Junk Wax Gems

1990 Pro Set Playbook Points Instant Winner 1:10 Cases!

Dylan — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:16:20 +0000

I recently completed sorting through my 5000ct box of 1990 Pro Set series one inserts: those folded booklets that come with two scratch-off areas, one for “points” redeemable through the Gazette and one for the chance to instantly win one of several prizes ranging from a trip to the Pro Bowl to a Collector’s Game Program.

While hunting and successfully discovering several variations, I also stumbled upon an actual, unscratched “5th Prize” instant winner. Holding up each copy from the monster box to a desk lamp, I was able to see what was printed beneath the silver scratch-off ink. An amazing feat, considering the stated odds for this prize was 1:7200 packs! With a stated print run of 10,000 “5th Prize” instant winner cards, that places production equal to the pack-issued Lombardi holograms! And when you consider how many were mailed in (maybe few, maybe most) and how often these find their way into the trash, this becomes one of the rarest items among the 1990 Pro Set issue.

A few interesting things to note:

First, this instant winner card is the only playbook card printed perfectly. Every single other (non-winning) playbook from 1990-1992 has some type of printing flaw, be off-register, missing ink, bleeding ink, etc. But not this copy. Second, it uses a thicker, darker metallic ink for the scratch-off area which made it considerably tougher to read the words “5th Prize: Super Bowl XXIII Patch.” Very interesting that Pro Set would differentiate this way!

Also, in terms of the “points” side, I discovered that the “Touchdown 6 Points” were the scarcest, which makes sense since it’s the largest sum they offer on the inserts. Out of my few thousand copies, only 5 “touchdown” variations were pulled. Just 8 each of the “Safety 2 Points” and “Field Goal 3 Points” variations were pulled from this supply! The remaining count were all the very common “Extra Point 1 Point” variety.

A handful of other variations involving missing lines, text and so forth also revealed themselves and I will update the 1990 Pro Set Master Checklist with those entries shortly.

All of the variations mentioned here are for sale and I will gladly take reasonable offers on the Instant Winner card, contact me via email if interested.

1990 Topps Jeff King “No White On Back” and Why it Doesn’t Belong in the Big Books!

Dylan — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:04:31 +0000

For less than a decade now, the Sports Collectors Digest has listed a major variation within the 1990 Topps set. Just recently, it’s catalog price has jumped up near Frank Thomas NNOF range, funny, considering zero copies have ever come up for sale! In fact, only one or two copies have been confirmed to even exist. Rare right?

I’m talking about card number 454 Jeff King. Yeah, the former #1 overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates and later, Kansas City Royals fame. Jeff’s card can be found with a solid, yellow and black cardback, meaning the cardboard colored areas (bio, border design, etc) typical on the reverses of 1990 Topps are inked over in yellow. Below is the only-known pic out there (as of today!) and the only confirmed copy I know of, however, Bob Lemke of SCD stands by them having recieved more than one submitted to them while editor of the big book.

This card, rather it’s catalog-worthy status is irksome to say the least. Collectors, especially those with error and variation focused collections as well as the powers-that-be of the industry, Beckett and SCD, have long held the “rule” that most printing flaws, especially ink-run types, are not considered true variations. This rule of course, has it’s many, many exceptions (Frank Thomas NNOF or 1986 Topps Roger Clemens “Blue Streak” for fresh examples), which is frustrating enough because by cataloging these entries as variations, they become must-have for the completists out there. These books lend a lot of legitimacy to which variations they decide to recognize.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of similar print-flaw variations from all of the overproduction years, from every brand that are even more deserving of catalog space than the Jeff King example,specifically because while they are “flaws” and not design changes, they have shown up in great enough numbers, in several regions of the country and are not near-isolated incidents.

Recurring printing flaws such as:

1987 Topps Davey Lopes Record Breakers card with the various copyright dates on back

1987 Topps Turn Back the Clock subject with yellow dates on front

1988 Topps Angels TL card showing a thick red stripe down Wally Joyner’s arm and it’s subsequent phases of editing

1988 & 1989 Topps – 10% of these sets are full of great examples of recurring print-defect issues that Topps attempted to fix

1989 Topps Lou Brock Turn Back the Clock with a similar, yet narrower stripe

These are just a few that immediately spring to mind but the point is, if these guides are going to catalog these one-off type “excess ink” printing flaws as variations, they need to start tracking and cataloging every incident of this kind. Sounds like an impossible task, right? It certainly would be. The other solution, the realistic one, would be to remove these silly entries, much easier than tracking every Topps ink-spill affected card and thereby maintaining their own guidelines for what constitutes an “error” or “variation.”

