Wacky Packages Forum

Wacky Packages Discussion => General Wacky Packages Discussion => Topic started by: Yubum on February 19, 2021, 02:45:34 PM

Title: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Yubum on February 19, 2021, 02:45:34 PM
As a kid I was never fortunate enough to open an original series Wacky Pack (the stickers that hooked me were the 1979 reruns), but I know there are many "unopened" packs still available on eBay. For those who have opened original series packs in the last decade or so, are at least one of the stickers (and puzzle piece) almost guaranteed to be gum/wax stained? My guess is anyone buying these vintage original series packs, even if they are truly unopened, will be lucky to get even one sticker in nice (ideally NM) condition if they crack that wrapper. Am I right?
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Paul_Maul on February 19, 2021, 03:12:02 PM
For packs from series 3-13, the puzzle piece is always against the wax seal, so you would rather have the glossy side facing out (as the wax can be removed). But yes, unless the storage conditions were  immaculate, there will generally be a gum stain on the sticker facing out the front.
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: bigtomi on February 19, 2021, 03:15:06 PM
Others here can probably answer your questions better than I, but I feel bad you never had the thrill, so here's an inexpensive way to experience opening a pack. (http://www.wackypackages.org/miscellaneous/openapack)
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: lucidjc on February 19, 2021, 03:18:16 PM
Others here can probably answer your questions better than I, but I feel bad you never had the thrill, so here's an inexpensive way to experience opening a pack. (http://www.wackypackages.org/miscellaneous/openapack)

DAMN IT!  I just got burned. Only 1 sticker in the pack I just opened. Just like in real life, my first pack of wackys only had 1 sticker.


jim
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Paul_Maul on February 19, 2021, 03:27:05 PM
Others here can probably answer your questions better than I, but I feel bad you never had the thrill, so here's an inexpensive way to experience opening a pack. (http://www.wackypackages.org/miscellaneous/openapack)

It doesn’t follow the knight’s move!! 😡
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: bandaches on February 19, 2021, 05:03:35 PM
DAMN IT!  I just got burned. Only 1 sticker in the pack I just opened. Just like in real life, my first pack of wackys only had 1 sticker.


jim
what series?
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Yubum on February 19, 2021, 05:10:21 PM
Others here can probably answer your questions better than I, but I feel bad you never had the thrill, so here's an inexpensive way to experience opening a pack. (http://www.wackypackages.org/miscellaneous/openapack)

Awesome link. I got an Iron ons and a smell ecch with nary a gumstain to be seen!
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Yubum on February 19, 2021, 05:12:52 PM
For packs from series 3-13, the puzzle piece is always against the wax seal, so you would rather have the glossy side facing out (as the wax can be removed). But yes, unless the storage conditions were  immaculate, there will generally be a gum stain on the sticker facing out the front.

What about series 15 packs? And is the front or back of the sticker normally in contact with the gum?
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: lucidjc on February 19, 2021, 05:37:33 PM
what series?

Series 3 was the first pack of wackys I ever opened. I just opened a series 3 (cause it was my first) and got 1 sticker. Crackola was my first pull.

Jim
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Paul_Maul on February 19, 2021, 05:39:51 PM
What about series 15 packs? And is the front or back of the sticker normally in contact with the gum?

It varies. I opened a 15th series box years ago, that one had the white back of the sticker against the wax seal and the checklist against the gum. For some reason the white backed series seem to sometimes have stickers against the seal, but the tan back series generally do not. I believe 16ths usually have the puzzle piece against the gum also.
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: freetoes on February 19, 2021, 08:09:14 PM
Others here can probably answer your questions better than I, but I feel bad you never had the thrill, so here's an inexpensive way to experience opening a pack. (http://www.wackypackages.org/miscellaneous/openapack)

Thanks for posting this, Tom. I'd forgotten about that simulator. I opened one 13th, and got a Vampirella--one of only two stickers I was missing back then. Icicle was the other.

Edit: I tried seven die-cut packs and got two Cracked Animals cards.
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: MoldRush on February 20, 2021, 01:37:44 AM
In the late 90’s I assembled my 15th set almost entirely from packs, so that gave me a lot of experience with the “aged gum” issue you’re asking about.  The gum was originally coated with powdered sugar which made it less sticky, which may or may not hold up over time, depending on how the packs are stored.  I got lucky - in nearly every pack, the sticker facing the gum was unaffected.  In some cases the gum faced the back of a sticker and that was more likely to leave a slight imprint.  The glossiness of the sticker fronts seemed to make the gum less likely to stick.

