Welcome to our community

Be apart of something great, join today!

Backdoored? Well you be the judge...

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
Leximo has had this printer scrap stuff for years. I don't think it walked out the backdoor of Topps, but the backdoor of the printer Topps used. Test runs/printer's proofs and uncut panels.

A lot of us player collectors have bought his stuff for it's oddball appeal. No doubt it's the real thing - just not issued by Topps, but part of the production process.
 

Randy Shields

Well-known member
Aug 20, 2008
2,224
441
OH-IO
Leximo has had this printer scrap stuff for years. I don't think it walked out the backdoor of Topps, but the backdoor of the printer Topps used. Test runs/printer's proofs and uncut panels.

A lot of us player collectors have bought his stuff for it's oddball appeal. No doubt it's the real thing - just not issued by Topps, but part of the production process.

Being out of the hobby for a few years I wouldn't have noticed this before and I certainly don't recall it before my hiatus. Either way though to have cards like this going back to the early 90's, wouldn't it seem that Topps is well aware of this and just doesn't care? To me it looks bad for Topps and their printing company either way. For player collectors I'm sure this is a great avenue for some nice oddities but it just seems rather odd that this one individual, unless I'm missing others, would have the bulk of this type of inventory.

So again while I get the player collectors aspect I'm just not sure how I feel about this. I stumbled across his listings for the first time looking for Trammell and Whitaker who I personally collect but I didn't pull the trigger. And while I'm not about to critical be judgemental of any player collectors such as yourself or others wanting to add these cards to your collections in any way, it just doesn't seem very ethical and I didn't want to pad his pockets. Those were just my thoughts when I initially saw this. Will I pick up any? I don't know and I don't mean to come across as self-righteous and indignant but again I just didn't have a very good gut feeling when I saw this.
 

goobmcnasty

Active member
Apr 4, 2014
1,583
13
Yeah, he’s always had Topps stuff. It seems recently though he’s started getting Fleer products as well.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
If you buy them knowing what they are (printer proofs) and he's not selling them as something they're not, I'm okay with it.

I work in advertising and deal with printers all the time. So these types of oddities hold an appeal to me. I won't pay much for them, but I find some of them pretty cool. I do wonder if he received permission to take these materials. Seems like he held on to them for a long time, and started selling them about 3-4 years ago.

I lump all this stuff into a pre-production category. Uncut panels, oversize margin proofs, separation proofs, no-foil cards, non cut die-cut cards, paste-ups, etc. Besides Leximo's Topps stuff, there are other dealers with DLP bankruptcy material. The most interesting of this stuff to me is cards that never were (paste-ups and digital prints of card sets / inserts that never were produced).

97STADIUMCLUBPROOFA.jpg
97STADIUMCLUBPROOFB.jpg

05FLEERFLAIRDFPROOF1.jpg
05FLEERFLAIRDFPROOF2.jpg
 

nosterbor

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2010
6,099
431
Sunny Florida
I for one like them. When you get to the point where adding to your PC is like winning the lotto. Adding these that you don't have is nice.
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
I think they are pretty great, so long as people don't start trying to add aftermarket serial numbers on them. But yeah - super excellent cards imo.

If you buy them knowing what they are (printer proofs) and he's not selling them as something they're not, I'm okay with it.

I work in advertising and deal with printers all the time. So these types of oddities hold an appeal to me. I won't pay much for them, but I find some of them pretty cool. I do wonder if he received permission to take these materials. Seems like he held on to them for a long time, and started selling them about 3-4 years ago.

I lump all this stuff into a pre-production category. Uncut panels, oversize margin proofs, separation proofs, no-foil cards, non cut die-cut cards, paste-ups, etc. Besides Leximo's Topps stuff, there are other dealers with DLP bankruptcy material. The most interesting of this stuff to me is cards that never were (paste-ups and digital prints of card sets / inserts that never were produced).

97STADIUMCLUBPROOFA.jpg
97STADIUMCLUBPROOFB.jpg

Brad, if you get a chance, post a pic of a regular version of that glove card. IIRC, it was die cut as a glove. If that's the case, your glove card you posted above is flippin' sweet! I'm a big fan of these sorts of things, though I personally like them as a standard card size, whereas you appear to be okay with them oversized.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
I think they are pretty great, so long as people don't start trying to add aftermarket serial numbers on them. But yeah - super excellent cards imo.



Brad, if you get a chance, post a pic of a regular version of that glove card. IIRC, it was die cut as a glove. If that's the case, your glove card you posted above is flippin' sweet! I'm a big fan of these sorts of things, though I personally like them as a standard card size, whereas you appear to be okay with them oversized.

