Best practice on purchasing Tiffany sets?

brothertona · 01-05-2020, 01:03 PM

Is there anything you should look for when you are checking these out online? Is this a product you should only buy in person at a show?
What are your best practices on acquiring Tiffany sets.

HarryLime · 01-05-2020, 03:10 PM

I'll do a brain dump here and then we'll have a thread we can just link to in future instances.

I don't purport to be any kind of expert or anything like that but I became aware of the resealed Tiffany sets problem about two years ago and have been doing my best to stay on top of it and educate myself ever since. I'm a big fan of the Topps cards issued in the years that Topps made Tiffany sets (1984-1991) so I like the added challenge of finding a high-grade Tiffany example for my favorite cards.

For decades, we all just operated under the assumption that the sticker Topps used was permanently fixated to the cardboard and that all you had to do to check a Tiffany set was make sure the sticker was intact and whole. This whole premise came crashing down one day when I was searching eBay and came across a Traded set that was being sold "open" and with a card or two missing. When I looked at the scans, the box lid was open but the sticker was completely intact and completely without damage. I couldn't believe it. There was no sign of picking on the edge or even partial rolling, it was a perfectly flat and clean sticker that was still affixed to the top lid but no longer attached to the box, and there was zero residue on the box where the sticker had once been.

Needless to say, this was a bit disconcerting. Someone had figured out how to perfectly remove the sticker without damaging it or leaving signs of tampering. It was at this point that I broke out all of my Tiffany boxes -- the ones that were empty from sets I opened and the ones that were still sealed -- and began going over them with a fine tooth comb. I started keeping track of specific characteristics that tended to happen to a Tiffany box when it was opened.

It's important to note, I'm not sure there's any way someone can 100% guarantee you that any one particular set is unopened. If people can do what they can do with the sticker than I imagine a dedicated individual could find a way to open the box without leaving tell-tale signs. This game is all about reducing your risk to as close to zero as possible. Luckily, most of the resealed sets are pretty obvious if you know what to look for.

First place you want to look are the yellow circles. You're looking for signs of fraying, tiny tears, and bending upwards. There's a few ways to open a Tiffany set and the points of resistance are right there at those two corners where the front flap needs to get past the side flaps. The most common way these sets are opened are by applying pressure at these two end points. However, getting your finger in there and getting the side flap to give way are extremely difficult to do without leaving evidence. You want all sides to completely flush to the cards and straight along the side, as well showing zero signs of wear.

Some examples of corners you DO NOT want to see.

Along the same lines as the yellow circles are the orange edges. Those should be clean, completely straight, and flush to the cards. There should be no signs of bending upward or stress marks where they might have been pulled on.

Another easy tell-tale sign is the red edge. You'll see a lot of these that puff out except where the sticker holds them tight to the front. Once a box is opened, the lid that gets tucked into this edge can get bent out, which pushes on this front side which has a lot of extra slack to give. You want this edge to be completely straight, flush to the cards and with no signs of damage.

The green edge, or the hinge, is equally important to check. Starting with just one opening, the hinge can begin to show cracks that break away part of the box's color and show as white. You can see it here in this photo of a resealed set that was being advertised as new.

Obviously, check the sticker. The sticker should be flawless. But when I go searching the first things I'm looking at are the yellow circles and orange edges. Those are your canaries and the most likely places you'll find evidence of tampering. I have a zero tolerance rule when it comes to those areas. If anything is even the tiniest bit bent upward I pass. It's all about reducing risk and there's enough of these sets around that there's no point in no waiting for a clean one.

Arthur

SDCards · 01-05-2020, 07:21 PM

awesome info, thanks for writing it all up!

brothertona · 01-05-2020, 08:19 PM

Agreed, that's exactly what I was looking for

Archangel1775 · 01-05-2020, 08:30 PM

Here is a thread I posted last week. I didnt see you comment so maybe you missed it.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1341339

dmanrico · 01-05-2020, 09:00 PM

Wow. Thanks for the info Arthur!

atwolfe · 02-02-2020, 11:37 PM

Wow Arthur!! What a great post! Thanks for all the info!

I just recently got back into the hobby, having collected when I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s. So the sets from those years are near and dear to my heart. So I love the Tiffany sets, and fully intend on getting 2 from each year - 1 sealed, and 1 opened that I can display.

