Is it Legit or Not?
For most of the rack packs I collect, detecting fraud starts and ends with collation. Below is a collation guide that you can use to detect fraud for most Topps rack packs. It does not apply to Donruss or Fleer rack packs. While learning collation patterns for the 70's and 80's helps in detecting rack pack fraud, it doesn't help much in detecting cello pack fraud. For this reason, it is best to buy cello packs that have been authenticated by PSA.
Guide to Detecting Fraud in Rack Packs
Red indicates there have been authentication irregularties regarding a particular item. The black rectangle represents the header card or the front of the rack pack. The green panel indicates the panel the specified card SHOULD appear in. If the specified card appears in a different panel, it is almost certainly a fake. This guide should also illustrare what combinations are impossible. For example, a 1975 Topps rack pack with George Brett and Mike Schmidt on top CANNOT exist. Keep in mind we have found that collation patterns in 1983, 1984, and 1985 Topps are not absolute and any card can seemingly appear in any panel.
| 1975 with Brett |  |
| 1975 with Yount | |
| 1975 with M. Schmidt | |
| 1975 with Nolan Ryan |  |
| 1975 with Steve Carlton | |
| 1976 with George Brett | |
| 1976 with Robin Yount |  |
| 1976 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1977 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1977 with George Brett | |
| 1977 with Andre Dawson | or |
| 1978 with Eddie Murray | |
| 1978 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1978 with Pete Rose | |
| 1978 with Paul Molitor/Alan Trammell | |
| 1978 with Mike Schmidt | |
| 1978 with Andre Dawson | |
| 1979 with Ozzie Smith | |
| 1979 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1979 with George Brett | |
| 1979 with Eddie Murray | |
| 1979 with Mike Schmidt | |
| 1980 with Rickey Henderson | |
| 1980 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1980 with George Brett | |
| 1980 with Dave Winfield | |
| 1981 with Fernando Valenzuela | |
| 1981 with Tim Raines | |
| 1981 with Rickey Henderson | |
| 1981 with Nolan Ryan | |
| 1981 with Mike Schmidt | |
| 1981 with Kirk Gibson | |
| 1982 with Cal Ripken | |
| 1982 with Rickey Henderson | |
| 1982 with Pete Rose | |
| 1983, 1984, and 1985 racks are VARIABLE | |
| 1986 FB rack with Jerry Rice | |
| 1986 FB with Steve Young | |
| 1986 FB with Joe Montana | |
| 1986 FB with Dan Marino | |
| 1986 FB with John Elway | |
| 1986 FB with Reggie White | |
| 1987 with Mark McGwire | |
| 1987 with Barry Bonds | |