 Donruss wax pack makes an appearance, as in this eBay lot.

I mean, who knows how close we came to never having the chance to pull the San Diego Chicken card that might lie inside?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

(Check out our previous Wow! Wax listings here.)

(Check out our previous Wow! Wax listings here.)

(Note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay or Amazon and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

1985 Topps 3-D Baseball Stars Unopened Packs (24)

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You have to hand it to Topps … when the competition ramped up in the 1980s, The Real One kept testing and innovating.

Sometimes that meant experimenting with their packs (1983 “Michigan wax”), and sometimes it meant tinkering with their card quality (Tiffany sets).

In 1985, though, Topps got way out with an issue psychedelic enough to have been right at home in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Indeed, the Topps 3-D Baseball Stars would hurt your head if you looked at them too long, but they were also spectacular. Oversized and made of plastic, the 3-Ds featured full-color photos of the stars in question, actually puffed out roughly along the lines of the players’ features.

And let me tell you … you haven’t lived until Don Mattingly jumps right off his baseball card at you.

This eBay lot gives you 24 chances to live thusly, offering up two dozen gorgeous unopened packs of these monsters/exquisite creatures, each containing one card.

If you buy them and open them, though, better wear some eye protection.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1979 Topps Burger King New York Yankees Unopened Pack w/Graig Nettles on Front

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It’s an endless source of hobby confusion …

I have a rare 1980 Topps Dallas Green, card number 1, that is not listed in any of the price guides. How much is this valuable error/proof/test card worth?

Uh … like maybe a couple of packets of Burger King ketchup? Maybe.

The Burger King cards issued in the late 1970s and 1980 aren’t, by and large, extremely valuable, but they’re pretty darn cool, nonetheless.

I mean, at a time when Topps was the only game in town, it was really neat to find any variety, even if that meant a new photo here or there, or just “misnumbered” versions of the same Topps design.

That’s what BK gave you, with an occasional hamburger logo thrown in.

That’s what this eBay lot gives you, too, in the form of an unopened pack of 1979 Topps Burger King New York Yankees cards.

The pack itself is a little beat-up, like it’s been stuck to the bottom of a cafeteria tray for the last 40 years, but the Graig Nettles card on top (bottom?) looks fine.

And you just know that bad boy has #15 on back, instead of his base-Topps #460.

Your friends will be amazed.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1991 Topps Archives 1953 Reprint Unopened Box

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In 1983, Topps issued their first full-on reprint set after several years of snapshotting several of their classic cards for inclusion in new issues in miniature form — think the 1974 Topps Hank Aaron retrospective, the 1975 Topps MVP cards, and the 1982 KMart boxed set.

That 1983 effort, though, featured all but five reprint cards from the landmark 1952 Topps set — Billy Loes (card #20), Dom DiMaggio (#22), Saul Rogovin (#159), Solly Hemus (#196), and Tommy Holmes (#289) declined to sign their contracts for the 1983 go-round.

Those reprints caused a stir in the hobby, with some collectors hating them and some loving them. There was enough interest, though, that prices soon outstripped the ability of most to afford them. With only an estimated 10,000 sets produced, demand drove the issue to three figures and beyond pretty quickly.

Through the rest of the 1980s, that 1952 reprint issue just sort of sat there, with the occasional rumbling from collectors, either bemoaning the existence of the repros or pining for more reprints.

Then, in 1991, Topps picked up the baton again and issued their first Archives set … a reprint of their gorgeous 1953 baseball issue. Only this time, the cards were available in their own packs rather than just in full-set form.

And that’s where this eBay lot comes in — a full unopened box of 1991 Topps Archives 1953 Reprints.

Embrace to beauty!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1976 Topps Baseball Unopened Cello Pack

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For the first 10 years or so of their existence, 1976 Topps baseball cards were pretty boring.

Oh, collectors tried to convince ourselves there was no post-1975 letdown by clutching onto rookie cards of Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Chet Lemon, and a few others.

But deep in our cardboard hearts, we knew there was nothing there.

Then … the Oakland A’s made Dennis Eckersley a closer and, as he exploded toward the Hall of Fame, his glare shone on his 1976 Topps rookie card.

And we started to notice how there other great cards here, like Johnny Bench … and Thurman Munson … and Pete Rose … and Dave Parker … and Al Oliver … and dozens more.

Turns out, this thing is pretty special, after all.

And this eBay lot brings that all to bear within the confines of a single unopened cello pack with Smiling Roy Smalley on front and AL Pitching Leaders (Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, and … yep … Eckersley ) on back.

Is another Eck lurking in between?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1990 Leaf Series 1 & 2 Unopened Boxes

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Have you ever seen a baseball card set that lived the life of a rock star?

You have if you went to any card shows at all during the summer of 1990.

That year, Donruss revived the old Leaf brand, positioning it as a premium brand and pitting it directly against Upper Deck.

Collectors were wowed by the clean design, and the cards seemed fairly scarce — there certainly weren’t enough to go around at the shows I attended.

And, the fewer Leaf card we could find, the more of them we wanted … and the fewer we could find. It was an amazing cycle that led to gasps when a dealer would plop down a box of Leaf Series 1 on their counter.

Prices spiraled upward and, by the time Series 2 came along, packs were already selling well above retail levels.

The presence of the Frank Thomas (and Sammy Sosa, David Justice, Larry Walker, and others) did little to douse the flames.

Three decades later, the frenzied edge is mostly gone from 1990 Leaf, but it still sends a jolt of adrenaline through old collector’s hearts when we catch a glimpse.

Like in this eBay lot of one unopened box of each Series 1 and Series 2.

It’s a veritable chest-clutching time machine!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1986 Donruss Rack Pack with Vince Coleman on Front

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I don’t have much to say about this 1986 Donruss wax pack other than, if you don’t get a burst of adrenaline just looking at it, you don’t really understand what it was like to be a collector in the 1980s.

Not only do you know — KNOW — that you’re getting a Vince Coleman rookie card, you also get the near-ultimate 1980s chase … will you find a Jose Canseco Rated Rookie?

Only the hunt for a 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly was more exhilarating.

And, lest you scoff at that Coleman, just remember that he was the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and exciting as all get out. All in all, this is an electrifying pack from a loaded set.

Totally.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Nestle Dream Team Unopened Packs (10)

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If you were a kid in 1984, or if you were a baseball card collector in 1984, then you probably ate your fair share of Nestle candy bars that summer.

That season, Nestle teamed up with Topps to produce a set of 22 baseball cards — the Dream Team, they called it.

And really, how could any team with Al Holland not be called the Dream Team?

Anyway, Nestle packed three cards and a checklist header in little cellophane wrappers and slipped one in specially marked packages of their candy bars.

Now, these weren’t the 792-card Nestle parallels that confuse every collector at least once in their lifetime, but they’re still pretty cool.

And you can relive the thrill of hounding your parents to buy even more junk food in the name of your hobby with this eBay lot — ten packs of these purple-backed beauties.

You’ll have to get your own chocolate, though, because the Nestles are long gone.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1977 Topps Cloth Stickers Unopened Wax Pack (PSA 9)

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If you’ve never had a hankering to wear Mark Fidrych on the back of your jacket or John Montefusco on the sleeve of your T-shirt … well, then you’re not the person I always thought you were.

But for the rest of us, the reasonable folks with big dreams, you can’t go wrong — at all — with the 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers set.

I mean, here you have …

Baseball cards …

That are baseball-card size …

And are also stickers …

And are also also made of cloth.

AND … some of the photos are different than the base Topps set.

Like Tony Perez.

And if you buy an unopened pack of the legendary test issue, like the one in this eBay lot, your cards come wrapped in wax featuring a cartoon of Cincinnati Reds great, the immortal Balko Tuzmon.

