These aren't quite a "current wave of never-before-known-about" issue though, Blue/White tests have been around for quite awhile, there just aren't a lot of them.
I'm torn on this... part of me thinks it would be a shame to cut them up as it's an awesome display piece. But the reality is, sheets like that are a pain to display and keep in good condition (as it looks like a few cards on that blue sheet are already creased including the Ripken :( )...
Thanks, it's been a bit of a pain, but fun as well! Yeah I totally understand... it's somewhat exciting to discover a new card of your player, but then gut wrenching when it's from a pretty rare set.
From what I've seen currently I don't think there are more than 3-4 of each card (except for the double prints). I know of 2 other Ripkens like mine, and know who owns them, but have never seen more. The blue Ripken on the sheet is the first I have seen, along with many others like the...
He just said in the next week or so he plans to auction them. I've messaged him to get more details but haven't heard back yet.
As far as the Red/Red set, I really don't know much about it. I would say they are slightly rarer. This past summer when all the Blue/White and Aqueous cards went...
He says he plans to auction that and the Red/Red sheet that he has. I think having it cut would be the better bang for the buck, but either way it should bring some good cash. If it's cut I hope the Ripken singles will show up for auction :)
From this video (and yes the :50 mark makes me cringe):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o9bkWpixtxQ
Hard to see everything on there from the low quality, but here's a spreadsheet of every card on that sheet...
I picked up my Ripken for fairly cheap compared to recent prices, but that was about 10 years ago now. I don't think I will have the same luck if the inverse with Ripken on the blue side comes up for sale/auction as a single...
Judging from the prices that other stars sold for back in November, you'll pay a pretty penny for them! I've seen the Puckett that is on the white side as a single, but only recently saw that Puckett exists on the blue side as well, but it's on the uncut sheet that has recently been discovered.
Tell me about it... I was both excited and saddened to find out there was actually an inverse for my Ripken. Even worse... his Bonus MVP card is in the Red/Red Test... I'll have a checklist for that set tomorrow hopefully!
1990 Donruss Blue/White TestTotal verified cards: 228
Total verified unique card numbers: 213
Number of verified unique player pairs: 116
Number of player pairs that have a verified inverse: 112 (4 cards have the same player front and back)
Number of cards that have the same player on the front...
Well I was finally able to finish the checklist for this set. The set was printed using 2 different 132 card sheets, which would give 264 cards, but 4 of the cards have the same player on both sides and end up getting double printed in the Test set. The sheets used in the Blue/White Test also...
Couple good blog posts about this card from a big time Ripken collector:
calripkenjr.net: 1993 U.S. Playing Card Aces Cal Ripken, Jr. Autograph
http://www.calripkenjr.net/2013/04/esaslos-1993-us-playing-card-aces-cal.html