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The 1998 Topps Tek Thread

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togaman

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2008
1,298
26
Houston
I asked WESTLAKE on Sportlots about the Buhner he listed recently. He said Pattern 43. Cross your fingers for me - I hope it's in decent condition!

Ive requested him and a few others to post patterns a few times on sportlots, Ive bought lots of cards from Westlake over the years (not TEK though)
 

rinkrat38

Member
Oct 14, 2012
261
0
South Deerfield, Mass.
Back in the summer of 2013, [MENTION=4682]RustyGreerFan[/MENTION] had his memorable live group break of a 1998 Tek 'hot box' that had something like 17 diffractors in it. I bought one $130.00 box from the same seller and also got a 'hot box' of something like 15 diffractors. Several of us talked to the seller over the next several months trying to pry more boxes from him, and I wound up purchasing his 1998 Tek store inventory (except for a few 1998 Tek boxes that he wanted to hold on to). I wound up with a case of eight 1998 Tek boxes and two other boxes, along with over 100 loose Tek diffractors and about 3500 to 4000 misc. Tek commons. I didn't score any more 'hot boxes' but was quite satisfied with what I did get.

Well, the seller is back after a couple of years away from eBay! Break your piggy bank! A 'hot box' may await! Eddie from The Old Ballpark card store in Alvin, Texas has listed 1998 Tek boxes, up to 4 boxes, for $475.00 each. Short of a trip to Alvin TX, my recollection is that Eddie does his negotiating via e-mail. I left phone messages a couple of times and just got an e-mail back. PM me if you really want his e-mail address to contact him. Good luck!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-TOPPS-...086115?hash=item236149dd63:g:pbIAAOSwuYVWno-A
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Prices sure jumped since then ;) I don't remember how many I bought from him back then (6 total maybe) and did a group break. I think they were $150ish.

If anyone is paying $475, all the luck to you.

Ryan
 

corockies

New member
Mar 23, 2013
1,213
0
Colorado
What's the print run on the Diffractor pattern's? Is there an estimate or was it stated?

General consensus is 5-10 copies of each diffractor pattern. But not every pattern is out there. No one has ever completed an entire 1-90 run of a same pattern diffractor, and one pattern (49 I think?) has no diffractors at all.
 

MansGame

Active member
Sep 25, 2009
15,324
20
Dallas, TX
I honestly don't know how you get to $475 valuation. Unless you get people to do like a draft for 90 spots, $8 a spot or something to cover s/h, etc.? Even then we'd all want our guy. I'd pay up to $20 for the rights to all Belle cards pulled if someone was serious about a group break.
 

togaman

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2008
1,298
26
Houston
General consensus is 5-10 copies of each diffractor pattern. But not every pattern is out there. No one has ever completed an entire 1-90 run of a same pattern diffractor, and one pattern (49 I think?) has no diffractors at all.

The most cards I have of any one specific diffractor pattern is twenty (20) of Pattern # 1 in the 1998 TEK diffractors. Rinkrat has a bunch of # 1 dupes from an old list he sent me I have somewhere around here but I'm too cheap to pay his diffractor prices and havent been able to buy any 98 TEK diffractors for my own 2 incomplete working diffractor 90 card sets (completed one) much less find one to trade him something he needs so I gave up on that a couple years ago as an exercise in futility. But every once in a while I stumble upon a new one like a recent Ripken I picked up for $ 5.00 a couple months ago at a flea market in Houston. That was a rare find. The guy had about 100 other regular but none were on my pattern # 1, Same card #/pattern #, or condition upgrade Want lists.


I think I have 10 or 11 Same Card# pattern# Diffractor cards where one 90 card set would contain all 90 patterns but that is not gonna happen.

And unless Rinkrat has come across a pattern# 49 diffractor recently I dont believe anyone has them from lists I reviewed last year so I am assuming that Topps forgot to print pattern# 49 in the diffractors
 

caster513

Member
Jul 16, 2013
440
0
Cincinnati, OH
General consensus is 5-10 copies of each diffractor pattern. But not every pattern is out there. No one has ever completed an entire 1-90 run of a same pattern diffractor, and one pattern (49 I think?) has no diffractors at all.

The most cards I have of any one specific diffractor pattern is twenty (20) of Pattern # 1 in the 1998 TEK diffractors. Rinkrat has a bunch of # 1 dupes from an old list he sent me I have somewhere around here but I'm too cheap to pay his diffractor prices and havent been able to buy any 98 TEK diffractors for my own 2 incomplete working diffractor 90 card sets (completed one) much less find one to trade him something he needs so I gave up on that a couple years ago as an exercise in futility. But every once in a while I stumble upon a new one like a recent Ripken I picked up for $ 5.00 a couple months ago at a flea market in Houston. That was a rare find. The guy had about 100 other regular but none were on my pattern # 1, Same card #/pattern #, or condition upgrade Want lists.