Yeah, I know!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1988 Topps UK Minis Unopened Packs (48)

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By 1988, the baseball card market was awash in cash and, even more importantly, big dreams.

We all thought our cards would go up in value year after year after year, and that meant great things for the future.

Like more cards.

And expanded markets.

Topps sought to capitalize on all this, and the popularity of their 1975 Topps mini cards by releasing a set of 1988 Minis … but only in the United Kingdom.

In all, there were 88 in the set of new-design cards, each measuring 2 1/8″ X 3″.

You couldn’t get them here in the Stats … but you can now.

All you have to do is buy a lot like this one — 48 packs of five cards each (plus gum) for … um … 12 pence.

You also get the box.

Bloody sweet!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1980 Topps Baseball Grocery Pack

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George Foster was never a trade deadline acquisition, exactly, but there is no denying the Cincinnati Reds struck gold when they acquired him from the San Francisco Giants on May 29, 1971.

Now, it took him a while to develop into all he could be, but by 1977 Foster was arguably the top slugger in the game. His 52 home runs were a better elixir than any bat the Reds could have added at the deadline that summer.

And, wouldn’t you know it? There is Mr. Foster front and center on this 1980 Topps grocery pack that also showcases Gene Tenace and Rick Langford on the pack back.

This is a timely offering — coming as it does during this year’s deadline frenzy — from a seller that’s offering up several lots of great unopened material from the same period (check those others out here).

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Fleer Baseball Cello Pack with Wade Boggs on Front

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The Wade Boggs rookie card was not the centerpiece of the 1983 Fleer set that long-ago summer.

It was close, sure, what with Boggs coming out of nowhere to lead the baseball world with a .361 average.

But the Chicken Man had two things working against him when it came to cardboard glory — he wasn’t a rookie and he had basically no power.

Ron Kittle, on the other hand, checked both those boxes, and the fact that his Chicago White Sox were winning helped a lot, too.

We couldn’t get enough of his 1983 Fleer issue, his only rookie card of the year.

Of course, time and regression helped us realize that Kittle probably peaked that year. And that Boggs was truly great, as were Tony Gwynn and Ryne Sandberg, who also had RCs in 1983 Fleer.

All of which is to say that, if you were going to plop down hard-earned money for a 1983 Fleer cello pack with a particular card on top today, Kittle probably wouldn’t be your first choice.

For most collectors, that would be Ryne. Or Tony. Or Wade.

And that’s what this eBay lot gives you — a 1983 Fleer cello pack with the Wade Boggs rookie card on front.

Just for good measure, you get the inimitable Gary Ward on back, too!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1988 Donruss Baseball Counter Display (216 Wax Packs)

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Look … 1988 Donruss baseball cards are about as common as kitten popsicles in a husky’s dreams.

We all know that.

And it’s partly because of “innovations” like this massive counter display that offers up 216 wax packs all in one sitting.

The design kinda blows, too.

But … the set does have some things to offer, like Mark Grace and Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux rookie cards.

And a 10-year-old Terry McGriff in his dad’s batting helmet (look it up!)

And … God help me … this fabulous counter display.

Yes, that one. Yes, the one with Dale Murphy on it.

It’s … oh my … spectacular.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Donruss Baseball Champions: Yesterday & Today Unopened Packs (12)

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After a couple years to find their footing in the hobby Donruss went big in 1983 — super big!

Their Action All-Stars were huge and fun and, at least among my collecting buddies at the time, pretty popular.

Donruss must have liked the early returns because Action All-stars were back in 1984, and they were joined by another BIG set — Baseball Champions: Yesterday & Today.

The concept of this set was pretty cool: take an all-time leader in a category — Hank Aaron and all his home runs, for example —  give him a Perez-Steele painting, then show a bunch of active players on their own cards, with a tiny inset of the all-timer on the back.

The execution was pretty darn good, too, and these cards were just fun as all get-out to collect.

This eBay lot brings it all back with 12 unopened cello packs of five cards each.

Think of it as Baseball Champions: Yesterday & a Few Weeks Back.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Coca-Cola Boston Red Sox Unopened Cello Packs (12)

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The 1980s were just jam-packed with lots of little oddball baseball card sets packed into everything from macaroni and cheese to hardware stores to cereal boxes.

But there is just something about the 1981 Coca-Cola set that really gets the old collecting juices flowing — heck, maybe it’s residue from the Coke products themselves!

Whatever the case, it’s almost magical to find those little cellophane packages that contain four 37-year old cards (three players plus a team header card).

This particular eBay lot offers up 12 packs from the Boston Red Sox set, which means you get plenty of shots at the following players:

1 Tom Burgmeier

2 Dennis Eckersley

3 Dwight Evans

4 Bob Stanley

5 Glenn Hoffman

6 Carney Lansford

7 Frank Tanana

8 Tony Perez

9 Jim Rice

10 Dave Stapleton

11 Carl Yastrzemski

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Baseball Unopened Rack Pack Box

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In many ways, you could say that Don Mattingly is more responsible for the state of the modern hobby than any other player.

With apologies to Ryne Sandberg, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, and Alvin Davis, no one was hotter during the summer of 1984 than Mattingly and Dwight Gooden.

But where Donnie Baseball outshone even Dr. K was in the cardboard — for the first time during the early hobby boom, we had a player exploding before us while his rookie cards were available in current retail products.

And, while the 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly rookie card became the centerpiece for many collections, his 1984 Topps rookie spurred many hobby chases, too.

You can relive the thrill of a Mattingly hunt through this eBay lot, which offers up an unopened rack box of 1984 Topps baseball.

Can’t you just imagine rummaging through these babies at your local drugstore to see if a Matting RC winks up at you?

(Note that the listing title says “box” but the description says “case,” and the photo shows a case. It’s unclear if you’d be bidding on all six boxes or just one, so best to ask the seller first.)

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Topps Rack Pack with Roger Clemens Rookie Card on Back

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Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Roger Clemens turned in one of the most amazing pitching careers in Major League Baseball history.

And, from the time he exploded on the scene with a 24-4 record and his first Cy Young Award during the Boston Red Sox’s 1986 run to the World Series, Clemens cards have been some of the most sought-after in the hobby.

This eBay lot featuring a 1985 Topps rack pack rewinds the clock to the year before The Rocket took off. If you had stumbled across this hunk of cellophane and cardboard when it was issued, you might have been more interested in the Julio Franco and Tony Gwynn cards on the front of the pack.

But it’s the Clemens rookie on the top panel in the back that makes for special viewing and a few chills nearly 35 years later.

Bits of tangible hobby history tend to have that effect on folks.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Donruss Baseball Rack Packs (2)

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The 1985 Donruss set came along at just the right time to cause a hobby stir.

Not only had we all become fully involved in rookie card mania, but Donruss themselves had spurred on the frenzy by producing fewer cards in 1984 and including what would become the iconic Don Mattingly rookie among their ranks.

On the heels of that effort, the new 1985s included capitalized on a rookie card class that included Dwight Gooden, Alvin Davis, Eric Davis, Roger Clemens, Kirby Puckett, and many others.

Add in a black-bordered design that at once intrigued and frustrated (chips and dings and darkness, oh my!) collectors, and you had a worthy of the chase.

While 1985 Donruss has ebbed and flowed with the rest of the mid-1980s sets over the years, it’s still a great looking issue with plenty of big cards worth pursuing.

This eBay lot gives you 90 chances to chase — 45 in each pack — plus a few sure things in Ozzie Smith and the ever-popular Moose Haas and Houston Jimenez.

