I'd say yes, but a bit conditionally. It is a variation, and the explanation the Tigers card website guy gave is spot on.
Listing it will depend on a lot of stuff that's more of an editorial call. There are loads of variations like this, and for a lot of reasons. Some are as simple as a difference in the mask between 2 examples of a doubleprinted card. It's really hard to get both to be exactly identical. And sometimes there are differences between two plates made from the same mask at different times due to the mask getting worn or being alined up differently. Or cutting guidelines being on the sheet or not. For example, 1970 Topps have black or gray or white or no lines between cards. I have one where there's 3 -4 copies with different lines. I count them because they came from differnt plates, but I doubt there are many other people that would actually care.
(And it's trouble since the same line can be found on 2 cards, one at the top and another at the bottom)
There's also a group of variations that are caused by plate wear, which is a whole different thing.
I think it comes down to how small of a variation do you want to count, and when does a difference get big enough to be listed.
In other hobbies the main catalog lists the major stuff, and gets updated once a year. Then there are more detailed catalogs that might get updated avery few years or so. And finally some very detailed catalogs that you're fortunate if they get updated once a generation or so. The last type usually only covers one small aspect, like one particular stamp or group, or one coin.
I'm thinking I'd leave this one out of the big book unless one version ends up being much harder to find and leave it for someone else to catalog, maybe as part of a listing that only covered 1960 Topps.
I probably would put it in a database though. The more places the info is the less chance of it being forgotten.
Steve B
PS there's also some large but mostly invisible variations, like one fairly recent set that the backs either do or don't flouresce under blacklight.
|