We all know about the problems Topps had with Don Landrum's pants button back in 1966. Apparently the appearance of this particular fastener was so egregious that the company did all it could to erase it from history. Ha ha.
The end result was thought to be three different variations:
1. The dark button is clearly visible.
2. The dark button has been completely whitewashed out.
3. The dark button has been partially airbrushed out, but it is still fully visible, just appearing very, very light and a hint of its former self.
However I'm here to announce that I have found an extremely-tough-to-find fourth variation for people to try to add to their sets. It seems to be the missing link between the full dark button and the 'partially airbrushed' versions.
The button in question could be characterized as being of the dark variety, but it is very clearly colored in a different, distinctly orange/red hue.
If you look at the image at left (just a screen grab from ebay), you'll see the traditional dark button variation. All 4 of the visible buttons match each other in color, tone, etc. There is no difference whatsoever between them. Now take a look at the two cards on the right. The pants button on each shows a distinct difference in color, while the buttons on the jerseys retain their 'normal' coloring. The button in this variation is significantly darker than its 'partially airbrushed' counterparts (as well as being colored very differently), so it fits into its own category. I have only seen a few of these cards in toto over the years.