And this is Donruss, so unlike with Topps, you don’t have to make that pesky “chew or no chew” decision — no gum!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Baseball Rack Pack with Darryl Strawberry

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If this 1984 Topps Rack Pack doesn’t get your old-school collector blood fired up like the baseball hot stove in December … well, good sir or madam, your entire cardboard credibility is suspect.

I mean, here you have the last Johnny Bench card available in Topps packs, the Cincinnati Reds great having retired at the end of 1983.

And, of course, you have the Darryl Strawberry rookie card that may have been the most anticipated base card ever or certainly until that point in hobby history.

But the centerpiece for any self-respecting, homer-loving, whiff-embracing, baseball card fanatic is, of course, the Dave Kingman beauty nestled between those other two gents.

Kong was like Frank Howard, Rob Deer, and Christian Bale-Batman all rolled up into one long, tall, power-packed windmill of a dude.

And all three of them are right there on permanent display … at least until the urge to crack becomes to much to bear!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Topps Baseball Phot0 Rub-Downs Unopened Wax Box

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As hard as it may be to believe, school will start up again across most of the United States within the next month.

Boo!

But with a new school year comes new opportunities to decorate folders, lockers, (*ahem*) textbooks … your buddy’s forehead when he falls asleep in Algebra class.

You remember all that, right? Good times!

And, for a baseball fan, there is no better adornment for your favorite Trapper Keeper than tiny images of Major League players. Especially if those images are 34 years old.

That’s where this eBay lot comes in … an unopened wax box of 1984 Topps Baseball Photo Rub-Downs — with bubble gum!

This box offers up 36 packs, each with two sheets of three players (and, yes, a stick of petrified Topps gum). Considering that there are 32 sheets in the set, the 72 sheets here would seem to give you a good shot at completing at least one set.

And  even if it doesn’t, how often do you get the chance to 1) choke on archaeological chicle and 2) rub down three-decade old baseball cards with a coin with the unconditional consent of the card-maker?

Almost makes school sound like fun, doesn’t it?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1973 Topps Baseball Series 1 Unopened Wax Pack

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If you’ve been around the hobby for any length of time, you know that the 1973 Topps baseball card set marked the end of an era.

That spring, just as Ron Blomberg was preparing to become the first-ever designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, Topps was pushing out their last first series of baseball cards.

The next year, they pushed out the whole 660-card shebang at one time, for the first time.

But early in the 1973 season, collectors could go to the corner store, plop down their dime, and know for sure they were getting 10 hunks of Series I cardboard, covering cards #1-132.

And that’s what this eBay lot offers you — 10 chances to pull Roberto Clemente or the Babe Ruth/Willie Mays/Hank Aaron combo card or Pete Rose or the Buddy Bell rookie card or, for goodness sake, even the Steve Blass just-before-he-lost-his way card.

And the wrapper alone may be the price of admission.

Beware, though, because cartoon Steve Carlton looks like he might have you in his sights.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Empty 1982 Fleer Wax Box with 36 Empty Wrappers

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So, you know how sometimes you can just look at something and see the hand of a particular person at work?

You know …

That care package that arrived at your dorm during finals week had “Mom” written all over it.

And you could almost smell your dad’s aftershave on those blocky notes that Santa left for you on Christmas morning.

This eBay listing is like that.

An empty 1982 Fleer wax box with Fernando Valenzuela on top makes a great display piece.

Tuck all 36 empty wrappers inside and you know this is no mere eye candy — it’s something only a collector would do.

It’s something I did when I was a boy

You probably did similar stuff. Maybe you still do.

Yep, this one is “collector” through and through.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1976 Topps Baseball Cello Pack (PSA 7) Ted Williams on Front

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When I was about 12, I bought a shoebox full of “old” cards from my favorite flea market dealer, Beulah.

The majority of the cards were from the 1979 Topps set, with a few 1976s sprinkled in. These were by far the most “vintage” cards I owned other than a 1974 Topps Pete Rose and a 1971 Topps Boots Day that I bought because it was freaking old and … well … his name was “Boots Day”!

But while I loved everything in that little white box, cards from two subsets really stood out:

• 1979 Topps All-Time Record Holders
• 1976 Topps Sporting News All-Time All-Stars

As you might have guessed from that “All-Time” bit, both of these subsets featured some long-ago dudes among their ranks. It was jolting but cool.

I mean, you’re shuffling along with Chet Lemon, Ron LeFlore, and Mike Ivie when — BOOM! — Ty Cobb slides across your cardboard.

Or Big Jack Chesbro wins 41 games while Cy Young looks on next to him.

Or … Ted Williams smiles at you from his All-Time All-Star card, bat resting on his shoulder.

It was surreal.

And this eBay lot gives you a shot of that same surreality in the form of a PSA 7 unopened 1976 Topps cello pack with that self-same Williams All-star card on front.

It’s a beauty, and that Jim Wynn on the backside is no chopped bubble gum, either.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1980 Topps Baseball Rack Pack … with Ross Grimsley on Back!

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There have been several inflection points in the history of this hobby that were marked by huge “No Turning Back” airbrushed signs …

Topps’ purchase of Bowman in 1956.

Upper Deck’s choice of the Ken Griffey, Jr., rookie card as card #1 in set #1.

Buddy Biancalana‘s cardboard emergence in 1985.

But if you ask 100 collectors what the biggest development in hobby history was, I’ll bet at least one or two would say Jose Canseco‘s biceps on his 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice card.

Many of the rest would say it was the monopoly-busting Fleer and Donruss sets of 1981.

And it’s hard to argue that point … grabbing hold of a stack of 1980 Topps cards always feels like stepping through the portal to another era.

The set is pretty nice, too, with a solid design and bright photography in most cases. The presence of the Rickey Henderson rookie card doesn’t hurt, either!

This eBay lot brings a little slice of history to the net in the form of a 1980 Topps rack pack, giving you 36 chances to find rookies or stars other than Rickey (the pack has 42 cards, but you can see six of them already).

The only beef I have with this listing is that the seller says no stars are visible on the front or back.

Ross Grimsley and I beg to differ!!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1992 Bowman Jumbo Pack (PSA 9) with Mike Piazza on Back

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There was a lot of excitement in the hobby when Topps first brought back the Bowman line in 1989.

Would this be the set that saved us from the bells and whistles of modern issues and return collecting to its roots?

As it turned out … not so much.

The oversized 1989 cards were a turd and, though the 1990s were more standard, there wasn’t anything really special about them, either.

Many collectors just wanted the new Bowmans to go away.

They didn’t, of course, and the 1991 Bowman set offered a bit of hope, considering how it dripped with rookies. Problem was, store shelves across America also dripped with Bowman — it was everywhere.

But Topps tried something different with Bowman in 1992. A few somethings different, in fact:

• Premium white cardstock
• Tightened production run
• A focus on rookies and pre-rookies

All of this led to an immediate spike in collector interest and gave us the first cards of future superstars like Mike Piazza, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, and Carlos Delgado, among others.

You might notice a few Hall of Famers there.

And you also might notice one Hall of Fame rookie card on the back of the PSA 9 Jumbo pack offered in this eBay lot (that would be Piazza).

Considering that only nine total packs have been graded at all, with seven of them coming in at a 9 … with Piazza’s status as an all-time great … and with all the other big-time rookies that might hide among the 23 cards within …

Well, this is about as solid a single pack from the Junk Wax era as you’re likely to find.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Reggie! – Unopened 1978 Clark Reggie Jackson Candy Bar

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Every once in awhile, you need to see where you stand in the world.

Throw yourself into the arena and really test your mettle.

And, with the Fourth of July just passed, memories of barbecues, junk food, and Joey Chestnut’s still dancing through your head, what could be more appropriate than a little gastrointestinal challenge?

Like … hmmmm … how about a 40-year-old candy bar?