The error bibles aren’t exempt of this kind of contradiction either. Dick Gilkeson’s guides, while truly an asset and full of information targeted to this niche within a niche hobby, are full of things like this that for 20 years now, have been considered must-own, legitimate variations that because of their true nature being brief-run printing flaws, few will ever be able to add to their collections. I’m looking at you 1989 Fleer Lance Parrish with circled ‘i.’

And then we have this to consider:

A sharp-eyed collector over at the PSA/Collectors Universe boards spotted this card recently. It should be noted that the same collector was majorly helpful in unraveling the NNOF Thomas / Blackless error puzzle and seems to have the best assortment of 1990 Topps at his disposal! So what about this card? Should it too be cataloged. Certainly there are other 1990 Topps cards that received a yellow ink spill across the back. Obviously, I say “no.” But I love this discovery for the simple reason that it proves that it and the Jeff King are simply the result of spilled/excess ink, rather than a design change by Topps.

There is no doubt that these cards are RARE, no question as to how few are out there and I would flip if I stumbled across any example of this type of thing while breaking a box of 1990 Topps, in fact, I’ve pulled several similar types from other products and it’s one of the best things that can happen when you have a passion for variations! But every “fish eye” type error is just as rare. So are all the weird shaped blotches found on cards that are the result of pooled ink that sometimes look like everyday objects if you get your imagination going (“Witch Hat” Art Howe, anyone?), but rare or not, they are so vast that cataloging them would be silly. Collectors over the years have generally ruled them non-essential to their master sets so why allow this glaring exception? Personally, I love and collect and sell every type of aberrant card I can find, I like my loose definition of the term “error” but I know where to draw the line between what is an impossible, freak-occurance (yes that means more than one example out there) and a recurring abnormality deserving of a catalog entry. My Ongoing Checklist section will be ultimately be an example of that.

1991 Topps AB Sheet Code Variations: Ongoing Checklist

Dylan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:54:17 +0000

This impressive look at 1991 Topps A*B* variations comes courtesy of JunkWaxGems contributor, Eric, a fellow E&V collector with an impressive collection:

“As if 1991 Topps has not already confounded collectors enough with its broad range of errors, variations, and printing oddities, one print variation may even eclipse the tough-to-find Mark Whiten, Drabek and Hoiles errors in scarcity.

It is well known that the backs of some 1991 Topps cards were printed with both a bold red 40^th Anniversary” design behind the player stats and a more faded version that makes the card back easier to read. All cards that were printed on the A* and B* sheets can be found with both bold and faded backs. However, some of the cards from that A* sheet can also be found with an A*B* print designation at the bottom of the back of the card.

This variation has ONLY been seen on cards with the bold “40^th Anniversary” back and any cards with this variation have proven to be incredibly scarce. In fact, these cards are so rare that it has been difficult to compile a complete listing.

The following 1991 Topps cards are presently known to be available with the A*B* print designation, although it is possible that other cards from the A* sheet are also available with the A*B* designation:

#13 – Mariano Duncan

#54 – Gary Mielke

#63 – Milt Thompson

#72 – Junior Ortiz

#76 – Jerry Browne

#83 – Daryl Boston

#120 – Joe Carter

#123 – Greg Harris

#153 – Bryan Harvey

#155 – Dwight Evans (error version only)

#170 – Carlton Fisk

#177 – Reggie Harris

#178 – Dave Valle

#190 – Matt Williams

#192 – Rob Deer

#193 – Felix Fermin

#213 – Frank Wills

#216 – Greg Gagne

#223 – Allan Anderson

#237 – Rick Cerone

#242 – Mike LaCoss

#248 – Tom Gordon

#250 – Dennis Eckersley

#265 – Mark Gubicza

#270 – Mark McGwire (correct version only)

#272 – Jeff King

#284 – Billy Spiers

#290 – Steve Sax

#297 – Manny Lee

#312 – Charlie Hayes

#314 – Gary Pettis

#317 – Mike Fitzgerald

#345 – Len Dykstra

#382 – Mackey Sasser

#384 – Gerald Perry

#422 – Rick Reuschel

#440 – George Bell

#453 – Bill Schroeder

#454 – Kevin Appier (error version only)

