Vintage Unopened Wax Packs: Good or Bad? 27 June 2004---- As a vintage collector, there's an inherent thrill to finding or buying some old packs of cards. I mean, what greater thrill is there than liberating some cardboard that hasn't seen the light of day in 20 years or more? I recently purchased some unopened Space: 1999 cards, and when they arrived, the waxpacks were perfect. No rips, corners pristine...you couldn't ask for a better scenario for cards that had been sealed since 1976. Then, I started to open them... The first thing I notice? Ugly, brown corner stains...and they're stuck together. Peeling them off, one by one in the first pack, I finally discover the fossilized remains of what could once have been called "bubble gum" in the loosest terms. The oil or preservatives had taken their toll, and spread throughout all 10 cards in the pack. Ok, these are shot. Maybe that was just this one. Yeah, that's it...the rest of 'em won't be this way. On to pack #2. Same scenario. Matter of fact, ALL 30 packs were in this condition. Well, so much for my big, rare purchase. In this case, the cards were much better left as items of curiosity, and left IN the pack, never again seeing light. So, is there a benefit to sealed vintage packs? Certainly! I've opened countless Raiders, E.T., Close Encounters, Alien, etc. waxpacks, with excellent results. I'm thinking it's all in the way the cards are stored. If waxpacks are stored in an excessive heat environment, such as an attic, then yes...the gum's going to destroy the cards. But, kept in relatively temperate climates, I'm pretty sure they'll keep just fine, with maybe the exception being the first card that the gum has been in contact with. The only problem with NOT opening them, is just that...it KILLS me to let them stay sealed! As a liberator of loose cards, I feel that leaving them sealed just doesn't do them justice. I mean, this is a peek back into time. A look at the crudity of cards back in the 70's and 80's, with their imperfect cuts, cheesy text, horrible centering. It's priceless! And the memories come rushing back..... Until next time! --Neal Giordano © 2004-2005 Trader's Outpost. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED