Earlier this year, I made my first two card-related purchases on Facebook Marketplace. They were excellent experiences. Not only did I add a few hockey wax boxes to my collection, but one of the sellers also added in a bunch of extra cards for free!
Well, since that time I've occasionally browsed Marketplace for other deals on trading cards, saving any interesting listings for further review. Recently, though, a listing came up that I didn't even have to save for later.
Here's what I picked up for a 10-dollar bill:
The impetus for this purchase was the binder on the right. I'd been looking for another solid, stylish hockey binder to house two sets that I've nearly finished: 1985-86 Topps and 1986-87 Topps. From the images the seller posted, it looked nice and clean, and upon closer inspection, it was exactly that.
I'd have been happy with the hockey binder alone for the $10 asking price. However, the listing showed that I'd be getting more for my money.
There were cards inside!
You're looking at the 1993-94 Ultra hockey set, organized by team. There's nothing amazing in the set from a dollar value or scarcity point of view. However, after pulling the cards from the pages and sorting them by number, I will say that the entirety of Series 1 was present (cards 1-250), as well as a decent amount of Series 2 (cards 251-500).
I'd guess this collector had a good deal of enthusiasm for the first series back in 1993-94, but then that energy for purchasing packs and completing the set petered off at some point after the second series was released. Regardless, I only need about 40 cards to complete Series 2, so I might still go for it.
Oh, and there was a little surprise at the back of the binder.
That's an All-Star insert set from 1994-95 Ultra. All 12 cards in the set were there. Lots of star power, for sure.
As for the baseball binder? The "1989" distinction on the front was intriguing. I'm not sure I've ever seen a binder with a specific year included in the design like that. Would the cards inside match the year? Would there be any 1989 Upper Deck in there? A Griffey rookie hidden in plain sight?
No.
Just a lot of 1989 Topps cards. I did find a couple of the notable rookies, though, like Craig Biggio (pictured) and John Smoltz. So it wasn't all that bad. Some stars of the era were also present, such as Ripken, Bonds, McGwire, and Canseco.
The baseball binder was much more dusty than its hockey friend, but I'm hoping a damp paper towel—or even a little warm soapy water—will help bring back some of its luster.
What do you readers think? Did I do well here? Have you ever made a similar purchase and come across an unexpected gem or two when looking through it?
Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading.
Both binders themselves are nostalgic for me. I purchased baseball ones similar to the hockey one and still have them, they're nice, quality binders. I think I had something similar to the baseball one, too, though don't recall the year being included.
ReplyDeleteNo nostalgia for early-mid '90s cards of any sport really. I still do get nostalgic for '89 Topps and my buying spree that year, but the cards are so plentiful (I have nearly 2 complete sets) that they've lost their thrill. Still, a solid $10 buy.
A. The hockey binder alone was worth the $10. Toss in an almost complete 1993-94 Ultra set and 94/95 Ultra All-Stars insert set... and you got an amazing deal. The baseball binder is all gravy.
ReplyDeleteB. I just bought a small collection from a buddy and it contained a cool binder that I'm going to use for something (haven't figured out what). Unfortunately there weren't any gems. :D