What is the origin of Barry Bonds Open.Day ERR?

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Very interesting, this was well before any error craze as well. Ive never heard this.

Errors were pretty hot in 81-82. Fleer and Donruss had ongoing problems getting things right. Then later Fleer had what I believe were shenanigans with a pressman drawing a few pointing hands mostly on the backs. Tons of variations and they were popular for a while.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by steve B

Errors were pretty hot in 81-82. Fleer and Donruss had ongoing problems getting things right. Then later Fleer had what I believe were shenanigans with a pressman drawing a few pointing hands mostly on the backs. Tons of variations and they were popular for a while.

The 82 Topps set had a ton of printing errors also. I started collecting around 85/86 and errors were pretty hot then and that lasted to around 01/02. By the end of that run there was enough error sellers on eBay that they just weren't rare and cool anymore. That was my experience anyway.

[Rich Klein]

Ben:

On the 1982 printing error increase I suspect it had to do with having to print more cards and quicker with less quality control. The hobby growth was there in 1982 and more cards were being produced each year. Plus, that was really the 1st full year of competition. I do realize there were 3 major companies in 1981 but they had limited time to produce sets; 1982 was going to be their year to really challenge Topps.

The result; and this is my opinion only

Topps still had the best set with a nice design. Other than a couple of minor errors which were corrected and those printing errors; a very solid year

Fleer: A terribly produced 2nd set. Look at the Jack Clark card for example of how not to select photos. They did reduce their errors by a ton.

Donruss: A far better card stock and photos than 1981. Again the errors were more limited compared to the rush of the previous year.

White it is possible some of the 1981 errors were "planned" it tis also possible the rushed prep of the 1981 sets caused some of those errors as well.

Regards
Rich

[dariushou]

If I remember correctly, the Barry Bonds Opening Day error was on the Johnny Ray card and not the actual Barry Bonds. I ordered 4 sets on ebay back in 2006 I believe and went through them looking at the Barry Bonds card and no error. Then i decided to check out the Johnny Ray card and one of the sets had the jackpot. Sent to PSA and got a 9. Lucky as hell.

[RiceBondsMntna2Young]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I was a full time dealer back then and remember breaking 600 sets of those things. I found one Bonds error in 600 sets. But here's the thing - the set also had the regular variation too, and the regular one was in the proper sequence (sorting these sets was easy - they were always in the same order.)

So, my assumption was that it was intentional, and every so often one was added to a factory set just to create hype and spur sales - which it did.

I find this really hard to believe, probably in large part because I really don't want it to be true. However, if it was intentional, that would be really major news. But I mean, why would Donruss target a lukewarm prospect like Bonds, probably not even a top 10 rookie in the hobby at the time, to put on an error card? How would that goose sales?

There would have had to be hype over the card at the time the set was first released, presumably in spring of 1987. If Bonds fizzled out as a player, there wouldn't be any reason to chase the card by the time the collecting world became widely aware of the error. It could only have been a hot card a few years into Bonds' career, I would think.

@Mark17 Do you remember what year you busted 600? Did you bust to create inventory or because you were chasing the error? Do you remember how long after the set was released that it became the set with a lottery ticket inside?

I want to track down a few more folks who pulled the error themselves to corroborate this experience. It could've been a fluke. @dariushou's recollection suggests maybe it was.

I'm also curious about @HasselhoffsCheeseburger's question: are #162 and #163 found in different "stacks?"

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Dr. Beckett in the early years read ALL the letters as a way of keeping track of what collectors were interested in. By the time I got there, he was reading 1/2 to 1/3 in all the sports. And if he remembers, it would have been in a blurb back then. Wish I had a better answer for you,,, but that's what it is.

Thanks for that. I'd like to try and track down the first issue in which the card was noted in the price guide, as well as when when it was first mentioned in an article. Does anyone happen to have the entire run of 1987-1989 back issues handy?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by RiceBondsMntna2Young

@Mark17 Do you remember what year you busted 600? Did you bust to create inventory or because you were chasing the error? Do you remember how long after the set was released that it became the set with a lottery ticket inside?

I want to track down a few more folks who pulled the error themselves to corroborate this experience. It could've been a fluke. @dariushou's recollection suggests maybe it was.

I'm also curious about @HasselhoffsCheeseburger's question: are #162 and #163 found in different "stacks?"

Thanks for that. I'd like to try and track down the first issue in which the card was noted in the price guide, as well as when when it was first mentioned in an article. Does anyone happen to have the entire run of 1987-1989 back issues handy?

It was in 1987 or 1988 I believe. My memory of it isn't the greatest because it was just another case break of what, as I recall, was a fairly unpopular set at the time. I'm pretty sure I got them very cheap. Unlike the 1987 Topps set, which was my main product (I must've broken over 500 vending cases of that stuff in 1987, not to mention all the 1987 "miswraps" and cut cases I broke in 1988,) the Opening Day set didn't include a lot of the popular rookies. I believe there were 15 factory sets per case, so 40 cases, and they were in some kind of plastic display box. Does that sound right? Anyway I knew about the variation and was keeping my eyes open for it. Like I said, the normal Barry Bonds card was also in that set, and it was in its normal sequence. Reading other peoples' posts, though, I can't say whether the correct Johnny Ray card was also present, since that would've been a common to me, and not worth sorting out. Maybe the error I found was there in place of the normal Ray card, making it an honest error.

So... either that card was randomly tossed in a set here and there to salt the mine, so to speak, or, perhaps more likely, it was actually a Johnny Ray error - and we in the hobby have always called it a Barry Bonds error because, well, Bonds is, and was, much more valuable (and a rookie card.)

In other words, Donruss didn't get the picture wrong - they got the player's name wrong.

As far as why/how an error/variation of a common guy can help sales, I recall the "C"raig Nettles 1981 Fleer going for $8.00 back then, and Fleer had a Littlefield error that went for some dough the next year. Relative scarcity was the key to creating an error card frenzy, and the Ray/Bonds OD card is definitely scarce.

[HasselhoffsCheeseburger]

Originally Posted by dariushou

If I remember correctly, the Barry Bonds Opening Day error was on the Johnny Ray card and not the actual Barry Bonds. I ordered 4 sets on ebay back in 2006 I believe and went through them looking at the Barry Bonds card and no error. Then i decided to check out the Johnny Ray card and one of the sets had the jackpot. Sent to PSA and got a 9. Lucky as hell.

Well now I have to go back and check all of my Opening Day sets. I would only open the Bonds brick and only check the Bonds card. Wish me luck.

Arthur

[ALR-bishop]

May the Force be with you Arthur

[dariushou]

I don't want to give anyone false hope. It was a while ago. I remember looking for the card and not finding it and going back and looking at the "other" card and finding it. I could have it reversed where i saw the non-error Johnny Ray card and thought damn i did't hit it and then going back and seeing the Bonds card with Johnny Ray on it. I 100% remember though that I had to go back a 2nd time and look at the "other" card and found it. I was pretty pumped as i went from a damn to wholly cow.