The disease is back

[Stealth1]

Just joined the site after having not opened a pack of cards in probably close to 8 years. I still haven't opened anything but my father has been a long time collector and asked for cards for Christmas so I bought him 2 boxes of artifacts and pulled some pretty decent stuff, 6/10 Niemi and some other low numbered jersey cards.

After watching him open the boxes I've really been wanting to get some boxes and open them. I actually am not a big hockey fan at all and couldn't tell you who half the new players are but I just love breaking open packs and the surprise of getting something limited or rare.

So with that said I am a bit torn on what to do, I am mainly looking at 10/11 Artifacts or SPGU. Essentially for every box of SPGU I can get 2 boxes of Artifacts and have been impressed with some of the pulls my dad made and others online have made. Although the top hits don't seem to have as much value it seems to be a more consistent product for hits. What do you think?

Second question is how often do people make their money back from boxes? I know I will have to argue with my father who likes to keep every single card but sometimes you have to sell off some good stuff while it's hot. Obviously if you can keep cards for 20+ years the value usually sky rockets as long there is a buyer.

[RGM81]

First of all, welcome back to the hobby and a huge welcome to SCF!

In my opinion, and you can take it for what it's worth, I'd go with a couple boxes of Upper Deck Series 1 or Panini Certified instead of either Artifacts or SPGU. UD1's Young Guns will hold more value over time, and I'm just a bit biased towards Certified because it's been a great product to me.

It's pretty tough to get a full return on a box these days. Unless you hit one of the top rookie cards or a low-numbered insert/auto/memorabilia card of a hobby darling, chances are you're going to come out with a bit of a loss. That said, the primary goal of busting boxes is fun and getting the cards that you like. So while a P.K. Subban RC may not quite pay for the box on its own, it's still a pretty darn good card to have...if you're a Habs fan. LOL

Have fun!

[afholmes87]

Richard nailed it on the head almost 100% here, but in all reality they only way you can really hope to turn a profit is to buy a product on release day and get the cards on ebay ASAP. Cards tend to stay hot for anywhere from a few days to maybe a week, after that you tend to see a significant drop off. Case in point, when 2010/2011 UD Series 1 first came out a Taylor Hall Young Guns RC was selling for around $60-$70. Now, almost 2 months after the product release, they've settled around the $40-$45 mark. In all honesty though you are never guaranteed to make any money back on a box as it truly is hit or miss. Unless you're pulling a short printed card of one of today's NHL stars(Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos) chances of making your money back are slim to none. If you're looking to break boxes for fun though, I'd go with Upper Deck Series 1, In The Game is releasing Heroes & Prospects soon which is always fun as well, and Upper Deck's SPx is coming out shortly which is a solid product, in my opinion.

[centrehice]

I would say that people make their money back on 1 in every 10 boxes they buy. The Cup? Take those odds and triple them.

The best ROI at the moment is say a 99-00 Prism or Dynagon Ice Hobby Boxes, they can be purchased for $9.00. They still contain Gretzky and 15 other HOFers ridiculously short printed at 199 and much less.

Bargoons galore in the 90's, but not so from 2003 onward.

[Stealth1]

First of all, welcome back to the hobby and a huge welcome to SCF!

In my opinion, and you can take it for what it's worth, I'd go with a couple boxes of Upper Deck Series 1 or Panini Certified instead of either Artifacts or SPGU. UD1's Young Guns will hold more value over time, and I'm just a bit biased towards Certified because it's been a great product to me.

It's pretty tough to get a full return on a box these days. Unless you hit one of the top rookie cards or a low-numbered insert/auto/memorabilia card of a hobby darling, chances are you're going to come out with a bit of a loss. That said, the primary goal of busting boxes is fun and getting the cards that you like. So while a P.K. Subban RC may not quite pay for the box on its own, it's still a pretty darn good card to have...if you're a Habs fan. LOL

Have fun!

Thanks for the reply, it's good to be back although I can already picture my bank account getting lower and lower.

I appreciate the input, my only problem with the UDS1 stuff is that it doesn't offer alot of limited number stuff I think and that's what I really like pulling. Definitely more packs per dollar which is nice but I hate opening packs with all base cards, not fun for me. The certified stuff looks interesting, i'll have to look at some more breaks as i've been looking at all the Artifacts and SPGU ones lately. The boxes seem to deliver and the 8-box case is a good mid-price point so you don't have to get a full 16-box case at once like the artifacts stuff.

I don't expect to make my money back often but it would be nice to pull a sick hit and throw it on ebay to get back more than what the box would cost...that would be satisfying for me even if it only happens once in awhile.

[England]

Certified or Limited is where I would go if I were you. These have been good breaks for everyone listed pretty well, but I have seen some shambles SPGU, and at double the price (almost), you can get two of the Panini boxes.

[Stealth1]

Ah, now you guys have me second guessing! What is a good inexpensive (under $50) box to break? Debating on ordering 4 Artifacts or 4 Certified + some lower end boxes.

[afholmes87]

O-Pee-Chee is a fun break, not sure if you can get it for under $50 in Canada, but on blowoutcards.com they have it listed at 49.99...

[gatesnapper]

welcome aboard, you will like it here. The bug bit me back in september.

I am partial to Certified. I love the parallels. most people don't, but for team collecting it is fun. especially with the number of products out now, it is easy to focus on a select few.

I like O-Pee-Chee. The feel of the cards and simple designs of the Retro Paralells this year look and feel awesome. The base is pretty plain. you can't go wrong with the price either.

[Stealth1]

Pretty close to pulling the trigger on 4 boxes of artifacts and 1 UDS1