The 1998 Topps Tek Thread

[U L Washington Rookie]

With all these boxes selling recently, I'm hoping a bunch of new 1998 Tek cards hit eBay, specifically Belle and Belle diffractors

At $5 and $30 BINs...

 

[MansGame]

At $5 and $30 BINs...

I tell you what, I'd buy any of the remaining base Belle cards I need for $5 each... I think I need 6 total at this point.

Diffractors is a different story. That's just crazy pricing on these things.

 

[RStadlerASU22]

I tell you what, I'd buy any of the remaining base Belle cards I need for $5 each... I think I need 6 total at this point.

Diffractors is a different story. That's just crazy pricing on these things.

You wouldn't pay $30 each ? Considering they are very , very hard to locate one , let alone a specific pattern , it seems to be a decent price.

Ryan

 

[Brewer Andy]

You wouldn't pay $30 each ? Considering they are very , very hard to locate one , let alone a specific pattern , it seems to be a decent price.

Ryan

I have to talk myself into bidding $10 a piece and even then I feel like there's too many other $10 cards I'd rather have than any one diffractor pattern

 

[MansGame]

You wouldn't pay $30 each ? Considering they are very , very hard to locate one , let alone a specific pattern , it seems to be a decent price.

Ryan

First, I'm only talking about Albert Belle and let me be clear... I'd pay upwards of probably $5 or maybe a little more for a base pattern I need, given I only need about six or so at this point.

As for diffractors, when at auction, they typically will go for $10 or less but I have been known to hit BINs at $20 fast. $30, $40, $50? I don't know if I'm there yet but you're right, they're rare and I guess it depends on when they spike and how much I have laying around to spend. Right now not many Belle's are out there that I need, so I'd probably pony up a little idk.

 

[rinkrat38]

Lot of comments about the $187.50 1998 Tek box that just sold recently. No idea who got it, or why. Maybe someone is going to stash them away hoping that boxes eventually sell at $300.00 per. Maybe someone is hoping the $187.50 box is a "hot" box. Two of them have surfaced in the past year. Otherwise you would need to pull two a couple of superstar diffractors if you were looking to sell to get your money back.

Contrast that box to the $60.00 1998 Tek box I picked up on eBay this past week. 77 base 1998 Teks plus five 1998 Tek diffractors: S. Alomar p. 21 (a dupe for me), Buhner p. 43, Lankford p. 64, D. Lee p. 21, Mussina p. 29. The patterns might look familiar. This wasn't a box at all, but two lots of 51 and 54 Teks that include the 77 base 98 Teks plus five diffractors and a bonus of 23 misc. 1999 and 2000 Teks. The first lot went for $26.01, the second for $28.09, and $2.95 shipping for each = $60.00. Got the first lot in the mail yesterday. Just won the second lot today.

Not sure I would have scored better cards out of the $187.50 box.

 

[SINFULONE]

Lot of comments about the $187.50 1998 Tek box that just sold recently. No idea who got it, or why. Maybe someone is going to stash them away hoping that boxes eventually sell at $300.00 per. Maybe someone is hoping the $187.50 box is a "hot" box. Two of them have surfaced in the past year. Otherwise you would need to pull two a couple of superstar diffractors if you were looking to sell to get your money back.

Contrast that box to the $60.00 1998 Tek box I picked up on eBay this past week. 77 base 1998 Teks plus five 1998 Tek diffractors: S. Alomar p. 21 (a dupe for me), Buhner p. 43, Lankford p. 64, D. Lee p. 21, Mussina p. 29. The patterns might look familiar. This wasn't a box at all, but two lots of 51 and 54 Teks that include the 77 base 98 Teks plus five diffractors and a bonus of 23 misc. 1999 and 2000 Teks. The first lot went for $26.01, the second for $28.09, and $2.95 shipping for each = $60.00. Got the first lot in the mail yesterday. Just won the second lot today.

Not sure I would have scored better cards out of the $187.50 box.

What base did you get?

 

[George_Calfas]

Guess I should watch lots for a chance at Lankford :lol:

Nice Snag!

 

[SINFULONE]

I don't see boxes ever sniffing $300.

 

[George_Calfas]

FWIW I have been stuck on needing these last few Lankford base cards for ever.

85 83 81 79 77 67 65 64 56 45 27 25 14

 

[George_Calfas]

I don't see boxes ever sniffing $300.

