How many Old School Boxes did you buy from Topps?

[BumChex]

I have nearly 50 sketches, my keeper set of 22, the extra set of 21(was 18 on ebay but has been adjusted) and a small stash of extras.  I picked up several lots off ebay and made some trades over the months as I preferred to get my set that way instead of killing a bunch of boxes.

Why not open the boxes you have? Why do people think they will reap a huge benefit if they keep them sealed? The colored are hot now. Just like the gold they will fall. Get your windfall when you can. This is just a craze and will settle down after the latest release shows up. I would rather sell a colored now for $1200+ then to sit on boxes to try and get $90 for a box that might have a colored when collectors have moved on to the next set. Get them while they are hot!

Maybe I have a hidden agenda and that is to find a Paste Anywhere boy and find the other sketches that are on the poster. I count about 30 from the poster that haven't shown up.

[BumChex]

We are up to 1006

[deadpresidentsvisa]

We are up to 1006

But I have not chimed in cannot count that high,now i have to go back to the extremely relevant post i am making about OLDS 1!!!

[Monsterettes]

I purchased 14 boxes.

[BumChex]

I have 2 guys from ebay that are not members of the forum yet - Jdandns and scdad2b.
Combined they purchased 29 boxes. scdad2b bought 25 but has left them all sealed.

[Playskull]

Why not open the boxes you have? Why do people think they will reap a huge benefit if they keep them sealed?

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's simply due to the fact that I have one sealed box in my collection from every series starting with ANS1.  It would bother me if I didn't have an Old School sealed box to put with the others.  As tempting as it is to crack it open, I know my chances of getting something like a 15th Ave or a Qweep sketch far outweigh pulling something like another Batz, let alone a colored sketch. 

[BumChex]

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's simply due to the fact that I have one sealed box in my collection from every series starting with ANS1.  It would bother me if I didn't have an Old School sealed box to put with the others.  As tempting as it is to crack it open, I know my chances of getting something like a 15th Ave or a Qweep sketch far outweigh pulling something like another Batz, let alone a colored sketch. 

I know what you mean but with so few colored showing up you just might have a treasure. There is a lot from the poster missing.

[crackedjerk]

I bought 5 boxes (4 preorder then 1 more).

[Playskull]

I know what you mean but with so few colored showing up you just might have a treasure. There is a lot from the poster missing.

Yea, I do have to admit that I wonder "what if" the box I'm sitting on contains the colored Batz vampire.  That would be the ultimate score for me with this series. 

[BumChex]

Yea, I do have to admit that I wonder "what if" the box I'm sitting on contains the colored Batz vampire.  That would be the ultimate score for me with this series. 

Colored Batz hasn't shown up yet.

[bandaches]

Why not open the boxes you have? Why do people think they will reap a huge benefit if they keep them sealed? The colored are hot now. Just like the gold they will fall. Get your windfall when you can. This is just a craze and will settle down after the latest release shows up. I would rather sell a colored now for $1200+ then to sit on boxes to try and get $90 for a box that might have a colored when collectors have moved on to the next set. Get them while they are hot!

Maybe I have a hidden agenda and that is to find a Paste Anywhere boy and find the other sketches that are on the poster. I count about 30 from the poster that haven't shown up.

Why are you assuming that I feel unopened boxes will jump in price and hence that is the reason I have left them that way?  Actually, I do want to see what sketches I have but I don't feel like having a pile of extra box contents around.  I kill boxes as I sell the contents ie as I sell the "unopened pack" sets, I then kill boxes to meet that demand.  Lately, I have sold very little box contents.  If you want to prebuy the nonsketch contents of 5 of my boxes for $30 per box, I will kill the 5 boxes and if I pull the Paste Anyplace color, I promise to sell it to you for your posted offer price.

[BumChex]

Why are you assuming that I feel unopened boxes will jump in price and hence that is the reason I have left them that way?  Actually, I do want to see what sketches I have but I don't feel like having a pile of extra box contents around.  I kill boxes as I sell the contents ie as I sell the "unopened pack" sets, I then kill boxes to meet that demand.  Lately, I have sold very little box contents.  If you want to prebuy the nonsketch contents of 5 of my boxes for $30 per box, I will kill the 5 boxes and if I pull the Paste Anyplace color, I promise to sell it to you for your posted offer price.

