Essential reading for the error & variation collector.

I often get asked if I have a list of all the variations that I know of and the answer is “no, but yes.”

Actually I have everything I know about variations tucked away in my head. It takes up a ton of space that could be used for more important things but what are you going to do, right?

But there are some really great sources out there for the collector who’s interested in starting an E&V collection. Below is a list of my favorite sources of info that aren’t based on my own personal discoveries and research:

-1990-1992 SCD Basketball, Football and Hockey Magazines: These ran from late ’90 through early ’92 and every issue has a comprehensive list of the 1990-1991 variations for those three sports. Plus they have a huge letters section where people sick with the error bug would write in all of their potential findings. Many of these are great variations that never received credit in the big guides.

-Dick Gilkeson’s Error and Variation guides ca.1990-1991: Considered by many to be the bible of errors and variations, this incredibly resourceful (but very outdated and limited – goes through 1991 only) self-published guide lists some of the most interesting variations up to that point. They are really difficult to find nowadays so the best bet is to find someone you know who’ll copy it for you. Gilkeson is truly an E&V hero!

-Pro Set NFL book ca. 1991: Shows a picture of ever Pro Set card issued between 1988 and early 1991. Explanations of various errors and the only image of 1989 Pro Set James Jefferson that shows a “scouting photo” tagline on front. A great way to begin your Pro Set football master set. This book also includes the exclusive “Cinderella Story” inserts set so when purchasing them, make sure that you get ask if the cards are still intact.

-1980’s and early 90’s Baseball Card Magazine and Baseball Card Collector Magazines: Like I mentioned above about SCD mags, the letters dept in these old junk store issues often provide invaluable information for unlisted error cards.

-Donovan Ryan’s Error & Variation Guide: Straight from the 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken master himself, Donovan compilled the best E&V guide since Gilkeson’s and has made it very easy to purchase (unlike Gilkeson’s these days). Pullings from a seemingly endless source of wantlists, master set lists and misc. guides, Donovan’s guide is full of information that any newbie E&V collector must check out.

-Beckett and SCD Annual Price Guides: Specifically the blurbs or set summaries under the set headings. This is where the editors mention stuff that they are unsure of listing in the price guide itself. There’s all sorts of usefull information in there as well as in the guides themselves.

-eBay: Arguably the best source of new info out there (until this blog takes off, of course 🙂 ), checking out completed items searches under various key words such as “error” “variation” etc, gives you a wide range of stuff to check out. I personally, have learned a lot from other sellers and their sharp eyed discoveries that they’ve offered for sale.

There you have it. The training wheels can come off now. You are ready to go. Enjoy the hunt!

1990 Pro Set Football: A variation paradise – pt.1

This post will focus on the lesser-known variations in the Dallas, TX based company’s sophmore set. 1990 Pro Set is home to a ton of well-documented variations: The New Orleans saints cards with white numbers, cards of Ray Perkins and Johnny Holland are missing their names and position on the reverse, stat errors in the text of Joe Montana’s card #2, etc…all of that info has been recorded in many places online and is usually just a click away. Tonight, I’m going to showcase some of the lesser known variations that can be found in the set.

#772 Dexter Manley backwards T. Manley’s card is already one of the most desirable error cards produced in modern trading cards. As of this writing, the last sale was for over $600. For those who don’t know, Manley’s card originally had a message about his suspension from the league due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, to which Manley and his lawyer objected. According to Pro Set, just a handful slipped through before correction. Not a new story in the error card world, but what many people are just finding out, is that a third variety exists: a version of the corrected card where the ‘t’ in “Official card of the NFL” on back (at bottom) looks as though it was printed backwards, or better yet, like a ‘j’ that had it’s top crossed instead of dotted. The backwards t is also present on the original substance abuse version as well, making this card a somewhat difficult “transitional” variety. In the 55 sets I have acquired in pursuit of the ‘substance abuse’ error, I have found just one of these ‘backward t’ errors!

Taking a closer look at 1991 Topps Baseball, the 40th Anniversary issue

1991 Topps is remembered by most collectors for it’s “1 of every card ever produced” sweepstakes. And most collectors who pursued Topps’ challenge to “find the Mick” in the 1991 packs were very dissappointed to discover that after hundreds or thousands of opened packs, not a single vintage card, or for the extremely lucky among them, a VG 1974 Topps common!

Though the 1991 set does boast some of Topps’ best photography up to that point and an already classic design, it’s also Topps’ most variation-heavy set ever produced! And since it was the last Topps set where the company made the effort to stop their presses and correct a large portion of errors, several of the rarest variations in Topps’ catalog can be found in this set. Here is a look at some of the toughest Topps variations from  the 1991 issue:

#685 Doug Drabek with WHITE inset border. Probably the most sought-after error in this set, Topps originally printed the card with a white border over his picture instead of the correctly-themed black. Tthis extremely difficult variation is believed to only be found in a limited amount of jumbo packs. Often times, the corrected version appears in boxes that contain the Chris Hoiles variation of similar type. Sales have seen over $100 for this card in previous years!

1990 Bowman Baseball. Shades of Topps Heritage.

To get things started, let’s take a look at the enigmatic, and Topps Heritage-esque, 1990 Bowman Baseball Set:

It took me almost 17 years to notice the approximately 100 different variations found in this set. Many longtime collector’s who own an annual price guide already know about the semi-rare, David Segui #251 with his bio information missing on back. This interesting error is the only one like it in the set and currently lists at $3.50, though I’ve seen them sell for much higher and and a little lower at times. But what many collectors don’t yet know of, is that Bowman issued 2 different versions of several of the subjects in this set. Like today’s Topps Heritage line, some of the players can be seen posed against night backgrounds and daytime backgrounds due to some expert airbrushing. Some players sport both gray and white jerseys on their cards and a handful of players had troublesome light posts and clouds airbrushed away in their backgrounds.

Robin Ventura #311 has had his background and jersey re-touched by Topps’ editors.