Below are the Wow! Wax listings from July 2018. Check out the current Wow! here.
(Check out our previous Wow! Wax listings here.)
(Note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay or Amazon and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)
1985 Topps 3-D Baseball Stars Unopened Packs (24)
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You have to hand it to Topps … when the competition ramped up in the 1980s, The Real One kept testing and innovating.
Sometimes that meant experimenting with their packs (1983 “Michigan wax”), and sometimes it meant tinkering with their card quality (Tiffany sets).
In 1985, though, Topps got way out with an issue psychedelic enough to have been right at home in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
Indeed, the Topps 3-D Baseball Stars would hurt your head if you looked at them too long, but they were also spectacular. Oversized and made of plastic, the 3-Ds featured full-color photos of the stars in question, actually puffed out roughly along the lines of the players’ features.
And let me tell you … you haven’t lived until Don Mattingly jumps right off his baseball card at you.
This eBay lot gives you 24 chances to live thusly, offering up two dozen gorgeous unopened packs of these monsters/exquisite creatures, each containing one card.
If you buy them and open them, though, better wear some eye protection.
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).
1979 Topps Burger King New York Yankees Unopened Pack w/Graig Nettles on Front
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It’s an endless source of hobby confusion …
I have a rare 1980 Topps Dallas Green, card number 1, that is not listed in any of the price guides. How much is this valuable error/proof/test card worth?
Uh … like maybe a couple of packets of Burger King ketchup? Maybe.
The Burger King cards issued in the late 1970s and 1980 aren’t, by and large, extremely valuable, but they’re pretty darn cool, nonetheless.
I mean, at a time when Topps was the only game in town, it was really neat to find any variety, even if that meant a new photo here or there, or just “misnumbered” versions of the same Topps design.
That’s what BK gave you, with an occasional hamburger logo thrown in.
That’s what this eBay lot gives you, too, in the form of an unopened pack of 1979 Topps Burger King New York Yankees cards.
The pack itself is a little beat-up, like it’s been stuck to the bottom of a cafeteria tray for the last 40 years, but the Graig Nettles card on top (bottom?) looks fine.
And you just know that bad boy has #15 on back, instead of his base-Topps #460.
Your friends will be amazed.
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).
1991 Topps Archives 1953 Reprint Unopened Box
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In 1983, Topps issued their first full-on reprint set after several years of snapshotting several of their classic cards for inclusion in new issues in miniature form — think the 1974 Topps Hank Aaron retrospective, the 1975 Topps MVP cards, and the 1982 KMart boxed set.
That 1983 effort, though, featured all but five reprint cards from the landmark 1952 Topps set — Billy Loes (card #20), Dom DiMaggio (#22), Saul Rogovin (#159), Solly Hemus (#196), and Tommy Holmes (#289) declined to sign their contracts for the 1983 go-round.
Those reprints caused a stir in the hobby, with some collectors hating them and some loving them. There was enough interest, though, that prices soon outstripped the ability of most to afford them. With only an estimated 10,000 sets produced, demand drove the issue to three figures and beyond pretty quickly.
Through the rest of the 1980s, that 1952 reprint issue just sort of sat there, with the occasional rumbling from collectors, either bemoaning the existence of the repros or pining for more reprints.
Then, in 1991, Topps picked up the baton again and issued their first Archives set … a reprint of their gorgeous 1953 baseball issue. Only this time, the cards were available in their own packs rather than just in full-set form.
And that’s where this eBay lot comes in — a full unopened box of 1991 Topps Archives 1953 Reprints.
Embrace to beauty!
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).
1976 Topps Baseball Unopened Cello Pack
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For the first 10 years or so of their existence, 1976 Topps baseball cards were pretty boring.
Oh, collectors tried to convince ourselves there was no post-1975 letdown by clutching onto rookie cards of Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Chet Lemon, and a few others.
But deep in our cardboard hearts, we knew there was nothing there.
Then … the Oakland A’s made Dennis Eckersley a closer and, as he exploded toward the Hall of Fame, his glare shone on his 1976 Topps rookie card.
And we started to notice how there other great cards here, like Johnny Bench … and Thurman Munson … and Pete Rose … and Dave Parker … and Al Oliver … and dozens more.
Turns out, this thing is pretty special, after all.
And this eBay lot brings that all to bear within the confines of a single unopened cello pack with Smiling Roy Smalley on front and AL Pitching Leaders (Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, and … yep … Eckersley ) on back.
Is another Eck lurking in between?
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).
1990 Leaf Series 1 & 2 Unopened Boxes
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Have you ever seen a baseball card set that lived the life of a rock star?
You have if you went to any card shows at all during the summer of 1990.
That year, Donruss revived the old Leaf brand, positioning it as a premium brand and pitting it directly against Upper Deck.
Collectors were wowed by the clean design, and the cards seemed fairly scarce — there certainly weren’t enough to go around at the shows I attended.
And, the fewer Leaf card we could find, the more of them we wanted … and the fewer we could find. It was an amazing cycle that led to gasps when a dealer would plop down a box of Leaf Series 1 on their counter.
Prices spiraled upward and, by the time Series 2 came along, packs were already selling well above retail levels.
The presence of the Frank Thomas (and Sammy Sosa, David Justice, Larry Walker, and others) did little to douse the flames.
Three decades later, the frenzied edge is mostly gone from 1990 Leaf, but it still sends a jolt of adrenaline through old collector’s hearts when we catch a glimpse.
Like in this eBay lot of one unopened box of each Series 1 and Series 2.
It’s a veritable chest-clutching time machine!
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).
1986 Donruss Rack Pack with Vince Coleman on Front
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I don’t have much to say about this 1986 Donruss wax pack other than, if you don’t get a burst of adrenaline just looking at it, you don’t really understand what it was like to be a collector in the 1980s.
Not only do you know — KNOW — that you’re getting a Vince Coleman rookie card, you also get the near-ultimate 1980s chase … will you find a Jose Canseco Rated Rookie?
Only the hunt for a 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly was more exhilarating.
And, lest you scoff at that Coleman, just remember that he was the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and exciting as all get out. All in all, this is an electrifying pack from a loaded set.
Totally.
Check out the full eBay listing (affiliate link).