Sorry, I didn't mean to direct this to you. It's just that I don't understand keeping the boxes sealed at this point when then the sketches are getting so much attention. I understand the collecting mentality but, now, times have changed withe the chase cards. With eBay, people think they have to keep packages closed for future value but in reality people want vintage stuff not stuff they can buy today. eBay has created a monster with collectors and thinking everything should be saves in shrink wrap condition. That is everyones prerogative  what they want to do but when something is hot you have to sell it now. I have 30 ANS1 boxes sealed and I will be lucky to break even on them. How about the other ANS boxes? What about the flashback boxes? People are on to what is collectable. This is just another wacky series and the sketches are king! You can do what ever you want with your boxes but I am just saying this is the time to sell. My opinion. We all collect for different reasons so my approach is different from other collectors.

[Plan 9]

Sorry, I didn't mean to direct this to you. It's just that I don't understand keeping the boxes sealed at this point when then the sketches are getting so much attention. I understand the collecting mentality but, now, times have changed withe the chase cards. With eBay, people think they have to keep packages closed for future value but in reality people want vintage stuff not stuff they can buy today. eBay has created a monster with collectors and thinking everything should be saves in shrink wrap condition. That is everyones prerogative  what they want to do but when something is hot you have to sell it now. I have 30 ANS1 boxes sealed and I will be lucky to break even on them. How about the other ANS boxes? What about the flashback boxes? People are on to what is collectable. This is just another wacky series and the sketches are king! You can do what ever you want with your boxes but I am just saying this is the time to sell. My opinion. We all collect for different reasons so my approach is different from other collectors.

Anyone who buys over 250 boxes of Old School shouldn't be questioning the seemingly irrational collecting habits of others. I can't make the slightest sense of what you've been doing.

[BumChex]

Anyone who buys over 250 boxes of Old School shouldn't be questioning the seemingly irrational collecting habits of others. I can't make the slightest sense of what you've been doing.

Fair question, there are certain sketches that I want as keepers. I haves pulled a few that I wanted to keep but couldn't justify it because of the prices these unique sketches demand now! I love pulling these amazing sketches and any profits have been reinvested in more boxes. I love getting the great pulls. It makes it exciting. I am now down $200 with all the pulling and selling over the last 2 months. I have an almost complete set of b&w common sketches, missing the cow, for only $200. Plus I have another 26 boxes coming in that is included in my total investment. Would I love to keep all the sketches I have pulled? Yes, but I am driven to pull the card I really want. That is why I said everyone collects for a reason. If you told me I could get a full set of common sketches for $200 I would have thought you were totally crazy.

[BumChex]

Marc bought 72

[BumChex]

Now up to 1121

Don't want to lose track of where the count is.

[bandaches]

Anyone who buys over 250 boxes of Old School shouldn't be questioning the seemingly irrational collecting habits of others. I can't make the slightest sense of what you've been doing.

He is doing what the "gold" seekers were doing but at least he is chasing sketches which seem to have more "true" value given that they are in effect art from Jay Lynch and of characters we are cherish.  I don't buy his argument that the few people who are supporting these high prices for color sketches are suddenly going to lose interest and prices will fall.  It made sense that prices fell on the golds because ones the "market makers" got their complete sets, they stopped running up the prices.  With color sketches, each new color pull is new and hence those folks in theory will want them to the end of time.

[wackyone]

3 boxes here..and i wish i only bought 1....

[Kook]

Now up to 1121

Don't want to lose track of where the count is.

I'm in for 53

[Dr Popper]

We are up to 1006

I believe I got in 15 boxes total.

[Liptorn]

I bought 11 boxes total.
First pre-ordered 7 boxes, pulled a Nitwit sketch that I sold for $225, so that almost paid for those original boxes. Then I took $200 of that sale and bought 4 more boxes at the regular price, pulled another Nitwit, which I didn't care to keep, sold that one for $225 as well, and called it a day.

[BumChex]

ScaryLee bought 221 boxes.

[BumChex]

Up to 1,424 boxes so far. We are up to 40% of the market.

[Bigmuc13]

ScaryLee bought 221 boxes.

Holy crap!  Isn't that something like 9 G's?  I hope ha had some good pulls for the sketch cards.  I know he got the kissing one.  Did John pull any color sketches?  I would think with that many boxes he had to have a few of them.

[BustedFinger]

Holy crap!  Isn't that something like 9 G's?  I hope ha had some good pulls for the sketch cards.  I know he got the kissing one.  Did John pull any color sketches?  I would think with that many boxes he had to have a few of them.

I think John said that he did not pull any color sketches.

[BumChex]

Holy crap!  Isn't that something like 9 G's?  I hope ha had some good pulls for the sketch cards.  I know he got the kissing one.  Did John pull any color sketches?  I would think with that many boxes he had to have a few of them.

I opened 282 boxes. What a ride!

