o-pee-chee graybacks
 

I don't know much about the opc graybacks. Any information would be
greatly appreciated.

I haven't heard anything about opc gray backs but since nobody else has responded I will share that opc typically used a white card stock similar to what factory topps traded cards used. Topps used the gray card stock for their base sets. My guess is that if opc gray backs do exist it would have been some kind of rare mix up during the printing process and the numbers on such a variation would probably be extremely low.

Where and what have you heard on the topic? If you read an article can you share a link?

I'm assuming he's talking about 1981. I don't know much about them either.

1981 opc gray back
 

Thank you for responding. I am talking about the 1981 OPC gray back.
I recently acquired one and didn't have a feel for this card other then
they are in the registry.
I now know I am a pretty lucky LADY to have acquired it :)

I looked through some 81's today and the grey backs accounted for about 25% of what I seen.

That's a good ratio, but if you actually bought them in '81 you probably got them all at once. They are much tougher than the white backs. Years ago, a Canadian dealer told me that when OPC went to do a second printing, the white stock wasn't available and that the second printing was much smaller than the initial run. For what that's worth....

Interesting, I must say I was unaware of the 1981 card stock variations. I hadn't researched OPC's very much at all. Any leads on where i can pick some 81 gray backs up? Are the 54 "Canadian" gray backs considered OPC?

Check opcbaseball.com

will do, thanks!

you can also check COMC.com, they are not segregated, but at least you can look at card backs. If you are just looking for Dodgers, I believe you can narrow your sort by "dodgers" as well.

Thanks Mike, I did that but the few that are on there are in horrible shape...or miscut.

Bringing up this old thread -- I'm moving as many cards as I can figure out on COMC to the newly created gray back set. Please feel free to send corrections through the site if I missed either way

Thanks!
Rich

i have hundreds of '81 OPC baseball, The grey backs and white backs are pretty much interchangeable here in Canada, neither has any premium attached to iit that I heard of.

Joe,

www.OPCBaseball.com used to be the best source.

Z

1981 OPC Gray vs. White Backs
 

I'm working on my Dwight Evans player collection, and am struggling with the '81 OPC back variations.

I've looked everywhere on line I can think to look, and still can't solidly identify the difference between these two versions.

If you look on eBay and COMC, I see cards advertised as gray backs which look for all the world like regular OPC white backs.

Is there anyone who can scan and post images of one version of each back for a comparison?

I broke out all the 1981 O-Pee-Chee cards on COMC about 3 years ago. If you see something which does not look right, post a correction request and I'll take a look to verify it's in the right back.

Rich

pic
 

topps/opc/opc gray

Now I have to run home and check my OPC cards; I picked up two of them last year (Molitor and Schmidt) at the National but didn't bother with the backs.

Thank you!!

Topps did the same thing with 1977 basketball: bright white backs and gray backs but no one seems to care...

Don't be so sure - I have a set of 77 Topps Basketball on the white stock, and have been looking (admittedly not very hard) for a set on the gray backs for some time. I read they were produced in approximately the same numbers as each other, but e-Bay offerings seem to only be of the white stock variety. I want the gray backs because, well, the white stock doesn't feel very Topps-ish for the era.

1979 topps football as well has 2 different color backs.

1979 Football? I'd be interested to see that - I know the team checklist cards, like most across Topps' product lines at that time, were available in uncut sheet form via a wrapper redemption, and that the sheets were on thin white stock.

For 1979 Football Beckett calls them regular and cream-colored back. IIRC -- the cream colored backs are more difficult but there is no price difference as collectors have never really cared.

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Hockey also have 2 colored backs; I broke those out at COMC a couple of years ago.

There are more I would wager.

Rich

I forget which ones now but one of those colors was associated with vending and the other in packs?

From my limited knowledge on them, I understand the dark backs are the more desired cards, especially when they're the cards of stars and rookies.

A somewhat recent PSA 9 Billy Smith dark back just sold for $1,300-$1,400 from PWCC, IIRC?

I guess that's not conclusive that the dark back was the reason for that price realized, but I believe it was listed as being the harder to find dark back card?

I'm trying to build a Dwight Evans player collection, and trying to discern from scanned images at eBay, COMC, etc. what backs look gray and which ones look white is hard. Even when one is listed as one or the other, the images often both look similar to the card I already own. Here is an image of my 1 1981 OPC Evans, next to a 1981 Topps for comparison. Andy thoughts as to whether mine is a white or gray back?

Looks gray. The "white" backs are more of a yellow/cream. Yours is a pale white, which for this set is "gray."

And to really confuse things 81 Topps very occasionally can be found on that slightly lighter stock.
Like under 50 in a lot of 15-20,000, maybe less than 25.