Here's the card as pack issued. The proof card from leximo would have been cut from a sheet before it was die-cut. It was on the edge of the sheet, with the color density bars in the margins (used to ensure ink density is correct). 1997 Stadium Club Patent Leather insert.

97STADIUMCLUBPL.jpg
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
Here's the card as pack issued. The proof card from leximo would have been cut from a sheet before it was die-cut. It was on the edge of the sheet, with the color density bars in the margins (used to ensure ink density is correct). 1997 Stadium Club Patent Leather insert.

97STADIUMCLUBPL.jpg

Yeah, that's right up my alley. I love having die cut cards that aren't cut like that. So wished Jose had a glove one like that but he wasn't known for his glove as much as he was his head!
 

JVHaste

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2015
4,751
270
Vancouver WA
I opened one box of 99 Bowman (for some reason) and iirc pulled 1 international refractor, but don't recall seeing a # nor is it in my 90s #ed bin. Some could have just been failed to stamp, Bowman quality control is much better nowadays.

I could be wrong but will try to verify.
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
I opened one box of 99 Bowman (for some reason) and iirc pulled 1 international refractor, but don't recall seeing a # nor is it in my 90s #ed bin. Some could have just been failed to stamp, Bowman quality control is much better nowadays.

I could be wrong but will try to verify.

VERY interesting!
 

joey12508

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
38,452
16,111
Winterfell
I think they are pretty great, so long as people don't start trying to add aftermarket serial numbers on them. But yeah - super excellent cards imo.



Brad, if you get a chance, post a pic of a regular version of that glove card. IIRC, it was die cut as a glove. If that's the case, your glove card you posted above is flippin' sweet! I'm a big fan of these sorts of things, though I personally like them as a standard card size, whereas you appear to be okay with them oversized.

I bought a 98 golden aniveresery no number not from leximo, just so no one could add a fake number to it.


i1kI4hb.jpg


aremWkA.jpg
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
I bought a 98 golden aniveresery no number not from leximo, just so no one could add a fake number to it.


i1kI4hb.jpg


aremWkA.jpg

I think the no numbers are so bloody cool. Adding the numbers aftermarket just sucks!
 

banjar

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
2,540
883
Lafayette, Colorado
I like these cards too. Sellers like leximo usually represent them as what they are, and they are fun to pick up. Prices are usually OK too.
 

cardcop05

New member
Nov 15, 2018
64
0
NYC
I just posted this link in the 1999 BC International with no Serial# thread but thought it might be deserving of it's own post. I saw this sellers stuff a couple of weeks ago and was pretty amazed at what he has.

Have a look and just keep scrolling...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/leximo2/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

leximo obviously has a friend that works in the sports card printing area (way in the back) for Great Western Inc. (printer of nearly all cards from every card company) & slips cards that were meant for the Industrial Shredder "out the back door" just like you thought.

In the early 1990's Topps had all their high gloss & gold foil cards made by a North NJ company who were busted for having several employees stealing cards that were supposed to be destroyed. I busted a Fl dealer for selling full 1992 Topps Gold sets (not stamped winner) in September, 1991 (way before 1992 Topps was ever released!). He wanted $5,000 a set and I know he had a few sets at least.

Plus in very rare cases (maybe 1:500 or less) cards without serial numbers (but should have one) make their way into packs. I even have a 2011 Leaf Metal Muhammad Ali REFRACTOR base card I pulled from a pack #/125 on the front (every refractor card was serial numbered to 125) that has another serial number on the back which is #001/125! These things happen, but are rare.
 

Dilferules

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2012
1,948
1,746
Auburn, WA
In the early 1990's Topps had all their high gloss & gold foil cards made by a North NJ company who were busted for having several employees stealing cards that were supposed to be destroyed. I busted a Fl dealer for selling full 1992 Topps Gold sets (not stamped winner) in September, 1991 (way before 1992 Topps was ever released!). He wanted $5,000 a set and I know he had a few sets at least.

Considering 1992 Topps had full 1991 season statistics on the back, I'd be more concerned about this company's time travel technology that they would need in order to have complete 1992 Topps sets in September 1991, than I would be about the backdooring.
 

WizardofOz1982

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2017
1,736
1,498
Oklahoma
Considering 1992 Topps had full 1991 season statistics on the back, I'd be more concerned about this company's time travel technology that they would need in order to have complete 1992 Topps sets in September 1991, than I would be about the backdooring.

Now, now, don't let a little thing like facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory story.
 

Members online

Top