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The 1998 Topps Tek Thread

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PadresFan86

New member
Nov 11, 2011
2,554
0
California
You guys are going to inspire me to list all my rare Gwynn cards for $1,000.00 obo with an automatic offer decline of anything $999.00 or lower.
 

MansGame

Active member
Sep 25, 2009
15,324
20
Dallas, TX
You guys are going to inspire me to list all my rare Gwynn cards for $1,000.00 obo with an automatic offer decline of anything $999.00 or lower.

Again, that's only for self satisfaction of f*cking with people. I think you know the suspect names of eBay guys who list cards like that to just be d!cks

Don't do it lol
 

RustyGreerFan

Active member
Jun 10, 2010
2,496
4
Gastonia, NC
Alright, back on topic...

If they brought this set back I think they would manage to screw up the checklist. Since prospecting is the big thing and what drives sales, I think the checklist would be littered with prospects with many current stars and even future HOFers getting sent to the bench. Heck, they made the same mistake in 1998, it would be only amplified today. And would they include all-time greats? Not sure if that would be good or bad. Some teams would need it because their roster is so awful right now (not necessarily a Padres reference :mrgreen: ) Who knows, they might do something crazy like expand the checklist to include everybody and their sister. And of course, one of the joys of collecting 1998 Tek that could never be repeated is the mystique of it... the questions that aren't answered. How much was produced? What is the print run on Diffractors? How many are still out there in dime boxes? Is there a stash out there or did any get destroyed?

Anyway, it's fun, albeit pointless, to think about.
 

PadresFan86

New member
Nov 11, 2011
2,554
0
California
They screwed Tek up in 1999 and 2000. I hope they would follow the 1998 model if they were to bring it back.

Sent from my HUAWEI-M920 using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Alright, back on topic...

If they brought this set back I think they would manage to screw up the checklist. Since prospecting is the big thing and what drives sales, I think the checklist would be littered with prospects with many current stars and even future HOFers getting sent to the bench. Heck, they made the same mistake in 1998, it would be only amplified today. And would they include all-time greats? Not sure if that would be good or bad. Some teams would need it because their roster is so awful right now (not necessarily a Padres reference :mrgreen: ) Who knows, they might do something crazy like expand the checklist to include everybody and their sister. And of course, one of the joys of collecting 1998 Tek that could never be repeated is the mystique of it... the questions that aren't answered. How much was produced? What is the print run on Diffractors? How many are still out there in dime boxes? Is there a stash out there or did any get destroyed?

Anyway, it's fun, albeit pointless, to think about.

Yeah that was my thought when I put the question out there was the focus of the checklist. Prospects, current, retired. Anyway I agree it's all hypothetical but was wondering if those still chasing cards from 15 years ago in this set format would want to do it again.
Ryan
 

RustyGreerFan

Active member
Jun 10, 2010
2,496
4
Gastonia, NC
Now that we have 14 years to reflect on this release, we have the ability to Monday morning quarterback Topps for the decisions they made about what players they included and excluded. I don't really blame Topps. At the time (and really still to this day) there was a lot of pressure from collectors to include the hot prospects. This meant that some pretty popular players had to be excluded.

Taking into consideration careers and popularity with collectors, just think of how valuable unopened product would be in this scenario...

Remove the following 12 players:

AJ Hinch
Derek Bell
Richard Hidalgo
Brad Fullmer
Quinton McCracken
Mark Kotsay
Todd Dunwoody
Jeff King
Tony Clark
Jeromy Burnitz
Ellis Burks
Javy Lopez

(There are quite a few young guys that would be easy to cut in retrospect, but would have been awfully hard to cut at the time - Erstad, Grieve, Cruz Jr, TWalker, TLee, OHernandez, for example)

Add in the following 12 players:

Mariano Rivera
Rickey Henderson
Ryne Sandberg
Jose Canseco
Hideo Nomo
Wade Boggs
David Ortiz
Will Clark
Roy Halladay
Lance Berkman
John Smoltz
Fred McGriff

Just wanted to repost this (from earlier in the thread) to show how insane the 1998 product could have been.

It would be fun to keep track of how many from the original checklist end up making the HOF, although it would have been even more interesting if steroids weren't part of the equation.
 

SINFULONE

Active member
Sep 26, 2008
5,691
0
Wow, I guess I won't joke about any thing on here any more. Does anybody on here really think I took the time to post a card on Ebay so I can get hate mail?

