ESPN Front page article about group breaks…

[gt2590]

How box breaks took over the memorabilia industry

Is it gambling? Is it just good fun? Both? Either way, breaking open boxes of sports cards on camera now rules the memorabilia industry.

www.espn.com

 

[mrmopar]

"Is it gambling?" That is rich! That is exactly what it is.

 

[Dazed]

"Is it gambling?" That is rich! That is exactly what it is.

Buying a box or packs is also gambling.

 

[gt2590]

"Is it gambling?" That is rich! That is exactly what it is.

But only if you’re doing it for a monster “hit”.

Nice way to add to your Player or team collection otherwise…

 

[mrmopar]

Buying a box or packs is also gambling.

It literally has become exactly that since the proliferation of inserts. Gone are the days of buying packs simply to pull your favorite players. Stated odds on the box and packs reinforces it. The gamble part is hitting the per box odds themselves )1 per box, 3 per box, etc), which are all but guaranteed these days, but also gambling that the "hits" will be one of the players in that subset/insert set that is better than the rest AND/OR you beat the odds and land one of the hits that is seeded less than 1 per box. I have been saying it for years that new pack buying has become an unregulated lottery ticket, with many folks at shops busting high end boxes, leaving base cards behind and only keeping inserts and a lot of people hoping to beat the odds and land that big payout card and in some rare cases, life changing money cards.

To each their own and anyone that wants to continue to buy packs and boxes, good for ya. It was/is a big reason why i stopped buying packs though...the empty feeling of spending more money than what i was getting back in product value in the end, simply because I was paying a premium in case I beat the odds (which I rarely did).

 

[OakAth]

I did it once, paid to get all of the A's players in a Topps Finest Case break. It was kind of fun to participate in, but I don't think I will ever do it again.

 

[mrmopar]

I did it once, paid to get all of the A's players in a Topps Finest Case break. It was kind of fun to participate in, but I don't think I will ever do it again.

Most breaks don't allow you to pick a team i believe and would assume those that do price them according to who might be the best possible pulls. If your team has nobody of interest, in theory it would be cheap, but at the same time if you were trying to sell the entire set of teams, finding buyers for the crap teams makes it hard.

 

[finestkind]

Shhh.... don't tell anyone. But I like pre-war vintage cards.

 

[OakAth]

Most breaks don't allow you to pick a team i believe and would assume those that do price them according to who might be the best possible pulls. If your team has nobody of interest, in theory it would be cheap, but at the same time if you were trying to sell the entire set of teams, finding buyers for the crap teams makes it hard.

That was 100% the case (no pun intended) here, no one had interest in the A's and the premium card would have been Matt Chapman, rookies Luzardo and Puk. I want to say I got in for around $17.00 which was very much on the lower tier.