Wacky Packages Forum

Wacky Packages Discussion => General Wacky Packages Discussion => Original Series => Topic started by: Wacky LBacky on July 12, 2011, 08:12:45 AM

Title: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Wacky LBacky on July 12, 2011, 08:12:45 AM
Just want to pick some of your Wacky Package brains. Maybe a quick discussion on the future value of high graded Wacky Packages. I know I sold an Amazing Fantasy 15 at a CGC 5.5 for around $6500 about 4 years ago. I checked the going price for it a year ago and same CGC 5.5 was selling for $15,000. Wow. But now it is asking around $10,000 for the 5.5 AF15. Still, That was an amazing investment for whoever bought it from me at $6500.
Anyways, I'm curios if the same holds true for high grade Wacky Package, I know nobody can tell the future, or else we all would be rich dudes, but maybe over the past few years they have been increasing in value? Not sure if there are any studies out there.
Thanks for your time.

-LBacky.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: jleonard1967 on July 12, 2011, 08:37:22 AM
Just want to pick some of your Wacky Package brains. Maybe a quick discussion on the future value of high graded Wacky Packages. I know I sold an Amazing Fantasy 15 at a CGC 5.5 for around $6500 about 4 years ago. I checked the going price for it a year ago and same CGC 5.5 was selling for $15,000. Wow. But now it is asking around $10,000 for the 5.5 AF15. Still, That was an amazing investment for whoever bought it from me at $6500.
Anyways, I'm curios if the same holds true for high grade Wacky Package, I know nobody can tell the future, or else we all would be rich dudes, but maybe over the past few years they have been increasing in value? Not sure if there are any studies out there.
Thanks for your time.


-LBacky.

Being that there are only a select few people that collect Wackys and there are not to many people that know about them. (As compared to the AF 15) I would say no.  Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay.  I just do not see wackies getting the attention that the first appearance of spiderman gets IE.- Movies, halloween masks, the internet and pop culture.  If more people around the age of 40-50 would get nostalgic and want them, well then maybe yes, or if Heritage Auctions puts them prominently in their auctions then maybe yes.  As of right now in the present, I just don't see it.  I do hope that I am wrong in my assessment, (it would help me out), however I just don't see it.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: hurricanes on July 12, 2011, 09:59:54 AM
jleonard

Good point. Agreed that there aren't too many collectors out there as opposed to comics or baseball cards. I would suspect the price will increase steadily but at a much smaller increase, than the example given.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Wacky LBacky on July 12, 2011, 10:55:16 AM
Being that there are only a select few people that collect Wackys and there are not to many people that know about them. (As compared to the AF 15) I would say no.  Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay.  I just do not see wackies getting the attention that the first appearance of spiderman gets IE.- Movies, halloween masks, the internet and pop culture.  If more people around the age of 40-50 would get nostalgic and want them, well then maybe yes, or if Heritage Auctions puts them prominently in their auctions then maybe yes.  As of right now in the present, I just don't see it.  I do hope that I am wrong in my assessment, (it would help me out), however I just don't see it.

Very insightful. High demand for something rare, price skyrockets. Maybe I should write a Wacky Package movie. The opening scene would have a kid crack open a fresh 5 cent Wacky Pack pack at the local Acme store, pull out a mint Rats Crackers, stuff it right into his bicycle spokes, and cruise away with a flapping sound of the card in his spokes.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: sco(o)t on July 12, 2011, 03:26:31 PM
Being that there are only a select few people that collect Wackys and there are not to many people that know about them. (As compared to the AF 15) I would say no.  Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay.  I just do not see wackies getting the attention that the first appearance of spiderman gets IE.- Movies, halloween masks, the internet and pop culture.  If more people around the age of 40-50 would get nostalgic and want them, well then maybe yes, or if Heritage Auctions puts them prominently in their auctions then maybe yes.  As of right now in the present, I just don't see it.  I do hope that I am wrong in my assessment, (it would help me out), however I just don't see it.

Another factor to consider is future audience. I am not a comic collector but looking from the outside inl, it appears it is still a thriving hobby gaining more collectors as time goes by. I am not sure that WPs will add collectors at the same rate it will loose collectors in the near future. Most of us active in this forum are 50ish now. Statistics show there will be fewer of us still haunting the forum in 15 years. Not sure that we gain a hard-core collector for each that will "retire" from the hobby. I hope that isn't true. What do you guys think that frequent the card shows and can better judge the participation of younger collectors... will the level of serious WP collectors increase, stay about the same or decrease in the next 15 To 20 years?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: jleonard1967 on July 12, 2011, 04:33:59 PM
We are all on the right path.  "Awareness"  I go onto facebook and on the Topps Wacky Package site there are a lot of younger people (teens to early 20's) however they are interested in the products of their youth. (ANS)  A lot of them don't realize there were older ones.  If the "awareness" goes up then I can say we have an increase in value.  However with no "awareness" it is a dying hobby like the "Gum Inc" cards of the 40's (Superman, Horrors of War, Micky Mouse, Lone Ranger).  Those cards are worth some money but not as much as lets say the comics of the era because not to many people collect them.  Also if you could get the auction houses to recognize the cards it will increase awareness. 

Look at the last card show you have been to.. not a lot of people and all new cards.  I haven't been to the Philly show, at the Chicago Entertainment Card Expo done twice a year.  I only see new non sports cards not the old stuff. 

Another argument is EBay.  High grade wackys do sell for a lot.  But I did a search and it is alot of the same buyers and not a lot of new blood. 

I personally only collect for me.  Knowing that when and if I sell them (My kids don't want them) I will have to take what the market will bear. Unless they make a movie about Wackies that rakes in over 100 million, I feel I will have a smaller pool to sell to.  (since I am one of the few that looks for older wackies on EBAY)

BTW Anyone have a 1969 Sludgsikle they want to sell?  Looking for a better condition short or long perf doesn't matter - Joe
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Deaf Geoff on March 21, 2012, 07:28:59 AM
First awareness I had that there were older Wackies was discovering a pile of Wacky Ads at a flea market when I was collecting the 91 set.

Did not buy any, but the two that stuck out to me were Sailem and Guerilla Milk.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 21, 2012, 10:15:28 AM
I would agree with the ideas already stated.  This is a topic I've spent a lot of time considering.

My opinion is that future values will inevitably drop, as they will with most nostalgic items that aren't ongoing (unlike Spider-Man which continues to reinvent itself for new generations) as the audience for them dies off.

I've devoted a considerable amount of effort to documenting candy packaging, but in 50 years, when someone looks at a 1970's Marathon bar wrapper, it won't mean all that much to them.  To us, now, it has a value and a power to return us to a time and a place.  Because of that, someone might pay hundreds of dollars for it.  But not in a generation or two.

I believe the same will be true for 1970's Wackys.  There WILL still be collected, but the amount of folks collecting will be greatlynreduced, with the levels of vintage product remaining largely the same.

