Forgotten Tough Parallels

[banjar]

I think I agree with most/all of your criteria. Well said. And that 2015 Topps Woodgrain variation, that is another level.

Tough card—400 cards in the set, and COMC lists only 22 of them in current/sold listings. I was very happy to find mine; sometime later, I also found a second.

When something has a low serial number (or at least one that is easy to spot, to banjar's point about the 2000 Pacific Crown Collection Latinos of the Major Leagues Parallel), it should be a reasonable signal to anyone who comes across the card—even without knowing anything else about it—that it is scarce. That's what makes cards like the 2006 Fleer Glossy Gold so tough: It's a subtle variation that you might miss unless you're looking for it, and if you indeed miss it, it might be relegated to decades of common-box purgatory. With that said, here are some parameters that many of the tough parallels seem to share:

• Not serial numbered (and no auto/GU, for that matter)
• Inconspicuous variation (easy to overlook)
• Widely sold set (e.g., a Topps or Fleer base set where people might be buying packs at grocery stores—not a set marketed primarily to hobbyists who are more likely to recognize the variations)
• Under-broken set (still in their packs)
• Low dollar value (marginal incentive to seek out the parallels, or even list if found)

Some nominees to the list based on the above parameters are listed below. I'd also add the 2014 Topps Heritage black back and 2015 Topps Heritage blue back—don't have examples to share, sadly.

 

[theplasticman]

Whoa! You have the Fleer Gold. Amazing!!

 

[LWMM]

Whoa! You have the Fleer Gold. Amazing!!

I was very, very glad to find it. There are certain cards that you regularly see on player collectors' needs lists from that era, and that's one of them. Looks like Darin Erstad is in the set—any other of your guys? Are you still looking for it?

 

[theplasticman]

I was very, very glad to find it. There are certain cards that you regularly see on player collectors' needs lists from that era, and that's one of them. Looks like Darin Erstad is in the set—any other of your guys? Are you still looking for it?

Congrats. I've never seen an Erstad for sale or otherwise. None of my other players are in that set, thankfully.

The gold is one of 4 remaining non-1/1 cards I need from 2006.

 

[theplasticman]

Heads up... if anyone has a player in 2007 Upper Deck series 1, there's a variation where some series 1 cards can be found with text on the back that says "series 2" in addition to the non-error version. I just learned about this one the other day.