This eBay lot brings you the cheeky and maybe infamous Reggie! bar, first issued in 1978 when future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was stirring the straw — hard — for the New York Yankees.

And this is no mere wrapper — it’s the whole shebang. Wrapper. Reggie. And candy bar.

As the seller intones,

Of course, you probably wouldn’t really want to eat this thing, even back in 1978 but especially now (right?).

Sure would be tempting to sit back and share some waxy candy with ol’ Reggie, though, wouldn’t it?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Topps Baseball Cello Box

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In 1982, the hobby was just starting to get the hang of this rookie card thing.

Thanks to a run of Los Angeles Dodgers that included Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, and Fernando Valenzuela, as well as other fairly recent phenoms like Mark Fidrych and Joe Charboneau, we knew that there might be gold in those wax packs we bought from the corner stores.

The 1982 Topps set fueled our RC embers by giving us three-in-one Future Stars cards for each team, yielding tiny pictures of such luminaries as Boomer Wells and Tom Brennan, but also guys we already knew about or who showed promise that summer: Chili Davis, Terry Francona, Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky, Steve Sax, Cal Ripken, Jr.

Those last two names, in particular, took on special meaning as the season wore on and both found key roles for their Big Leagues teams, the Dodgers (yes, again) and the Baltimore Orioles.

Thanks to the heroics of Sax and Ripken, and to the presence of other prospects who panned out to varying degrees early on, the 1982 Topps set remained a fount of rookie card hunting and speculation as the hobby entered its boom years proper.

This eBay lot lets you relive the excitement of chasing Cal and the rest of the Boys of Summer, 1982, courtesy of an unopened cello box with plenty of stars and rookies showing. (Note that the seller lists 23 packs even though there should be 24 and the pictures seem to represent a full box — would be worth asking about beforehand if you’re interested in bidding/buying.)

If you close your eyes and listen closely, why, you just might hear the lovely tones of your long-lost Atari beeping away in the background.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1959 Topps Baseball Unopened Cello Pack (Series 4)

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One of the amazing things about this hobby is that decades-old stuff turns up on a regular basis looking like it did when your dad or his dad was still a whippersnapper.

A perfect example is this 1959 Topps unopened cello pack graded 7.5 (NM+) by GAI.

It’s not that you never see these packs on the market — PSA has graded 46 of them as of this writing, and two packs sold together at a Robert Edwards auction in the fall of 2017.

No, what really tugs at the heartstrings is that you know you could have walked into a corner store in the summer of 1959 to find this same Series 4 cello pack waiting for you.

Harry Hanebrink would have grimaced at you from the front, and Billy Loes would educate you on baseball numbers from the backside. What lay in between among the other 10 cards?

Maybe Gil Hodges or Don Zimmer or Billy Martin? Maybe … they’re all part of that series, after all.

Sitting her nearly 60 years on, it almost doesn’t matter what’s inside. It’s the nostalgia that makes this, as the seller says, “a very strong pack.”

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1990 Topps DoubleHeaders Unopened Boxes (2)

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Topps has a hobby history unparalleled by any other card company and, like any good business, they are not shy about using their competitive advantage.

We’ve seen it with their throwback homages to League MVPs, wherein Topps produces new cards that depict the player’s old card from the season he won the award — 1975 Topps and the 1982 Topps Kmart boxed set spring to mind.

We’ve seen it on the backs of 1991 Stadium Club cards, where Topps included miniature versions of each player’s Topps rookie cards.

And we’ve seen it more subtly when Topps brings back its own designs, or pretty near — think of the 1962/1987 and 1963/1983 pairs.

In 1990, Topps used the rookie card flashback to produce a set of 72 DoubleHeaders. Each DoubleHeader consisted of a plastic holder featuring a miniature version of the player’s Topps rookie card on one side and a miniature of his 1990 Topps on the other side.

This rather complicated “card” was sold in paper pouches, one player per packages.

There isn’t a ton of demand for this issue, and it’s not the most spectacular thing Topps ever pushed out, but it’s still an interesting piece of hobby history.

You also don’t — or at least I don’t — see unopened boxed all that often, which is why this eBay listing of two boxes caught my eye. Together, this duo gives you 72 packs which theoretically means you could complete the set by opening them all but … well, collation wasn’t always a priority back then.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1979 Topps Baseball Unopened Rack Pack

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For years during the hobby boom of the 1980s, the 1979 Topps set languished behind its nearest neighbors in terms of collector interest and market value. But as Ozzie Smith began to emerge as a legitimate superstar rather than just a curiosity in the late eighties, we started to seek out his 1979 Topps rookie card in droves.

What we found was a condition-sensitive gem that sat in the middle of an issue just a bit more scarce than the junk wax stuff, and that also featured second-year cards of superstar (and future Hall of Famers) like Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Alan Tramell, Lou Whitaker, and Jack Morris.

This eBay lot offers up an unopened rack pack from those long-ago days, before Fleer and Donruss busted Topps’ monopoly.

Which of the big names lurks among the 39 cards?

Hard to say, but you know for sure Dennis Eckersley (front) is there and that Larry Harlow is there twice … front and back!

And, c’mon — who doesn’t want two Larry Harlow cards in one pack?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Topps Baseball Unopened Cello Pack – Nolan Ryan on Front

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By 1982, Nolan Ryan was already 35 years old, and most fans and collectors thought he might have a couple more good years left, at best.

Turns out, The Ryan Express had more than a decade of good years — some of them great — left in his powerful right arm.

As Ryan went about dismantling strikeout and no-hitter records between the time this 1982 cello pack with his Topps card on front was issued and the time he retired, he pulled all his cards right up the Legend Ladder with him.

This pack makes a great display piece whether you’re a Ryan collector or not, and the listing is worth a look or three just for all glorious Red, White, and Blue baseball card box in the background as the Fourth of July descends upon us.

As a bonus, this seller is offering up several more 1982 Topps cellos, and the visuals are all just as striking.

Check out the Ryan eBay listing here (affiliate link).

Check out the other unopened 1982 Topps cellos on eBay here (affiliate link).

1986 Fleer Baseball Unopened Rack Packs (15)

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In 1986, Fleer finally got a leg up on its old nemesis Topps by winning the Rookie Card battle — for a year at least.

While Topps relied on the likes of Vince Coleman, Ozzie Guillen, and Glenn Davis to carry its first-year burden, Fleer checked in with RCs of Jose Canseco, Paul O’Neill, Cecil Fielder, Coleman, Guillen, Andres Galarraga, Benito Santiago, and others.

They had already nailed a Davis card in 1985.

This eBay lot of 15 Fleer rack packs from 1986 give you 675 cards — more than enough to hit on a few of these big-name rookies.

It also gives you 15 Future Hall of Famer insert cards. This is an awesome little set with a six-card checklist that includes Pete Rose, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew, Nolan Ryan, and Reggie Jackson.

Five out of six ain’t bad, eh?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

(Check out our previous Wow! Wax listings here.)

(Over the next little while, I’m going to be unfurling a set of experimental types of posts to see if they strike any cardboard chords. Let me know what you think, and I’ll adjust as we go. Also, note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay or Amazon and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

1987 Donruss Rack Packs (12)

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Remember those great Donruss rack packs from the 1980s that let you nab up almost 50 cards in a single swoop? The once chock full of Rated Rookies and Diamond King and puzzle pieces and all sorts of Donruss-y goodness?

Well, if you do … you’re one up on me.

I bought plenty of Topps rack packs in my day.

And I remember some Fleer racks from 1986, with their blue borders tempting me to open them in search of a Curt Ford rookie card.

I definitely carried around a few metric tons of 1988 Donruss bubble-pack racks for years after I got them at a closeout sale in the early 1990s.

But regular old rack packs from other Donruss sets?