It's the circle of life, I suppose, and thinking about it bums me out a bit.., but I don't think it's going to go another way.

Of course, if new Wackys keep being produced, the appeal will not diminish, but I question that trading cards and stickers are a viable entertainment product for future generations.  Perhaps Wackys will live on in another form. 
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: NEZHEAD42 on March 21, 2012, 12:26:35 PM

My opinion is that future values will inevitably drop, as they will with most nostalgic items that aren't ongoing (unlike Spider-Man which continues to reinvent itself for new generations) as the audience for them dies off.


I would agree with this statement. I went to the Antiques Roadshow and had a bible evaluated that was signed by and presented to my dad by Roy Rogers. The appraiser was impressed, had never seen a signed bible by Roy and stated that it was a very good signature. In the 1950's, my dad and every other kid in the USA, idolized Roy. It didn't get much bigger than Roy Rogers. That generation is dying off or have other (i.e. medical) concerns than buying a Roy R signature. The appraiser said that 20-30 years ago the signature was worth around $200, now it is worth around $50...because Roy Rogers doesn't mean to our generation what he meant to our parent's generation. The interest is not there anymore because the target audience has died off. Jason is right with his assessment of todays collectibles in the future.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 21, 2012, 12:53:23 PM
I think it's important to, when assessing the decline of these things in the future, to remember that joy is fleeting, but it's still joy.   So, while these things may not matter much in the future, they have the power to create a real joy now.   I mean, intrinsically, we all know they're just objects, but by seeing them and sharing them, they can bring us more than just dollars and cents. 

I can get a little bummed out considering the aspects of people eventually not caring, so I guess I'm posting this for myself.  But today, these things can matter and bring a lot of smiles to a lot of faces.

:-)

Jason
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Paul_Maul on March 21, 2012, 01:27:33 PM
I think it's important to, when assessing the decline of these things in the future, to remember that joy is fleeting, but it's still joy.   So, while these things may not matter much in the future, they have the power to create a real joy now.   I mean, intrinsically, we all know they're just objects, but by seeing them and sharing them, they can bring us more than just dollars and cents. 

I can get a little bummed out considering the aspects of people eventually not caring, so I guess I'm posting this for myself.  But today, these things can matter and bring a lot of smiles to a lot of faces.

:-)

Jason

You're so right. Of course all this will eventually be worthless. We'll all eventually be dead too.  It's appropriate
in a way. A large part of my enjoyment of wackys is inextricably tied up in the futile pursuit of lost youth. That youth is getting farther and farther in the rear view mirror. We all keep trying to hang onto it, but eventually that grip loosens and the collective result of that will be what you describe.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 21, 2012, 02:28:14 PM
The "value" of early series wackys will only begin its decline to zero about 30-40 years after wacky packages have completely stopped being produced.  It is irrational to declare that today's kids won't become nostaligic like we did and won't try to "collect" wackys outside of what they remember.  Almost all of us chased after diecuts and wacky ads yet nearly none of us "remember" them as kids but because they are part of wacky history, we had to have them.   This is one reason I have decided to just sit on my remaining stockpile of wackys as I can have some fun selling them when I am retired to the next generation of "us".
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 21, 2012, 02:35:08 PM
The "value" of early series wackys will only begin its decline to zero about 30-40 years after wacky packages have completely stopped being produced.  It is irrational to declare that today's kids won't become nostaligic like we did and won't try to "collect" wackys outside of what they remember.  Almost all of us chased after diecuts and wacky ads yet nearly none of us "remember" them as kids but because they are part of wacky history, we had to have them.   This is one reason I have decided to just sit on my remaining stockpile of wackys as I can have some fun selling them when I am retired to the next generation of "us".

Well, maybe... If Wackys were as culturally important to this generation as they were to ours, I'd agree.  But I don't think it's irrational to look at the situation.  Wackys are a part of these kids' cultures, but I don't expect them to become nostalgic collectors, anymore than I do all of you to become candy collectors.  Wackys, to our generation were MORE. 

It's a fact that they are not the same thing to the current generation.  They are not nearly as important in the overall scheme, to current consumers, as they were to us, back then.  So the effects of whatever nostalgia that might be generated from that, well, it may not be at all what we have experienced. 

In a larger sense, I also wonder about nostalgia at all, with future generations that can recall every day of their life via their iPads, as it's all going to be digitally available to them.  Nostalgia itself will change, and perhaps the need to chase it down and dig it up, the way we had to, simply won't be a factor. 
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Crust on March 21, 2012, 02:52:39 PM
Huh this is an interesting topic. I feel like I'm taking some college course on Wackypackages and pop culture economics.  :D But one thing i know is that there are alot of young people who would be interested in wackys' but they don't know they exist because they are not big trading card fans. Lets face it trading cards are not as popular as they once were,but i believe that if Topps makes a deal with an example would be mad magazine too advertise their products more, fans from other mediums( comicbook fans) might get interested.Another thing is somethings that are old live on because of a form of nostalgia. That nostalgia is from the kids of people who collected or remember something, that the kids themselves could not experience. For instance I'm a fan of some old pulp fiction magazines, because people like my grandfather were fans of them, but i don't remember a time where there where books like that. If fact with Wackys i got started into collecting because of a relative telling me about how they collected them in the 1970's.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 21, 2012, 03:27:04 PM
People will collect, and people will have a similar brand of nostalgia.  My guess is that it will be a much more unusual thing, with far fewer people.  And there were be countless Wackys for those few people to enjoy.  It won't be as competitive, and prices will drop.  Just like that Roy Rogers autograph.

You need only look at what was collected in the 1950's, and where those hobbies are now, to see the future. 

I could be wrong.. I hope I am, but I think I'm not.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 21, 2012, 06:32:36 PM
The "value" of early series wackys will only begin its decline to zero about 30-40 years after wacky packages have completely stopped being produced.  It is irrational to declare that today's kids won't become nostaligic like we did and won't try to "collect" wackys outside of what they remember.  Almost all of us chased after diecuts and wacky ads yet nearly none of us "remember" them as kids but because they are part of wacky history, we had to have them.   This is one reason I have decided to just sit on my remaining stockpile of wackys as I can have some fun selling them when I am retired to the next generation of "us".

I agree that there will be kids now that grow up and re-collect when they grow older, but I wonder whether they would start collecting the 2004+ series and eventually learn about the vintage series, and start collecting them as well.  That would help keep the values up longer.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 21, 2012, 06:38:01 PM
Huh this is an interesting topic. I feel like I'm taking some college course on Wackypackages and pop culture economics.  :D But one thing i know is that there are alot of young people who would be interested in wackys' but they don't know they exist because they are not big trading card fans. Lets face it trading cards are not as popular as they once were,but i believe that if Topps makes a deal with an example would be mad magazine too advertise their products more, fans from other mediums( comicbook fans) might get interested.Another thing is somethings that are old live on because of a form of nostalgia. That nostalgia is from the kids of people who collected or remember something, that the kids themselves could not experience. For instance I'm a fan of some old pulp fiction magazines, because people like my grandfather were fans of them, but i don't remember a time where there where books like that. If fact with Wackys i got started into collecting because of a relative telling me about how they collected them in the 1970's.

