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What are the odds on making money on a box?

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Pinbreaker

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
10,131
287
Laguna Niguel, CA
I bought a box of Fleer Genuine Insider for $49.95..

maris.jpg
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
With cards, unlike vegas if you open a critical mass it levels out.

There is a reason Brent Williams makes the money doing this he does.
That can be said about certain products, like you mentioned Topps Base which has large followings and low cost wax (comparative). Large scale breaking of expensive wax I would say won't have that leveling point. That's why group breaks exist. It levels out the risk to be not as shocking at the same time allows a percentage to beat the odds.

Ryan
Will Clark / Mike Brown Collector
 

Pinbreaker

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
10,131
287
Laguna Niguel, CA
Or just get a case of Topps Five Star and enjoy..

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bautista.jpg


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When collectors still collected Lincy.. $100
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eckersley.jpg


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Nice to see a 1/1.. $100
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These two were in one pack.. :eek:
(they paid for the case!.. Wright $600 and Jeter $1600)

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I think it comes down to risk/reward.. Only risk what you can can loose and what can you get your optimum value
 

bongo870

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2009
3,574
485
Marlton NJ
I like to look for the deals in boxes at shows. I got a box of 2005 upper deck classics for like 10 bucks and pulled this:
SCHMIDT, MIKE.JPG
 

Austin

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
5,706
41
Dallas, Texas
So what you guys are saying is my broke self should buy bowman? Thanks.
No, if you're broke, don't waste money buying boxes. Buy single cards or a set that you'll enjoy and like looking at.
Busting a box when you have little money will make you regret it most of the time. Spending money trying to hit a jackpot has driven away many young collectors.

If you really want to bust packs, buy the $10 or $20 blaster boxes at Target or Walmart, or find a cheap older box from the late '80s, early '90s at a card shop or show for $5 or $10. Those can be really fun and you won't feel you wasted $75 after busting a modern box with a no-name jersey card as your prize.
 

RagingAcid

Member
Feb 26, 2017
465
2
Markham, ON
No, if you're broke, don't waste money buying boxes. Buy single cards or a set that you'll enjoy and like looking at.
Busting a box when you have little money will make you regret it most of the time. Spending money trying to hit a jackpot has driven away many young collectors.

If you really want to bust packs, buy the $10 or $20 blaster boxes at Target or Walmart, or find a cheap older box from the late '80s, early '90s at a card shop or show for $5 or $10. Those can be really fun and you won't feel you wasted $75 after busting a modern box with a no-name jersey card as your prize.
Sorry that isn't fun gonna open a box either way so might as well a good one.

Sent from my F5121 using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 

AnthonyCorona

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2014
9,600
68
Modesto, CA
With cards, unlike vegas if you open a critical mass it levels out.

There is a reason Brent Williams makes the money doing this he does.
Brent would be an interesting interview for the Podcast. How he got started, how long it takes, biggest hits (I know he has a lot) etc. Just an idea, he's always been really cool to deal with

Bring me your Bickford, Ryan McMahon, Senzatela and Peter Lambert cards
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
His time is pretty limited

Pencil him in for January. I can't imagine it's too busy between the end of collecting year products in December and the start of collecting year products in mid-February.
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
Or just get a case of Topps Five Star and enjoy..
(...)
I think it comes down to risk/reward.. Only risk what you can can loose and what can you get your optimum value

Looks like the case would have been a loss without Jeter batting glove and wright patch.
 

swish54_99

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2012
1,160
221
Pulled this little guy out of a blaster box from Wal-Mart back in '09. Opened it, saw he was a first rounder and thought 'cool, at least he has a shot.' Put it in a top loader for a year and subbed it just to fill out a sub and meet the minimum # of card requirement for the sub. Held onto it for a while but finally got an offer I couldn't refuse and when people throw stupid money your way, you gotta take it plus I needed the money at the time so sold it. Hadn't looked in a couple of years to see what they're going for now and DOH! Double what I got for mine, but still can't complain. He could've blown out his knee or hit in the face like Juan Encarnacion did and poof done and down go the prices. Plus I met him and got a ton of stuff signed while he was an 18 year old baseball america prospect in Low-A ball, and I've still got all those auto's and memories of meeting him which, to me, is better than a card pulled out of a pack any day.


edit: it's a PSA 10 Gem Mint, the scan looks tiny for me.


Mike%20Trout%20PSA10.jpg
 
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death2redemptions

New member
Feb 4, 2016
12,488
0
The Carolina on the Southern side
No, if you're broke, don't waste money buying boxes. Buy single cards or a set that you'll enjoy and like looking at.
Busting a box when you have little money will make you regret it most of the time. Spending money trying to hit a jackpot has driven away many young collectors.

If you really want to bust packs, buy the $10 or $20 blaster boxes at Target or Walmart, or find a cheap older box from the late '80s, early '90s at a card shop or show for $5 or $10. Those can be really fun and you won't feel you wasted $75 after busting a modern box with a no-name jersey card as your prize.

I've switched to buying singles & I've saved so much more money than when I was buying cases. I find just as much pleasure prospecting as I did busting cases too. I still get that same gambler rush (an addict like me needs) when a prospect pays off.
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
I think the likelihood goes up the cheaper you go and how you sell. I got a lecture on the beauty of Opening Day when I set up at a show a few months ago. 2017 boxes are, what, $35 even after the Judge effect? You get a smaller, more star-heavy checklist than base Topps, some unique and somewhat popular low-end inserts, foil parallels, and the chance to hit some big things with autos and SSPs. Complete sets, teams sets, star cards, and singles are cheap enough that they appeal to kids and lower-end collectors, and the rarities appeal to everyone. If you sell on ebay you need to be first to market, as it seems like it gets lost in the storm of higher-end things and has the stigma of being a "kid's card set", whatever that means. The cheap price tarnishes the value it maybe should have. If you have an ebay store or other outlet where you just list and forget about it, it seems like a fairly decent stream of value. But contrast that with the idea of spending 2x-4x as much for a Chrome brand box and getting even less value than the $35 paper box.
 
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