Brash statement seeing as a couple of years ago $150 was a pipe dream.

 

[SINFULONE]

Brash statement seeing as a couple of years ago $150 was a pipe dream.

Not really.At some point they have to reach their peak and plateau.Pretty sure '89 UD boxes used to sell for 2-3 times what they sell for now.

 

[George_Calfas]

Not really.At some point they have to reach their peak and plateau.Pretty sure '89 UD boxes used to sell for 2-3 times what they sell for now.

But UD ran the presses and kept printing Griffey RC long after 1989. Soft/flooded Jr. market killed those wax prices.

 

[RStadlerASU22]

The drive to complete Tek sets , player sets , etc will keep the wax at a $150+ level for a while IMO

Ryan

 

[Will Style 13]

Lot of comments about the $187.50 1998 Tek box that just sold recently. No idea who got it, or why. Maybe someone is going to stash them away hoping that boxes eventually sell at $300.00 per. Maybe someone is hoping the $187.50 box is a "hot" box. Two of them have surfaced in the past year. Otherwise you would need to pull two a couple of superstar diffractors if you were looking to sell to get your money back.

Contrast that box to the $60.00 1998 Tek box I picked up on eBay this past week. 77 base 1998 Teks plus five 1998 Tek diffractors: S. Alomar p. 21 (a dupe for me), Buhner p. 43, Lankford p. 64, D. Lee p. 21, Mussina p. 29. The patterns might look familiar. This wasn't a box at all, but two lots of 51 and 54 Teks that include the 77 base 98 Teks plus five diffractors and a bonus of 23 misc. 1999 and 2000 Teks. The first lot went for $26.01, the second for $28.09, and $2.95 shipping for each = $60.00. Got the first lot in the mail yesterday. Just won the second lot today.

Not sure I would have scored better cards out of the $187.50 box.

I put in a few bids on those glad you got them. I think there was a Brady Base in there but couldn't tell the pattern.

 

[SINFULONE]

Brash statement seeing as a couple of years ago $150 was a pipe dream.

These boxes reached their peak years ago.Now they'll unlikely ever sell for what they once did.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-UD-UPP...1250937265?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item19e71295b1

 

[George_Calfas]

These boxes reached their peak years ago.Now they'll unlikely ever sell for what they once did.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-UD-UPP...1250937265?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item19e71295b1

I get it, you are out to prove my statement wrong, cool. I can post tons of wax that have flopped and and tons more that continue to increase 10+ years after release, much like 98 TEK.

Listen, I am not saying they will hit $300, but I am saying this is an odd niche and saying something won't happen is brash.

 

[corockies]

These boxes reached their peak years ago.Now they'll unlikely ever sell for what they once did.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-UD-UPPER-DECK-HOBBY-BOX-SERIES-1-2-PUJOLS-SUZUKI-RC-48-New-Packs-/111250937265?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item19e71295b1

Comparing 2001 Upper Deck to 1998 Topps Tek is apples to oranges. Collectors chase 2 cards in 2001 UD - Ichiro and Pujols. In 1998 Tek there's collectors after the entire 8100 card checklist / 8100 diffractors - the demand for Tek is so much higher.

 

[RStadlerASU22]

Comparing 2001 Upper Deck to 1998 Topps Tek is apples to oranges. Collectors chase 2 cards in 2001 UD - Ichiro and Pujols. In 1998 Tek there's collectors after the entire 8100 card checklist / 8100 diffractors - the demand for Tek is so much higher.

Correct , Tek isn't about a 89 Griffey or a 01 Pujols / Ichiro. Those cards, though more valuable at their peak than most Tek cards , are only 3 cards though. As stated above , depending on if its a player , team , set collector , Tek is about 90, 180 and even up to 16200 cards ! And the odds of finding the RCs listed above vs a specific card in Tek isn't even close either in a box or on the open market.

Ryan

 

[SINFULONE]

Comparing 2001 Upper Deck to 1998 Topps Tek is apples to oranges. Collectors chase 2 cards in 2001 UD - Ichiro and Pujols. In 1998 Tek there's collectors after the entire 8100 card checklist / 8100 diffractors - the demand for Tek is so much higher.

Understood.I get the content of the boxes is different.It was merely one example that reached it's plateau that immediately came to mind.I suppose a better example would have been Leaf Fractal Materials or some other rarer Donruss box.