I also wonder if new trading cards will even exist 30-40 years from now.  The trend is going towards digital for everything, and the younger generation of kids will be and already are to some extent more comfortable on a computer of some sort than having the actual physical object.  I wonder the same thing about printing since I'm in the business; will printed material such as advertising circulars, magazines, newspapers, etc. phase out in the next 25 years in favor of computers?  It seems to be heading in that direction, although it has been a slower process than I expected. 

Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 21, 2012, 06:42:33 PM
This is one reason I have decided to just sit on my remaining stockpile of wackys as I can have some fun selling them when I am retired to the next generation of "us".

I'm doing this with my stamp collection.   Philatelic is coming back!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 21, 2012, 11:21:21 PM
Nope, it is not a fact that wackys mean less to todays kids then they did to us.  We current nostalgic wacky collectors are a puny percent of the number of collectors from the 1970s.  Not one single friend of mine from elementary school is actively collecting these and fact, of the 10 or so that i am still in touch with, they would all have gladly sent their collections my way had they bothered to keep them.  Very few people collected wrappers so declaring wrapper collector habits to trading card habits is irrelevant.  I bet more people would be interested in obtaining a toy from their childhood like strecth armstrong or evil knevil over amassing wrappers or other packaging from food they consumed during that era.

Some small percent of todays kids, which still amasses to a decent size number, will get nostalgic about wackys and will collect just like we did, there is nothing in place that suggests otherwise.  Yup past events ARE useful in predicting future events especially when it comes to human nature.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 24, 2012, 02:20:21 PM
Some small percent of todays kids, which still amasses to a decent size number, will get nostalgic about wackys and will collect just like we did, there is nothing in place that suggests otherwise. 

Ernie, in a world where newspapers may not be around in a decade, among other massive cultural and pop-cultural shifts, can you really confidently say there is "nothing" to suggest this won't change?   

I'm not saying its a certainty, but there is a LOT in place to suggest otherwise.   
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 24, 2012, 04:31:11 PM
Ernie, in a world where newspapers may not be around in a decade, among other massive cultural and pop-cultural shifts, can you really confidently say there is "nothing" to suggest this won't change?   

I'm not saying its a certainty, but there is a LOT in place to suggest otherwise.   
Yes, I confidently say it and I expect you won't be able to offer anything solid that suggests otherwise.  People OWN collectables, the ability to scan has been around for decades so your suggesting that the internet providing ability to find images will replace owning collectibles just doesn't make sense.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 24, 2012, 04:40:35 PM
Yes, I confidently say it and I expect you won't be able to offer anything solid that suggests otherwise.  People OWN collectables, the ability to scan has been around for decades so your suggesting that the internet providing ability to find images will replace owning collectibles just doesn't make sense.

Err....did I say anything about scanning?   The kids of today waxing nostalgic about Wacky Packages in 30 years might not happen for the same reason they might not be waxing nostalgic for Bruce Springsteen or rock-and-roll.  Yes, some kids are into those things, but by and large, they are not that important to them.  Among many other reasons.

But feel free to dispute something about scanning.  Since that's what I'm sure I meant.  ;-).
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Deaf Geoff on March 24, 2012, 05:44:18 PM
Took me about 20 years, but I did get nostalgic about Wacky Packages.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 24, 2012, 10:27:32 PM
Err....did I say anything about scanning?   The kids of today waxing nostalgic about Wacky Packages in 30 years might not happen for the same reason they might not be waxing nostalgic for Bruce Springsteen or rock-and-roll.  Yes, some kids are into those things, but by and large, they are not that important to them.  Among many other reasons.

But feel free to dispute something about scanning.  Since that's what I'm sure I meant.  ;-).
You babbled something about digital availability somehow fulfilling a nostalgic need....this suggests that merely seeing an image instead of owning the object drives nostalgic driven collecting.  I mentioned scanning being around for decades as a reference to image availability so I don't see IPAD digital availability being a factor.  Surely you can keep track of your own comments, correct?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 24, 2012, 10:29:14 PM
Took me about 20 years, but I did get nostalgic about Wacky Packages.
That is about the average.  I didn't think much about wackys from 1975 til 1995...I believe many of today's kids will do the same thing but Jason seems to think few if any of them will repeat the nostalgic human nature thing despite it happening over multiple generations already.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 25, 2012, 06:07:38 AM
You babbled something about digital availability somehow fulfilling a nostalgic need....this suggests that merely seeing an image instead of owning the object drives nostalgic driven collecting.  I mentioned scanning being around for decades as a reference to image availability so I don't see IPAD digital availability being a factor.  Surely you can keep track of your own comments, correct?

Oh, sure... I didn't mention scanning, but you're right of course, that's all I meant.   Great point, the Twitter generation will be wild for Wackys in 2040, without a doubt.   They will keep on truckin, too.  We'd be idiots to think otherwise.

And I'll keep on "babbling".  Wow, you're a disrespectful piece of work sometimes.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 25, 2012, 08:12:44 PM
Oh, sure... I didn't mention scanning, but you're right of course, that's all I meant.   Great point, the Twitter generation will be wild for Wackys in 2040, without a doubt.   They will keep on truckin, too.  We'd be idiots to think otherwise.

And I'll keep on "babbling".  Wow, you're a disrespectful piece of work sometimes.
Aw, don't take your ball and run on home just yet....you can be sarcastic with in response to my scanning post but I can't be sardonic?  They are really quite the same when you think about it.... :great:
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 25, 2012, 08:17:52 PM
Aw, don't take your ball and run on home just yet....you can be sarcastic with in response to my scanning post but I can't be sardonic?  They are really quite the same when you think about it.... :great:

What? Sardonic?


adj
characterized by irony, mockery, or derision
[from French sardonique, from Latin sardonius, from Greek sardonios derisive, literally: of Sardinia, alteration of Homeric sardanios scornful (laughter or smile)]
sardonically  adv
sardonicism  n

Geeze. If I have to Google a definition I totally lose the feeling of a post....LOL
Are you doing the new word of the day training...HaHa
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 25, 2012, 09:34:50 PM
Aw, don't take your ball and run on home just yet....you can be sarcastic with in response to my scanning post but I can't be sardonic?  They are really quite the same when you think about it.... :great:

No, I was asking you a question and  attempting to have a discussion, but you responded to the question with a disrespectful, unrelated retort.  I like a good discussion, but I have no patience for your bullying.  I value the perspectives of others.  I'm here to learn something from my fellow members, if I can.

Btw, if someone committed the sin of responding to you by bringing up something you didn't specifically exactly say, as you did with "scanning"with me,  you'd crucify them.  I have seen you do it countless times.  But i guess its okay for you to do.  With you, it's all about how you see it.  So you don't need my participation.  

