Official Error and Variation Discussion/Reference Thread

[DeliciousBacon]

I think the 2014 GQ color variations are an unintentional result of the printing process. I opened a box and noticed this variation, and that it was always the first last cards in the pack. If I'm not mistaken, the cards that were below the mini were a bit lighter. 2013 Golden Age had the same thing as well.

 

[ragtop12]

The more I think of these variations, I think part of my player collecting OCD would count these as different, but if I was going for a Master set, I am unsure. Maybe the "major" print differents such as the ones I mentioned, or the different fleer Ripkens/Randy's. I dunno, I am torn.

As far as set wide differences, I believe the 1990 Fleer set might have all cards with the printed in U.S.A. or U.S.A on back. Almost every player I am looking at has this difference when looking at 25-30 of each guy, maybe 1-2 have the U.S.A on back.

 

[ragtop12]

I think the 2014 GQ color variations are an unintentional result of the printing process. I opened a box and noticed this variation, and that it was always the first last cards in the pack. If I'm not mistaken, the cards that were below the mini were a bit lighter. 2013 Golden Age had the same thing as well.

Oh! So the light color and darker color coming from same packs - nullifies my hobby/retail though...

 

[BBCgalaxee]

Don't forget that every card from 90 fleer (base) also can be found with a printed in Canada copyright.

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[olerud363]

Don't forget that every card from 90 fleer (base) also can be found with a printed in Canada copyright.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

To me this is a distinct variation, as it represents different versions of the card that were issued in Canada and the US, similiar to Topps and O-Pee-Chee.

On the general topic of variations, for my Olerud PC I don't count differences in the copyright info such as Donruss INC./INC or the Topps asterisk and letter versions. I do count variations such as the 1990 & 1991 Donruss pack and factory set front variations, and the Upper Deck regular and factory set gold holograms (but not the various other types of holograms).

It's a pretty blurry line to draw, and everyone will have their own preferences. I figure I have enough standard cards still to chase without looking for every little difference possible.

 

[gamecockfanatic]

I also went through 1000 Dawson cards, and found these. None of these you'd consider variations (except the UD holos)? Also found a nice 88 topps blackless (very little black) of him!

Andre Dawson 1985 Topps VAR (White Dot Above "O" in OF on Front) #4 20
Andre Dawson 1986 Topps VAR (White Dot Above "E" in Andre on Back) #760
Andre Dawson 1987 Topps VAR (Pink Comma to Right of Name on Front) #345
Andre Dawson 1987 Topps VAR (Pink Circle to Right of Dawson's Forearm on Front) #345
Andre Dawson 1987 Topps VAR (Pink Circle to Right of Dawson's Last Name on Front) #345
Andre Dawson 1987 Topps VAR (Pink Circle & Line to Left of Name on Front) #345
Andre Dawson 1988 Donruss Bonus MVP's ("Inc." on Back) #BC10
Andre Dawson 1988 Topps ERR (Very Minimal Black Ink (Appears Light Gray) on Front #500
Andre Dawson 1989 Score VAR (Pink Dot in Top Left Corner of Photo on Front) #2
Andre Dawson 1989 Fleer VAR (White Mark in Left Border & Larger Pink Dot Above Cubs Logo on Jersey on Front) #4 22
Andre Dawson 1989 Fleer VAR (White Mark in Left Border on Front) #4 22
Andre Dawson 1989 Fleer VAR (White Mark in Left Border & Smaller Pink Dot Above & To Left of Cubs Logo on Jersey on Front) #4 22
Andre Dawson 1989 Fleer VAR (Pink Circle on Bottom of Jersey on Front) #4 22
Andre Dawson 1989 Topps VAR (Pink Arc to Left of Topps on Front) #10
Andre Dawson 1989 Topps VAR (Pink Circle Above Dawson's Helmet on Front) #10
Andre Dawson 1989 Topps RB VAR (Light Blue Triangle to Right of Dawson's Head on Front) #4
Andre Dawson 1989 Topps AS VAR (White Blob Above "E" in Andre on Front) #391
Andre Dawson 1990 Score VAR (Small White Circle in Top Border Above Bat on Front) #2 65
Andre Dawson 1990 Score VAR (Pink Circle in to Right of Bat on Front) #2 65
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer ("Printed in U.S.A" on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer ("Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer VAR (Pink Vertical Line in Top Border on Back & "Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer VAR (Small Pink Dot on Background Player's Leg on Front & "Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer VAR (Pink Circle to Left of Outfield on Front & "Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer VAR (Pink Circle Above "n" in Dawson on Front & "Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Fleer VAR (Pink Circle to Right of Name on Front & "Printed in U.S.A." on Back) #2 9
Andre Dawson 1990 Donruss VAR (White Circle to Left of MLB Logo on Back & "Inc" on Back) #2 23
Andre Dawson 1991 Upper Deck ERR (1990 Hologram on Back - Includes Small 90's) #4 54
Andre Dawson 1991 Upper Deck ERR (1990 Hologram on Back - Includes Large 90's) #4 54
Andre Dawson 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier (Black Mark to Left of OPC Logo on Back) #4 5
Andre Dawson 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier (Black Mark to Left of OPC Logo Partially Airbrushed on Back) #4 5
Andre Dawson 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier (Black Mark to Left of OPC Logo Mostly Airbrushed on Back) #4 5
Andre Dawson 1993 Topps VAR (Light Green Circle Behinds Dawson's Head on Front) #2 65


