Any Topps Venezuelan experts out there?

[Harliduck]

First off...they printed the first 196 or 198 (Can't remember which) cards in the regular set as Venezuela cards, so this being #40 is good. Some on the back say Printed by Benco (the company that printed the V cards) but some still say Topps. The biggest difference in those cards printed by Topps is the amount of gloss on the front. This makes it hard to tell, especially by an internet scan and not in hand. V cards in this year look very faded on both front and back. I went through a Venezuela card phase, but quickly lost interest due to the difficulty in telling the difference...especially in the 59s where a low grade American card can often pass.




EDIT....

Found this googling it...copy/paste...tough to tell on that Spahn. Looks a little clean to me, but I am no expert...thus me getting out of those type cards.


Benco's version came out in two series, #1-110 and #111-198, matching Topps own #1 to #198 (not 196 as often reported). The card backs include a mix of "(C) T.C.G. PRINTED IN U.S.A." and "Impreso en Venezuela por Benco CA" tag lines, oriented vertically along the right edge. It's tough to discern low-grade American versions from the former; see the Topps Archives article on Venezuelans for distinguishing scans that compare card stock for each.