They’re still wrapped tightly, looking just as they did when they left the packaging part of the plant 40, 50, 60 years ago or more. A big collection of vintage unopened packs and boxes offered in a major catalog auction will once again beg the question: to open or not?
Heritage Auctions’ newly launched Summer Trading Card Auction includes over 80 lots of unopened material, including some of the most popular boxes in the current marketplace.
Among the headliners are boxes that likely hold the premier players in the history of their respective sports. A 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey box has already zoomed past its $50,000 pre-sale estimate while a box of 1986-87 Fleer basketball, likely containing multiple Michael Jordan rookie cards, should push past $80,000 when bidding comes to a close later this month.
The auction marks the second time in seven months that Heritage has offered dozens of vintage boxes and packs in a single auction.
Every major sport is represented and there are also some non-sports boxes and packs as well.
Among the other highlights:
- 1988-89 Fleer Basketball wax case
- 1989-90 Fleer Basketball wax case
- 1970 Topps Football unopened boxes (one of each series)
- 1954 Bowman Football 5-cent wax box
- 1968 Topps Football wax box
- 1972-73 Topps Basketball wax box
- Two 1980-81 Topps basketball wax boxes (Bird/Magic rookie card)
- 1972 Topps Football Series 2 wax box
- 1974 Topps Football wax box
- 1963 Topps Football cello pack
- 1966 Topps Football wax pack
- Multiple 1960s Philadelphia Gum Football wax packs
- 1959 Topps Football wax pack
- 1956 Topps Baseball 1-cent pack
- 1956 Topps Football 5-cent wax pack
The auction is scheduled to close July 30 and 31.