I'll have discussions with members that don't immediately dismiss my perspective as "babbling".  I won't waste my time trying to engage someone who seems to have little respect for opinions that don't mirror his own.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Bigmuc13 on March 26, 2012, 05:44:26 AM
Interesting topic.  It is difficult to to imagine that the second generation of Wacky Package collectors will have the same level of nostalgia in the future are many of us do now for our stuff.  I guess only time will tell.  I have two kids, 13 and 9.  I have tried for years to get them hooked on the new Wacky's, but they have little interest.  None of their friends do as well, which is dissapointing for me.  What seems to happen is they like them for a few minutes, then move on.  I think part of what might be missing is that it is so much easier to complete the set today.  When we were kids, a 5 cent pack was a lot of money.  There were only 2 stickers.  There were usually 3 double prints per set that it seemed we always got in a pack, and there were the occasional short print tough pulls that made it so rewarding to FINALLY get it to complete the set.  Sure there are chase cards today, but for me, it just isn't the same as completing the base set.  Now, it seems the base set is fairly irrelevent to many.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Kook on March 26, 2012, 07:10:22 AM
Interesting topic.  It is difficult to to imagine that the second generation of Wacky Package collectors will have the same level of nostalgia in the future are many of us do now for our stuff.  I guess only time will tell.  I have two kids, 13 and 9.  I have tried for years to get them hooked on the new Wacky's, but they have little interest.  None of their friends do as well, which is dissapointing for me.  What seems to happen is they like them for a few minutes, then move on.  I think part of what might be missing is that it is so much easier to complete the set today.  When we were kids, a 5 cent pack was a lot of money.  There were only 2 stickers.  There were usually 3 double prints per set that it seemed we always got in a pack, and there were the occasional short print tough pulls that made it so rewarding to FINALLY get it to complete the set.  Sure there are chase cards today, but for me, it just isn't the same as completing the base set.  Now, it seems the base set is fairly irrelevent to many.

I think there are also many other factors that relate specifically to wackys that may make them less attractive (less significant) to today's youth. When we were young, life was a lot simpler & there were a lot fewer things that were demanding our attention. There were no cell phones, no ipads or ipods... no video on demand or HBO, a lot fewer TV channels & movies to pick from, and kids actually talked a lot more rather than texted or facebooked every little thing. I also feel life was a lot simpler, more innocent & less IN YOUR FACE as it is nowadays. When you were riding your bike around the neighborhood back in the day & could stop in at the candy store or 7-11 to get the wackys, it was much more of an event. Something to talk about & pass the time. The artwork was unlike anything else I'd seen at the time. The familiar product spoofs were (mostly) recognizable and funny, and the artwork made up for the products I didn't recognize or the jokes I didn't get at the time. Today, I think these would barely be a blip on most kids' radar. Just my opinion. I guess we'll find out in 2032...
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: deadpresidentsvisa on March 26, 2012, 07:59:32 AM
I think there are also many other factors that relate specifically to wackys that may make them less attractive (less significant) to today's youth. When we were young, life was a lot simpler & there were a lot fewer things that were demanding our attention. There were no cell phones, no ipads or ipods... no video on demand or HBO, a lot fewer TV channels & movies to pick from, and kids actually talked a lot more rather than texted or facebooked every little thing. I also feel life was a lot simpler, more innocent & less IN YOUR FACE as it is nowadays. When you were riding your bike around the neighborhood back in the day & could stop in at the candy store or 7-11 to get the wackys, it was much more of an event. Something to talk about & pass the time. The artwork was unlike anything else I'd seen at the time. The familiar product spoofs were (mostly) recognizable and funny, and the artwork made up for the products I didn't recognize or the jokes I didn't get at the time. Today, I think these would barely be a blip on most kids' radar. Just my opinion. I guess we'll find out in 2032...
KIDS HAVE KOOLER THINGS TO DO NOWADAYS THAN SIT AROUND AND COLLECT CARDS!!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 26, 2012, 08:32:41 AM
I think there are also many other factors that relate specifically to wackys that may make them less attractive (less significant) to today's youth. When we were young, life was a lot simpler & there were a lot fewer things that were demanding our attention. There were no cell phones, no ipads or ipods... no video on demand or HBO, a lot fewer TV channels & movies to pick from, and kids actually talked a lot more rather than texted or facebooked every little thing. I also feel life was a lot simpler, more innocent & less IN YOUR FACE as it is nowadays. When you were riding your bike around the neighborhood back in the day & could stop in at the candy store or 7-11 to get the wackys, it was much more of an event. Something to talk about & pass the time. The artwork was unlike anything else I'd seen at the time. The familiar product spoofs were (mostly) recognizable and funny, and the artwork made up for the products I didn't recognize or the jokes I didn't get at the time. Today, I think these would barely be a blip on most kids' radar. Just my opinion. I guess we'll find out in 2032...

When you mention getting Wackys when we were kids was an "event", my best friend and I would ride our bikes to this plaza and go to a place called Valley Pharmacy.  They had the Wackys there, as well as motorcycle and hot rod magazines that we used to get, and we would hang there for at least 1/2 hour.  My memory is that the ride to and from the store was part of the fun.  We weren't allowed to go on main roads with our bikes, but we knew how to connect the side streets and then get to a nice trail that used to be railroad tracks, and it would take us right to the plaza.  The trail was very scenic, and it went behind a motorcycle dealership which we would always stop at to check out the bikes.  The whole thing was like an adventure!  Today the parents just drive their kids to the store and a lot of the fun is taken out of it.

Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 26, 2012, 09:05:34 AM
When you mention getting Wackys when we were kids was an "event", my best friend and I would ride our bikes to this plaza and go to a place called Valley Pharmacy.  They had the Wackys there, as well as motorcycle and hot rod magazines that we used to get, and we would hang there for at least 1/2 hour.  My memory is that the ride to and from the store was part of the fun.  We weren't allowed to go on main roads with our bikes, but we knew how to connect the side streets and then get to a nice trail that used to be railroad tracks, and it would take us right to the plaza.  The trail was very scenic, and it went behind a motorcycle dealership which we would always stop at to check out the bikes.  The whole thing was like an adventure!  Today the parents just drive their kids to the store and a lot of the fun is taken out of it.



Do you think collecting cards enticed you to go into the printing business?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 26, 2012, 10:54:56 AM
No, I was asking you a question and  attempting to have a discussion, but you responded to the question with a disrespectful, unrelated retort.  I like a good discussion, but I have no patience for your bullying.  I value the perspectives of others.  I'm here to learn something from my fellow members, if I can.

Btw, if someone committed the sin of responding to you by bringing up something you didn't specifically exactly say, as you did with "scanning"with me,  you'd crucify them.  I have seen you do it countless times.  But i guess its okay for you to do.  With you, it's all about how you see it.  So you don't need my participation.  

