Best to keep Tiffany sets sealed? Or break them up?

[crazy4kinsler]

Feb. 12 Edit
I've decided to sell as sealed sets. And I've got a $2,000 shipped offer on Facebook. My question is how do I protect myself? I just don't want them to go missing or to have the seller get them, the tracking not update then I'm out sets and money. I'm going to be using UPS with $2,000 insurance and adult signature confirmation. Is that the best way to protect myself? Or is there another way?


Feb. 11 Original Post
I picked up some Tiffany sets in a collection I purchased (the same collection that had the framed football jersey cards from 2000 LCM Heritage Collection for those that saw my football post). All of these sets are still factory sealed, and the base sets come with the cardboard box they came in.

The sets are 1987 Topps + Traded Tiffany, (2x) 1988 Topps + Traded Tiffany and 1989 Topps + Traded Tiffany. So my question is would it be more wise to sell them as complete sets? Or break them up and sell by team? Or possibly graded some stars/HOFers? I hear a lot of the Tiffany singles are off-centered. Not sure I want to take that chance. Just looking for opinions before I list them out for sale.


Another question. If the consensus is to sell as complete sets, would it be wise to send to BBCE to have them authenticate them? There seems to be some added value (about 25%) if they're BBCE wrapped. Would I have to pay for shipping to send them to BBCE? I'm guessing I wouldn't have to pay shipping back. But if I have to pay either way, it might be like $50 to ship. So I've got to consider that too. Primarily looking for options/opinions.

And yes, they will be for sale once I figure out best way.

[Archangel1775]

Sets for sure. You would be pouring hundreds, maybe thousand of dollars into grading and that's only if the set isn't off-centered.

[crazy4kinsler]

I wouldn't grade many, if any. Maybe the key RCs. I was mainly going to break the sets into team lots and sell them that way if possible.

Originally Posted by Archangel1775

Sets for sure. You would be pouring hundreds, maybe thousand of dollars into grading and that's only if the set isn't off-centered.

[crazy4kinsler]

Any other advice/tips? Not sure if going straight to eBay/Blowout to sell or to BBCE to wrap. Thoughts?

[smanzari]

Depends on the amount of work you want to put in. These are pretty liquid for 80s cards, whether you grind and sell singles, lots or just flip the sets. No need to get them authenticated and wrapped, even if the seals were broken I would not recommend.

[MSU Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by crazy4kinsler

I wouldn't grade many, if any. Maybe the key RCs. I was mainly going to break the sets into team lots and sell them that way if possible.

1988 set does not have any key rookies other than Tom Glavin.

I say keep it sealed. It could possible be bricked.

[crazy4kinsler]

Yea, I think I'm going to keep at least 1 of them sealed from that year. The base set + Traded goes for close to $500 for the pair. So I will probably just do that. I may sell off 1 of each for now and hold the other. Also have 1987 Topps + Traded and 1989 Topps + Traded.

Originally Posted by MSU Bulldogs

1988 set does not have any key rookies other than Tom Glavin.

I say keep it sealed. It could possible be bricked.

[nbahobbyaddict]

I would keep it sealed.

[towerymt]

I've broken a few Glossy / Tiffany sets for the purpose of grading. Sometimes you get lucky and hit on centering, sometimes you don't. Sometimes they have surface issues, so even if centered....not worth grading.

Corners have almost always been good on the sets I've opened.

'88 Score R/T Glossy -- off center (9s on Alomar & Biggio) Dud
'88 Fleer Glossy & Fleer Update Glossy -- off center (Smoltz got an 8, Edgar Martinez got an 8) Dud.
'89 Bowman Tiffany -- Griffey was o/c, got an 8. But Edgar Martinez gem'd and paid for the whole set! I bought two of these under $400ea, so a long time ago.
'89 Topps Tiffany x2 -- neither had a Smoltz worth grading, but one had a Randy Johnson that gem'd, sold for something like $1700-1900 out of a set that cost ~$300
'91 Topps -- Chipper wasn't grade'able, but gem'd a couple of cards like a Frank Thomas and one other, I think Maddux? 9s on Griffeys, Nolan Ryan, couple others. Still came out ahead.
'91 Topps Traded Tiffany -- 9s on both I-Rod & Bagwell. Dud.

Bonus -- non-glossy-tiffany:
'99 Topps Chrome Traded -- CC's all have been O/C

Mixed results. You'll need to check asking prices + sale prices on cards you could end up with, 10s and 9s, and factor in grading cost, and risk you're willing to take.

'87/'88/'89 Topps Tiffany aren't worth a whole lot sealed so I would break them for sure.

When I had two '91 Tiffany and two '89 Bowman Tiffany sets, I only broke one, and I sold the other after they had gone up (was buying pre-HOF for some like Griffey & Chipper)

Good luck!

[cardsin47]

Sealed

[rudan007]

I've broken 15-20 tiffany sets the last few years with mix results. Some sets have many off centered cards, while others have yellowing with the gloss. Also, PSA slab value has decreased last year or so. Best to sell them sealed. Out of 1987 to 89, 1989 has a premium and may have the added value to get BBCE seal. 1984-86, 1989-91 are the higher demand sets. Print runs were higher for 87 and 88 but slowed down in 1989.

[sheetskout]

Sealed for sure.

[crazy4kinsler]

Thanks everyone. I'm just going to keep them sealed. No need to break them up. I was going to break them up and pull and the Rangers team sets for my PC as I don't have any Tiffany in my Rangers PC. But I think it's better to just sell as a sealed set and buy the Rangers team sets, lol. So thanks for the advice.