So my question to you is this - how do you store what you have opened? I am aware of the glossy discoloring a bit, so I'm assuming it is best to keep them out of the light. I was thinking one of 2 things - albums with Ultra-Pro Platinum 9 pocket pages; or penny-sleeved in card boxes (and then maybe all the best cards in top-loaders). My fear with the albums is that they will be exposed to just a little bit more light, which could affect them over time.

So just curious what you have done with yours.

HarryLime · 02-03-2020, 09:29 AM

If I'm keeping it as a set I leave it in the original box. If it's still a legitimately sealed set, that's how it's going to retain the most value. Opened sets to bring much on the secondary market because these sets get ripped and pilfered for graded cards so much that everyone just assumes that all of the star cards have flaws.

I've ripped some sets myself and what doesn't get set aside for future grading has just been stored in a monster box. Surprisingly, I've never run into any bricking with Tiffany sets.

I should add, it's been brought to my attention that a popular way to screw people on these is to actually get the cards out from the bottom of the box. I have to imagine that leaves some level of damage to the bottom of the box so another area to be aware of.

Arthur

KirbyCards · 02-24-2020, 04:02 PM

Arthur,

Thank you for the post. I have been looking to pick up an 86 traded Tiffany set as a holy grail set for me. I have been scared to buy one on eBay, and your post greatly helps. I have no intention of opening, but saw one that ends tonight @ auction (not many auctions on these) and has some of the red flags you posted about. I am seeing some gaping in the pictures on edges, only snug on the front by the sticker. Also seeing some wrinkles on the back edge where it could of been bent back to open. Here is the auction I was looking at

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Topps-...0/254517895651

HarryLime · 02-24-2020, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KirbyCards

Arthur,

Thank you for the post. I have been looking to pick up an 86 traded Tiffany set as a holy grail set for me. I have been scared to buy one on eBay, and your post greatly helps. I have no intention of opening, but saw one that ends tonight @ auction (not many auctions on these) and has some of the red flags you posted about. I am seeing some gaping in the pictures on edges, only snug on the front by the sticker. Also seeing some wrinkles on the back edge where it could of been bent back to open. Here is the auction I was looking at

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Topps-...0/254517895651

I would say with 99% certainty that set has been opened and, more than likely, twice.

Arthur

KirbyCards · 02-24-2020, 05:48 PM

Appreciate the confirmation

01-05-2020, 01:03 PM	#1
brothertona Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 6,954 brothertona1	Best practice on purchasing Tiffany sets? Is there anything you should look for when you are checking these out online? Is this a product you should only buy in person at a show? What are your best practices on acquiring Tiffany sets.

01-05-2020, 08:30 PM	#5
Archangel1775 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Cali baby! Posts: 21,840	Here is a thread I posted last week. I didnt see you comment so maybe you missed it. https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1341339 __________________ *There are the intangibles that set someone apart from the pack.So the blur isn't your inability to see his greatness, it's merely the inability to measure it.*

