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Topps 65th Buybacks: Have we been Punked by Topps?

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mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
Disclaimer: This is all in fun. I am not trying to bad-mouth Topps here at all. Just another excuse to amuse myself with photoshop. I enjoy the heck out of much of what they put out, and am a big fan of theirs. I *love* the buybacks!

At the end of 2015, we player collectors of retired greats were treated to a unique release of Topps Archives Buybacks: Signature Series. You have heard me gush enough about those already, along with many others, I'm sure.

Then, Topps released this video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz8aFyFf_f8

An advertisement that enthusiastically proclaimed that inserted into packs of 2016 Topps, you would find the biggest amount of buybacks eva! :eek: (As opposed to their 1991 40th anniversary offering where an estimated total of 3 buybacks were ever pulled ... <kidding>.)

In other words, within a few short months of an un-checklisted release, yet another version of this came out

- still un-checklisted
- no autographs (except for a few)
- with FIVE times as many options (black, red, blue, silver and gold stamps)
- and NO serial numbers

I think I can speak for most of the collecting community by saying that part of me groaned while part of me was excited.

We went into the whole buyback craze at the end of 2015 unsure of how many were going to be released of each player, but at least we had serial numbers. That helps TONS.

This time, the only thing we had to go on was the tiered scarcity system Topps gave us. Don't remember it? I'll give you a refresher :

Black: Standard :coffee:
Red: Limited :)
Blue: Rare :)!
Silver: Scarce :D
Gold: 1/1 :eek:

I remember the first one I got, which was the very first one to hit the market: The 1987 Topps Silver Canseco. Unsure of ANYTHING in terms of scarcity (aside from Topps saying it was silver so therefore it was scarce) I blindly plunked down money for it. I was worried that Topps had stamped 3,000 of them, but even more worried Topps had stamped 3.

Over the past month or so, I've been happily picking off several that I needed. I currently sit at about 15 and am still hoping for many others in the future. One thing I noticed was this though ...

Where are the "standard" black stamps?

I have not seen any ... ANY ... black stamped Canseco cards. About 50 65th stamped Canseco have hit the market ... all being blue, red and silver.

What is going on???

I decided to tweet to Topps to ask, but got nothing but crickets.

I then decided to do some research, and here is what I found out...

Ebay SOLD statistics:

The Black "standard"
Untitled-2.jpg


The Red "Limited" (note I omitted the Red Sox, Reds, etc.)
Untitled-1.jpg


The Blue "Rare"
Untitled-3.jpg


The Silver "Scarce"
Untitled-4.jpg


Oh, and just for kicks, I decided to run a 1/1 search:
Untitled-5.jpg


What. The heck. Is going on?

Based upon the existing sales, doesn't it look like Topps is messing with us? That perhaps they said the colors are the exact opposite of what they reported?

Listen, I am fully aware that there are still probably thousands of cases left to open, and I also know that collation can play a HUGE factor here. I have heard of case runs in the dozens that yielded multiples upon multiples of the same care with the same color stamp!

So, I am left with split emotions once again. Part of me is frustrated, but part of me thinks it is funny that Topps would do this. If this really is the case, was it a call from the higher-ups, was it a gag from the employees who were running the stamps or was it simply a mistake? Or again ... is it just that the last few thousand cases are heavily back loaded with black stamps?

Time will tell.

In the meantime, I WAS able to get a VERY special box of 2016 Topps. We'll call it a hot box, being that there were TONS of BLACK STAMPED buybacks! :flex:

Something did look a little different from the regular boxes though, I admit.

punkd.jpg


Hmmmm ... that looks more like Ashton Kutcher, more than it does Bryce Harper.

I finally was able to land my black stamp 87 Topps Canseco (yay!)

1987-Jose-Canseco.jpg


I think many of you player collectors out there will be very happy to see what I pulled. check it out! Mark Grace, Will Clark, Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Nolan Ryan, Andre Dawson, Steve Garvey & Omar Vizquel ...

Untitled-8.jpg


Untitled-9.jpg


Untitled-10.jpg


Untitled-11.jpg


Untitled-12.jpg


Untitled-13.jpg


Untitled-14.jpg


Untitled-15.jpg


Untitled-16.jpg


Amazingly enough, I've had exactly 3 offers for this card, all over $20,000!
Untitled-17.jpg


:cool:

In the spirit of being optimistic, thanks Topps for keeping collecting interesting.

*Note: Ashton Kutcher was not harmed in the making of this article.
 
