As a player collector, I theoretically would have paid a lot for it either way, probably the same amount. It's a 1/1 card and I would have no thought of ripping it, so it wouldn't really matter to me what's inside, I'm never going to see it. I get that it would still hold that potential value if I ever sold it, but it wouldn't be a big factor in deciding a bid. And the damage created by ripping it...well, I don't think condition standards really apply in this case, at least for the damage on the rip zone. It's pretty much all there, at least, ripped reasonably cleanly. I've seen some that look like they had an Alien embedded in them.
I think a lot of people tend to think the lower-numbered rip cards have the better inserts in them. It would make sense but there's no basis to believe that. Looking at the Topps Rip 1/1 Alonso guy's sales, he had 4 Rip cards, and he ripped them all. He got about $180, less fees, for all of them. The big one was $101 for an Ohtani auto. It doesn't say which insert came from which card, but altogether I think he may have done just as well or better leaving the 1/1 sealed. Although Alonso is way down this year, hard to say.
I think a lot of people tend to think the lower-numbered rip cards have the better inserts in them. It would make sense but there's no basis to believe that. Looking at the Topps Rip 1/1 Alonso guy's sales, he had 4 Rip cards, and he ripped them all. He got about $180, less fees, for all of them. The big one was $101 for an Ohtani auto. It doesn't say which insert came from which card, but altogether I think he may have done just as well or better leaving the 1/1 sealed. Although Alonso is way down this year, hard to say.
