Scan quality is greatly reduced when posting. Do you have a cfl bulb in a dark room? If so go in there and hold the front of the card right by the bulb and tilt it back and forth and notice how the black is still a nice dark black. Now do the same with the black on the back. The blacks front/back should look EXACTLY the same when doing this. Most black markers will look more greyish than dark black when you do this.

last one

Tough call on that one.

The black on the back would seem to be from a marker for sure. Not a printed mark.

Where it gets tough is deciding whether the green is actually over the marker. If the marker has water based ink it might be repelled by the oil based printers ink. An oil based marker would cover the oil based ink.

The second set of scans really looks like it shows some black visible under the green. What a very close look would show is if the black appears to be under because it's filling in small holes in the green.


This is the sort of thing I'd file under "cool but hard to prove" could a Topps employee have scribbled on the cardboard with a marker and that cardboard got printed on? Yes, Topps was pretty lax back then. Even into the early90's.
I have a couple cards that were marked by crayon that I got from packs. I know they're for real, but if it wasn't a glossy card with the gloss printed over the crayon It would be impossible to prove.
Another would be the two halves of a hockey card that came out of the pack torn in half. Saw it pulled, but it's impossible to prove other than that it has no other wrinkles and is cut nice and clean. I've tried duplicating it, but can't. Still a very tough thing to explain.


Steve B

Warning
 

If you do take Ben up on his suggestion, do not let anyone see you doing it or you may be asked to take some psychological tests

Over or under
 

Somewhere here there is a thread with the same issue involving a different card. If I can remember the card I will try to find the thread

I believe you are thinking of the 1961 Topps Clay Dalrymple, someone here had one with the Phillies hat colored in with a black marker, but that person was convinced that it was a legitimate variation and that it was printed that way on the sheet.

Yes Cliff that is my card. I have looked at it under every type of light imaginable. With a top lighted 100X microscope and the black ink on his hat matches the black ink in the rest of the card exactly.

EDITED to add I even soaked the card for 4 hours and tried to remove some of the black on his hat with a q-tip with no luck.

Burden of proof 2 more scans of black spots. They can be seen on the previous scan

1955 Topps #106 Sullivan
 

Here is an updated scan of the six versions of the infamous "dot" on this card. Topps must have really knocked themselves out trying to get it right.

The 1954 Bowman Roe is a well known variation caused by the signature of the player above the card spilling down onto the Roe card. There are a few other examples in the set as well.

54 and 55
 

Adam---I am aware of Rowe and Erskine, do you know of another ?

My Williamses

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...psec6dac82.jpg

I noticed on Richard D's variation list that this 59 432 Burgess card has a variation that has a rounded upper right corner....I did not see it mention the small streak that appears below Smoky's first name. Is the rounded corner only found on the card with the streak or is there a version with the rounded corner sans the streak?

Rounded
 

The rounded corner can more typically be found without the streak

Thank you Al, have you seen a copy with the streak but without the rounded corner? In a really quick look, I found only one copy on ebay/comc with the streak.

For my personal variations list, I have the corner separated into distinct 4 shapes:
1. Squared corner
2. Smoothly rounded corner
3. Jagged rounded corner
4. Frankenstein corner

Attachment 204331

There may be others, too.

The Burgess is a bit reminiscent of the 1971 Jim Northrup 'scratchy' variation. There are actually 3 different scratches:
1. Very dark, as if written with a magic marker
2. Medium dark
3. Very light

Attachment 204335

These scans (internet grabs) are a bit flawed. In reality, the difference between the medium and light versions is quite dramatic.

1964 Topps Mustard Faces
 

I assume that these are English mustard. I am sure there are many more.

yellow
 

Looks more like California brush fires to me

1963 #102
 

Here is another example of anomalies with this set. Notice the white dash at the bottom right of both cards.

1963 2nd CL
 

The yellow version can also be found with a scarce defective # 112 and some white

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1442001366

Had not noticed the recurring "print mark" on the left edge of this 70 558 Fuller card before....it appears that about half of the copies of this card have this print mark and half do not.

1971
 

Saved--- you need to stop noticing stuff:)

It appears the print mark on the 570 Fregosi card lines up with the print mark on the 558 card.

Indeed it appears that I have too much time on my hands....I guess I need an additional hobby.

Al, sorry to cause you more work on your (apparently never ending) goal of locating every variant...these two should be easy to locate as they appear to have a 50/50 population.

Had not seen this recurring print variation mentioned before: the small round circle inside the left, white border area of this 68 #218 Suarez. This circle appears to be on less than 10 of the 100+ copies on ebay.

I have been flipping through boxes of cards and found this 1973 Topps Norm Cash with a broken border.

