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1990 topps glossy rookies foil test issue - expert opinions needed

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gamecockfanatic

Active member
Jun 17, 2009
945
25
Gamecock Country
i've been aware of the 1990 topps glossy rookies foil test cards for quite a while , but now i'm looking for a little more help in ascertaining the value of one in particular....

picked up a bulk lot this week and one little (appaent) gem hiding out in the mix was a 1990 topps glossy rookies foil test ken griffey jr ....it's graded 96 (mint 9) by sgc....there are two currently live on ebay with BIN's of $100 and $150 but none sold recently...

normally i'd be at least somewhat content with that info ,but there's a little bit more to this one....i looked around online and found some limited info , but most articles and forum posts were a bit dated...i ran across one post from december of 2016 that contained the following paragraph :

In order to step-up their game, Topps tested some new printing techniques. They took tons of regular Glossy Rookies and printed a foil stripe across the front. You can find them in a variety of colors – blue, purple, green, red, silver, and gold. The stripe can be in multiple locations as well. One card may have it straight across the player’s face, while another could be near the bottom. Multiple colors for each player can be found in many different positions. Occasionally you’ll see cards with two stripes, but I’ve never seen one with two different colors. Usually if there are two, the colors match. If that isn’t enough, the asterisk variations carry over to these foil tests. Every player in the Glossy Rookies set has a card with one and two asterisks on the back. For those collectors who are obsessed with variations, this could be an endless battle when you throw everything together. Ken Griffey, Jr. is the most popular foil test. He’s worth about $10 to $20.


i've highlighted the relevant part....

the griffey i have features two stripes....a gold bar that runs directly over his face and a second bar (it looks bronze or copper to me though it may be what others refer to as red) that runs just below his name....

i'll probably be putting this one up for sale , but if possible i'd love to get some input from the error/variation/test experts out there on its potential value...
 

KLARNOLD

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2008
1,409
147
Owensboro, KY
The Griffeys that are listed are too high. I would price them around the $35 to 50 range. You could count the number of stripes as a multiplier so your 2 stripes should be in the $75 to $100 range. IMO, the multiple striped ones are harder to find.
 

gamecockfanatic

Active member
Jun 17, 2009
945
25
Gamecock Country
The Griffeys that are listed are too high. I would price them around the $35 to 50 range. You could count the number of stripes as a multiplier so your 2 stripes should be in the $75 to $100 range. IMO, the multiple striped ones are harder to find.


oops...just noticed that i highlighted the entire paragraph instead of the portion i intended to feature....

this was what i INTENDED to highlight :

In order to step-up their game, Topps tested some new printing techniques. They took tons of regular Glossy Rookies and printed a foil stripe across the front. You can find them in a variety of colors – blue, purple, green, red, silver, and gold. The stripe can be in multiple locations as well. One card may have it straight across the player’s face, while another could be near the bottom. Multiple colors for each player can be found in many different positions. Occasionally you’ll see cards with two stripes, but I’ve never seen one with two different colors. Usually if there are two, the colors match. If that isn’t enough, the asterisk variations carry over to these foil tests. Every player in the Glossy Rookies set has a card with one and two asterisks on the back. For those collectors who are obsessed with variations, this could be an endless battle when you throw everything together. Ken Griffey, Jr. is the most popular foil test. He’s worth about $10 to $20.


my next 2 questions for you ...are your estimates on values based on raw or graded (specifically sgc 96 in this case) and taking it further , based on two same-color stripes or a card with 2 different color stripes....?
 

gamecockfanatic

Active member
Jun 17, 2009
945
25
Gamecock Country
finally got a chance to get a scan although it is a wee bit blurry due to the limitations of the only scanner i have available at this time...

as you can clearly see the top stripe running across his face is gold and the bottom stripe is what appears to be bronze or copper (at least i don't think this is what people refer to as red) ...


my apologies if it's WAAAAAAY too big , but since photobucket went pay-for-play i'm still experimenting with hosting sites and i'm not quite sure how to adjust the size when i link pics with the site im using now....


T4I7MsA.jpg
 

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