I'll have discussions with members that don't immediately dismiss my perspective as "babbling".  I won't waste my time trying to engage someone who seems to have little respect for opinions that don't mirror his own.
Just make sure you keep your facts in the correct chronilogical order....your sarcasm PRECEDED my Sardonic tone but you sure do like to play the part of the wounded one don't you....

Meanwhile, can anyone figure out what your point is?  You have made vague references to google, twitter, IPADs and the like without ever explaining how the mere existance of technology will cause people to sop collecting things of nostalgic value to them...excuse me for trying to make some sense of your vagueness with my reference to scanning(which was met with sarcasm from you).
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 26, 2012, 10:56:50 AM
Interesting topic.  It is difficult to to imagine that the second generation of Wacky Package collectors will have the same level of nostalgia in the future are many of us do now for our stuff.  I guess only time will tell.  I have two kids, 13 and 9.  I have tried for years to get them hooked on the new Wacky's, but they have little interest.  None of their friends do as well, which is dissapointing for me.  What seems to happen is they like them for a few minutes, then move on.  I think part of what might be missing is that it is so much easier to complete the set today.  When we were kids, a 5 cent pack was a lot of money.  There were only 2 stickers.  There were usually 3 double prints per set that it seemed we always got in a pack, and there were the occasional short print tough pulls that made it so rewarding to FINALLY get it to complete the set.  Sure there are chase cards today, but for me, it just isn't the same as completing the base set.  Now, it seems the base set is fairly irrelevent to many.
Your point is a good one.  Remember, not ALL of our friends collected wackys in the 1970's  I am referring mainly to the kids of today who ARE collecting wackys.  Some % of them will become nostalgic, it is just human nature!  Now if you are suggesting that hardly any of today's kids are collecting wackys, why the heck is Topps on ANS9?  There MUST be some buying power out there....
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 26, 2012, 10:58:05 AM
I think there are also many other factors that relate specifically to wackys that may make them less attractive (less significant) to today's youth. When we were young, life was a lot simpler & there were a lot fewer things that were demanding our attention. There were no cell phones, no ipads or ipods... no video on demand or HBO, a lot fewer TV channels & movies to pick from, and kids actually talked a lot more rather than texted or facebooked every little thing. I also feel life was a lot simpler, more innocent & less IN YOUR FACE as it is nowadays. When you were riding your bike around the neighborhood back in the day & could stop in at the candy store or 7-11 to get the wackys, it was much more of an event. Something to talk about & pass the time. The artwork was unlike anything else I'd seen at the time. The familiar product spoofs were (mostly) recognizable and funny, and the artwork made up for the products I didn't recognize or the jokes I didn't get at the time. Today, I think these would barely be a blip on most kids' radar. Just my opinion. I guess we'll find out in 2032...
You and Bigmuc seem to be painting a picture of today's kids having no interest in wackys...if so, who the heck is buying them to support us going to ANS9 so far?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Kook on March 26, 2012, 11:20:14 AM
You and Bigmuc seem to be painting a picture of today's kids having no interest in wackys...if so, who the heck is buying them to support us going to ANS9 so far?

I have no idea what the breakdown of adult wacky collectors, resellers, moms impulse purchasing for kids, or kids "begging" their parents for the $2 to buy packs purchasing in Target,walmart or ToysRUs. Are they available in other retail stores? I'd also be interested to see the production numbers of the all new series in relation to, say, the 4th to 10th original series production numbers. I find it hard to believe that kids are hopping on their bikes & riding down to the target or begging their parents for packs as we did. It may be true, but I doubt it.

Selling a case at a time to thousands of mom & pop candy stores & convenience stores for kids waiting to buy out the supply is a lot different than selling a motherload to 3 big box buyers. I think Topps sells enough to a few impulse buyers just by being in front of so many people in these big box stores. It may be enough to satisfy Topps, the big box stores & those waiting on line to check out, but I don't think it's the phenomenon it was in the 70s. I'm not saying there aren't some kids nuts over wackys, but if there are 1% or 2% of our generation that collected wackys growing up & now collect wackys, my guess is that there will be 1/10th to 1/100th of that in the current generation.

It would be nice to have some production numbers & demographics from then & now to see what the differences or similarities really are.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: RawGoo on March 26, 2012, 11:35:06 AM
Kids around here know what Wackys are.  I can't imagine that not one of them will remember Wackys when they're grown up.  BUT, I think it will be a lot easier for them to re-collect the ANS sets they remember from their childhoods, since so many complete sets are being put away in mint condition upon release.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Porkie on March 26, 2012, 12:19:07 PM
Kids around here know what Wackys are.  I can't imagine that not one of them will remember Wackys when they're grown up.  BUT, I think it will be a lot easier for them to re-collect the ANS sets they remember from their childhoods, since so many complete sets are being put away in mint condition upon release.

I was one of those kids who opened the toys/cards/whatever and actually used them. I never had any idea of the concept of true collecting until well into adulthood. I agree it will be much easier to re-collect the ANS series because of this, and the fact that the cards will hold up much better over time (the hard stock glossy paper, more precision cut, etc.). Of course, part of what makes the original Wackys so cool is all the variations!

My childhood experiences getting Wackys is extremely similar to Bill and Rob's descriptions. Rode my bike with my brother down to the nearest Rexall Drugs, which was a ways away. Did the back roads and trails whenever possible. Was an adventure in itself (and a bit of a journey as a kid). Still remember the thrill of opening the packs to see what new cards were there (back when there was no other way to see them than to actually see them in person (i.e. no instant photos, internet, etc.)) -- that was really neat! You had no idea what the other cards on the checklist were until you saw them. Loved that. Also the smell of the real-sugar slightly powdery Topps gum I will never forget. Miss that and wish the Old School series had a scratch-and-sniff of this in each box - lol!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: RawGoo on March 26, 2012, 12:25:38 PM
We lived too far from the store for me to get my Wackys by bicycle.  But, when we moved to California, the ice cream truck guy had them!!  I used to save up my allowance and buy lots of Wackys from him.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 26, 2012, 12:42:33 PM
Do you think collecting cards enticed you to go into the printing business?

No, my dad owning a print company and letting me go work with him did though!  I was actually working with my dad way before I got back into collecting Wackys, which is probably around 10 years now.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Kook on March 26, 2012, 12:54:17 PM
Also the smell of the real-sugar slightly powdery Topps gum I will never forget. Miss that and wish the Old School series had a scratch-and-sniff of this in each box - lol!

ABSOLUTELY! Smelling that gum can put you right back to 1973! It gives you almost the same feeling as looking at the stickers. I think the wackys were a great fit to the experience of growing up in the 70s. Do we have any "Wonder Years" fans out there? I just noticed they are still currently rerunning those episodes.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: lucidjc on March 26, 2012, 01:03:08 PM
I never had a chance to ride my bike for wackys. Once or twice a week my mom would take us to the small meat market, there lay the golden box filled with packs for greedy little hands. My sister would occasionally buy a pack for the gum. She would use her 5 pennys at the bubble gum machine, while i would spend it all for 1 pack. Later that day, all the gum would be gone, but i would still have my 2 stickers. Gum is great, stickers are better. The new stickers would go into the pile (my keeper set) all doubles would be stuck! My school had MANY white Wacky silhouettes where the sticker was peeled from a wall/door/bumper...Guilty! 

