1974 Topps Red Team Checklists - Uncut Sheet
 

I purchased 3 of these identical sheets off eBay recently. I had thought I was getting a complete set of 24 checklists, but what I received made me curious.

As you can see, the sheet has only a total of 18 teams represented, and is missing 6 (A's, Mets, Padres, Red Sox, Twins and Yankees).

I have to assume this is a sheet which was delivered in response to the wrapper advertisement for "All 24 Team checklists".

My question, if anyone has any memory or information on this, is would Topps have sent 2 sheets? This one and another to make up the other 6 checklists? It seems like a waste when a single 4x6 sheet would be exactly enough to hold all 24 checklists.

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

Out of curiosity, why would you have to assume Topps would send an uncut sheet in response to the wrapper ad as opposed to sending actual cut cards as a set of 24? Seems odd to me that they would send an uncut sheet.

Topps Uncut Team Checklists
 

The adds on the back of the wrappers depict a single sheet being cut by scissors, and I know that from 1975 to 1982, all team checklist redemptions came in the form of uncut sheets of cards.

I've also heard the the previous years' blue team checklists were available late in the season in uncut form as well.

So...

The team checklist sheets were a very common wrapper deal in the 70s and early 80s. I don't recall ever seeing anything that was cut that you got direct from Topps in that time frame until later when you could win or buy those glossy AS sets in the 80s.

1974 Topps Team Checklist Uncut Sheet
 

After looking at your picture, I checked my uncut sheet, and mine does have the teams you are missing in the first column. Very strange that your sheet repeats the first column of teams in the 4th column. I wonder if the repeated teams are a result of the way the larger sheet was laid out so when these were cut out that the teams ended up being repeated (essentially resulting in some teams being double printed on the larger sheet), or whether your sheets were some of the earliest sheets printed, with a correction being made at some point to get all 24 different teams.

Team Checklists
 

You don't have an extra one of those you'd be interested in selling do you? :)

It's possible there's another explanation as well. In my mind, and with no other info, I would guess that the sheet in question was simply cut wrong. Perhaps (just speculation) someone in-house noted the miscut and threw the scrap out...and then someone 'rescued' it/them from the Topps dumpster? Of course, it could simply be an error cut that wasn't noticed and got sent out to a kid in 1974. But these cards were included in packs, so they had to go through the 'regular' printing process, too. It's possible that what you have here is a partial uncut sheet and that's why multiples of cards are showing. (This is probably doubtful based on the edges of the sheet being trimmed so closely and correctly, matching what the mailed-out sheets looked like, but it has to be considered, and it's conceivable that it came from late in the printing process.)

I think Darren has the answer. The sheets were 11 across by 12 cards tall. The team checklist sheets mailed out are 4x6, so fit 2 panels high perfectly, but 2 3/4 panels across. it's likely Topps printed all 11 columns repeating 3 of them. (The other side of the full 264 card press sheet probably had a different 3 columns repeated, so there are probably shortprints just in case anyone cares:) )
A simple miscutting starting at the wrong edge, and there they are, a bunch of incorrect panels.