The choice was as clear as tape. The card display at this store is a wreck, it's a series of gravity feed boxes that are hanging from a rack, laying on their sides, or upside down. nothing is in the same box it arrived in. Even the dollar store has gotten overpriced, with several 6-card repacks being sold for a dollar each (and the two cards you can see are '89 Topps. Instead, I go for the two remaining 20 card repacks, both of which feature cards from the years I was not collecting. This is a lot more promising, even though I am fully aware of what is coming.
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First, the good news: The Magglio card on the front was serial numbered! (to 2005) . . . There's a nice Lance Johnson in a throwback uni...
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other than that gem and a Ivan Rodriguez chrome card, it was '91 Upper Deck City. The repacks fell flat on their faces.
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Is there a secret to a successful repack? Can you tell without being a pack searcher which repacks have potential and which are destined to disappoint? I suppose that is the gamble and the art of it all.
I'm a Ryan Dempster fan and though I prefer his Cubs cards I do have at least 30 of him with the Marlins so I would have been attracted to that pack, though I do have that one. I'd say you have to keep your expectations low. Repacks can bring out the kid in you. As you seem to have done you have to look for the bright spots.
ReplyDeleteTotally - keep the expectations low on repacks (and honestly on busting open new retail packs too) and you'll likely always be pleased with something in the pack.
DeleteI probably would've picked up the one on the right for the Dempster alone. Those early Topps Heritage cards are great.
ReplyDeleteThat's usually my deciding factor on repacks - if the card on the front is something I would add to my collection, it's worth the dollar to me. Since both are in the Dark Ages of my collection, it was an easy decision to make for me.
DeleteI've gotten lucky with these repacks a few times, pulling a few 1984 Nestle cards and a few mid-late '80's Leaf. Totally worth the gamble at $0.05/card!
ReplyDeleteThe oddball/regional issue stuff is definitely a highlight when they appear. Thanks for the comment!
Deletethe diamond king would have got me too, and there was a nice bubble gum shot too.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate the way that Upper Deck makes the most of their photo space. The backs are often more interesting than the front photo. I display some cards "backwards" in pages (even though I don't double stuff the pages like I did as a kid).
DeleteLove finding those at the local Dollar store (when I can).
ReplyDelete