Topps produced the 1981 Coca-Cola baseball cards as a series of eleven, 12-card (11 players and 1 team header), regionally distributed team sets (Reds, Tigers, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Astros, Mets, Royals, Phillies, Pirates, and Cardinals).
These weren’t traditional hobby products. Topps didn’t design them for sale by the box or case. Instead, they were meant for Coca-Cola promotions—often distributed in retail locations like convenience stores and fast food spots. One example I found for sale on eBay for $69.99 shows a Coca-Cola advertising display that offered a cello pack of cards free with the purchase of a large Coke.
Still, unopened material survived. PSA has encapsulated over 100 1981 Topps Coca-Cola cello packs.
I’ve seen just one full case in the wild: a Royals case that held 1,344 packs, which likely breaks down to twenty-eight 48-pack cello boxes. These white boxes weren’t hobby display boxes; they were likely just how Topps shipped products to Coke’s partners.
Here are a few more examples of the generic white 48-pack cello boxes; with enough patience you’d be able to track down a box for each of the eleven teams.
This Astros box, featuring Nolan Ryan, sold on eBay for $178 in July 2025.
Kruk Cards has had a handful of White Sox boxes available on eBay for $39.99.
Here are a few more from some of the other teams.
There’s a lot more to explore with this set: the pulled Carlton Fisk and Yankees cards, proofs, uncut sheets, photo/design differences, the football packs, and more. But those details are for a few follow-up articles!
Happy collecting!
P.S. If you’re into unopened, I write a premium newsletter, The Unopened Market Report, that comes out every Monday.
Also, be sure to check out The Unopened Archive for more!
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