Nope. They didn’t exist as far as I remembered, until I saw this eBay listing.

Here we have 12 “Value Packs” of 1987 Donruss baseball cards, each pack offering up 45 cards. Among the players on top are Don Mattingly, Pete Rose, Roger Clemens, and Mike Schmidt, a group which seemed like a surefire Hall of Fame foursome when these cards were issued but ultimately landed only Schmitty in Cooperstown.

Anyway, these may say “Value Pack” on the front, but they’re rack packs.

And that makes them noteworthy in my book, seeing as how they didn’t exist before today.

Cool stuff, even if it is “junk wax.”

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1992 Topps Stadium Club 2nd Series Unopened Box

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By 1991, the baseball card hobby had mostly moved on from grainy photos, bad cardstock, and affordable new packs.

Even so, the 1991 Topps Stadium Club issue took things up another notch with full-bleed photos so sharp they almost hurt to look at, thick Kodak paper you could build a shed with, and a per-pack price that would make Donald Trump blush (OK, not really).

Player selection was pretty solid, too, especially if you liked rookie cards — and who didn’t?

That was especially true of the 2nd series (cards 301-600), where you could find rookies of Wes Chamberlain, Pedro Munoz, Phil Plantier, and Jeff Bagwell among many others.

As you might expect, Bagwell was hot early on, but no one was hotter than Plantier, the Boston Red Sox slugger who was going to hit 100 home runs a year. That didn’t quite pan out, but the young masher and his rookie card brethren helped drive Stadium Club II into the stratosphere that summer 27 years ago.

We know now that there is plenty of Stadium Club to go around, and Bagwell is the lone remaining BIG rookie from the set.

Even so, it’s fun to reminisce, and this eBay lot lets you do that with an unopened box of 1991 Stadium Club 2nd Series card for less than $20.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Topps Baseball Photo Rub-Downs Unopened Packs (14)

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Topps got a bad rap in the 1980s for not changing fast enough, for not making their cards more sophisticated and fancier.

Collectors wanted premium white cardstock, crystal clear photos, and limited print runs — Topps just wasn’t willing to give that to us most of the time.

But they have always been willing to experiment, and that means hobby backlogs are jam-packed with quirky little issues like 1985 Topps Baseball Photo Rub-Downs.

Issued in “sheets” that showcased bits and pieces of three or four players and their teams, rub-downs let you move your heroes around.

How? By placing them facedown on a surface and rubbing the backside with a coin.

You could put them on folders … books … lockers … your kid brother’s forehead.

Cheesy, sure, but also awesome.

The rub-downs came in packs of two sheets each, along with a stick of bubble gum (of course). In all, 112 players are featured in the set.

This eBay lot offers 14 packs of rub-downs for a $3.99 Buy-It-Now price.

Now, you probably don’t carry a Trapper Keeper anymore, but wouldn’t these look great pasted to your iPad or on your annual review at work?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Fleer Unopened Vending Box (500 cards)

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Growing up, I always fantasized about buying a vending case of baseball cards and instantly adding 12,000 perfect cards to my collection — just think of 15 perfect rookie cards each of  Mark McGwire, Eric Davis, Dwight Gooden, and Benny Distefano!

Back then, those dreams were restricted to Topps cards. I never even knew there was another option.

I mean, somewhere along the line, I must have heard or read that Fleer made vending boxes from 1981-1985, but I don’t ever remember seeing one.

Until now.

This eBay lot (affiliate link) offers up an unopened 500-count vending box of 1981 Fleer cards, with a Packing Order of 1. Apparently, if you were to buy and sort one of each available packing orders (1, 2, 3, 4), you would have been assured of completing three full sets of the 660-card inaugural issue.

If you dig around a bit, you’ll find that the hobby cognoscenti have some advice about what to expect from 1981 Fleer wax and vending boxes.

Fascinating stuff!

At any rate, this box makes a great display piece and is a tangible bit of hobby history that is still “new” 37 years after it was born.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary AL & NL MVPs Unopened Sets (10)

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One of the really fun things about picking up the hobby here on the Internet in the 21st century is the ability to see — and create, if you have it in you — cards that never were (CTNW, for our purposes).

Every day, on Pinterest and elsewhere, I run into “cards” that don’t really exist but that should, if the universe were a fair and just place.

The first time I saw a CTNW, though, was long before I ever knew what a click was and about the time I was breaking my thumb on my Atari joystick.

One of my friends had come into possession of a 1962 Topps Maury Wills that neither of us could find in any sort of price guide or reference book. That must have meant, we surmised, that it was priceless.

I soon learned this phantom was part of a 44-card issue that Topps made for Kmart’s 20th Anniversary, depicting Topps cards from each AL and NL MVP from 1962 through 1981, plus a checklist and a few highlight cards thrown in.

Card-in-card technology, if you will. Meta, dude.

Topps had to create the Wills card from whole cloth because they didn’t issue him one in 1962.

They also mocked up a 1975 Topps Fred Lynn single card that didn’t exist, because the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP that summer had shared his rookie card with three other gents.

I was lucky enough to acquire a full boxed set of those 1982 Kmart cards, and they were a source of endless fascination and confusion. Was that a real 1962 Topps Mantle?

I wasn’t so sure, honestly, but for the buck or so I paid for the set, the speculation was exquisite cheap fun.

Thanks to a huge print run, this set that paved the way for a billion other boxed sets in the 1980s is still exquisite cheap fun, as evidenced by this eBay lot of 10 full, unopened sets.

If you end up with some of this historic cardboard, just remember that’s not a real 1973 Topps Jeff Burroughs.

I think.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Topps Baseball Foldouts Unopened Box

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Topps baseball cards didn’t change a whole lot during the early years after Fleer and Donruss broke their monopoly in 1980, but the king of the hill sure did show a willingness to experiment.

Especially when it came to test issues and oddball sets outside of their base releases.

In 1983, for example, they piloted a colored cellophane pack that looked like their normal wax pack but aimed to prevent the problem of unscrupulous types opening the cards, cherrypicking the best ones, then resealing the remainder.

These were the so-called “Michigan” packs.

That same summer, 1983 Topps Baseball Foldouts provided a stunning visual display of the top players in the game. Each foldout consisted of 17 oversized photos of the top (you guessed it) 17 active players in five statistical categories: home runs, stolen bases, batting average, wins, and saves.

This gave new fans like me an instant pulse on not only who the greats were — it wasn’t hard to find that information — but also who some of the solid lesser lights were. Guys like Mike Torrez, Jerry Reuss, Rusty Staub, Darrell Evans, Lonnie Smith, Bake McBride.

This eBay lot is a complete box of unopened packs (the box itself is at least partially opened), each of which contains one foldout. It’s hard to beat these interesting “cards” if you’re looking for a deep snapshot of the game 35 years ago.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Fleer Star Stickers Unopened Box + 12 Unused Albums

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In 1981 and again in 1986, Fleer treated collectors to an extra set of “cards” by issuing their Star Stickers in the standard 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ and providing full card backs complete with player statistics. These sets were sold in their own wax packs.

In between, Fleer took the Topps approach to stickers, producing smaller (1-15/16″ by 2-1/2″) stickers on throwaway backs. They also produced an album each year meant to hold the stickers, so collectors would often peel the photos from their backs and affix them to the appropriate page.

While these stickers and albums were never super popular — either the Topps or Fleer variety — they offer a snapshot of the game and the hobby during the middle of the 1980s boom and are interesting display pieces.

This lot consists of an unopened box of 1985 Fleer Star Stickers, along with an opened box of 12 unused albums to hold the stickers.

At 100 packs per box and six stickers per pack, your chances of completing the 126-card set at least once from this lot seem pretty good.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1972 Topps Unopened Cello Pack (Series 1)

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You know what a cello pack of baseball cards looks like, right?