#463 – Dwight Smith

#475 – Teddy Higuera

#478 – Kurt Stillwell

#480 – Dave Magadan

#481 – Eddie Whitson

#509 – Glenallen Hill

#532 – Kirk McCaskill

#538 – Bip Roberts

#584 – Kevin Brown

#595 – Bill Landrum

#610 – Andres Galarraga

#622 – Jack Daugherty

#642 – Hal Morris

#644 – Chuck Crim

#650 – Jack Clark

#664 – John Farrell

#667 – Kent Anderson

#677 – Bill Ripken

#716 – Bob Geren

#718 – Steve Crawford

#756 – Jeff Huson

#781 – Daryl Hamilton

#783 – Joel Skinner

#785 – Scott Fletcher

If this wasn’t enough, there is also another variation from the A* and B* sheets where the light pink area behind the biographical information on the back of the card is printed in the same dark red color as the rest of the red card back. This seems to be more common on the B* sheet, and again, is only found on cards with the bold red “40^th Anniversary” back. At present, there has not yet been an attempt to catalog these variations so it is unknown how many cards from these sheets were affected by this variation.”

A huge “thanks” to Eric for digging this out, doing the research and this thorough write-up.

I can safely say that throughout my many 1991 Topps phases, I have opened more of the product than most people would be able to rationalize . I have broken countless boxes, sets, and sorted through hundreds of thousands of loose 1991 Topps singles found in miscellany and junk boxes and have turned just about every copy over as well: these variations (Daryl Boston excluded) are hands down the rarest of the issue. I’ve come across many Mark Whiten, Drabek and Hoiles errors, yet have never held a copy of these A*B* variations. While patience will usually bring out the “big three” previously mentioned, less than ten copies of this variety have ever been offered for sale!

The Mysterious 1990 Topps Debut ‘X’ Cards

Dylan — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:29:50 +0000

I’ve been meaning to post about this bizarre card for a couple years now but couldn’t locate the scans I saved. In fact, these images are the only I’ve ever seen and were poached from a message board in 2009. Since I am in the mood to do a little bit of detective work, I feel now is the time to shed some light on this very unusual card:

Not much is known about this card, in fact, I’ve yet to hear any mention of it since it was posted in the legendary Frank Thomas NNOF thread on the Collectors Universe boards.

Here is what we do know:

Pulled from a 20-set case of 1990 Topps Debut ’89 sets.
1990 Topps Debut ’89 features 152 subjects.
Topps likes to print cards in multiples of 11 (33 Glossy All-Stars, 132 O-Pee-Chees, 792 base set, etc…)

Here is what I think:

152 subjects doesn’t work with Topps’ multiples of 11 sheet orientation, however, 154 does. This leads me to believe that on a single uncut 154 card sheet, you will find all 152 cards plus two of these “corner” cards. Obviously, the same formula can be applied to a theoretical 77 card sheet, but one X card per.

I believe that these cards were intended to be thrown out as printer’s waste but some, apparently very few, made their way into sets.

I do not believe that the X cards were intended to depict a player. Although I did not do the research, Topps claims that this set features every major league debut of the 1989 season, which would explain it’s unusual subject number (152) , which varied each of the subsequent years lending some truth to the claim.

What’s especially odd is that given Topps’ high production run during this era, those two “wasted” spots would seem like something of loss financially. Given how often Topps put advertisements and offer cards in products, why didn’t they use those spots for something useful? Food for thought.

Obviously, all of this could be simply explained with an image of an uncut sheet but until I get a hold of one, where’s the fun in that?

Quick Look: 1990 Score R/T Dave Winfield Unmarked Promo Variation

Dylan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:53:48 +0000

Take a look at this freshly-discovered promo variation from the 1990 Score Rookie & Traded set. This was discovered just weeks ago in a discussion on 1990s promo cards over at Freedomcardboard.com. A longtime dealer posted an image of Dave Winfield’s card number 1 in the set that by all appearances, seems like the regular issue card (below). Another forum member posted a pic (2nd) of the set-issue showing a difference in photo cropping, something fairly common with early 90s Score issues:

1994 Topps Baseball Errors & Variations: Ongoing Checklist

Dylan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:34:45 +0000

78a Mel Rojas With print code on back

78b Mel Rojas Without print code on back

79a OF Prospects Clouds visible through shadow inset boxes

79b OF Prospects Solid black shadow inset boxes

109a Delino Deshields Red ‘Expos’ and ’2b’ on front

109b Delino Deshields Yellow ‘Expos’ and ’2b’ on front

134a Greg Colbrunn With print code on back

134b Greg Colbrunn Without print code on back

268a Pedro Martinez With print code on back

268b Pedro Martinez Without print code on back

340a Mark McGwire With print code on back

340b Mark mcGwire Without print code on back

370a Benny Santiago

370b Mark McLemore (Meant to be 379)