I think I have 10 or 11 Same Card# pattern# Diffractor cards where one 90 card set would contain all 90 patterns but that is not gonna happen.

And unless Rinkrat has come across a pattern# 49 diffractor recently I dont believe anyone has them from lists I reviewed last year so I am assuming that Topps forgot to print pattern# 49 in the diffractors

Thanks for the info guys.
 

u2me57

Well-known member
Mar 21, 2014
3,234
63
Hendersonville, Tn.
I honestly don't know how you get to $475 valuation. Unless you get people to do like a draft for 90 spots, $8 a spot or something to cover s/h, etc.? Even then we'd all want our guy. I'd pay up to $20 for the rights to all Belle cards pulled if someone was serious about a group break.

Yeah, the $475 a box valuation is a lttle high, but maybe Eddie could be talked down a
little. A 4 box Tek break would be really cool. I've never done a group box break or been a part of one, and not really sure how they work, but I'd be willing to make 1998 Tek my 1st. There should be enough Tek collectors on here to cover 90 spots.

Maybe someone on here could talk Eddie down to $1200 for all 4 boxes. $15 a spot should cover it.(?) I'd be willing to do $15 a spot. 1 to 3 (max) spots per person.

Please tell me where I'm off on this because I want to learn from this. Is there a premium on superstars or would $15 a spot cover all players? How many spots does the seller get, etc, etc. Thanks.
 

George_Calfas

Well-known member
Aug 22, 2008
36,264
30
Urbana
Yeah, the $475 a box valuation is a lttle high, but maybe Eddie could be talked down a
little. A 4 box Tek break would be really cool. I've never done a group box break or been a part of one, and not really sure how they work, but I'd be willing to make 1998 Tek my 1st. There should be enough Tek collectors on here to cover 90 spots.

Maybe someone on here could talk Eddie down to $1200 for all 4 boxes. $15 a spot should cover it.(?) I'd be willing to do $15 a spot. 1 to 3 (max) spots per person.

Please tell me where I'm off on this because I want to learn from this. Is there a premium on superstars or would $15 a spot cover all players? How many spots does the seller get, etc, etc. Thanks.

At $1200 the buy-in per team in ~$40 pre-shipping. I think you would have a had time selling break spots by player.
 
Last edited:

RustyGreerFan

Active member
Jun 10, 2010
2,496
4
Gastonia, NC
Yeah, the $475 a box valuation is a lttle high, but maybe Eddie could be talked down a
little. A 4 box Tek break would be really cool. I've never done a group box break or been a part of one, and not really sure how they work, but I'd be willing to make 1998 Tek my 1st. There should be enough Tek collectors on here to cover 90 spots.

Maybe someone on here could talk Eddie down to $1200 for all 4 boxes. $15 a spot should cover it.(?) I'd be willing to do $15 a spot. 1 to 3 (max) spots per person.

Please tell me where I'm off on this because I want to learn from this. Is there a premium on superstars or would $15 a spot cover all players? How many spots does the seller get, etc, etc. Thanks.

When I did my break I broke the entire set down into seven somewhat balanced lots. I charged enough on six of the lots to cover my lot and shipping and man did I get my chops busted by board members who knew how much I'd paid. I think I ended up paying more for my lot than anyone else after all was said and done. A breaker may have to be ready to do this as a "favor" to the community unless their business is breaking. Keep in mind, people were having heartburn back when I got my boxes for like $130 or $150. Now it's more than 3x that.

To echo George, selling individual player slots would be nearly impossible. Also remember that's potentially 90 shipments someone would have to prepare and make, and that person would have to be compensated for their time.

And honestly, it's smarter to just way overpay for your guy's Diffractors when they pop than to do a break at these prices. I believe the most common number of Diffractors in a box is three.
 

MansGame

Active member
Sep 25, 2009
15,324
20
Dallas, TX
For a three box break, I would pay $40 for the White Sox... if we are talking $40 per team. I bet if you tried you could do it... might have to be like some serious guys putting up for a specific team and then doing a random.org for a draft like system for the balance teams... for example, I would never do it unless I had the rights to Belle or White Sox at least. I would pay up for that though... not sure why some people wouldn't. Fun and you get a shot at getting your guy on a diffractor which is the gamble and would pay for the buy-in.
 

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