 OK, i lied...while writing this i remembered i DID ride my bike for wackys...not OS though. It was for 79 reissues. Wow, a forgotten memory, dislodged.  It was only a few times, 4-5 miles round trip. To the Mid-Way shopping center drug store. I remember there was a box of 3rd series reissues near the counter. After 2 or 3 trips the box was empty, it was never refilled and i never saw 1,2 or 4 in stores anywhere. Funny, i lived only a few miles from where Wackys were being MADE (Duryea, PA) and they were SO hard to find. Lots of friends parents worked at the Topps plant. I remember a friends garage filled with cases of Topps products...cases of Wackys included!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: sco(o)t on March 26, 2012, 04:19:15 PM
ABSOLUTELY! Smelling that gum can put you right back to 1973! It gives you almost the same feeling as looking at the stickers. I think the wackys were a great fit to the experience of growing up in the 70s. Do we have any "Wonder Years" fans out there? I just noticed they are still currently rerunning those episodes.

My wife and I really enjoy THE WONDER YEARS. We were just about the same age as the main characters at the same time period as the show and basically lived in "their neighborhood". As for Wackys, we lived in a small town called Bloomfield.. population 2,500. There was one grocery store and one Pharmacy. Neither carried Wacky Packages. I had to save up and when the family went to Linton, about 20 miles away, there was a drug store that carried them and so I would buy about 25 packs at a time. I can remember my Dad always being annoyed that I "blew" so much money at one time on those "damn cards". The bad thing was they certainly didn't offer them in series order. One trip, I might be able to get Series 6 stickers, the next trip, Series 4, and on some odd occasions, they might have as many as three different series display boxes out. I was somewhat of a completist collector even back then and it bugged the heck out of me that I could hardly ever complete one series.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 26, 2012, 04:48:34 PM
For the same reason that that there were very few comic book collectors and very few action figure collectors (or action figures) 40 years ago, there may well be very few Wacky Packages collectors 30 years from now.  Times change. 

Are they are a part of youth culture today?  I question how far their reach is, as opposed to how much it covered our generation. 

Also, nostalgia will exist, but what shape will it take, in 30 years' time?  In 1970 would anyone have predicted trading card stores or comic stores?  Nostalgia can exist without these hobbies, and really, they've only been around as hobbies for a few decades.    And perhaps they will be confined to just a few generations... Like so many cultural things. 

Stamps are still sold, but is stamp collecting or model building culturally relevant?  It's a bit of a bummer, but kids will likely be nostalgic for Angry Birds, rather than Wacky Packages. 

Still...the only thing that is certain is that we can't possibly know.

I recently bought some well cared for color comic sections from weekend newspapers from the 60's and 70's.  I was puzzled why someone would have thought o save them.  Then I realized the person was also an early comic book collector.  And it dawned on me:  in 1967, saving a Sunday comic section made as much sense as saving an issue of Spider-Man.... One was not "more collectible" than the other.   One just caught on in a different way, for a variety of reasons. 

It will be interesting to see how future cultures process their desire for Nostalgia...

Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 26, 2012, 06:15:03 PM
My wife and I really enjoy THE WONDER YEARS. We were just about the same age as the main characters at the same time period as the show and basically lived in "their neighborhood". As for Wackys, we lived in a small town called Bloomfield.. population 2,500. There was one grocery store and one Pharmacy. Neither carried Wacky Packages. I had to save up and when the family went to Linton, about 20 miles away, there was a drug store that carried them and so I would buy about 25 packs at a time. I can remember my Dad always being annoyed that I "blew" so much money at one time on those "damn cards". The bad thing was they certainly didn't offer them in series order. One trip, I might be able to get Series 6 stickers, the next trip, Series 4, and on some odd occasions, they might have as many as three different series display boxes out. I was somewhat of a completist collector even back then and it bugged the heck out of me that I could hardly ever complete one series.
I too remember the boxes being put out in the wrong order and I found it to be very frustrating.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bandaches on March 26, 2012, 06:20:13 PM
I pulled up a floor in my mom's house and found 1950's comics underneith.  The newspaper was used as some form of backing.  I carefully pulled them out and wrapped them in plastic and have them in a plastic bin of "stuff" somewhere stashed away.  I think the point about angry birds is a good one.  what about Southpark stuff?  That seems to be racy wacky pack 1970's like and really pushed the envelop.

If there is any validity to the claims that wackys of today are not actually being sold to kids of today, then clearly there won't be a pile of kids who collect like we did in 20-30 years.  I still doubt the premise that Topps is getting enough sales to support this many releases and none of it is coming from store sales to kids....but hey, what do I know...
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: sco(o)t on March 26, 2012, 07:37:56 PM
...
It will be interesting to see how future cultures process their desire for Nostalgia...



My "kids" are now 19 and almost 21. On thing I have noticed about them as compared to myself, is that they are less materialistic in a very specific sense. Not that they don't yearn for nice cars, etc. but they don't aquire as much physical stuff. I come from the old consumer model that when you buy a music album, for example, you get a tangible object... whether it be an LP, cassette tape or CD. They emass their music digitally on PCs and on cloud-type storage. Same with movies and books. Even comic books are moving in this direction. We have an entire room in our house we call the "media room" dedicated to storing our library of books, laserdiscs, DVDs, blurays, VHS tapes, cassettes, CDs, etc. My kids can basically carry most of their personal libraries with them on their PCs. Where I enjoy the physical and tactile aspects of collecting Wacky Packages, my kids show no such similar trait. They both collected Poke-mon cards about 12 or 13 years ago, but this is basically the only collection either one has of any measure of that type. And in retrospect, it was something we did together so I probably lead them into it more than it was something the did on their own volition.

What form their nostalgia will take is something I can only guess wildly about. They may be happy to pull items from whatever form of digital (or otherwise) storage is common in their future. As people continue to be more mobile in their lives, the hassle of transporting and maintaining large physical collections will surely continue to diminish. I think Brad (Bum Chex) has talked on the forum before about how people are increasingly able to carry their lives with them thanks to the technology at hand. Maybe this almost instant access to entertainment and other experiences from your entire life span will create some new type of nostalgia. Or at least a new tangent on our type of nostalgia. Although a lot of us collect physical objects, a large part of the attraction of having, handling and keeping these objects is to relive or rekindle certain emotions or experiences we had.