It’s a block of cards, something like twice the number in a wax pack, wrapped in cellophane printed with some information about what’s inside, including the price of the pack.

You can see most of the card on the top of the pack and most of the card on the bottom of the pack.

Pretty standard stuff.

But things change over the years, and so it is with cello packs.

Take this 1972 Topps Series 1 cello pack being offered on eBay, for instance.

You still get the cellophane wrapper, sure, but that plastic wrap covers an inner blue box rather than contacting the cards directly.

A window on the front of the box reveals about half the top card, Amos Otis, with black, yellow, and white lettering telling you what the pack’s about.

The back of the box is a full cardboard panel featuring a drawing of a pitcher with arms overhead. You can’t see the underlying card at all, just like the other 28 cards that lie beneath Otis.

Overall, this is a great display piece from a time gone by. And, even though you can only see one player, Otis is a pretty good one to see, considering all the glory he racked up with the 1970s Kansas City Royals.

Besides, it’s not all about player selection. I mean, no one would open this thing just to chase Joe Morgan or Willie Mays, right? What if I sweetened the pot with Larry Biittner?

That’s a morality struggle the winner of this lot will have to wage.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Fleer Unopened Wax Box

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After muddling through uninspiring first issues from Fleer and Donruss in 1981, collectors were eager to see what sorts of improvements the two newcomers would make to their baseball cards for 1982.

Even with a full year to prepare, though, and even while Donruss took a big leap forward, Fleer managed to produce a set that was somehow even more generic than their first.

Fleer did get a few things right in 1982, though.

First, they cut down on the number of outright errors they made, though the ones that slipped through have become legendary in the hobby — the John Littlefield flipped negative and transforming Al Hrabosky to “All” come to mind.

They also did a pretty great job with their rookies, nabbing all the big ones — Terry Francona, Tim Wallach, Von Hayes, Johnny Ray, Lee Smith, George Bell, Steve Sax, Dave Stewart, Dave Righetti, and some kid named Cal Ripken, Jr.

Looking back, it was a pretty good year for rookie cards, huh?

Fleer also did some color branding based on teams, and some of their photos were solid.

You get a sampling of some of their best photography on the fetching wax box in this lot, and you also get a chance at all those great rookies. The box itself has a bit of wear, but then, what 36-year-old can’t say the same?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1975 Topps Unopened Wax Pack

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Unlike some of the lots we’ve featured in the past, this one is just a straightforward, good old-fashioned wax pack.

But it’s a 1975 Topps wax pack, and that fact lathers the whole shebang in “special.”

As in special rookies that include George Brett, Robin Yount, Fred Lynn, Gary Carter, Jim Rice, and, yes, Manny Trillo.

And a special design that includes two different border colors, top and bottom, on each card and makes the set feel like a box of Chiclets.

And special cardboard treatment for Hank Aaron after he broke Babe Ruth‘s career home run record — Hammerin’ Hank gets both the first card (#1) in the set (a ’74 Highlights card showing him with the Atlanta Braves) and the last card (#660), his final base card (showing him with the Milwaukee Brewers).

And even a special wrapper, one of the classics of all time that will make a great display piece if you open the pack in search of those special cards listed above.

It’s all enough to make a veteran collector giddy, and a little light-headed.

I need to go grab some gum.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats Unopened Wax Pack

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The legacy of Fleer within our hobby is one of a justice fighter, the little guy trying to find his niche in a market dominated by a single behemoth for a quarter century.

Before decades of legal battles with Topps culminated in Fleer’s first full-blown, officially licensed set of baseball card in 1981, they had long been at work carving out that place for themselves.

They signed Ted Williams to an exclusive contract in 1959 and produced an 80-card set dedicated to The Splendid Splinter.

In 1963, they produced a set of active players, issued with cookies, that got slapped down by the courts.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, they issued team stickers and logo cards that collectors pretty much shrugged off.

Wedged in between all those attempts to nibble away at the active-player market, Fleer came up with an idea that came with much fewer wranglings — Baseball Greats.

First issued in 1960, Baseball Greats featured retired players, most of them All-Star-or-above caliber from years past. (Williams was the lone active player among the 80 cards.)

They followed that up with a two-series 1961 Baseball Greats encore, sporting 88 cards in the first run and 66 in the more scarce second group.

It’s not clear from this eBay listing from which of the two series this unopened 1961 Fleer baseball wax pack hails, but what is clear is that it’s gorgeous.

That sweet left-handed swing has to be modeled after Teddy Ballgame, and the cartoon blue sky and green grass make you feel like a kid again.

And isn’t that what baseball cards are all about?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Fleer Baseball Unopened Wax Box

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After two lackluster and error-filled issues, Fleer finally stepped out of the cardboard dark ages with their 1983 baseball card set.

For the first time ever, they ventured away from staid white borders to a gray-brown that, while not exactly cheery did feel somewhat dignified. And the borders sorta looks like a chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s, so there’s that.

Fleer also turned their card backs sideways, which gave them more real estate for stats and let them do some interesting, Sabermetric-like things in later years.

And then, there was the big innovation — photos on card backs. Sure, they were tiny sepia headshots, but we hadn’t seen card-back photos since 1971 Topps.

Overall, this was a nice, solid offering that did its best to keep pace with a much-improved Donruss set and a spectacular Topps issue.

Fleer had one distinct advantage over its rivals, too — Ron Kittle.

While all three companies featured rookie cards of Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, and Ryne Sandberg (none of whom anyone knew at the time), only Fleer let collectors chase a Ron Kittle rookie card during his breakout campaign for the Chicago White Sox.

Does a Kittle lurk inside this unopened 1983 Fleer wax box, waiting to be set free after 35 years? Hard to say for sure, but it seems likely at least one or two of the Big 4 (give Ron some love!) is resting there in the dark.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1989 Bowman Baseball Unopened Wax Packs (44)

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Once upon a time, collectors got really excited when Topps announced the return of Bowman baseball, the brand they had vanquished to the commons bin of history in 1956.

And when the cards hit dealer tables, they were great …

Big, clear photos, without much design to clutter things up.

But there were problems, too: oversized dimensions made them hard to store, limited statistics on card backs, same old dingy brown Topps cardstock.

And Upper Deck debuted.

So the new Bowman kind of teetered on the brink of extinction for a couple of years there until Topps reconfigured it at as The Pre-Rookie Set.

These days, that 1989 Bowman baseball set remains a mostly shunned part of hobby history, like a cardboard Edsel.

But those first “new” Bowman cards still look great if you ask me. And their pariah status means you can find pretty ridiculous deals like these 44 unopened 1989 Bowman wax backs with a Buy It Now price of $5.99 (though shipping & handling will boos the per-pack price considerably).

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Topps Baseball Unopened Cello Pack Box

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In the summer of 1985, a buddy and I decided to set up at a baseball card show together. We were going to sell off some of our doubles and reinvest our earnings into other cards.

We also had a plan to really get the cash machine rolling — we were going to bust a rack pack box of 1985 Topps, sell all the big rookies, buy more unopened boxes of 1985 Topps, and repeat.

It was a virtuous cycle of wealth that might have us in new cars before the show was over.

Things didn’t quite work out that way, but you can’t blame our enthusiasm when you look at all the 1985 Topps cards that were drawing attention back then.

Rookies like Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, Eric Davis, Kirby Puckett, Alvin Davis, and plenty more.

Stars like Pete Rose, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry, Willie McGee, Wade Boggs, and a bevy of other surefire future Hall of Famers.

And then there was that funky Olympic team set with all sorts of guys we didn’t know but who must be good (right?). Guys like Mike Dunne, Mark McGwire, Shane Mack, and Cory Snyder.

