what is topps tiffany?

[J.O.]

looking at mcgwire rc's, i see a topps tiffany card. what is the difference?

 

[dodgerchromie]

im pretty sure they have a finished gloss.

 

[Musial Collector]

From a google search:

What’s the difference between Topps and Topps Tiffany?

The difference between regular-issue Topps and Topps Tiffany is that Tiffany cards only came in factory-set form and have a glossy front (the reason they were given the nickname 'Tiffany'). Regular collectors (meaning kids) never really had Tiffany cards because they were only sold as a factory set and because they were much more expensive. Here are print runs, according to the SCD 2006 Standard Catalog:

1984: 10,000
1984 Traded: 10,000
1985: 5,000
1985 Traded: 10,000 (guess, based on SCD-reported value)
1986: 5,000
1986 Traded: 5,000 (guess, based on SCD-reported value)
1987: 30,000
1987 Traded: 30,000
1988: 25,000
1988 Traded: 25,000
1989: 25,000
1989 Traded: 15,000
1990: ? (though guess would be between 5,000 – 10,000, based on SCD-reported value)
1990 Traded: ? 25,000 (guess, based on SCD-reported value)
1991: 25,000 (guess, based on SCD-reported value)
1991 Traded: 10,000 to 15,000 (guess, based on SCD-reported value)

Because Tiffany cards are scarcer, they are more valuable. Of course, being officially sanctioned specialty parallel sets doesn't hurt their value either.

 

[onionring9]

a glossy-ish version on a white (instead of grey) cardstock

Here's a picture example I created for some people asking the same thing on BMB a long time ago:

 

[J.O.]

thanks

 

[promodeltodd]

What was said above is accurate.

What was not said is that Topps needs to bring back the Tiffany sets. This day and age with all the fancy pancy parallels they put out, Tiffany sets would be the one thing at the top of my list.