1978 Topps Variations

[savedfrommyspokes]

A while back I bought about 10k+ 1978 Topps cards. In going through them, I found several variations such as the Bump Wills card with a marker on the front. I found a few other cards where there also appear to be marks made by Topps during their production process like on the Wills card.

I found 2 of cards 440 Lopes and 3 of 169 Johnson with red marks on the front top edges (so they do not appear to be a isolated print mark). With these two cards, I found another 20-30 of each without the red mark on the front.

I have found a few lists which describe several variations from the 78 set, but not these two cards. I have also found comprehensive lists of variations from other years, but not 1978. Has anyone heard of either of these two variations and is there a better list for these type of variations for 78 Topps?

[ALR-bishop]

Oh Boy, Doug will love these. What I have for 78 is as follows:

23 Wills with and without the black ring between player and trophy
49 Kranepool with or without black line from ball to border
105 Cleveland with white or yellow sleeve
137 Kusick...with large fish eye at Twins
197 Espinosa with all dark Afro or shades of brown
214 Angels---guy in front with yellow/black or black/red stripes
215 Evans ---with or without large G on catcher's shoulder
267 Ault--with one, two or three black lines under U in name
3o0 Carty...with or without a z under Indians
374 Morales...ball stitches black, red or mixed
454 LaRoche Left border green or blue
518 Boggs...with no marks or with pink dot in ball or black dot to left of hat
536 Harrison..with black or red black stitches on ball
540 Carlton...with regular border or large white semi circle
717 Briles--with or without blue blob on front chest ( discussed in SCD article)
725 Bevaqua...with or without large brown mark on shoulder ( discussed in SCD article)

I don't know if the red marks are printers marks or errant ink. Here is an example of what i do think is a printers mark ( although scarce, I have seen this one numerous times on ebay with different amounts of the notation showing)



Another example of printers notations;

[savedfrommyspokes]

Thank you for the list ALR....here are the few additional 78 variations from the list I found(below). Many of the variations you listed were not a part of the incomplete list I found, so your list is very helpful.

I have also seen on ebay listings for the Wills card having the circle partially removed as well. Most of the cards on this additional list appear to be corrections of print defects. For example, the Caldwell card appears to me appears to be more of a corrected print defect and has a nearly equal population.

212 Mike Caldwell
A. Black background does not touch top border
B. Jagged black background touches top border

520 Larry Hisle
A. No stitching/laces on baseball on front
B. Red stitching on baseball on front
C. Red stitching with black over it on front

522 Dick Williams (unconfirmed)
A. Full light black box on front around name
B. Partial light black box on front around name
C. No black box on front around name

648 Gary Thhmasson
A. Blue mark on jersey
B. Smaller blue mark on jersey
C. No blue mark on jersey

658 Manny Sanguillen
A. Red highlights on face
B. Normal

684 Ralph Houck
A. Green line on shoulder (print flaw)
B. No green line on shoulder

725 Kurt Bevacqua
A. Faint pink line on shoulder seam
B. Airbrushed/Faint
C. Completely gone

[johnlenhardt]

Hi, Can someone help me ID the variation on: 540 Carlton...with regular border or large white semi circle.

I am not exactly sure what to look for. Thanks John

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by savedfrommyspokes

520 Larry Hisle
A. No stitching/laces on baseball on front
B. Red stitching on baseball on front
C. Red stitching with black over it on front

A 78 Hisle with any stitching does not exist, it was never corrected. B. and C. are descriptions of the 78 Jose Morales.

[ALR-bishop]

Now you tell us Cliff, after we all spent 8 years looking

[ALR-bishop]

And Welcome John

[ALR-bishop]

A few more for 78

-15 Perez---red or black lines at top border
-24 Money-red or black dot right upper border
-32 Templeton-pink bat or no fingers on glove
-36 Murray-red face
-51 Moore--yellow blob in sky upper left
-186 Storey--red face and neck
-242 Bonnell stands blacked out
-288 Moreno--red in sleeve
-400 Ryan-grass on left and border are blue
-522 Williams--box around W in his name

[johnlenhardt]

Awesome and great list Al......

[steve B]

Many of these are probably overinking or registration problems.
Carlton is a solvent drip.

Oddly , the random dots are most likely actual differences on the plate.

[SAllen2556]

Oh boy - I have a gazillion 78's! I never heard of these. Are any of these variations, besides Bump Wills, listed as "official variations" or are these just for fun? And, more importantly, even though I'm now going to spend an evening looking, do any of these variations have any premium attached to them?

[ALR-bishop]

Prominent differences on cards like Carlton and Ryan do tend to bring a premium, the others not so much, unless they eventually receive hobby recognition in some way. While most of these do not seem great candidates for such recognition, how many foresaw that PSA would decide a 61 Ron Fairly with a small errant smudge of green in in the bottom of the baseball on the back should be viewed as a checklisted variation

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Now you tell us Cliff, after we all spent 8 years looking

I just now figured out your zinger, the thread is from 2012 and was resurrected yesterday . I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes.

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

A 78 Hisle with any stitching does not exist, it was never corrected. B. and C. are descriptions of the 78 Jose Morales.

Cliff, I found that list somewhere, but where I found it 9 years ago escapes me....didn't we figure there were something like 4-6 variations of the Morales?