These were some of the best cards to come along that introduced high quality photography & more rigid cardboard bases which gave them a much longer shelf life too.
There are a few issues pretaining to the storing of cards and the conditions they were stored in. Due to the gold foil, if you stored them in any area that compressed the cards together, or heated more than room temps, the cards will stick together. So, when you attempt to separate them the foil would stick to the card above it causing damage when they were separated. I bought mine at the Hobby Shop & immediately put into sleeves so to avoid this and I bought mine in 1992 when they were for sale.
If you have a any of these or other types (similar card construction in all sports) that have these slick fronts, gold foil & rigid backsides, be very careful when attempting to remove them from the others. I've seen people tear they're cards slap apart when doing so. I suggest you acclimate them to lower temperatures (if they were stored in higher temps >75°) before you pry apart a group of 20 or more. Humidity, properly used, will actually allow them to release on their own the time but it needs close monitoring to help the cards breathe a little first before separating the mail. Warm moist air applied briefly will either work and allow you to save them or it could make it worse & hurt theme. Proceed with caution if attempted.
Added Note:
These were sold in stores as listed below:
Series 1 or 2 in packs of 12ea for $1.00
Series 1 or 2 in a box of 36 packs $24.00
Series 3 Pack (12) $14.00
Series 3 Box of (36) $425.00
There are 700 cards in the entire set:
Series 1 #'s 1-300
Series 2 #'s 301-600
Series 3 #'s 601-700
If we take the cost per pack ($1) andid divide it by cards per pack (12) which equals $.08/ea for cards 1 - 600. So that's a cost of $48.00 for the set if you only pull cards that have no duplicates at all (impossible, basically) and then Series 3 math is 100 cards with a pack of 12 for $14.00, which is $1.16 per card comes to a total of , $116.00. We add Series 1, 2 & 3 together we have paid $165.00+taxes so round that to $180.00 invested for a 700 card set, while remembering that this is based on no inserts or duplicates at all in order to have 700 different cards.
I see the set price being a lot lower on many sets like these in that they don't add up to realistic values based on ideally obtaining the cards to complete it at all. To me as both collector & investor the lower valued set prices or values are not how I look at themy at all really. All sets should be priced at the "Cost Per Card" values and not a penny less.
We all know, who went to the one thriving Hobby Shops, which are more rare than some insert cards today, we paid the retail price and not one of us have ever opened a box of cards and not had piles of duplicates right? Yes, you can buy "Factory Sets" at times for less than what it takes to buy them via the pack or box breaking types. I consider a Nrmt/MNT to be what's listed as"value" in price guides. Those who were using, "Beckett" or "Tuff Stuff", price guides when these cards were released know that the cost of some brands upper end producto like these Topps Stadium Club have had to pay what sometimes would be a price hikebana of 2 to 5 X's "suggested retail prices" due to these magazines having heavily inflated "Values" in them up after product release due to customers opening a "Hit" or "Hot" pack or box right? (Not labeled "Hot Packs", those came along later in or around 96 or so).
I'm posting those topic I've written a journal on here to the forums on topics of "What It Realistically Cost To Build A Set" from a v value equals cost title. But I hope my other information about how to avoid damage to you're cards helps other members out.
God Bless,
R.C.B. - bamaman - ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Isaiah Chapter 53, the Prophecy of Christian, 800 years prior to His birth, life, death & resurrection......