Border Gaps
 

There are several of those defects in the 73 set, and in many other sets. At one time Bob Lemke had several listed in the SCD Standard Catalog, including a 73 Buddy Bell. But as I recall he eventually modified his definition of cards he would include as variations in the catalog to exclude unintentional recurring print defects, and he removed several "variations" from the catalog before he retired

But the Bell border gap in in the PSA master checklist for the 73 set

In going through an old stack of 59s, I came across this card. The first thing that stood out was the missing "T" and partially obscured "U" and "F" in the word "OUTFIELD". Looking at the card closer, there is no luster to the card and it is slightly short l/r and t/b. The back is more of a cream color. Any ideas on if this card is simply a regular 59 Topps with a print variation on the front or a 59 Venezuelan Topps card?

Harry Anderson Card
 

That is definitely a 1959 Venezuelan cream back... and in great condition relative to how most of those Venies look. I have one of those and it does not have the printing error that yours has. Nice card!

Thank you for the reply....I received several other replies in agreement with you that this card does appear to be a Venezuelan card. It is most definitely in much better shape than the handful of other Venezuelan cards I have in my collection.

Is your copy of this card a cream back or a grey back? Several other copies of this card I have seen are grey back and do not have the print variation, so I am curious if it may be unique to the cream back.

I have not seen this recurring print variation mentioned before: there is a green "dagger" (print mark) just the right of the Braves banner and Torre's number 15. Much more obvious when the card is in hand.

Have not seen the recurring green print mark that appears on Ryne's neck mentioned before......every collector's friend, Dean, has at least 3 copies available with this green mark.

In going through some more 62s, I found this #106 card which has what appears to be a set of red lips on Carl's hat and a blue print mark above one of the apartment buildings on Waveland. Not sure how many cards have these recurring print marks as many of the scans on ebay were fairly dark.

62 Sawatski
 

Looks like you can find him with or without the blue thing on the building. Also looks like you can find him with the lips on the cap with or without the blue mark on the building.

1963 Topps Joe Moeller
 

four different variations on the lower left of the yellow

1963
 

We have seen similar recurring print variants in other 1963 cards in this thread, I think I recall Fairly and Menke. I wonder if one looked hard enough how many of the 63s might show such differences

Challenge accepted
 

I'll take a look at my '63's. I have quite a few.... I'll post anything interesting that I find.

Al, have you ever seen another copy of the Menke card? I have seen just that one copy with the small yellow box above green in lower right border.

Here is a non-crop 63 print variation I recently found. White spot on the left arm.

1963
 

In looking at the Farrells, it seems like the defect can be found in transition mode too. But maybe just different quality scans

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271982964045...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Good catch AL, was that you who bought this transition mode card?

Red on Reds--1952 Topps Blurry Bobby Adams....
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...KPRINT_NEW.JPG


...do you think the whole sheet was shifted ? Then there should be a number of '52 Topps out there like this one , with red lips just a tad too high...note how far the red intrudes into the bottom row of the yellow stars in the name box.....I think that , on the whole , it looks terrible but yet there are some other collectors out there who at this very moment are asking themselves how much they think it would take to pry this gem/jewel from my hands. You know who you are....; but since this is my only '52 T Bobby Adams you'll have to wait 'til I find a centered and focused upgrade...

...

Nice print shift on the 52 Adams...

Found this 62 Ray Sadecki with a semi limited recurring print spot on the grass behind him.....another one of those print variations that sticks out a lot more with the card in hand.

1952 Topps Bob Rush name box ??
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...PRINTFREAK.JPG


...Stars appear green instead of yellow.....so if the " Green Stars Name Box Bob Rush " ever makes it into the books as a variation , I'm in on the ground floor....


...

1952
 

Hey Mike, that's as good or better than some included in the H&S super set, but is one on left a gray back ?

Didn't think to look at the back....
 

...alas it's off-almond semi-amber creamy-ish......on the bright side , the back is actually fairly well-centered , which of itself makes it a condition rarity. Price just went up, thanks.

..

Looks like a finger/thumb print.

1952
 

Just looks like a typical brown noser to me :)

How can you tell that it is Venezuelan? I always thought there would be Spanish on the back. Thanks.

I am not sure which card you are referring to.....however, with the 59 Harry Anderson card the first thing that made me think it might be a Venezuelan card was the fact that the front of the card has no gloss what so ever.

These Venezuelan cards for the most part are a parallel to the US issue (with only English on the back), except for the fact that (according to the SCD VBC) only "some" cards have the credit line "Impreso en Venezuela....", while others do not. There are two colored backs associated with this Venezuelan set also...cream and grey.