1989 Upper Deck sample/blank back help needed

[TNP777]

Hopefully there's at least one expert in these things here.

For many years I've had the card on the left, which has a stamp on the back that reads SAMPLE NOT FOR RESALE. I have also been searching for a blank back, which I have seen examples of in other player collections. One showed up on eBay last week, so I picked it up. That card is shown on the right. As you can see, it's MUCH darker than the card on the left, plus the registration is way off.

So my question is this: does anyone else have one of these '89 blank backs? Is yours as dark as mine? The card stock looks right and feels right, so I'm wondering whether it's legit or not. I didn't pay much, but that's not the point. I'd really like to knock a card off my very small list.

Thanks in advance.

 

[banjar]

I'd like to know that too. There's an Alomar on ebay right now that I would like for my PC, but it's $20 and I am not interested in spending that on a card somebody printed in their basement. Counterfeits are fun at $5 but not at $20.

I know Butler and a handful of others were in the legit blank-back promo set with no position on front, but these other blank back ones keep popping up and I don't know what to make with them. After all UD had a hologram to prevent counterfeiting, so it makes you wonder what an uncataloged blank back card w/o hologram really is . So hopefully somebody here knows?

 

[banjar]

Bumping this thread to the top...

Does anyone know the story behind 1989 UD blank back cards? I picked one up the other day for cheap, and noticed the printing is a couple shades lighter than the pack-issued cards. The card stock and gloss are the same, it's just the color is off. Are these legit, or counterfeit, or are there some of both floating around?

 

[Brewer Andy]

I have this one which is blank on back and Beckett recognizes as some sort of printing test I assume. Maybe yours is related?

Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board

 

[banjar]

That is a cool one. There are several mentions online about black & white blank back proofs, but nothing about a sort-of colored one. Whatever it is, nice pickup.

I have this one which is blank on back and Beckett recognizes as some sort of printing test I assume. Maybe yours is related?

 

[magicpapa]

This Just In.....................

"These samples were produced before the prepress group did color correction. Not all will be dark like this, it depends on the exposure of the original photograph used."

 

[RStadlerASU22]

This Just In.....................

"These samples were produced before the prepress group did color correction. Not all will be dark like this, it depends on the exposure of the original photograph used."

Atta boy.

Ryan
Will Clark / Mike Brown Collector

 

[banjar]

Hum! Sounds like someone who was with UD at the time.

This Just In.....................

"These samples were produced before the prepress group did color correction. Not all will be dark like this, it depends on the exposure of the original photograph used."

 

[magicpapa]

 

[banjar]

OK I have another off the wall question about 89 UD. I got a BBOC (Big Box O' Commons) off ebay in the mail today, hoping to find some variations or errors inside. No luck, except for maybe one thing.

There were four 89 UD cards which looked exactly right, except they were printed on very thin cardboard stock. Actually I'd say it was closer to paper than cardboard. As I was flipping through them, this thin stock actually came apart into front and back halves. So then I'm holding the front half of the card in one hand, and the back half in the other hand...and these front/back halves were on very flimsy paper stock indeed.

So uh WTF? Has anyone ever run across anything like this with 89 UD? [MENTION=1759]magicpapa[/MENTION] ?

 

[OhioCollectibles]

OK I have another off the wall question about 89 UD. I got a BBOC (Big Box O' Commons) off ebay in the mail today, hoping to find some variations or errors inside. No luck, except for maybe one thing.

There were four 89 UD cards which looked exactly right, except they were printed on very thin cardboard stock. Actually I'd say it was closer to paper than cardboard. As I was flipping through them, this thin stock actually came apart into front and back halves. So then I'm holding the front half of the card in one hand, and the back half in the other hand...and these front/back halves were on very flimsy paper stock indeed.

So uh WTF? Has anyone ever run across anything like this with 89 UD?

Pics?

I collect Chet Lemon

 

[banjar]

Hereyago. The first one shows two separated cards. Bottom row is the "middle" faces. The front and back halves were clearly glued together to make the "original". The second pic shows the one I have that's not quite fully separated yet, half of it is still glued together.

 

[Brewer Andy]

Humidity?


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board

 

[banjar]

Seems like humidity could cause two halves of the card to peel apart, but the paper itself is really thin...and 89 UD wasn't produced with front and back sides printed separately, then glued together were they?

Dunno what these things are. I'm going to add an entry to my master PC checklist titled "1989 Upper Deck Executive Two-Part Prototype", with a print run of 10 copies. I will then make a check mark by it to show I own one.

 

[magicpapa]

OK I have another off the wall question about 89 UD. I got a BBOC (Big Box O' Commons) off ebay in the mail today, hoping to find some variations or errors inside. No luck, except for maybe one thing.

There were four 89 UD cards which looked exactly right, except they were printed on very thin cardboard stock. Actually I'd say it was closer to paper than cardboard. As I was flipping through them, this thin stock actually came apart into front and back halves. So then I'm holding the front half of the card in one hand, and the back half in the other hand...and these front/back halves were on very flimsy paper stock indeed.

So uh WTF? Has anyone ever run across anything like this with 89 UD? [MENTION=1759]magicpapa[/MENTION] ?

UD reply..... "Never heard of cards using different stock before. Sorry, can’t help on this one."

 

[banjar]

UD reply..... "Never heard of cards using different stock before. Sorry, can’t help on this one."

Well, thanks anyway! It's probably some weird production error, or god knows what.