[towerymt]

Originally Posted by crazy4kinsler

Thanks everyone. I'm just going to keep them sealed. No need to break them up. I was going to break them up and pull and the Rangers team sets for my PC as I don't have any Tiffany in my Rangers PC. But I think it's better to just sell as a sealed set and buy the Rangers team sets, lol. So thanks for the advice.

If you want any Rangers out of the sets I listed above just let me know, send me a PM. More than likely, you can have them for near-free + shipping.

[Tom Oates]

I previously sold a 1988 set on eBay. The gold seal was intact. During shipment, due to the weight, and bouncing around the USPS, the seal broke in transit. Keep in mind that these gold foil seals are 36 years old now and brittle. If you are going to ship to BBCE and then a buyer, there is a good chance the seal will get broken somewhere along the line. Maybe try wrapping the middle of the box where the seal is at in saran wrap to hold it in place? I had to eat the shipping on my failed transaction and then added the set to my sportlots store as singles and did quite well. It was a long process to break even.

[Nostalgia]

Sealed, probably. But a '89 traded Griffey in a 10 is tempting.

[zworykin]

Originally Posted by Tom Oates

I previously sold a 1988 set on eBay. The gold seal was intact. During shipment, due to the weight, and bouncing around the USPS, the seal broke in transit. Keep in mind that these gold foil seals are 36 years old now and brittle. If you are going to ship to BBCE and then a buyer, there is a good chance the seal will get broken somewhere along the line. Maybe try wrapping the middle of the box where the seal is at in saran wrap to hold it in place? I had to eat the shipping on my failed transaction and then added the set to my sportlots store as singles and did quite well. It was a long process to break even.

Wrap some paper around the seal before the saran wrap, though.

[crazy4kinsler]

The sets are in their original cardboard boxes. So they probably don't need to be wrapped. I'll just use some painter's tape on the cardboard box. I might wrap each one in bubble wrap before putting them in the mail.

Originally Posted by zworykin

Wrap some paper around the seal before the saran wrap, though.

[PeteD]

'87 Topps Tiffany Bo Jackson Future Stars rc* PSA 10 will get you close to $1K.

[SleepyWill]

Depending on if you've already broken even or not, I would sent to BBCE and have them authenticated and sealed. I've purchased many, many Tiffany 87-89's from eBay and have mixed results at best getting gems on the key rookies.

Realistically it just comes down to how much time you want to sink into this, personally I would be fine sealing them and selling as is. Lower risk than cracking open and praying you 9/10 certain cards.

[crazy4kinsler]

I've decided to sell as sealed sets. And I've got a $2,000 shipped offer on Facebook. My question is how do I protect myself? I just don't want them to go missing or to have the seller get them, the tracking not update then I'm out sets and money. I'm going to be using UPS with $2,000 insurance and adult signature confirmation. Is that the best way to protect myself? Or is there another way?

[f2tornado]

Originally Posted by crazy4kinsler

My question is how do I protect myself?

If you're that concerned, use Registered Mail. They won't lose it.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by crazy4kinsler

I've decided to sell as sealed sets. And I've got a $2,000 shipped offer on Facebook. My question is how do I protect myself? I just don't want them to go missing or to have the seller get them, the tracking not update then I'm out sets and money. I'm going to be using UPS with $2,000 insurance and adult signature confirmation. Is that the best way to protect myself? Or is there another way?

The absolute must is a requiring a signature for that amount, which you already noted you’re doing. It’s required for $750+ transactions on most platforms.

If you’re worried about it being lost or not scanned delivered, the insurance doesn’t hurt. If you do registered mail as suggested above just keep in mind that is snail mail…could take AWHILE to get delivered, up to 2+ weeks, but they say it’s one of the safest ways. I don’t do transactions on FB, but try to gauge the buyer and their reputation. If this was ebay I’d be looking at their feedback left for others etc.

[DynaEtch]

You can look at the possibilities that can go wrong, in turn:

Package lost in transit: generally covered by insurance

Package delivered to buyer but not scanned delivered:
-case 1: buyer is honest: doesn’t matter
-case 2: buyer is not honest: should be covered by insurance if you actually end up out the money

Package delivered to different address: requiring a sig should totally prevent this, but not 100% of the time if driver/carrier ignores it or signs themselves
-case 1: address is still in same zip code as buyer: you are generally covered as a seller in this case
-case 2: outside zip code of buyer (rare): insurance probably covers that if you somehow end up out the money

Buyer attempts CC chargeback post receipt with a delivered scan: you’d think CC company wouldn’t just allow that with a delivery scan- you provide the necessary proof- but they do sometimes side with buyers even in these cases, which is ridiculous. If this was ebay, ebay does have seller protections for just this scenario. I am not certain how much PayPal protects, you’d have to look into it.

Buyer claims it’s not as described or even claims it’s a bunch of common junk wax base cards (very rare to happen): this is always a possibility and cannot be prevented. Videotaping yourself packaging up the contents is not proof. You can never be sure a buyer won’t attempt this. This is why it helps to gauge buyer’s reputation.

[crazy4kinsler]

I checked his eBay feedback. And I gave him mine too. And he's been in the group for a while. Not new. So I think that's a good sign. I wound up diong adult signature and $2,000 insurance, so I should be covered (I hope).

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

The absolute must is a requiring a signature for that amount, which you already noted you’re doing. It’s required for $750+ transactions on most platforms.

If you’re worried about it being lost or not scanned delivered, the insurance doesn’t hurt. If you do registered mail as suggested above just keep in mind that is snail mail…could take AWHILE to get delivered, up to 2+ weeks, but they say it’s one of the safest ways. I don’t do transactions on FB, but try to gauge the buyer and their reputation. If this was ebay I’d be looking at their feedback left for others etc.