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The 1998 Topps Tek Thread
- Thread starter RustyGreerFan
- Start date
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DeliciousBacon
Well-known member
bigunitcards
Member
One of the '98 Tek gurus can weigh in, but my memory from skimming thru this 2 year old thread when I first found this site was that everyone thinks between 5 to 20 diffractors although the true production run is unknown.
They are 1 in 6 packs, so 3 or 4 in every 20 pack box. The fact that '99 and '00 Golds were #'d/10 makes me think probably 10. That would mean there were only 60 of each base card! That math would mean 70 total copies X 90 patterns X 90 players = 567,000 cards = 141,750 packs = 7088 boxes = ~886 cases. I could be wrong though, someone who knows where to find this discussion in this thread could probably set me straight.
MansGame
Active member
[MENTION=10698]bigunitcards[/MENTION] - we know there are at least four or five of any given pattern from just matching up dups. I'd say there is NO MORE than ten of each IMO.
MansGame
Active member
So frustrating seeing 30 Belle patterns on eBay and zero that I need. Ugh.
u2me57
Well-known member
6, 57, and 65 for 9, 10, and 15 sounds good. PM me with your address and I'll do the same. I can send them out Thurs. afternoon. Thanks!
MansGame
Active member
Great stuff guys!
SINFULONE
Active member
- Sep 26, 2008
- 5,691
- 0
Condition upgrade?
MansGame
Active member
No, not even thinking about that. If there weren't so many other cards to chance, including new product coming out, then maybe... right now I don't care about that. If they stop putting him in new product, then there might be time and funds for something like that.
rinkrat38
Member
My guess is at least 10 diffractors of each player/pattern, and maybe not more than that. I had four of one pattern and another fellow had two of the same diffractor pattern. That seems to rule out a limit of 5 per pattern.
My arithmetic comes out a bit different:
Assume 10 of each diffractor pattern. 90 players x 90 patterns x 10 of each = a total of 81,000 diffractors. At a ratio of 1 diffractor to 23 base (one diffractor in every six packs), you get 81,000 x 23 = a count of 1,836,000 base cards (about 226 cards of each base pattern), and a total of 1,944,000 '98 Teks. At 80 cards per box, that equates to 24,300 boxes. I think that's as good a guess as is out there.
I am still convinced that there has been a very uneven release of diffractor patterns. I've matched up my diffractor collection of specific players with others who have large collections of those players, and there is a tremendous overlap of what we have and what we need -- way beyond probability were there an even distribution.
MansGame
Active member
[MENTION=8009]rinkrat38[/MENTION] - I agree with how you think about the #'s. I think there is probably less than 10 of each but who the hell knows. When you look at your diffractor collection on a matrix, do you find that you have a vast majority of even or odd # patterns? Or vastly more of a certain pattern(s)? I use to think that even # patterns were harder to come by than odd because when I needed like 15 patterns left for Albert Belle, nearly all of them were even, which was funny to me.
I wonder if we were to start a list of combined knowledge of cards out there if we could construct a complete set of both base and diffractors for 1998 Topps Tek? I know the base we would but I wonder about the diffractors. That would at least prove that they're all out there
I wonder if we were to start a list of combined knowledge of cards out there if we could construct a complete set of both base and diffractors for 1998 Topps Tek? I know the base we would but I wonder about the diffractors. That would at least prove that they're all out there
shadowking86
Member
- May 13, 2014
- 313
- 0
It could be worse. I still need 34 patterns and it feels to me like the well has run dry. I rarely see any cards that I need pop up anywhere.
MansGame
Active member
Yea, I know I'm being dramatic but getting the last few patterns is so frustrating. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'll never get to my goal of 90% of all Albert Belle cards without knocking down more 1998 and 1999 Tek cards... period.
ASTROBURN
Active member
Have you extinguished all possible outlets for the TEKs? Hit every site everyone has mentioned? Now just waiting for ebay to provide those missing patterns?
Might also need to change the ebay search keywords. Maybe just check Belle Lots and see if theres a Tek sitting in there. Or just look thru TEK Lots, see if people arent bothering naming the players themselves...
MansGame
Active member
I believe I've looked through all the sites people have mentioned and probably check the major ones (eBay, COMC, sportslot, beckett market place, etc.) on a daily basis to see if new cards have shown up. It's such a project completing this ugh.
It also comes to probably no surprise that I look at eBay probably 10x a day if not more for all the new searches that include the word "Belle" but might need to start just looking for Tek lots and things which don't specifically mention Belle to see if that brings anything else up. Maybe paying closer attention to Belle lots and seeing if Tek cards are in there, etc.
Only four patterns to go........
shadowking86
Member
- May 13, 2014
- 313
- 0
I know how you feel.
bigunitcards
Member
I've been doing the player lot skimming for awhile now, it's a tough road. Amazing how many non-collectors are trying to sell 3 to 9 card lots of commons of stars on eBay. I've only come across 1 lot with a '98 tek RJ pictured, but I pick up semi-blind large lots somewhat frequently just for fun trying to get lucky. Which is why I have approaching 10,000 dupes!! If there really are around 230 copies of each base pattern, where the hell are they??
I have seen very little in the way of 98/99/00 mixed Tek card lots though, aside from the occasional 1-of-each team sets.
DeliciousBacon
Well-known member
Wow:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-TOPPS-...ON-LOT-NO-DUPLICATES-STARS-NICE-/390882501369
I was in on this, mostly for the Helton Diffractor, but it went way above where I wanted to go. Wonder if the seller had any idea about the 4 Diffractors hiding in there!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-TOPPS-...ON-LOT-NO-DUPLICATES-STARS-NICE-/390882501369
I was in on this, mostly for the Helton Diffractor, but it went way above where I wanted to go. Wonder if the seller had any idea about the 4 Diffractors hiding in there!
MansGame
Active member
He probably didn't.
bigunitcards
Member
Imagine if you were doing your hourly eBay search for your guy's 98 Tek and found something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Topps-...0993325579?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item540ce1020b
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Topps-...0993325579?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item540ce1020b
