I confess: from 1987-1989 I was a pack searcher!

BBCgalaxee · Jun 2, 2014

Talking about searching packs at retail stores, I used to be one of "them"

Back when I was a kid, I learned that you could move all the cards around in a rack pack EASILY to see which players were inside.

I'm sure that's one of the reasons why I was able to have so many duplicates of the top stars and rookies from the late 80s.

It basically ended with the 1990 rack packs because topps went with a tighter packaging and no longer were in clear wrap.

Thankfully for me, there were no cell phones with cameras or message boards back then because I might have been plastered all over those.

Think of this post as also a warning when considering buying vintage rack packs. If a young kid could do this, what could an adult do?

I will willing accept all tar and feathers thrown my way

Brewer Andy · Jun 2, 2014

I don't think I ever shifted cards in a rack, but I certainly dug through the rack and cello boxes for the stars on top/bottom but that's just smart buying

u2me57 · Jun 2, 2014

Yeah, I did the same thing Andy. If I liked the cards on the top and on the back I would buy that rack. Or if there was a Phillies player on top and bottom I bought it.

James52411 · Jun 2, 2014

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that if you, ******, and Stalin were all in a bar and I walked in and I only had two bullets in my gun, I would shoot you twice.

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DaClyde · Jun 2, 2014

In the interest of full disclosure, I used to do the same to 1988 Sportflics rack packs at K-Mart. In 1988. Like the old Topps rack packs, they had a ton of wiggle room. The Score packs were the same, but you were a lot more likely to ruin all the cards if you tried. Sportflics were a lot more resilient. Looking back, that was an enormous waste of time :/ Those were full minutes I could have spent staring at all the G.I. Joes and Transformers I didn't have the money to buy.

James52411 · Jun 2, 2014

DaClyde said:
In the interest of full disclosure, I used to do the same to 1988 Sportflics rack packs at K-Mart. In 1988. Looking back, that was an enormous waste of time :/ Those were full minutes I could have spent staring at all the G.I. Joes and Transformers I didn't have the money to buy.

As a fellow buyer of Sportflics, I salute your taste in cards. 88 was a major improvement over the prior two years.

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Brewer Andy · Jun 2, 2014

I never knew Sportflics came in racks. May have just forgotten since I ignored them after '87

SINFULONE · Jun 2, 2014

I looked to see what stars were on the top/bottom of the rack packs too.In the mid '90s I pulled a what was rare then NBA foil insert by sliding the cards around in one of those rack packs.Someone now throw the book at me.

Todd44 · Jun 2, 2014

I'll preface this by saying I deplore current pack searchers, but when I was a kid, I did it too, at the Giant grocery store in Maryland. I distinctly remember them having tons of 89 Topps rack packs in the cereal/candy aisle and I would go through them all while my mom shopped and pick out all the stars on the front/backs. The kicker? She would only usually let me buy one, so I'd hide the rest behind some candy in the aisle so I could come back and buy them later. So I ended up with a ton of Robin Ventura and Jim Abbott RC cards. Only time I got something "good" was in 1991 when Topps inserted old cards in the packs and I pulled a 60s common card. So I was guilty at one point.

SINFULONE · Jun 2, 2014

Todd44 said:
I'll preface this by saying I deplore current pack searchers, but when I was a kid, I did it too, at the Giant grocery store in Maryland. I distinctly remember them having tons of 89 Topps rack packs in the cereal/candy aisle and I would go through them all while my mom shopped and pick out all the stars on the front/backs. The kicker? She would only usually let me buy one, so I'd hide the rest behind some candy in the aisle so I could come back and buy them later. So I ended up with a ton of Robin Ventura and Jim Abbott RC cards. Only time I got something "good" was in 1991 when Topps inserted old cards in the packs and I pulled a 60s common card. So I was guilty at one point.

Vintage cards in '91 Topps?

byronscott4ever · Jun 2, 2014

Topps put vintage in 1991 for 40th anniversary with ones not regular sized put in as redemptions

Legion_79 · Jun 2, 2014

Ahh, the days when the grocery store had a card selection. Remember looking through 89 Donruss cellos while my mom shopped. Still never found one with Griffey on top/bottom

mrmopar · Jun 3, 2014

That is definitely one of the funniest things I have read on a trading card board recently, even if a little misguided.

James52411 said:
I think everyone will agree with me when I say that if you, ******, and Stalin were all in a bar and I walked in and I only had two bullets in my gun, I would shoot you twice.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Freedom Card Board mobile app

SINFULONE · Jun 3, 2014

I need that '88 Topps Smiley!

SINFULONE · Jun 3, 2014

Legion_79 said:
Ahh, the days when the grocery store had a card selection. Remember looking through 89 Donruss cellos while my mom shopped. Still never found one with Griffey on top/bottom

God, I miss those days.Those were the days when every quick shop, grocery store, retail had packs of cards begging to be bought on the counter or card aisle.I always hated going shopping with Mom, so anytime she had to go to Wal Mart or grocery store I would take off to the card aisle and buy whatever packs I could scrounge up enough money for.If I had enough money for 5-6 packs and hit that 1:24 insert of a star player I was a happy kid.And then take off to the car and open my packs before Mom figured out what I bought.

michaelstepper · Jun 3, 2014

James52411 said:
I think everyone will agree with me when I say that if you, ******, and Stalin were all in a bar and I walked in and I only had two bullets in my gun, I would shoot you twice.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Freedom Card Board mobile app

Omg! I had to stop reading after this, laughing so hard at the absurdity

JEBJJA · Jun 3, 2014

There was a store back then called Odd Lott...it was like a dollar store or cheaper than 5 and below. In 1988 I used to go through the rack packs at 13 years old looking for Al Leiter corrected RC versions and Keith Comstock errors on top and bottom.....lol

fordman · Jun 3, 2014

As a dealer/seller at the time, we all pilfered the cases of rack & cello packs. I had tons of the '88 Topps Al Leiter error cards on top selling them at $10+ a pop. The '88 Topps Eddie Murray variation was also popular. We also scavenged up the rack/cello packs with Indians catcher Andy Allanson on top, knowing that 99% of the time, there was a Don Mattingly card underneath. There were several other sorting packing trends at the time but I cant remember any more of them.

The Sportflics were sold for $2.79 per rack pack. You could only get them at Toys R Us, hobby shops and Kmart stores.

I had at least 30 1989 Donruss rack packs with Ken Griffey Jr on the top. Several 1990 Donruss rack packs with the Griffey Jr diamond king. Several of the 1990 Score rack packs with the Ken Griffey Jr Rising Star on the top. Since he was a local phenom, he carried a premium in the Cincinnati area.

Fordman

bcubs · Jun 3, 2014

In 1987 you could also see the back card in a donruss wax pack. Pulled several Bo Jackson, Will Clark, Ruben Sierra rookies that way....wax stains on the back be damned!

BBCgalaxee · Jun 3, 2014

Sheez people, there's not enough tar and feathers for all of us!

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