1973 Mike Schmidt Blank proof?
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-Topps-M...-/120501418820

Could someone please tell me what this is exactly? And is it worth the 4,000 asking price. Thanks, appreciate it.

Its exactly what the seller says it is. Its from the Topps Archives. As to value 2789 people have viewed the auction and its still for sale.

Proofs
 

I have seen the 77 Proofs of R Jackson as an Oriole rather than a Yankee go for that amount and more. There are several other 77 proofs that also go for that kind of money, but mainly because they are a "variation" of the card that was actually issued in the main set. The 67 card of Maris as a Yankee rather than a Cardinal is another example of a proof that has sold at high prices, again because it is different than the regular issue. The 1960 "proofs" or variations of Hadley, Cimoli and Throneberry on teams different from their issued card are legendary in the hobby

But, when the proof card is identical to the issued card, the market seems not as enthusiastic

True that Al. The few Topps proofs I have are all different from the regular issues...those get me excited.... can't afford the 77 Jackson Orioles...but happy with my Fitzmorris...

1977 Proof http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...Fitzmorris.jpg

1977 Regular http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ps8e7eff7a.jpg

Ricky Y

1977 Proofs
 

Very nice Ricky. Those are tough.

/

No numerical grade on this one...because it was hand cut from a sheet, but if I'm not mistaken, I thought I have seen a Roger Maris Yankees version get a numerical grade...

Edit to add: Yep SGC does assign a grade to handcut proofs if they have a conforming factory cut.

Ricky Y

great thread guys, I'm soaking up the knowledge...

The Maris was "snuck" into packs in a limited quantity. I had one walk up in the 80's at a Dearborn Mich card show and the guy said he pulled it from the pack when he was young. Cool card but couldn't afford it at the time.

Maris
 

The Maris proof is usually hand cut. I had heard stories about it ending up in some packs but had never heard someone confirm that before

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img088.jpg

Interesting the first time I heard confirmation that someone got a Maris Yankees in a pack. Wonder if it was a blank back?

Ricky Y

It was. Was sort of rough. Could have been a story from the guy. I, too, had read these made it into packs. I have always been fascinated with proofs since reading the Baseball Card Magazine articles in the 80's. The knowledge came in handy when a stack of uncut 81-83 Fleer sheets showed up at a Toledo, OH show. :D I was already aware of some of the pose variations, but made a few discoveries going card by card thru each set. Was a lot of fun! Picked up the Topps Coke Kingman & Topps Valenzuela RC proofs in trade at the time, but they are long gone.

The one good thing I still have is a very thorough "account" of what was on what sheet and how many of each I had discovered. I would like to write an article when I get a chance

Here's another bizzare variation I have from 1976 Topps....Bobby Darwin..the proof version has him wearing a Twins helmet airbrushed with Milwaukee Logo on top of his cap vs the regular issue with just the airbrushed cap on...

Keith Olbermann did an article about it on SCD back in 2008...he theorized that maybe they didn't like the initial look on the card after his trade to the Brewers....He seemed to think the proof version looks more realistic and pleasing to the eye...and I tend to agree..

Proof version
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...arwinProof.jpg

Regular version
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ps7147d003.jpg

Ricky Y

Another awesome proof!! I can't remember if Keith Olbermann did the articles for Baseball Card Magazine. I sold many of my Fleer sheets to his friend Craig Williamson. I would love to have a chat to see if any ended up in his collection. Since cameras were't what they are now, I only have some really poor pics. There was ony 1 complete set of all 3 years which I had kept for a long time but eventually sold to Rob Lifson.

Proofs
 

Another good one Ricky.

The one below was pointed out in another thread. The photo is the same, but the proof card (top right- blank back) had no auto...like other AS cards in the set. But then the card came out initially with an auto ( top left). It was then corrected to remove the auto (bottom right). The last one ( bottom left) has no auto...but also no name. It was one of the Blackless printing errors, that did make it into packs.

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1364415781
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1364329444

Finding something like that would be neat...ofcourse if I was a kid at the time, I probably would have got mad and thought they sent a mistake/miscut piece in my pack... lol. I had thought the same thing back in 1975 when I was a kid and went to the local 7-11 and bought a Topps BB wax box....looking forward the new year's cards...and started opening the packs and the cards were half the size.... :eek: I got so mad I took it back to the store, but the clerk wouldn't give me a refund...:p I'd love to read your article if you ever get around to it... always fascinated with "alternate versions" of regular issues...



Ricky Y

This variation drove me crazy when I was collecting this set. I didn't know there were 4 variations...which I later found out.. I only got the top left and bottom right versions..

Ricky Y

I remember the blackless! We were lucky enough in Detroit to get the "C" sheet ones of these. The year before I met a fellow collector who happened to be a mechanic at a service station on my walk home...always saw me opening a few packs with my extra lunch money. He bought some of the cello boxes that had these at Detroit's Eastern Market when the cards hit early in '82. Had a lot of them and kept a box or 2 unopened. Lost touch with him after the station closed and he moved out of Detroit. Wonder if I could find him online? Would be great to find out if he still has a cache of those.

We had some 1984 blackless at the store I worked at as well. Although someone who bought some called them "grey print" after we sold them in SCD. I guess they had a light shadow like the ink had run out of the printer. They were all one sheet, which I don't recall. We had a full page ad in SCD when we found them in a collection we bought.

some poor pic
 

Pic #1: A 1982 sheet with several proofs including Terry Forster with green name box, Milt May and Ed Whitson have each others photos, checklists for the Tigers, Indians, Angels and Twins have differing legends. Checklist #660 has a white box and incorrect titles listed and caption changes on 6 of the "specials" cards

Pic #2 Doug DeCinces card listing him as Pat Kelly

Pic #3 an unissued Ron Pruitt card-he didn't have an '81 Fleer card

Pic #4 an unissued Rick Honeycutt card-he didn't have an '81 Fleer card (was on the same sheet as the Pruitt)

One card I expected to find but was not there was a 1981 Fleer Aurelio Lopez who was listed on the 1st printing Tigers checklist

Nice sheet! I remember that set just being filled with errors and weird variations.

Ricky Y