Quick Look: 1991 Stadium Club Jamie Quirk Variations

Here is a glimpse at all three versions of Quirk’s 1991 Stadium Club card. Interestingly, Quirk was featuring on series two packaging and promotional materials, though, I doubt many would argue that Stadium Club could’ve picked a number of better photos that this somewhat dull image.

Quirk was original printed with a 1990 Topps notation for his rookie card on back. This was changed to his correct, 1976 version. However, there exists two variants: one, printed clearly and correctly and another, printed with a 90-degree rotated “ghost” image over his corner of his rookie card image on back. This is not the result of a wet-transfer or errant ink strike, it is beneath the gloss layer and always printed in the exact same way. In fact, this version appears to be slightly more prevalent than his clean, 1976 version.

Quick Look: 1991 Topps Double Front Proofs/Test Issue

Printed on 1991 Topps Traded “white” stock, these recently discovered dual-front test issues differ from their pack-issued counterparts by minor design and cropping variations.

 

Make sure to check out this in-depth discussion with comparison pics on the Net54 Baseball forums.

1991 Topps A*B* Sheet Code Variations: Ongoing Checklist

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

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

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.

1991 Topps Baseball Errors & Variations: Ongoing Checklist

NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card (individually coded 12345-12611)

NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card (Topps reprints on front, scarce test issue)

NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card ( ‘X’ and mailing address on front – Instant Winner)

2a George Brett RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back

2b George Brett RB complete circle around registration symbol on back, touching text area

2c George Brett RB complete circle around registration symbol on back, away from text area

3a Carlton Fisk RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back

3b Carlton Fisk RB complete circle around registration symbol on back

4a Kevin Maas RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back

4b Kevin Maas RB complete circle around registration symbol on back

5a Cal Ripken Jr. RB E*F* print code

5b Cal Ripken Jr. RB F* print code

6a Nolan Ryan RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back

6b Nolan Ryan RB complete circle around registration symbol on back

9a Darrin Fletcher missing print code on back

9b Darrin Fletcher F* print code on back

21a Joe Morgan MGR with 87 hits for Wade Boggs on back

21b Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 1 printed higher than 87

21c Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 1 printed lower than 87

21d Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 187 aligned

22a Storm Davis with registration symbol above Topps logo on front

22b Storm Davis with partial registration symbol above Topps logo on front

22c Storm Davis with registration symbol removed from front

Quick Look: 1991 Score Nolan Ryan No-Hit Club #701 Variations

1991 Score is one of those sets that I typically avoid sorting through in effort to find new varieties. One of the reasons being that there is so much text and stat info on backs that it’s difficult to notice differences between copies. Another reason would be that I was never really impressed by the issue (like most of the Score products), but since a handful of varieties have shown up over the last 5-6 years that feature highly-collected star players, I figured it best to post a few examples of unlisted errors in the set (see also: 1991 Score Bo Jackson posting). This hard-to-find variation features Nolan Ryan:

A. Stat box is WHITE on back (scarce).

B. Stat box is BLUE on back (common).

Quick Looks: 1991 Score Bo Jackson Highlight ’90 Variations

1991 Score is one of those set that hasn’t been paid enough attention to, in regards to error-hunting. Ive never really liked the set and I know that I’ve neglected my duty in sorting through bulk batches of it in effort to discover something new. One of the latest (ca. 2005-2006) discoveries from this set affect Bo Jackson’s card #420, from the Highlights subset. Early versions of the card have the ’90 on front, printed in a very light blue color. Later releases corrected it by printing the ’90 in dark blue just like the other cards in the set.

Quick Look: 1991 Topps Robin Ventura #461 – 3 Different Variations

Well technically, it’s 6 different but we won’t get into back variations for this one. My favorite player of all-time is the focus of this ‘Quick Look,’ and also, it’s no coincidence that the card comes from the most error-packed issue in Topps’ history, the 1991 40th Anniversary set!

Rockin’ Robin’s card, #461, can be found in 3 different left border varieties: One, with a solid red left border. Two, with a red-with-gray overprinted left-hand border. Three, with a solid gray left border.

Quick Look: 1991 Pacific Senior League Photo Variations

1989-1991 Senior League sets are all sorts of fun. Starting with the 1990 Pacific set, famous for containing the ‘little-sister’ to Bill Ripken’s Fleer card and one my all-time favorites: the Jim Nettles “A-Hole” card. Topps also made a great-looking set in 1990-91, a set that I am sure a variation or two must exist within. But 1991 Pacific is perhaps the strangest Senior League issue of all of them. Several of the cards in the set can be found in two different photo variations on front and to this day, there’s been little info recognizing them or explanation as to why the variations exist. Take a look:

Cards you’ve never seen: 1991 Fleer Elite Baseball

In 1991, just after the enormous success of 1990 Leaf Baseball as Donruss’ entry into the ‘premium’ card market, the other companies were looking to launch a high-end line of cards. Fleer put together a set that was to be called ‘Elite‘ but because Donruss already had a major insert set by the same name, Fleer was forced to change the name to ‘Ultra‘ just before release.

The above images are from a 1991 SCD Basketball, Football, Hockey Collector magazine ad. This is the best image that’s out there for these samples, as far as I know. Notice how the card logos are blacked-out, recalling Fleer’s Bill Ripken bat-handle editing technique. I have no idea whether this is the doing of the dealers who were running the ads, possibly at Fleer’s behest, or if Fleer sent them samples or mock-ups with the blacked-out logos.

Makes you wonder if any physical samples are out there. Either blacked-out or with the Elite logos. I know I’d love to add a Robin Ventura to my collection!