IMO, cards like the 92 OPC premier with the different airbrushing are like the Topps Big with the letters partially airbrushed. Who knows though. When I have 20-20 of the same card, worth pulling out these oddities in case a Dawson collector indeed looks for these things!

for those that are simply stray marks (such as those caused by a stray hair , fiber , grain of sand , speck of dust , or any other type of debris on a printing plate causing ink to appear somewhere or prevent it from appearing somewhere and then either shifting position or being cleaned off entirely ) i'd say no - i don't even care if you can find more than one copy with the same print dot in the same place - that simply means they printed more than one sheet before the debris moved or the palte was celaned.........if the actual plate is intentionally modified (such as adding , removing , or amenind text or images) then definitely yes....

 

[gamecockfanatic]

To me this is a distinct variation, as it represents different versions of the card that were issued in Canada and the US, similiar to Topps and O-Pee-Chee.

On the general topic of variations, for my Olerud PC I don't count differences in the copyright info such as Donruss INC./INC or the Topps asterisk and letter versions. I do count variations such as the 1990 & 1991 Donruss pack and factory set front variations, and the Upper Deck regular and factory set gold holograms (but not the various other types of holograms).

It's a pretty blurry line to draw, and everyone will have their own preferences. I figure I have enough standard cards still to chase without looking for every little difference possible.

yes , fleer canadian is an entirely separate issues that even beckett actually catalogs.....sadly , i don't think i've ever even seen one in person though....

i DO consider all the inc/inc. (and let's not forget AT LEAST one year you had to consider * inc/* inc./** inc/** inc. (the asterisks were part of the * denotes league leader or *denotes league leader* in the stat header line with each version pared with both the inc and inc, copyright) in addtion to the factory/retail versions , border variations (90 donruss spatter patterns - though i admit i am not up to date on those AT ALL)....i guess it can change the perception of some of that 1988-1992 donruss junk wax into at least something of a challenge to assemble a full master set....same with all the legitimate variations in 189-1991 topps (though once again , i'm not too keen on all the simple print flaws or very minor color variations that i think are little more than the result of low ink levels or over saturation in some cases (ie , pink vs red .....black vs gray....brown vs beige....)

i also look for the gold holograms as well , but like you i do not really worry about all the other upper deck hologram variations ...i almost consider those "after market alterations"

 

[jacksoncoupage]

i also look for the gold holograms as well , but like you i do not really worry about all the other upper deck hologram variations ...i almost consider those "after market alterations"

How so? They were produced/printed and distributed via standard channels (wax, factory) by upper deck the year of issue.

They may be arguable as variations for some collectors as they are foil variations. The result of UD using different holographic foil sheets with different patterns, intended for specific products, but absolutely not "aftermarket alterations."

 

[ragtop12]

While on the subject, do you know what the 1990-91 UD holos look like with the cross hickey sticks. Are they SMALL hockey sticks that you can hardly tell are hiockey sticks? I have two 1991 UD logo variations, one has large 90 and other small 90. I assume one is the hockey and one maybe comic ball? I wish a scan was possible on these!

How so? They were produced/printed and distributed via standard channels (wax, factory) by upper deck the year of issue.