It may be that a number of Sci-Fi movies that deal with the concept that memories or experiences can someone be recorded in some way and later played back in some fashion that involves many or all of the senses, aren't far from the mark. If we can relive these moments in a more encompassing way than merely looking at or handling old product parody stickets, the satisfaction may be even more enjoyable. Such a technology would of course, open entirely new avenues beyond just personal nostlagia. It would presume the possibility of sharing this experiences with others as well in a very personal way.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Fanatical_and_Sickly on March 26, 2012, 07:46:18 PM
They emass their music digitally on PCs and on cloud-type storage. Same with movies and books. Even comic books are moving in this direction.
emass. I like that word. Electronic amassing.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Porkie on March 26, 2012, 10:35:20 PM
Just recently I've been toying with scanning old photos and converting any remaining old vinyl records and tapes into digital form and then (shudder) actually getting rid of the originals. First time I've seriously considered this ever. Going to be an interesting experience...

With Wackys there is still something about physically having them that just isn't the same as scanning them. But I have come to the conclusion that I want to "thin out" my collection and sell/trade off all my dupes/extras to lighten the load.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Bigmuc13 on March 27, 2012, 07:39:27 AM

If there is any validity to the claims that wackys of today are not actually being sold to kids of today, then clearly there won't be a pile of kids who collect like we did in 20-30 years.  I still doubt the premise that Topps is getting enough sales to support this many releases and none of it is coming from store sales to kids....but hey, what do I know...

I never meant to imply that there are no kids buying Wacky's.  Obviously there are lots of kids as well as adults buying these up.  My point was I don't believe that this second wave of Wacky packages kids will have the same enthusiasm for them when they are in their 40's like many of us do.  In the 70's, for a very short time, they were the big thing.  They flamed out in right around two years.  Wacky's now are a slow burn.  It is 2012.  ANS 1 came out in 2004.  Thats 8 years and counting.  In my opinion, things that tend to make a comeback as far as nostalgia goes are the ones that were extremely popular for a short time.  That way, you can pinpoint an exact feeling, era, circumstance, etc. That is where the nostalgia kicks in.  Something with original staying power doesn't have that same sort of punch in the future.  Anyone else have the same thoughts?  Different thoughts?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 27, 2012, 07:55:41 AM
My wife and I really enjoy THE WONDER YEARS. We were just about the same age as the main characters at the same time period as the show and basically lived in "their neighborhood". As for Wackys, we lived in a small town called Bloomfield.. population 2,500. There was one grocery store and one Pharmacy. Neither carried Wacky Packages. I had to save up and when the family went to Linton, about 20 miles away, there was a drug store that carried them and so I would buy about 25 packs at a time. I can remember my Dad always being annoyed that I "blew" so much money at one time on those "damn cards". The bad thing was they certainly didn't offer them in series order. One trip, I might be able to get Series 6 stickers, the next trip, Series 4, and on some odd occasions, they might have as many as three different series display boxes out. I was somewhat of a completist collector even back then and it bugged the heck out of me that I could hardly ever complete one series.

I can't remember exactly how I collected but I don't specifically remember collecting to fill a series. I would just buy whatever they had on display. I think I kept them all in one big collection. I do remember that series 11 was the last one I purchased and that is why it's probably the fondest to my heart. I do remember a couple series 12 stickers but it could have been a friend that bought them. We then moved on to baseball cards.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 27, 2012, 12:33:32 PM
I can't remember exactly how I collected but I don't specifically remember collecting to fill a series. I would just buy whatever they had on display. I think I kept them all in one big collection. I do remember that series 11 was the last one I purchased and that is why it's probably the fondest to my heart. I do remember a couple series 12 stickers but it could have been a friend that bought them. We then moved on to baseball cards.

That's funny that you kind of had the same mentality as a kid as you do now with the sketch cards and new series, not being a completist.  I remember checking off my checklists as a kid and if a new series came out and I didn't have them done it bugged me, and even more so if my friend had titles I needed and wouldn't trade them! 
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 27, 2012, 12:57:39 PM
That's funny that you kind of had the same mentality as a kid as you do now with the sketch cards and new series, not being a completist.  I remember checking off my checklists as a kid and if a new series came out and I didn't have them done it bugged me, and even more so if my friend had titles I needed and wouldn't trade them! 
Completing sketch sets is hard and very expensive. There is a reason I don't do it now...LOL
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 27, 2012, 02:27:38 PM
Completing sketch sets is hard and very expensive. There is a reason I don't do it now...LOL

I bet you've spent more than me on sketches on average.  I usually end up with between 7-15 b&w sketches per series the way I collect them, so it's not that big of an expense.  I think you have a few series where you amassed 50+ sketches.

Are you pretty much a completist with the original series, or just the 1-16 base sets with puzzles?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 27, 2012, 03:17:47 PM
I bet you've spent more than me on sketches on average.  I usually end up with between 7-15 b&w sketches per series the way I collect them, so it's not that big of an expense.  I think you have a few series where you amassed 50+ sketches.

Are you pretty much a completist with the original series, or just the 1-16 base sets with puzzles?

I have completed all (most) variations of 1-16 and all puzzles. My collection is mostly NM with the exceptions of the roller marks in the series 13. I say most variations because I don't differentiate between singe * and double. That's not a big deal to me. I do have a set of ads minus the obvious and I don't have Rats or Animals. I also have various unopened packs and such. I have completed everything from ANS1 - PC8. I think the only thing I'm missing is the first Halloween postcard with Tricky Treat or Tricked out. Can't remember the toughie. I don't have complete sets of the gold borders for obvious reasons...LOL

I would also say, yes, to the sketch cards. I have a ton! I think I ended up with over 220 for OLDS2 alone. OLDS3 I think I have about 110.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 27, 2012, 05:01:08 PM
I have completed all (most) variations of 1-16 and all puzzles. My collection is mostly NM with the exceptions of the roller marks in the series 13. I say most variations because I don't differentiate between singe * and double. That's not a big deal to me. I do have a set of ads minus the obvious and I don't have Rats or Animals. I also have various unopened packs and such. I have completed everything from ANS1 - PC8. I think the only thing I'm missing is the first Halloween postcard with Tricky Treat or Tricked out. Can't remember the toughie. I don't have complete sets of the gold borders for obvious reasons...LOL

I would also say, yes, to the sketch cards. I have a ton! I think I ended up with over 220 for OLDS2 alone. OLDS3 I think I have about 110.

How about the series 3 whitebacks and Ludlows, or series 14 tri-folds?  I am still working on my series 1 Ludlows but series 2 is done for both colors.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: jleonard1967 on March 27, 2012, 05:02:35 PM
Just recently I've been toying with scanning old photos and converting any remaining old vinyl records and tapes into digital form and then (shudder) actually getting rid of the originals. First time I've seriously considered this ever. Going to be an interesting experience...

