Topps Vintage Stock - Intentional Condition Issues?

[CdnOsFan]

I am a player collector and see that many Topps Vintage Stock parallels have condition issues this year and last. Is there a production issue or did Topps do this on purpose to give it a more authentic vintage feel? Vintage stock is a nice idea but if they damaged them to make them seem more authentic then boo again on Topps!

[kabrune2]

Originally Posted by CdnOsFan

I am a player collector and see that many Topps Vintage Stock parallels have condition issues this year and last. Is there a production issue or did Topps do this on purpose to give it a more authentic vintage feel? Vintage stock is a nice idea but if they damaged them to make them seem more authentic then boo again on Topps!

Try collecting any solid color border on normal topps card stock, you'll see the same issues. Topps QC on filling packs has been horrendous the last 2-3 years. I'll say 50% of the auto's I've pulled from any Chrome product are already scratched, plus the centering issues that has come back (likely due to lower QC controls to print more cards). Lots of problems in Topps cards QC right now.

[stinkus]

..Wut

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by CdnOsFan

I am a player collector and see that many Topps Vintage Stock parallels have condition issues this year and last. Is there a production issue or did Topps do this on purpose to give it a more authentic vintage feel? Vintage stock is a nice idea but if they damaged them to make them seem more authentic then boo again on Topps!

I know exactly the kind of issues you’re talking about, but it’s not intentional. I have a few Vintage Stock cards that are in fantastic shape, but they can be tricky to find.

[banosd]

They are a little thicker, that also probably doesn't help

[kykid4uk]

I'll never understand the expectation that every card comes out of the pack in Gem Mint condition. It's always been a bit of a problem, but this mindset has really escalated with the new people coming into the "hobby" and expecting every $1 card they pull to become $100-plus simply by sending it to PSA.

As much as people want to rip on Topps, anyone who was collecting long before it was cool knows the quality of cards coming out of packs today is light years ahead of where it used to be. Gem Mint cards should be special, and it should be fun to hunt them. Otherwise, why would anyone pay a premium for them?

[Wrigs37]

No!

[salas1991]

Originally Posted by kykid4uk

I'll never understand the expectation that every card comes out of the pack in Gem Mint condition. It's always been a bit of a problem, but this mindset has really escalated with the new people coming into the "hobby" and expecting every $1 card they pull to become $100-plus simply by sending it to PSA.

As much as people want to rip on Topps, anyone who was collecting long before it was cool knows the quality of cards coming out of packs today is light years ahead of where it used to be. Gem Mint cards should be special, and it should be fun to hunt them. Otherwise, why would anyone pay a premium for them?

If it's not in Gem Mint condition out of the pack, you won't be able to maximize your profit margin, and that's what the "hobby" has become for most folks, esp. pretty much all the new ones. Just look at all the posts that ask if 55/45 centering is enough to knock a potential PSA 10 to a 9, or a mark the size of a single pixel from BGS 10 to 9.5? Old(er)-school hobbyists, we're now in the minority, especially people like me who like to actually hold cards in hand and are content with protecting more valuable cards in sleeves and top-loaders vs. forking over how much extra $ beyond buying the cards themselves (esp these days) to have some random grader assign a somewhat random grade based on somewhat subjective opinion. I guess it must be nice to have money to burn that way, though I could think of a thousand different ways I'd want to spend that extra money than paying someone to assign arbitrary value to something.

Ok, rant done.

[CdnOsFan]

Originally Posted by kykid4uk

I'll never understand the expectation that every card comes out of the pack in Gem Mint condition. It's always been a bit of a problem, but this mindset has really escalated with the new people coming into the "hobby" and expecting every $1 card they pull to become $100-plus simply by sending it to PSA.

As much as people want to rip on Topps, anyone who was collecting long before it was cool knows the quality of cards coming out of packs today is light years ahead of where it used to be. Gem Mint cards should be special, and it should be fun to hunt them. Otherwise, why would anyone pay a premium for them?

I am not expecting 10s and rarely submit cards. I have seen quite a few online with lifted corners and more than 1 dinged or rounded corners lately.

I've been collecting for about 35 years now, so no, I am not a newbie with ridiculous expectations but why, with the cost of product now, should we not expect some quality control? In 2021, the cards should not come out of the pack that would grade a 6 at best...I buy some graded cards but I rarely submit any, I am happy with raw cards too....

[salas1991]

Originally Posted by CdnOsFan

I am not expecting 10s and rarely submit cards. I have seen quite a few online with lifted corners and more than 1 dinged or rounded corners lately.

I've been collecting for about 35 years now, so no, I am not a newbie with ridiculous expectations but why, with the cost of product now, should we not expect some quality control? In 2021, the cards should not come out of the pack that would grade a 6 at best...I buy some graded cards but I rarely submit any, I am happy with raw cards too....

The folks on the packing line just don't care, or at the very least don't have time to care. I've had I don't know how many instances of torn-up corners that clearly originated there vs. in the box loading or shipping process since no issues with the pack wrappers or boxes themselves, and yet they still went ahead and packaged the packs up and sent 'em out. I'm sure there's some quota they have to fill and some minimum of damaged product they have to stay under per the company, so they're just chugging along regardless of what might happen to the cards.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by salas1991

If it's not in Gem Mint condition out of the pack, you won't be able to maximize your profit margin, and that's what the "hobby" has become for most folks, esp. pretty much all the new ones. Just look at all the posts that ask if 55/45 centering is enough to knock a potential PSA 10 to a 9, or a mark the size of a single pixel from BGS 10 to 9.5? Old(er)-school hobbyists, we're now in the minority, especially people like me who like to actually hold cards in hand and are content with protecting more valuable cards in sleeves and top-loaders vs. forking over how much extra $ beyond buying the cards themselves (esp these days) to have some random grader assign a somewhat random grade based on somewhat subjective opinion. I guess it must be nice to have money to burn that way, though I could think of a thousand different ways I'd want to spend that extra money than paying someone to assign arbitrary value to something.

Ok, rant done.

These folks just collect plastic, not paper. They have their own hobby.

[salas1991]

Originally Posted by MoreToppsPlease

These folks just collect plastic, not paper. They have their own hobby.