01-05-2020, 03:10 PM	#2
HarryLime Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Spaceball 1 Posts: 4,794	I'll do a brain dump here and then we'll have a thread we can just link to in future instances. I don't purport to be any kind of expert or anything like that but I became aware of the resealed Tiffany sets problem about two years ago and have been doing my best to stay on top of it and educate myself ever since. I'm a big fan of the Topps cards issued in the years that Topps made Tiffany sets (1984-1991) so I like the added challenge of finding a high-grade Tiffany example for my favorite cards. For decades, we all just operated under the assumption that the sticker Topps used was permanently fixated to the cardboard and that all you had to do to check a Tiffany set was make sure the sticker was intact and whole. This whole premise came crashing down one day when I was searching eBay and came across a Traded set that was being sold "open" and with a card or two missing. When I looked at the scans, the box lid was open but the sticker was completely intact and completely without damage. I couldn't believe it. There was no sign of picking on the edge or even partial rolling, it was a perfectly flat and clean sticker that was still affixed to the top lid but no longer attached to the box, and there was zero residue on the box where the sticker had once been. Needless to say, this was a bit disconcerting. Someone had figured out how to perfectly remove the sticker without damaging it or leaving signs of tampering. It was at this point that I broke out all of my Tiffany boxes -- the ones that were empty from sets I opened and the ones that were still sealed -- and began going over them with a fine tooth comb. I started keeping track of specific characteristics that tended to happen to a Tiffany box when it was opened. It's important to note, I'm not sure there's any way someone can 100% guarantee you that any one particular set is unopened. If people can do what they can do with the sticker than I imagine a dedicated individual could find a way to open the box without leaving tell-tale signs. This game is all about reducing your risk to as close to zero as possible. Luckily, most of the resealed sets are pretty obvious if you know what to look for. First place you want to look are the yellow circles. You're looking for signs of fraying, tiny tears, and bending upwards. There's a few ways to open a Tiffany set and the points of resistance are right there at those two corners where the front flap needs to get past the side flaps. The most common way these sets are opened are by applying pressure at these two end points. However, getting your finger in there and getting the side flap to give way are extremely difficult to do without leaving evidence. You want all sides to completely flush to the cards and straight along the side, as well showing zero signs of wear. Some examples of corners you DO NOT want to see. Along the same lines as the yellow circles are the orange edges. Those should be clean, completely straight, and flush to the cards. There should be no signs of bending upward or stress marks where they might have been pulled on. Another easy tell-tale sign is the red edge. You'll see a lot of these that puff out except where the sticker holds them tight to the front. Once a box is opened, the lid that gets tucked into this edge can get bent out, which pushes on this front side which has a lot of extra slack to give. You want this edge to be completely straight, flush to the cards and with no signs of damage. The green edge, or the hinge, is equally important to check. Starting with just one opening, the hinge can begin to show cracks that break away part of the box's color and show as white. You can see it here in this photo of a resealed set that was being advertised as new. Obviously, check the sticker. The sticker should be flawless. But when I go searching the first things I'm looking at are the yellow circles and orange edges. Those are your canaries and the most likely places you'll find evidence of tampering. I have a zero tolerance rule when it comes to those areas. If anything is even the tiniest bit bent upward I pass. It's all about reducing risk and there's enough of these sets around that there's no point in no waiting for a clean one. Arthur

01-05-2020, 07:21 PM	#3
SDCards Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 136 amoril	awesome info, thanks for writing it all up!

01-05-2020, 08:19 PM	#4
brothertona Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 6,954 brothertona1	Agreed, that's exactly what I was looking for

01-05-2020, 09:00 PM	#6
dmanrico Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 2,469	Wow. Thanks for the info Arthur!

02-02-2020, 11:37 PM	#7
atwolfe Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 13	Wow Arthur!! What a great post! Thanks for all the info! I just recently got back into the hobby, having collected when I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s. So the sets from those years are near and dear to my heart. So I love the Tiffany sets, and fully intend on getting 2 from each year - 1 sealed, and 1 opened that I can display. So my question to you is this - how do you store what you have opened? I am aware of the glossy discoloring a bit, so I'm assuming it is best to keep them out of the light. I was thinking one of 2 things - albums with Ultra-Pro Platinum 9 pocket pages; or penny-sleeved in card boxes (and then maybe all the best cards in top-loaders). My fear with the albums is that they will be exposed to just a little bit more light, which could affect them over time. So just curious what you have done with yours.

02-03-2020, 09:29 AM	#8
HarryLime Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Spaceball 1 Posts: 4,794	If I'm keeping it as a set I leave it in the original box. If it's still a legitimately sealed set, that's how it's going to retain the most value. Opened sets to bring much on the secondary market because these sets get ripped and pilfered for graded cards so much that everyone just assumes that all of the star cards have flaws. I've ripped some sets myself and what doesn't get set aside for future grading has just been stored in a monster box. Surprisingly, I've never run into any bricking with Tiffany sets. I should add, it's been brought to my attention that a popular way to screw people on these is to actually get the cards out from the bottom of the box. I have to imagine that leaves some level of damage to the bottom of the box so another area to be aware of. Arthur

02-24-2020, 04:02 PM	#9
KirbyCards Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Delaware Posts: 10 kirbycards	Arthur, Thank you for the post. I have been looking to pick up an 86 traded Tiffany set as a holy grail set for me. I have been scared to buy one on eBay, and your post greatly helps. I have no intention of opening, but saw one that ends tonight @ auction (not many auctions on these) and has some of the red flags you posted about. I am seeing some gaping in the pictures on edges, only snug on the front by the sticker. Also seeing some wrinkles on the back edge where it could of been bent back to open. Here is the auction I was looking at https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Topps-...0/254517895651

02-24-2020, 05:48 PM	#11
KirbyCards Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Delaware Posts: 10 kirbycards	Appreciate the confirmation