With Wackys there is still something about physically having them that just isn't the same as scanning them. But I have come to the conclusion that I want to "thin out" my collection and sell/trade off all my dupes/extras to lighten the load.
I took all 400 cd's that I have and downloaded them to my I-tunes.  I however can not seem to get rid of the original cd's even though I have them all on itunes.  (I haven't even boxed them up they are still on the shelf next to all me movies)
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Campy on March 27, 2012, 05:05:31 PM
How about the series 3 whitebacks and Ludlows, or series 14 tri-folds?  I am still working on my series 1 Ludlows but series 2 is done for both colors.
Any extras? I am just starting on the Ludlows
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 27, 2012, 05:16:50 PM
Any extras? I am just starting on the Ludlows

I don't, I've sold off my extras over the past couple years.  To get a full set you almost need to get at least half of them in one batch, unless you are patient enough to do it in 15-20 years or so picking up singles.  I've been working on it for 7 years or so but I did get a good head start from one source.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on March 27, 2012, 06:11:15 PM
How about the series 3 whitebacks and Ludlows, or series 14 tri-folds?  I am still working on my series 1 Ludlows but series 2 is done for both colors.
I haven't. I wasn't that into collecting all the back variations. I did have a set of trifolds but sold them. Not that big of deal to me.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BRUTE_88 on March 27, 2012, 06:13:14 PM
Any extras? I am just starting on the Ludlows

If you are looking for Ludlows, 3rd Whites, or other rarities.. feel free to PM me a list.  I have a good bit of extras available.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: hurricanes on March 30, 2012, 06:03:46 PM
When you mention getting Wackys when we were kids was an "event", my best friend and I would ride our bikes to this plaza and go to a place called Valley Pharmacy.  They had the Wackys there, as well as motorcycle and hot rod magazines that we used to get, and we would hang there for at least 1/2 hour.  My memory is that the ride to and from the store was part of the fun.  We weren't allowed to go on main roads with our bikes, but we knew how to connect the side streets and then get to a nice trail that used to be railroad tracks, and it would take us right to the plaza.  The trail was very scenic, and it went behind a motorcycle dealership which we would always stop at to check out the bikes.  The whole thing was like an adventure!  Today the parents just drive their kids to the store and a lot of the fun is taken out of it.



Rob
Cool memory.
I remember riding my bike to the Tobacco Shop off Kendal Drive in Miami, many many blocks from my home. The smell in that store was great. It was better riding my bike rather than being driven. My dad wouldn't have driven me anyway unless he had to go. I also used to get Wacky's at 7-11's when my father would stop for something. And at Eckerd's Drug store in Miami. I lived behind a strip mall and could walk to it. Those were great days. Little did I know it then.
I was just watching Back to the Future today, and just thought it would be great to go back to the early 70's. To buy packs of Wacky's and Baseball Cards. To go to old Flea Markets. To sit and listen to the music. No cable TV. It was great.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Dr Popper on March 31, 2012, 09:37:18 AM
Rob
Cool memory.
I remember riding my bike to the Tobacco Shop off Kendal Drive in Miami, many many blocks from my home. The smell in that store was great. It was better riding my bike rather than being driven. My dad wouldn't have driven me anyway unless he had to go. I also used to get Wacky's at 7-11's when my father would stop for something. And at Eckerd's Drug store in Miami. I lived behind a strip mall and could walk to it. Those were great days. Little did I know it then.
I was just watching Back to the Future today, and just thought it would be great to go back to the early 70's. To buy packs of Wacky's and Baseball Cards. To go to old Flea Markets. To sit and listen to the music. No cable TV. It was great.

The best feeling was walking into the store as a kid and seeing a new colored box meaning a new series!  Of course back then we had no idea when a new series would come out so it was a total surprise.  I can still remember the feeling of opening the packs and seeing new Wackys for the first time.

Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: RawGoo on March 31, 2012, 09:54:06 AM
The best feeling was walking into the store as a kid and seeing a new colored box meaning a new series!  Of course back then we had no idea when a new series would come out so it was a total surprise.  I can still remember the feeling of opening the packs and seeing new Wackys for the first time.



By me, the store owner would just put new packs in with the old.  My very first Wacky stickers were Series 2, but the next time I bought packs, I got Series 1. 
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on March 31, 2012, 12:47:04 PM
I was just watching Back to the Future today, and just thought it would be great to go back to the early 70's. To buy packs of Wacky's and Baseball Cards. To go to old Flea Markets. To sit and listen to the music. No cable TV. It was great.

Who among us hasn't dreamed of a time machine? 
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: BumChex on April 01, 2012, 09:18:35 PM
Who among us hasn't dreamed of a time machine? 
Jason, that's the shortest post you have ever had...LOL
I would love to go back for a couple days.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on April 01, 2012, 09:39:48 PM
Jason, that's the shortest post you have ever had...LOL

That never gets old...
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Paul_Maul on April 02, 2012, 10:08:30 AM
That never gets old...

Whoops, now THAT is the shortest  :D
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: Porkie on April 02, 2012, 10:25:17 AM
Whoops, now THAT is the shortest  :D

 ;)
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JasonLiebig on April 02, 2012, 01:14:38 PM
Whoops, now THAT is the shortest  :D

You!!!!!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: bigtomi on April 02, 2012, 04:02:09 PM
You!!!!!
Record broken again.  LOL
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JailOJohn on September 28, 2021, 10:42:08 AM
I see this thread is several years old. Lots of comments about the continued existence and viability of Wackys and the market of those who collect them from 2011 and 2012. Has anything changed about the young people being more into video games and digital music than into stickers?
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: roughwriter on September 28, 2021, 12:04:43 PM
The most significant shift since 2012 is kids don't even have the chance to get interested in Wackys anymore! Back then you could still buy individual packs for a reasonable price at stores across the country. Now they are internet-only items that are priced well above most kids' allowances. If the kids don't ever see them, or even know they exist, how are they going to be interested in them? If Wackys can't find their way back onto the candy racks, they will shrivel up and disappear as the adult collectors age out!
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: RawGoo on September 28, 2021, 12:16:37 PM
The most significant shift since 2012 is kids don't even have the chance to get interested in Wackys anymore! Back then you could still buy individual packs for a reasonable price at stores across the country. Now they are internet-only items that are priced well above most kids' allowances. If the kids don't ever see them, or even know they exist, how are they going to be interested in them? If Wackys can't find their way back onto the candy racks, they will shrivel up and disappear as the adult collectors age out!

Agreed, store shelves are important to get kids interested.  The minis seem to be doing well in stores, and hopefully that will help with stickers maybe returning to stores sometime soon.
Title: Re: High Grade 1967 Wacky Packages like stocks?
Post by: JailOJohn on September 28, 2021, 12:18:41 PM
Attention spans seem shorter than ever now. I am wondering what has enabled, say comics, to stay somewhat relevant, and stickers and cards not so much. I guess now that Marvel is doing movies and DC doing TV shows, that generates interest. Topps themselves seems to put very little effort into promoting Wackys. Maybe they never did and we just caught the fever through word of mouth. I don't know whether Wal Mart and Target stopped carrying stickers first, or whether Topps stopped distributing them through stores first...