Very cool card. Looks to be missing the yellow from the printing process.

I agree that it appears that the yellow-less card is missing the yellow most likely due to it's omission during the printing process, but only on that card's bottom portion. To me it appears that the green border around BRobby's image is the same green on both cards (the border does not appear to be missing the yellow). In addition, on the yellow-less card, the green border does not appear to match the bottom banner(which is a greenish-blue due to missing the yellow?). Could be my bad eyesight though. Nice find either way Joe!

Color variation
 

Your eye sight is fine. The green in the border does not match the blueish color in the bottom banner. Its weird that the yellow would be omitted only at the bottom of the card.

Does anybody have an idea of how that could happen?

Thanks,

Joe

Yes Larry your description is much better than mine. After looking through some notes the yellow ink is very cheap on the 76 set and is easily removed. This card could be easily made(altered). I am not saying the one pictured is altered because I have not seen it in hand, just saying they can easily be made.

Thanks Ben. Your explanation does makes sense and would answer the question of why only the banner at the bottom of the card seems to be missing yellow ink.

I did examine the card with a loupe, and I don't see any evidence of tampering. Under magnification I can see no trace of yellow color in the bottom banner at all. The white in the Orioles name is identical with the white in the border of the card. The gloss of the card is also consistent top to bottom. I don't see any evidence of a chemical alteration.

Is there any way that I can test to see if the card has been altered?

Best regards,

Joe

With your card use the best loupe you have and make sure the blue in the banner is consistant with the blue on the upper part of the card. I use a 60-100X top lighted microscope.

At high magnification the card will just be made up of blue, red, yellow, and black dots. Make sure the blue dots look exactly the same color/tint on bottom and top of card. Without any magnification you could compare the blue banner on your card to another card from the 76 set that has the blue border normally.

This 76 Topps card has had the yellow removed. 2nd card is what it should look like. They are not the same card.

1949 Leaf variation
 

Tough to find Red cap variation

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...etersonBxR.jpg


TED Z
.

I've been searching for another 1969 blue Mantle since 1987 when I acquired this one.

Does anyone here have a blue one, or have seen blue one ?


http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...Mantle50xx.jpg.http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eMantle50x.jpg



TED Z
.

I have seen them with a blue tint but never as blue as yours Ted. That one is very nice looking.

It can happen a few ways. Some printing errors, some not.

On the printing side -
A misfeed can cause one sheet to overlap another blocking a color.

A piece of debris can get into the press. Scrap of paper, bit of cloth, plastic, pretty much anything. Good practices prevent a lot of that, but if the press operators are sloppy it happens.

Paper jam, can cause either a foldover to block part of the sheet or a chunk of leftover to become debris within the press affecting the next sheet.

A very bad jam just might damage the plate. I saw it once, but I've never seen a card that I felt was from something like that. It has to be a really bad jam, and the press has to be stopped to clear all the wreckage out and make sure it's ok to keep going. A missing portion of the plate should be obvious.

The plate can be made wrong. An obstruction when It's exposed like what made the 90T Thomas NNOF.

The ink to that portion of the plate can be blocked or shut off or run out.

The water to that portion of the plate can be way overdone.

Solvent can spill on the plate. It's usually more confined since it's usually just drips, but it IS a 70's Topps card...........


On the non- printing side-

If it sat in the sun with another card on top of it the yellow could fade in only the exposed area. You can usually rule this out if there's red in the same area as red is often the first to fade. Ben has done some really great work on fading and which colors from which years are worse than others. If he found the 76 yellow to be particularly bad it just might fade before the red.

Steve B