1973 Topps Coaches Variations

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Yes - that is what caused it I think. Each card was set up multiple different times.

This is the reason for all those often minor checklist variations from 1972 on back...the same card being set up and printed off multiple different sheets.

This set up method makes sense for so many variations over the years. There's also the extra checklist from the next series also printed with the earlier series that adds an extra, third variant to many checklists.

Here is a good look at the 1973 sheets and the reasons why there are two types of arrays for all but the high number sheet: https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=349917

I wonder if there's some kind of correlation between the 66/66 and 132 half sheets and the coaches backgrounds? If there are no variants in the fifth series and the "All 660" used "reprints" of the first four sheets in an array of 132 but never adapted the high number sheet from 66/66, it could make sense. I can't resolve any of the scans in the linked threads to any degree of clarity though.

[steve B]

Looking at the series 1 and 2 cards on the linked site.
To me it looks like the ones discounted are a matter of plain backgrounds being removed. A close up should show some degree of halftone on the dark ones and none on the others.

The ones where there are different colors for the "clean" backgrounds are less clear. Colors were often mixed by hand according to a recipe. Those could be sort of imprecise, so you'd get different colors for different batches. Especially if it was a different press operator.
Thos differences could be different runs, like one guy ran a batch, then a different guy ran a batch printed a month later.
It's probably impossible to know if there were different actual runs or sets of plates and what was done when or if it was just the guy on the next shift mixing the ink differently.

I would keep them if I got them, but probably not actively go looking for them.

[ALR-bishop]

If you do, getting them all will take you awhile