I can only imagine the type of mail griffeyfan24 gets. I have even criticized his prices but he sells his cards at 5 million times their worth. I'm selling mine for only double so it's okay :LOL:

Ha, true that.There's a whole thread "dedicated" to griffeyfan24 on Blowout that I stumbled across the other day.
 

pootshwan

Member
Jan 26, 2010
923
12
Connecticut

SINFULONE

Active member
Sep 26, 2008
5,691
0
I don't put too much credence into BIN's. Auctions give a truer sense of market value IMO. With that said, Jeter refractors do go for a very large percentage of their diffractor counterparts compared to other players in the set.

Seller left money on the table.Did someone here get it?Don't they get $50 minimum?
 

togaman

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2008
1,298
26
Houston
IF anyone new is perusing this TEK thread Im still looking for these below. I will also trade for (1400+ dupe 1998 TEKS) any Pattern# 1 or Same Card# pattern# 1998 Topps Teks like card# 1 pattern# 1, card # 2 pattern# 2 etc etc ...card # 90 pattern# 90 even if not on want list below . I finished all 8100 cards back in 2004,but I also still pick up ANY same card #pattern # cards (like card # 1 pattern # 1..card # 2 pattern # 2.. etc etc)whenever I can for second sets for my collection plus any Common 98 TEKdiffractor. Plus Im looking to trade foror buy some condition upgrades for a fewdinged up cards in my 1998 Topps TEK Master set

My 1998 Topps TEK WANT LIST

McGwire Card # 13 Pat #13
Clemens Card # 21 Pat #21
Dunwoody Card # 36 Pat 36
P Martinez Card #41 Pat # 41
Ripken Card# 51 Pat # 51
Glaus Card # 61 Pat # 61
Konerko Card #63 Pat # 63
M Ramirez Card #66 Pat # 66
Mussina Card# 80 Pat # 35
AJ Hinch Card #83 Pat #56 (Replace)
Lankford Card# 90 Pat # 90(need 3)

1998 Topps TEK Diffractor want list (Set #2) 16 out of 90 to complete set 9,13,14,15,16,30,45,51,57,61,66,67,74,78,80,85

Myonly dupe 1998 TEK Diffractors to trade (for Diffractors only) are
Dunwoody Card 36 Pat # 63 (2)

My1998 TEK Condition Upgrade Want List (must BE MINT with no scratches, black dots, no peeling of the ovals with the card number pattern on back or misalingment of the card/pattern number within the oval)

IvanRodriguez....Card # 5 Pat # 47
D Bichette…….…… Card # 8 Pat # 36

Derek Jeter........Card # 14 Pat # 44
Brady Anderson..Card # 16 Pat # 34
David Justice......Card # 18 Pat # 25
Chipper Jones.....Card # 19 Pat # 28
Todd Walker.......Card # 24 Pat # 61
Tino Martinez......Card # 25 Pat # 38
Curt Schilling......Card # 32 Pat # 7
T Dunwoody.......Card # 36 Pat # 36
Paul O' Neill........Card # 37 Pat # 24
Randy Johnson....Card # 39 Pat # 11,21,27
Albert Belle.........Card # 47 Pat # 36
Jeromy Burnitz....Card # 48 Pat # 21,36
Jason Kendall......Card # 52 Pat # 15
Ellis Burks..........Card # 53 Pat # 25
Barry Larkin.......Card # 57 Pat # 28
Paul Konerko......Card # 63 Pat # 8
Javy Lopez.........Card # 65 Pat # 31
Knoblauch..........Card # 70 Pat # 36
Kevin Brown.......Card # 71 Pat # 36
Tim Salmon........Card # 72 Pat # 30
Jeff Bagwell........Card # 74 Pat # 78
AJ Hinch.............Card # 83 Pat # 56
Jim Thome..........Card # 89 Pat # 46
 

joey12508

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
38,452
16,111
Winterfell
i would love topps to come out with tek 2013. that being said i am looking for bernie williams diffractors. if you have any or see any let me know.
 

Gwynn545

Well-known member
Aug 29, 2008
5,526
44
North Seattle
We will have our new Topps Tek....in about 8 or 9 more years when 2005 Studio Portraits, 2005 Polo Grounds, 2005 Sportcasters, 2004 Leaf Exhibits take it's place. Player collectors may have learned their lesson and started on each of those already! Although, they are numbered so there won't be any "diffractor" mystique!
 
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