Conference school::sports_memorabilia

    John,
    
    I'm with you.  I opened 3 boxes of wax and a couple rack pax without a
    single oldie - not even a '90 common.  I'm ripped.
    
    Steve

    Do the math.  Look at the posted odds, multiply by the # of inserted
    cards and whamo you might get 1 card if.........if you open 10
    thats right T   E  N  wax cases.   

    I got a '71 Jerry Koosman.  Can't complain since I'm a Mets fan.  But
    the odds of getting anything are about 1 in a gazillion.
    
    joe

    
    Rep. .0
    
      What about gum stains???? I doubt they did much about that. You now
    get 13 good cards instead of 12? 
    
    Rep .4
      Looks to me like your figures are correct. There ought to be an awful
    lot of cards left over this year. Bj's had 90's for $8 a box a couple
    of weeks ago. John..factory sets=millions. I do not collect Topps
    Or Donruss for these reasons. 

    re .04
    Hi John.  Topps is printing more than 20 million of each card.  They 
    are very closed mouth about the total.  Each card is for the regular
    set that they produce.  This does not count the millions of other
    private brand cards with the same picture.  It's interesting to me that
    all of the following things have taken place in the past five years.
    
    Packs more expensive, with fewer cards.  Automation happens in a big
    way at Topps and they lay off people ( Yes they have had a layoff)
    Demand spirals up even during a recession so dealers don't have any
    reservations about charging .65 a pack.  BJ's will make a profit
    9% before taxes at 160.00/case and they will get an end of year
    credit to be used next year if they move more than 1 mil in product
    or 50,000 cases.   The major card producers all have the same 
    business strategy-profit.  They accomplish this through automation
    and reducing distribution costs.  They want the clients like 
    Toy r us and BJ's because it simplifies there business model.
    They don't want to deal with the shop owner, or collector it's
    too expensive.  At no point in their literature do they ever
    mention...... collector.
    
    

    I opened 6 boxes and never got a sniff at anything. It also
    took 3 1/2 boxes to complete 1 set. Good luck to whoever got
    something.
    

    John,
            When you say that the odds are 500,000 to 1 on winning a Nolan 
    Ryan signed card are you sure it is 500,000 packs? 500,000 cards to one
    seems more likely.       
                                          Mark

    re .10  Regretfully the odds are 500,000 packs because there is
    a 0% possibility that more than one Ryan will appear in one pack.
    By the way, they printed 2500 Ryan"s for autograph but will dis-
    tribute far less than that.  Let's see how does it go
    10 for Ryan, 10 for the company, 10 for the rangers, 5 for the
    HOF etc etc.
    

    
    Rep. .8
    
     I guess that I should have been a little more clear on what I meant.
    I meant to say that I am now leaning to cards that are produced that
    there are no factory sets made (Leafset) for, or the nicer looking
    cards. The only time I worry about price is when I am buying. I do
    not try to worry how much I can get for it later. I probably will 
    never do much selling. If anybody sells it will probably be my son.
    I have more fun collecting and as long as I have no major money
    worries there will be no need to sell what took so much work to 
    collect. I had a ball with Upper Deck Hockey and I hope they stay out
    of the Factory set business there.

    Just to let you guys know, my father, who has been known to by a pack
    or two got an old card in the wax pack he bought in Westboro.  It was 
    just a common player, never heard of him, or can I remember who it was,
    but it was from 1971 Topps year, with the black boarders.  Nice card
    and they are giving them away.

    Your dad's a good guy and as I remember a tough negotiator.
    Tell him I said Hi, and that if he's waitin for the sox to win it all
    he's wasting his time.
    Mike

    Hi Mike, I sure will pass the "HI" along to him.  If you read this
    Mike, he is real happy with the Seaver card he got from you, and always
    compares other cards he sees with his, and has never seen one better. 
    You sure made an old man happy with that sale.  Now dont you feel
    better that you have at least one satisfied customer out there, and the 
    other is my son, who you gave the free New England Patriots Team set
    too.  That was a fun show  and I hope we see you up there next year.

    Thanks.  Did you see the prices on the Csore Tiffany Mantle seven
    Card Sub Set?  Apparently Score produced 5000 sets of the Mantles with
    a glossy coating and sent them to there largest dealers as a thank you
    The last thing that I heard is that they are selling for  300.00
    Given your mantle fetish this must be a tough choice.  
    Tell our dad about the Conlon Collection-He would love it.
    Mike 

Supposedly there is a guy on the wire that is paying $350 per set.

These Mantle sets were sent to every dealer that bought 6 or more cases.

Becketts lists a number of errors in the '91 Topps set (already!).  An example
is #603, Wes Chamberlin.  I have two versions of that card with completely 
different pictures.  There's another card (I've forgotten the number) that
has an additional row of minor league stats for the 1990 season.

Can anyone else identify some of the other errors in this set?  I can't find 
anything wrong with the other cards listed by Becketts.  I have either all
error cards or all corrected ones.

Dan

re .-1:

I haven't seen that issue yet.  I'll have to pick it up.  

Thanks,

db

    
    Does anyone have any info on the specially stamped (desert shield)
    cards topps handed out to the troops. I saw some at a sow last
    week selling for $5 (Thomas, Fernandez,Ryan,ect).
    
    	Jim

Has anyone seen any Traded sets out yet?  From any maker?

db

I couldn't resist buying just one more pack of '91 Topps at
the checkout counter in the supermarket last night.  When I got
home and opened it I found to my surprise, Clemens, Gooden and
Jack Morris.  It also had some Yankees rookie that listed his
high school standings on the back.  Here's my question.  The Morris
card had him in a Tigers uniform.  Now that he's a Blue Jay, I
take in the '92 card will have him in a Blue Jays uniform.  Does
that mean that there will never be a Topps card of him in
a Twins uniform?  If they do any '91 World Series cards that have
him on them, I bet they will become valuable down the road.

    Can anyone tell me if the 1971 Topps Poster Insert #9 Jerry LeVias 
    is in an Oiler or Charger uniform?
    
    Thanks....Live from Charger Central.......Glenn