So, while we didn’t make our fortunes, it sure was fun tying.

The same might be said of 1985 Topps unopened material today, like this cello box on eBay.

At 28 cards per pack and 24 packs per box, this puppy gives you 672 chances at the card you want, plus 28 chances to resist 30+-year-old bubble gum.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1951 Topps Blue Backs Baseball Cards Unopened Wax Pack

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The 1952 Topps set has become so legendary within the hobby and even in mainstream media that some folks still assume it’s the first baseball card issue from the Brooklyn gum maker.

But veteran collectors know Topps was right there beside Bowman on selected store shelves in 1951, too, testing the waters with a quintet of issues:

• 1951 Topps Blue Backs
• 1951 Topps Red Backs
• 1951 Topps Connie Mack All-Stars
• 1951 Topps Major League All-Stars
• 1951 Topps Teams

The latter three were distributed in funky ways and are worth a separate discussion someday, but the Blue Backs and Red Backs each had their own wax packs and boxes, and each consisted of 52 cards to form a “deck” of playing cards featuring Big Leaguers.

Of the two, the Blue Backs are more scarce, so it’s an ear-perking moment when an unopened pack shows up on eBay.

Player select is not as strong for the Blue Backs as for the Red Backs, but if you bought this two-card penny pack and *gasp* opened it, you’d be chasing Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, Bobby Doerr, and Johnny Mize.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Topps Baseball Unopened Grocery Rack Packs (4)

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I’m sure I’ve said something like this before, probably multiple times, but …

If you were a kid collecting baseball cards in the early-to-mid 1980s, nothing will get your nostalgic heart pumping like the sight of a vintage grocery rack pack or four.

These things were like regular rack packs, except the three panels of cards were covered by colorful comic baseball artwork instead of out there in the open.

Of course, you could still see who was back there if you looked hard and moved stuff around a little, but the flavor of the packaging was so enticing. Even to non-baseball kids like me.

And the packs were strategically placed right there with all the other toys, so there was always a choice to make — baseball cards or fake Nerf tank gun?

You can probably still find the latter on eBay if you look around a bit.

You can definitely find Topps grocery rack packs, like this lot of four of them from 1982.

So you get to have stomach butterflies and the chance to chase a Cal Ripken, Jr., rookie card? And Tom Brunansky? And Steve Sax? And Shooty Babitt?

Oh, boy, Mom! Can I have them, please?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1984 Donruss Baseball Champions Unopened Pack Showing Cecil Cooper

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Unopened baseball cards, and baseball cards in general, don’t always have to carry heavyweight price tags to make you go, “Wow!”.

In fact, if you’ve been in this hobby for a while, you know that just catching a glimpse of your collecting past can be tres exciting (in case there are any Montreal Expos fans reading this). That’s one of the reasons we pick up the cardboard in the first place, or at least why we picked it up again as adults — to remember.

Those sweet memories came flooding back in full force when I saw this listing for an unopened pack of 1984 Donruss Baseball Champions with Cecil Cooper on the front, let me tell you.

In 1984, Donruss cards hit the big time thanks to a perceived limited print run and Don Mattingly‘s breakout for the New York Yankees. That put us all on high alert for any other Donruss products, which, as it turned out, included a return of Action All-Stars and these Baseball Champions.

Both were oversized, but the Champions put legends like Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby right there in a pack with active, um, legends like Dave Kingman and Jeff Burroughs.

And Cecil Cooper, of course.

And now I can buy back in to all this for 99 cents?

Wow!

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Topps Baseball Unopened Wax Packs (Michigan Wrapper) — Lot of 5 — May 31, 2018

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It’s surprising to look back sometimes and realize just how innovative and creative Topps was in the 1980s and before. While often criticized (then) by collectors for being concrete-bound sticks-in-the-mud, little details in their baseball cards made life better for collectors whether we realized it or not (the player position icons on the front of 1976 Topps, for example).

In 1983, while Topps was busy reviving and revamping their classic 1963 design, they also had time to try out a few things. One of those was a “Michigan” test issue that consisted of wrapping their cards in plastic/Mylar instead of wax paper (in truth, these were available a bit more widely, such as here in Indiana).

I wasn’t a huge fan of these wrappers in 1983, but Topps was apparently already looking forward to a time when the hobby was much bigger and the concerns about wax being opened, searched, and resealed much more serious.

No one wants to buy a box with no chance of pulling that Wade Boggs, Ryne Sandberg, or Tony Gwynn rookie card you covet, after all.

The experiment lasted one year, but you could argue the Michigan packs were the prototype for the “innovations” to come from Sportflics, Score, and Upper Deck later in the decade.

This eBay lot gives you not only a chance to snag one of the Hall of Fame trio (Boggs, Sandberg, Gwynn) but also a glimpse into the crinkly test-card world of the 1983 hobby. Pretty cool stuff.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Donruss Leaf Baseball Unopened Wax Packs (57) — May 30, 2018

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If you had to pick a turning point that marked the beginning of the modern hobby, the “boom” years, when would it be? For my money, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more suitable milepost than the summer of 1984.

That’s when Don Mattingly won a batting title and made his 1984 Donruss rookie an instant chase card, when Tony Gwynn and Ryne Sandberg led their teams to the playoffs and pulled their 1983 rookie cards out of the commons bins, and when Pete Rose returned to the Cincinnati Reds to make his run at Ty Cobb‘s all-time hit record.

By the time the 1985 baseball cards hit store shelves the next spring, we were frothing at the mouths for any scrap of diamond-related cardboard we could find. Donruss obliged, not only with their base set, but also with a Canadian Leaf version that checked in at just 264 cards but included key rookies like Kirby Puckett, Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, and Orel Hershiser.

This eBay lot offers up 57 unopened 1985 Leaf wax packs, each containing 12 cards, for a total of 684 black-bordered beauties. If you bought these and cracked them, odds are pretty good you’d pull at least one choice rookie and possibly multiples of each considering the seller bills them as “unsearched an unopened” (sic).

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1987 Fleer Baseball Unopened Wax Box — May 29, 2018

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For the first few months of 1987, the new baseball card issues of both Fleer and Donruss were scarce, especially on a regional basis. Here in Indiana, for instance, we could find decent quantities of Donruss at certain local stores, but no Fleer whatsoever.

Predictably, prices rose quickly from $14.40 per box (40 cents for each of 36 packs MSRP) to $25, $30, and more. As the summer wore on, supply of both sets seemed to loosen up a bit, but they both remained harder to come by than their Topps counterparts. That seemed to be especially true for Fleer.

Fleer might have escalated in value even quicker if not for a few problems with player selection, particularly on the rookie card front. The company had already issued a Jose Canseco rookie (1986), and they were the only one of the Big Three to not include Mark McGwire in their 1987 set. Still, this issue does contain classic RCs of Barry Larkin, Will Clark, and Bo Jackson, and, like other sets of the era, is loaded with now-Hall-of-Famers.

Even though we know now these cards aren’t scarce, it’s still a thrill to see an unopened box of 1987 Fleer wax packs for sale, like this lot on eBay. It’s the white whale, finally come home to roost (or, what, tread water?).

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1989 Fleer Baseball Unopened Cello Packs (Lot of 19) — May 28, 2018

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If there is one card from the heart of the junk wax era (other than the 1990 Fleer Jose Uribe) that continues to fascinate collectors, it’s the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken “F-Face” obscenity bat. There are so many variations of the card that some hobbyists spend considerable time cataloging and tracking down each one.

There is no indication as to exactly when in 1988-89 the cards offered in this eBay lot were printed and sold, and so no way to know whether they might contain F-Face, Scratchout, Black Box, White-out or any Ripken at all. But these 19 unopened cello packs definitely offer up 684 cards and 57 logo stickers, as well as Jose Canseco (twice), Darryl Strawberry, Wade Boggs — all of those are showing on front.

