Oddities in Topps cards

[almostdone]

In following up another members question about the 53 Topps card(s) with an ad for Topps Chewing gum placed in the background I started to wonder what other cards made by Topps had unusual backgrounds.

I like to collect cards with interesting stories along with the big stars. I have some and know of some that I'll get but what wlse am I missing?

I know (now) of the 53's with "Topps" in the background as well as The Jackie Robinson with the Brooklyn bridge, #69 Dick Brodowski with the night game at Fenway, 1969 Rodriguez "bat bay" card, etc.

Please list (or show) any others. I find these types (minus the Robinson), easily affordable and interesting.

Thanks for the help.

Drew

[steve B]

The 57 Aaron has the picture reversed.

And there are a couple cards where the player has the glove on the wrong hand. I just don't recall which ones.

Apparently it was a fairly common thing to play pranks on the photographers.

Steve B

[ALR-bishop]

The 57 Mantle has the ghost man at the end of his bat. The card can be found with different degrees of the airbrushing effort to remove him.

The 52 Zernial with the 6 baseballs stuck to his bat

[David W]

I always liked the cars in the background card of Luis Alvarado, and Nolan Ryan exploding out of the RC billboard

[Gr8Beldini]

Dave Bennet's bio is one for the ages.

http://mlblogskeitholbermann.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/bennett641.jpg

[cardinalcollector]

Check out the billboard on this 1964 Ray Sadecki

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-Topps-147-Ray-Sadecki-Cardinals-NM-MT-224757-/250889791785?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item3a6a326929

[Leon]

These sort of fit as I collect misprints and errors, and not sure this fits here, but they are neat...I posted this in a thread on the main board but they really go better on this side...

[vintagetoppsguy]

As I collect misprints and errors, I am not sure this fits here, but they are neat....and I posted this in a thread on the main board but they really go better on this side...

Pretty cool, but those will hurt your eyes if you look at them too long. :D

[ALR-bishop]

The Sadecki and Bennett cards are great.

Leon..I have a couple of 52s and 58s with the over/multiple images, including a 58 Herrera which is much more interesting then my boring 58 Herrer

[T2069bk]

I don't have my copy of the card anymore, but I always enjoyed the "No Betting" written on the wall in the background.

[hangman62]

There is a 71T three player rookie card..all three players named ?? Johnson??

[Cliff Bowman]

Reynolds Wrap?

[Cliff Bowman]

I was going to bid on this card on Ebay because I thought it was an obscure printing flaw error, which I am a devotee of, with a smeared black ink first base position silhouette in the lower right corner of the card, but right before the auction ended I looked more closely at the scan and figured out it was a housefly sitting on top of the card! I am guessing the fly was trapped on the card when the seller closed the lid of the scanner. If it turns out that the card was actually printed that way, it would be difficult to top that oddity.

[ALR-bishop]

That's great Cliff. A true 1 of 1. Get it

[Gary Dunaier]

As a Mets fan, I've always had a soft spot for the 1974 Topps Gary Matthews...

http://images.checkoutmycards.com/zoom/25dd4fcc-d66b-47fb-87ad-e5a1f9623c2e.jpg

...because you could see the sign from the "Shell" gas station at the corner of Willets Point Boulevard and 126th Street peeking over the fence - just to the right of Wayne Garrett's head.

The station's no longer there, by the way...

[toppcat]

As a Mets fan, I've always had a soft spot for the 1974 Topps Gary Matthews...


...because you could see the sign from the "Shell" gas station at the corner of Willets Point Boulevard and 126th Street peeking over the fence - just to the right of Wayne Garrett's head.

The station's no longer there, by the way...

I wonder if there are any cards showing the Taystee Bread sign that used to be in the distance at Shea? I miss Shea dammit!

[Cliff Bowman]

That's great Cliff. A true 1 of 1. Get it

The poor fly was probably permanently blinded for life by that uber bright light from the scanner :D. I did get an obscure, possible one of one 1973 Topps Bob Watson printing flaw error card from the same seller with out of control ink that made his face half red. I would say my chances are pretty slim of getting Mr. Lemke to recognize it as a legitimate variation for the next printing of the price guide :).

[ALR-bishop]

Cliff--Bob has officially retired and if you want the latest and maybe last SCD Catalog, get it now. Watson though might be a good candidate for the upcoming Batman movie. Looks like whoever did Bob red also poured it over the grand stands. Neat card

[Zach Wheat]

Olbermann wrote several neat articles on Topss proofs with all of the oddities in cards then known. It is interesting to read the history on how & why these happened. I will post a link if I can find it later.

[almostdone]

That would be great. Thanks!!

Drew

[Zach Wheat]

Regarding Topps Proof & Goofs I found the following set of articles interesting:

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/features/keith-olbermann-archive/olbermann-proofs-part-one

Regarding Topps Proofs Part II:

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/features/keith-olbermann-archive/olbermann-proofs-part-two

Regarding Topps Proofs Part III:

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/features/keith-olbermann-archive/olbermannproofiii

Interesting stuff.

Zach Wheat

[Gary Dunaier]

I wonder if there are any cards showing the Taystee Bread sign that used to be in the distance at Shea? I miss Shea dammit!

Or, going back even further, the A&P sign that was there before Taystee took it over! If memory serves me right, it said "JANE PARKER [A&P logo] BAKED GOODS" or something like that.

In any case it was much too far away to get in the background of a photo taken from field level.