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Dilferules

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2012
1,948
1,746
Auburn, WA
I got one Black and one Red in each of my 2 boxes, but they were all total bottom of the barrel commons from 1974-1984 (apologies to all of the Jack Fimple supercollectors out there). Could it be that for some reason Topps stamped more "stars" blue and silver and we're not seeing a lot of black and red stamps on ebay because people aren't bothering listing commons?
 

mlbsalltimegreats

New member
Aug 7, 2008
6,772
3
I find it interesting that they play dumb when it comes to the value of having to replace a redemption that they could not fulfill , but admittedly know that a 1952 pack is now worth thousands....
 

dstrawberryfan39

Active member
Oct 16, 2013
605
35
I have only seen one darryl strawberry a '87 topps black I lost by a dollar that's it and I'm confused why there is no more?
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
Pulled a black foil 87 Topps Bo Jackson "Future Stars" rookie card this weekend. And its in mint condition. Hmmm, maybe more rare than I thought. I couldn't find any completed eBay listings for Bo buybacks.

Topps not releasing print runs or checklists for buybacks is nothing new. Been going on with the Heritage buybacks for several years.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
Also, do your ebay search again and leave off 65th, and just do "2016 Topps Buyback." I'm finding not everyone lists the 65th in their listings for these.

Just tried that trick with Canseco... a Black did sell (no 65th in title).

s-l600.jpg
 
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mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
Also, do your ebay search again and leave off 65th, and just do "2016 Topps Buyback." I'm finding not everyone lists the 65th in their listings for these.

Just tried that trick with Canseco... a Black did sell (no 65th in title).

s-l600.jpg


D'oh! Must've missed it.
 

DeliciousBacon

Well-known member
Apr 23, 2011
3,444
94
Warwick, RI
Pretty sure many of the Blacks are being listed in lots, since they're mostly worthless on their own. One of the larger lots I picked up was a bunch of 1987 Black commons (and a George Brett, first Brett I saw that didn't go for crazy money), lower condition, stuff that wouldn't even sell at 99¢ BINS. It is also highly likely that some of the cards of some of the non-commons didn't get Black versions. Nothing really unusual there. I think people are just looking to make up some reason to fault Topps for this because as we all know, TOPPS DOESN'T CARE AND NEVER DID CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THEY HATE THEM AND TOUCH CHILDREN AND SOMETIMES STEP ON PUPPIES AND STEAL FROM HOMELESS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!
 

UMich92

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2008
1,870
42
I find myself having many the same thoughts as Mouschi. I am a Jack Morris collector and so far I have been able to acquire only one of his buybacks. Oddly enough, it was the 1/1.
 

AnthonyCorona

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2014
9,600
68
Modesto, CA
Pretty sure many of the Blacks are being listed in lots, since they're mostly worthless on their own. One of the larger lots I picked up was a bunch of 1987 Black commons (and a George Brett, first Brett I saw that didn't go for crazy money), lower condition, stuff that wouldn't even sell at 99¢ BINS. It is also highly likely that some of the cards of some of the non-commons didn't get Black versions. Nothing really unusual there. I think people are just looking to make up some reason to fault Topps for this because as we all know, TOPPS DOESN'T CARE AND NEVER DID CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THEY HATE THEM AND TOUCH CHILDREN AND SOMETIMES STEP ON PUPPIES AND STEAL FROM HOMELESS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

Thats African American stamps bro. Come on
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Is it lazy or do they just not care?

I think it is done on purpose as much as anything. Although I'm not sure it helps their wax sales, I do think it drives interest in the secondary market which helps with product interest. It creates threads like these which keeps the product being talked about. If you knew there were 20 of a certain card some people may just say, eh I'll find it later. Not knowing drives people to find what they can now just I case there are 1 for example. At least that's the way I see it. Or they are just lazy n don't care ;)

Ryan
 

onionring9

Active member
Administrator
Aug 7, 2008
3,490
12
I think it is done on purpose as much as anything. Although I'm not sure it helps their wax sales, I do think it drives interest in the secondary market which helps with product interest. It creates threads like these which keeps the product being talked about. If you knew there were 20 of a certain card some people may just say, eh I'll find it later. Not knowing drives people to find what they can now just I case there are 1 for example. At least that's the way I see it. Or they are just lazy n don't care ;)

Ryan

That's exactly how I feel. Hunting down knowledge while collecting is much more fun than just knowing how many cards you need and how rare they are!
 

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