And, of course, you have a chance at some version of B. Ripken, not to mention a Ken Griffey, Jr., rookie card.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1974 O-Pee-Chee Baseball Unopened Wax Box — May 27, 2018

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In 1974, Topps moved to issuing all of their cards at one time, instead of in series, for the first time ever. The success of that experiment was hard to gauge right away, however, thanks to the debacle of the“Washington, Nat’l League” cards brought about by the stilted attempt of the San Diego Padres to move to our nation’s capital.

Not affected by this gaffe were Topps’ Canadian counterparts, O-Pee-Chee. As in 1973, the OPC set was identical in size (660 cards), checklist, and appearance to the Topps version, with the exception of a brighter cardstock, splashes of French, and the “Made in Canada” tagline on card backs.

Oh, and the set seems to have been produced in fairly tight quantities, as well. One indication of this is the PSA Population report, which lists about 3600 O-Pee-Chee cards from 1974 among its ranks as opposed to well over 100,000 Topps pasteboards from the same year.

You can chalk some of that up to the overall popularity of the two sets, but regardless, OPC still sports the rookie cards of Dave Winfield, Dave Parker, Bill Madlock, Steve Rogers, Ken Griffey (Sr.), Frank White, and others.

Including Dick Pole. Heh heh.

How fun would it be to tear into an unopened box of this stuff? This eBay listing would let find out … if you’re willing to pony up a small mint.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1983 Donruss Action All-Stars Unopened Box — May 26, 2018

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By 1983, Donruss had dusted off most of the sludge that dragged down their initial set in 1981 and had set about making a hobby name for themselves in earnest. Their base set in 1983 helped a lot, featuring a clean baseball-themed design and improved photos that seemed brighter than in years before.

Donruss was also ready to branch out into specialty standalone sets that summer, and their –ahem — biggest move in that direction was their Action All Stars set. Each card was huge by standard standards, measuring 5″ x 3 1/2″, and featured two images on the front — and action shot and a head shot.

There were 60 cards in all, including 59 players and a checklist, and the cards were sold in 36-pack cello boxes. That’s what’s up for grabs in this lot, with the box top making a very old-school sales pitch:

Mr. Retailer

This carton contains 2 FREE packs for 60¢ extra profit.

Funny thing is, the Buy It Now price on this lot as of writing comes in well below that MSRP.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1982 Topps Baseball Cards Unopened Wax Box — May 25, 2018

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Topps seemed to be struggling with their card design in 1982 — hockey sticks on a baseball card? It took folks (me, I guess) a while to warm up to the Old Gum Company’s second offering after their monopoly was busted, but there is plenty to like in this set.

Action cards, All-Star cards, cheesy facsimile autographs, green backs … and rookie cards.

Thanks to the presence of the first Cal Ripken, Jr., card, this issue had collector interest right from the start.

And with RCs of Lee Smith, Steve Sax, Chili Davis, Dave Stewart, Kent Hrbek, and others, it remains a popular early-junk-era buy.

Imagine the fun this unopened wax box would be — 36 chances to pull Ripken or one of his 1982 RC cohorts. Or would you just let them sit for another 36 years?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1985 Topps Baseball Stickers Unopened Box — May 24, 2018

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If you grew up collecting baseball cards in the 1980s, you’re all too familiar with the double-edge sword presented by Topps in the form of their baseball “yearbook” stickers every season.

They were baseball “cards” (sort of) issued by a major manufacturer, so you felt like you had to collect them. There just weren’t that many sets available on the market back then, even as Donruss and Fleer ramped up their own production. You needed everything you could get your hands on.

The stickers were accompanied by an album, too, and it was colorful and offered up an unusual way to enhance your collection.

But, man, these things had their drawbacks, too.

For starters, they were flimsy, and so were their paper packages. How many times did you tear the stickers while trying to open the pack? Once is too many, and I’m willing to bet the number was higher than that.

Some of the stickers were shape-formed to basically silhouette the player in some way, which made peeling them off their backing tricky and often led to, again, torn stickers.

And then there was the whole moral dilemma of whether you should peel or not … just what was the right way to collect these thing? Personally, I vacillated between neatly affixing the stickers to their rightful place in the Topps album and storing them like “normal” cards — in boxes, sleeves, and unopened packs.

Well, today’s Wow! Wax listing lets you relive all that inner turmoil by taking you right back to the middle of the 1980s.

If you’re the winning bidder, you can take home a “directly from a case” unopened box of 1985 Topps stickers and figure out for yourself what is truly the best way to handle these pretties.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Unopened Grocery Rack Pack — May 23, 2018

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My first-ever baseball cards came from the toy aisle of our local grocery store in 1981. They hung from a hole on end of their three-sectioned packages nestled there among the plastic army men, cap guns, and magic erasable drawing pads that were likely made with lead.

I didn’t care any more for the cards than I did the tiny shouting platoon leader with plastic chads on his feet to help him stand. Probably less.

But over time, I grew to anticipate seeing those packages of baseball cards (and football cards in the fall) appear once again among the other baubles. By 1983, the advent of new cards was a magical occasion.

All of which is to say that being able to log in to eBay and finding those very same first cards of mine, in their original blue grocery rack packs, for sale at palatable prices is like manna from cardboard heaven.

None of the 1981 sets is gorgeous or chocked full of high-profile rookie cards, but they’re all crammed to the gills with memories if you were a collector back then.

Ain’t the modern hobby great?

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1986 Fleer Star Stickers Wax Box – May 22, 2018

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Back in 1986, collectors had “only” three card companies to choose from, so we ate up everything they pushed out. That included the small, flimsy Topps stickers that were sold in paper packages and designed to be affixed to pages of the magazine-like album you could buy to accompany the issue.

So, when the 1986 Fleer Star Stickers set was released, we were just about frothing at the mouth to get our hands on some — here were full card-sized stickers on thick card stock. Heck Fleer acknowledged that these were really just more cards by not even producing an album.

This 1986 revival of the 1981 Fleer Star Stickers issue was a popular addition to the collecting landscape and was sold in wax packs that contained 5 player stickers and one of Fleer’s ubiquitous team logo stickers. (The whole sticker-insert-in-a-pack-of-stickers thing was sorta like Goofy walking Pluto, but we got over that.)

Considering that there were 132 cards in the set and 36 packs in a wax box — 180 cards total — you had a pretty decent chance to complete a set (with plenty of duplicates) from each box.

Thirty-two years later, this listing gives you that chance for under $10.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

1968 Fleer Baseball Iron-Ons Unopened Wax Packs – May 21, 2018

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You might think Fleer didn’t enter the baseball card scene until 1981, but they were bouncing around the market at least a couple decades before that.

For one, they issued a somewhat iconic set in 1963 that featured then-current players including the rookie card of speedster Maury Wills and came packaged with cookies. Topps quickly took them to task in the courts for that little move, and Fleer’s current-player operation was shut down — temporarily. In truth, it was that initial foray that eventually led to the death of Topps’ monopoly, but other stuff happened in the intervening 18 years.

One of those “stuff” was the 1968 Fleer Baseball Iron-Ons set. These were team logos that you could, as the name implies, iron-on to your t-shirts (or your hand, if your ironing skills are on par with mine).

The lack of player images has dampened demand for these over the years, but it’s amazing you can still buy these 50-year-old “cards” in their original unopened state for relatively cheap prices.

In fact, you can find plenty of them for sale on eBay or Amazon (affiliate links) with a little searching.

In this particular case, the seller is offering two unopened wax packs for about 20 bucks.

Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).

Check out the current Wow! Wax listings here.