They may be arguable as variations for some collectors as they are foil variations. The result of UD using different holographic foil sheets with different patterns, intended for specific products, but absolutely not "aftermarket alterations."

 

[mouschi]

outstanding post ... and it is driving me NUTS going through what I already have to match things up ... great job guys! Question: Aren't these 2 the same cards?

1989
Topps All Star Commemorative: () White or Gray cardstock
Topps Glossy All-Stars: single or double asterisk (* or **)

Please correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps the All-Stars are supposed to be the send ins, but the commemoratives are the ones with the * or **.

 

[ragtop12]

The Glossy All-stars are a 22 card set inserted into rack packs.

The All Star Commemorative I believe is what Beckett calls Glossy Send-ins and has 60 cards in the set.

I could be wrong though, but that is what I assumed.

outstanding post ... and it is driving me NUTS going through what I already have to match things up ... great job guys! Question: Aren't these 2 the same cards?

1989
Topps All Star Commemorative: () White or Gray cardstock
Topps Glossy All-Stars: single or double asterisk (* or **)

Please correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps the All-Stars are supposed to be the send ins, but the commemoratives are the ones with the * or **.

 

[gamecockfanatic]

How so? They were produced/printed and distributed via standard channels (wax, factory) by upper deck the year of issue.

They may be arguable as variations for some collectors as they are foil variations. The result of UD using different holographic foil sheets with different patterns, intended for specific products, but absolutely not "aftermarket alterations."

perhaps "after-market" wasn't an entirely correct term , but i stand by my opinion.....perhaps i'll use the term "post-production" or "post-printing" if that makes you feel better about it....the holograms were not part of the actual PRINTING and therefore had nothing to do with the printing plates being changed for the sake of editing....to me , THAT is what truly constitutes a variation - the intentional chnage to the plates used to create the printed material.....the holograms were applied AFTER the printing and what holographic pattern was applied was completely independent of any and all printing....

 

[mouschi]

I think I found one myself! This is more fun than an easter egg hunt. I was checking over this list while updating my Canseco collection, and found this on the 1987 Donruss Wax Box bottoms:

One appears to be printed on an entirely different type of cardboard or similar, thus yielding a brighter back.

 

[mouschi]

The Glossy All-stars are a 22 card set inserted into rack packs.

The All Star Commemorative I believe is what Beckett calls Glossy Send-ins and has 60 cards in the set.

I could be wrong though, but that is what I assumed.

The 1987 glossy send-in's (or in this case "Glossy All-Stars" if I'm right) do not have any asterisks at all. The All-Star Commemoratives are what were in the packs I believe, as they say commemorative on the back ... those are the ones that have the asterisks.

 

[jacksoncoupage]

perhaps "after-market" wasn't an entirely correct term , but i stand by my opinion.....perhaps i'll use the term "post-production" or "post-printing" if that makes you feel better about it....the holograms were not part of the actual PRINTING and therefore had nothing to do with the printing plates being changed for the sake of editing....to me , THAT is what truly constitutes a variation - the intentional chnage to the plates used to create the printed material.....the holograms were applied AFTER the printing and what holographic pattern was applied was completely independent of any and all printing....

I get what you are saying now. And I also do not believe that they changed the holograms purposefully, but rather, I suspect that they ran out of the primary (91 pattern) type and used the other types as a stop gap for an unknown period of production. Perhaps even more than once at different points in the printing as the hi# cards can be found with the (92 logo pattern).

 

[mouschi]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but on the list, for the 1995 Summit's - the list shows different pinnacle brands and then cites this pic:

= can anyone tell a difference? Maybe I'm just blind!

 

[BBCgalaxee]

There's a circle next to "brand" in the black box

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[Hawk8]

There's a circle next to "brand" in the black box

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The circle is missing from the bottom one but what is the difference in the top two?

 

[ragtop12]

The circle is missing from the bottom one but what is the difference in the top two?

to me, it appears the circle is complete in one and broken in the other? Just a guess, can't zoom in far enough

 

[mouschi]

Here are another few variations I ran across:

1995 Stadium Club w/the World Series foil stamp, it can be in gold or silver:

In addition to this, the 1995 Stadium Club "Trans Action" cards are not just rainbow. They can also be red foil.

Honorable mention: I've seen some 1995 Stadium Club World Series Cansecos be stamped on the mid right and on the upper left. Not sure why though.