743a Pat Watkins FDP Missing copyright line on back

743b Pat Watkins FDP Copyright included on back

748a Sloan Smith FDP Missing print code on back

748b Sloan Smith FDP With print code on back UNCONFIRMED

For Sale: Rare (and Interesting) 1980s and 1990s Error & Variation items

Dylan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:38:58 +0000

My last batch as an eBay seller is up right now and I’m hoping to move some of this over the next week before I stop selling on the site. A recent 60-day review showed me $600 in sales, netted me $140 in pocket and this has been going on this way for over a year with no sign of changing for the better! So, unfortunately, this current batch of stuff will be my last for the foreseeable future. The good news is, it’s some of the best I have had in a long time. You can check it all out here.

Currently taking lower-than-usual offers on this stuff, after this next week, I will be revamping the “For Sale” page on this site to include a large run-down of available merchandise and will most likely only sell through this site. An occasional “must-auction” item may hit eBay here and again, but my days of selling on their site in any kind of volume are over.

So, please do, check ‘em out and make offers, mention JunkWaxGems for free, combined shipping!

Thanks!

1994 Topps Sheet Code Variations…An Ongoing Mystery

Dylan — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:44:27 +0000

Continuing on with my recent spotlighting of post-prime era variations (mid 90s and on), here is a look at a recently discovered (2007-ish) variation affecting an unknown number of 1994 Topps subjects. Several of the base cards are commonly found without a print code on back – very common for this set, however, a handful of these subject have shown up in extremely limited quantities with a print code.

Brought to my attention from a fellow collector, so far, only Mark McGwire, Pedro Martinez, Mel Rojas and an already-forgotten Montreal Expos common have been confirmed. This is most-likely due to the fact that by 1994, the error and variation craze had died down considerably and collectors weren’t pouring over the issue like they had in the late 80s. My own research has been pretty limited as far as this set goes, I’ve poured over half a dozen factory sets and twice as many 3200ct boxes but have never found a with code and without pair.

I’d be interested to hear what the player collectors out there turn up. If anyone has any more info on these variations or other 1994 Topps errors, I’d like to get an ‘Ongoing Checklist’ for 1994 Topps going soon. I am fairly certain there is a lot more to be discovered in 1994 Topps.

Quick Look: 1993 Topps Black Gold Foil Variations

Dylan — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:54:05 +0000

Her is a little-known variation that affects one of the few inserts sets from 1993 to retain and even grow in popularity. In 1993, Topps included a special insert called Black Gold featuring 44 of the biggest players at the time. Collector’s could find one of these every other box or so, but on occasion, they could also find “Winner” redemption cards for sets of 11, 22 or all 44 of the cards, since these cards are so popular with player-collectors, the 44 card winner redemption has greatly appreciated in value over the years. Along with the already-documented “switched backs” errors, a blog for another day, a variation in the foil used on these cards can be found.

Most commonly the cards use a holographic gold foil, however, a small sampling of them feature a non-holographic, simple gold foil treatment. In my years of knowing about these cards, I’ve only encountered a handful of examples. Unfortunately, not a single copy of my player, recently-appointed manager of the Chicago White Sox, Robin Ventura.

Quick Look: 1991 Upper Deck Milt Thompson “Bullseye” Error

Dylan — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:40:24 +0000

Here’s a rare sighting, a printing flaw that even Beckett and SCD acknowledge in their catalogs: 1991 Upper Deck Milt Thompson #309A with “bullseye” over 86 stats on back.

Most “fish-eye” printing flaw stuff doesn’t get cataloged and for good reason,as it would be impossible to list each and every printing aberration in mass-produced sets. However, some of them seem to have affected enough of the total print run that collectors from all over were reporting them, Frank Thomas NNOF and Joe Namath’s ‘butterfly’ errors are good examples of this. But see the pattern? These types of errors only get recognition if it affects a key rookie card or star player, something of a double-standard. There are probably a hundred cards out there from the junk wax era, as rare as the Frank Thomas NNOF card, that will never see catalog and subsequently mass-collector recognition, which makes this card an obscure exception to the rule. Very scarce by early-90s Upper Deck production numbers but still, at the end of the day, a printing flaw on a Milt Thompson card.