[Buz]

I bought three -- that was enough for me, since the cheaper sketches seem plentiful.

[Sunstroke]

I bought 3

[BumChex]

I bought three -- that was enough for me, since the cheaper sketches seem plentiful.

Like in Willy Wonka when the teacher is trying to figure out percentages of bars found " 3....300? No just 3... Well I can't figure that out" 

[Plan 9]

He is doing what the "gold" seekers were doing but at least he is chasing sketches which seem to have more "true" value given that they are in effect art from Jay Lynch and of characters we are cherish.  I don't buy his argument that the few people who are supporting these high prices for color sketches are suddenly going to lose interest and prices will fall.  It made sense that prices fell on the golds because ones the "market makers" got their complete sets, they stopped running up the prices.  With color sketches, each new color pull is new and hence those folks in theory will want them to the end of time.

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to say that thanks to most of the Old School boxes getting bought up by a select few old guys, in 30 years when they're all dead the Old School series will be largely forgotten and there will be more sketch cards on the market than there are grains of sand on the planet. Sketches are not art. Only a very few coloreds are the exception. They're disposable doodles that are being confused with art. The beloved characters can be rendered by Jay for far less than $1200. Meanwhile, the real art slips by at a fraction of it's true value. Alas, in 30 years some of the kids that collected ANS will remember those hard to find gold border stickers and pay $$$ for them.

I don't know why you would think collectors are keeping color sketches til the end of time. Around here they don't even keep them til the end of lunch.

[bandaches]

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to say that thanks to most of the Old School boxes getting bought up by a select few old guys, in 30 years when they're all dead the Old School series will be largely forgotten and there will be more sketch cards on the market than there are grains of sand on the planet. Sketches are not art. Only a very few coloreds are the exception. They're disposable doodles that are being confused with art. The beloved characters can be rendered by Jay for far less than $1200. Meanwhile, the real art slips by at a fraction of it's true value. Alas, in 30 years some of the kids that collected ANS will remember those hard to find gold border stickers and pay $$$ for them.

I don't know why you would think collectors are keeping color sketches til the end of time. Around here they don't even keep them til the end of lunch.

The kids who would chase "gold borders" would then certainly remember flashbacks and hence the original series characters from those titles which of course is what many of the sketches represent.  Makes no sense that you think in 20 years, kids of today will chase gold borders instead of sketches.  I am not convinced they will chase either to be honest but no way do I see gold borders being more attractive than character sketches.

As for referring to sketches as disposbale doodles, I am surprised you would degrade it that way considering you are an artist. 

I have to say I am not a fan of the fact that Jay does all sketches on commision basis.  It seems to water down the attractiveness and uniqueness of getting sketches.  Does he have some special permission from Topps to do this? 

If he at least reserved certain characters for "topps issued products" and some for his commission basis, then there would be less conflict in that regard.

[Plan 9]

I think the legality of drawing Wacky characters is like any other re-creation. As long as you're selling the original drawing it's legal. As soon as you reprint it, copyright law steps in. I could legally repaint Ajerx 100 times and sell them as long as I don't publish them.

[JasonLiebig]

I think the legality of drawing Wacky characters is like any other re-creation. As long as you're selling the original drawing it's legal. As soon as you reprint it, copyright law steps in. I could legally repaint Ajerx 100 times and sell them as long as I don't publish them.

Plan,

This certainly seems to be the way things are treated.  Go to any comic convention and folks are doing sketches of characters owned by Marvel and DC, and some have even gone so far as to do cover re-creations.   That said, I'd GUESS that under the law, Marvel or DC or any rights holder could technically swoop down and stop people from making money using their property.   

The way it's typically treated (meaning, no one seems to care) would make one think it falls under fair use... but under the law I'll bet once it's on paper, and you've sold it to someone else, you've TECHNICALLY crossed the line.  Or maybe it's like a cover band and a live performance.  Though, unlike a drawing, a live performance is temporary... a drawing is not. 

Not that it really matters, as whether it's technically legal or not - no one is going to go after Jay or any other artist, for selling drawings of whatever they like.   Still, I'd be curious to know how the law defines these things. 

[Hustler08]

I opened 282 boxes. What a ride!

I bought 31 + 1 the LAST Box they had on there Yesterday!!for a split second - now they are out...Did you ever get the colored Paste it kid?? Anymore "exotic" sketches??

 

[BumChex]

I bought 31 + 1 the LAST Box they had on there Yesterday!!for a split second - now they are out...Did you ever get the colored Paste it kid?? Anymore "exotic" sketches??

 

I only got one exotic and I posted it in the registry. No color Paste anywhere boy. Where the hell is he?