Conversely, in a later experience with a full GPK box, the results were not as good.  But in that case it’s 5 stickers to a pack I think, so even under the worst circumstances it only affects 20% of the stickers, as opposed to potentially 50% of Wackys.
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: Slaytex99 on February 21, 2021, 07:19:08 AM
Haha, loved opening the packs.  But I have to remind myself not to open too many late at night.  Was dreaming about wackys all night.  ;D
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: ToadallyDude on March 24, 2021, 01:10:25 PM
...so that gave me a lot of experience with the “aged gum” issue you’re asking about...

Somewhere in my archives, I have a video of Paul A. opening a vintage pack and actually eating the old gum on a TV show.  Needless to say, he did not enjoy the experience.  It was on VHS, and I don't think I ever digitized it.  I think I have a clip of video from the preview of the Guernsey auction, too.  And maybe a couple TV commercials with Wackys.  Not sure how much of that weird stuff I still have as I haven't gone through the boxes in a while.  But I should probably pass some of it along to the NEW gatekeepers of Wacky trivia out there.  Once this "pandammit" is completely over, I'm hoping to get over to my stack of boxes and totally down-size.  Too many un-related collectables I have no interest in anymore.  Gotta get down to the bare minimum... Wackys & StarWars. 
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: mikecho on March 24, 2021, 01:34:32 PM
Somewhere in my archives, I have a video of Paul A. opening a vintage pack and actually eating the old gum on a TV show.  Needless to say, he did not enjoy the experience.  It was on VHS, and I don't think I ever digitized it.  I think I have a clip of video from the preview of the Guernsey auction, too.  And maybe a couple of TV commercials with Wackys.  Not sure how much of that weird stuff I still have as I haven't gone through the boxes in a while.  But I should probably pass some of it along to the NEW gatekeepers of Wacky trivia out there.  Once this "pandammit" is completely over, I'm hoping to get over to my stack of boxes and totally down-size.  Too many un-related collectables I have no interest in anymore.  Gotta get down to the bare minimum...Wackys & Star Wars.
Do you remember if those couple of TV commercials were the ones from 2004, when they brought Wackys back?
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: BustedFinger on March 25, 2021, 09:21:46 AM
Somewhere in my archives, I have a video of Paul A. opening a vintage pack and actually eating the old gum on a TV show.  Needless to say, he did not enjoy the experience. 
I took a small bite of a piece of '79 reprint gum.  It kind of dissolved instantly in my mouth and tasted like old stale cardboard (or at least what my mind thought that old stale cardboard would taste like).
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: MoldRush on March 30, 2021, 08:24:33 PM
I don’t remember which thread this was on, but remember the guy who claimed to have some full 1st Series boxes, claiming his father or some other relative worked for Topps back then?  He pumped Ernie for information but never followed up with the forum in general, denying everyone a chance to make offers?  The current issue of Non-Sport Update reports that a full 1st Series box went for $49,000 via Heritage Auctions this past fall.  Not sure if everyone here already knew about this, but I would venture to guess that this is our mystery man.  A cool $1,000 per pack, insane. 
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: bandaches on March 30, 2021, 09:09:58 PM
I don’t remember which thread this was on, but remember the guy who claimed to have some full 1st Series boxes, claiming his father or some other relative worked for Topps back then?  He pumped Ernie for information but never followed up with the forum in general, denying everyone a chance to make offers?  The current issue of Non-Sport Update reports that a full 1st Series box went for $49,000 via Heritage Auctions this past fall.  Not sure if everyone here already knew about this, but I would venture to guess that this is our mystery man.  A cool $1,000 per pack, insane.
I thought this was posted here already but yes, a box sold on Heritage for nearly $50k.  The guy that came here claims he hasn't sold any of this boxes but I don't believe him because he made up some bizarre excuse for not wanting to sell his box and then he suddenly stopped responding after the heritage auction.  His excuse was about fearing the stock market would crash hence he didn't want to sell.  Heritage auction presented a box as the "only one" known in existence so if it was the seller here, he allowed the Heritage auction to run based on a lie he knew was not true.
Title: Re: Opening Original Series Wacky Packs
Post by: ToadallyDude on April 18, 2021, 01:18:14 AM
Hey Ernie... wasn't there a guy years ago who also claimed to have a full CASE of each series in his warehouse?  1 thru 16.  I remember something about a guy like that talking to more than one of the collectors about it, and everyone freaking out about who knew what, and not sharing the person's name, and then eventually it just evaporated.  The partial case of 16th series, though, was real if I remember.   I think I bought one of those full boxes years ago.  But can't remember if I traded it or opened the packs.  I wasn't a fan of opening anything vintage, so I can't see myself doing that.  But we were all running around trying to put together extra runs of 1-16 for fun, so who knows.  But a lot did get opened, otherwise no one would have finished their runs with what little 16th was floating around at the time.