The 1982 Topps Baseball card set features the Cal Ripken Jr. rookie card. It is one of the best rookie cards according to its value and the one that is better is his 1982 Topps Traded rookie card. Boxes and sets cost a bit because of it and the price of a complete set is about $75-$100 and about $125-$175 for an unopened box I would think (I have not checked the going prices lately).
This set should always be popular because of the Cal Ripken Jr. rookie card. There are many hall of famers in the set as well and there is also a rookie card of Lee Smith. I highly recommend this set to collectors and investors.
The set is condition sensitive and based on it being a 792 card set, it is not that easy to get many Cal Ripken Jr. rookies in a wax box. Cut card cases and vending or rack box cases are the way to go to get more possibilities of a BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 version, however they are expensive. I would recommend having a set of these cards in your collection.
http://www.mybaseballcardspace.info/1982_Topps_Baseball
Here is a great idea on how to find out their current values as of today - A great tool to find that out is by doing a search for completed items on ebay. The price guides have a book value for it, but by using the search feature, you can easily see what comprable items sold for on ebay. There are ebay links on this forum to auctions and also on the main site page. I would do a search for 1982 Topps Baseball set and then see the completed auctions by checking that box on the left of the searches. That will be your best bet to see what someone else got for the item.
NR usually means no reserve, if it is on ebay. That means that the final winning bid price is the actual price you get the item for. If there is a reserve price, if the item does not meet the minimum reserve price, the seller is not obligated to sell the item to them. The other words stand for near mint and near mint to mint which are conditions of cards. In Beckett, the card prices are priced in near mint to mint condition for most modern cards. That is the average condition of a pack fresh type card with no visible flaws. The cards you are describing would best be described by them being in near mint to mint condition I would think. When people submit their cards to grading services, there also is a grade for mint and gem mint. The chances that the cards are at or above near mint to mint condition depend on the card basically being inspected with a magnifying glass for tiny flaws. If it can pass that test with flying colors and you have say a gem mint Cal Ripken Jr. rookie card, it can be worth a pretty penny. These 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. rookie cards can fetch an unbelievable sum in gem mint BGS 9.5 condition, which makes grading a viable option when you have a card in that great of condition.
Gem mints are not easy to get, they have things called population reports and that lists how many gem mint cards there are of a certain card. It is not common for a 1982 Topps card to be gem mint, in fact there is a good chance that it will not be. For it to pass a microscopic test, it has to be flawless. Even from a sealed set or box, many cards are not gem mint. Centering of the card, corner condition, surface condition are some of the things they grade. I would check by clicking this link for ebay and type in 1982 Topps Cal Ripken PSA 10 or BGS 9.5 and you can see what they sell for right now. That would give you a goal for what to get, and the completed auction lists can give you an exact number for what someone sold theirs for. It is free to see that on ebay and it is a great tool to learn market prices. I would recommend joining free if you have not already.
Here is a great forum discussion topic on Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Topps rookie cards http://www.mybaseballcardspace.info/forums/index.php?topic=64.0
Here are rookie cards of the greatest basketball player ever who also dabbled in baseball, Michael Jordan
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For now, this will consist of this page's list of rookie baseball cards, with more to follow soon.
I have collected for many years, here are some of my favorite products.
1989 Score Football 1989 Topps Baseball 1982 Topps Baseball 1983 Topps Baseball 1983 Star Company
Star Company Bagged Set 1986-87 Fleer 1993 Bowman 1992 Bowman 1985 Donruss
1981 Topps Baseball 1988 Topps Baseball 1980 Topps 1987 Topps 1985 Topps Baseball
1951 Bowman 1953 Topps 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle 1980-81 Topps
1981 Topps boxes for sale http://www.mybaseballcardspace.info/1981_Topps_Box
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