Opening wax packs of baseball cards is one of the classic hobbies for baseball fans young and old. Stretching back to the late 1800s when cards were first placed in cigarette packs as incentives and promotions, the tradition of finding hidden treasures inside wax paper wrappers has stood the test of time.
Whether it’s a current year pack from Topps, Upper Deck, Leaf or another manufacturer, or vintage packs from the golden era of the late 1950s through the 1980s, the anticipation and excitement of not knowing what awaits inside is part of what makes the hobby so appealing. There is a child-like sense of wonder opening each pack, with the dream of finding a prized rookie card, star player, or even a rare error or one-of-one variation hiding inside the thin cardboard and wax paper wrapper.
For current packs sold in stores, the packaging has evolved over the decades but still retains the basic design first popularized by Topps in the late 1950s. Cards are sealed inside a thin wax paper wrapper, with the front design and year advertising what’s to be found inside. For vintage wax from the golden era of cards in the 1950s-1980s, collectors and investors alike seek out original wax packs still sealed and in pristine condition to preserve the history and experience opening them when first released decades ago. Sealed wax packs can fetch significant sums on the collecting marketplace.
The process of carefully opening a wax pack without damaging the cards inside takes practiced skill. Collectors will often use scissors to gently cut one end of the wax paper wrapper to start, then slowly peel it back to reveal the first few cards inside without tearing the thin paper. It’s important to go slowly, as the brittle wax paper can tear easily after decades of storage when packaging from the 1950s-1970s.
Some collectors enjoy the suspense of going one card at a time, sliding each out individually to examine fronts and backs before moving to the next. Others prefer to quickly remove all cards in one fell swoop and do a thorough inspection of the entire package contents at once on a table surface. Either way, the anticipation builds with each new card revealed in the process.
Inside a typical modern wax pack, collectors can expect to find anywhere from 5-12 or more cardboard trading cards featuring images of current Major League ballplayers on the front. Each card’s back will contain player stats, career highlights and occasionally inserts with added information or photography. The cardboard stock and physical dimensions of the cards have changed over the years but generally range from 2.5×3.5 inches up to the modern 3.5×5 inches.
In addition to the base cards are where collectors hope to find chase cards like parallels, autographs, memorabilia cards with game-used materials, or short print cards inserted at far lower ratios. Each pack theoretically contains the possibility however remote of containing a card that could be tremendously valuable someday, keeping the thrill of the unknown discovery aspect very much alive with each new pack opened.
For vintage wax packs, the fun is in seeing which historic players, teams seasons and sets are represented in the bundle of gumless cardboard discovered inside. Popular vintage sets include those produced by Topps, Fleer, Donruss and others in the 1957-1986 timeframe. Era-appropriate pack wrappers and card designs long out of print add immeasurably to the collecting experience. Pristine unsearched vintage packs offer perhaps the purest adrenaline rush for those seeking cards documenting iconic players from baseball’s past not obtainable elsewhere.
While there is no guarantee of finding anything of note in a modern or vintage wax pack, that unknowing just compounds the excitement. Even for those who come up empty-handed, the fleeting ritual of carefully excavating a wax mound engrained since childhood stays satisfying on its own terms. Every pack also represents another small step adding to a collection with memories to last a lifetime. Whether seeking stars of today or yesteryear, the magic of baseball cards has endured because at its core lies the simple family enjoyment found within the process of exploring the surprises hidden inside a wax pack.
