Yeah I know it's a longshot...but this is the stuff that dreams (and group breaks) were made for! Have you checked out Memory Lanes upcoming auction? They have some incredible unopened vintage material including the grand daddy of them all...a 1952 Topps Series 5/6 Baseball Wax Pack!
http://www.memorylaneinc.com/site/bid/bidplace.asp?itemid=15927&getauctionid=74#desc
That's right, that's the Mantle series among other huge stars from the classic 1952 Baseball set. This has been a dream of mine to be able to crack one of these open but who can afford $6K to buy one when it finally appears? Certainly not me!
So this is my thought...how about if we were to try to make this a TCC event and purchase this bad boy and have a grand opening at a public place if we can find one where enough of us can get together. I am totally guessing but after the 17.5% auction fees we MAY be able to land this for about $6,100. What I had in mind was that we set up 100 "public shares" to this at a cost of $64 ($3 for paypal fees) per share (with payment to be made by Dec 12th which is the day the auction is set to end. If we fail to win all payments would be refunded via Paypal to avoid any fees on either party). Since there are only 5 cards in a pack we can't exactly random them off among 100 share owners so this would be an investment break. Not so much to make money mind you as it would be a longshot to make any real good money off of this (although if you look at some of the stars in this series and what a highly graded copy of those stars are going for it may not be as long of a shot as some of you may think)... but part of the funds are going to the experience of just being involved in a break of a $6,000 pack as rare as this. It's obviously a bigger impact if you can be present at the opening but even if you can't...to know that you're a part of it and to have the chance to dream about what "might" be in YOUR pack... to me that's worth a few bucks on it's own.
So the hard details;
If we're lucky enough to win the pack, we set up the date and location for the opening. Once the pack is opened, each of the cards are immediately sent in to PSA for professional grading. The submission number would be provided to all so we can wait for our grades to pop. Once the cards are returned, I will sell them on Ebay, auction house, or whatever means we agree upon but we would have to sell all the cards (and wrapper) regardless of what is pulled. The funds generated from those sales (less fees) would be split amongst the 100 shares originally purchased.
Make sense??
While you will definitely get some money back on your share(s) I of course can't guarantee that you'll make money overall. As with any break there is a risk, and probably much more so when you're talking about a vintage 5 card pack like this as so much will depend on which players you hit and even more importantly what condition they are in.
I realize this will take a miracle to get done but it certainly won't happen unless we try. I'm in for 3 shares so I just need 97 more to go... so who's in?
I saw this advertised elsewhere.
the only thing I caution you on is this.
first, Look closely at the picture of the back of the pack! Notice clearly that there are two "sealant" marks on the rear of the package! Now anyone who opened wax thru the 60's and 70's will note that the seal was never discernable!
secondly , GAI is not held in the most high regard in the industry.
Although I think your idea is great and would be a blast, i do not feel (again just my own opinion) that this pack has remained sealed since 1952 and there would be no way to prove or disprove it! yes you can highlight the stars from the 6th series 311-407 but also note that this include short series 5 which would include cards from 251-310! it is very possible that the pack contains 5 cards from 251-310 which wouldnt be worth $1,000 in mint graded condition!
I have a gambling spirit but I wouldnt touch this bet with a 10' pole!
Chris
Love the idea, but I think this one is a bit to high end. Maybe some early on football??? Not that you have to have a big pull (even though it helps) If you get a high grade you can make some money back that way.
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