Interesting New(?) 1956 Ted Williams Variation

[JollyElm]

Okay, pardon me if this has already been discovered, but I've spent too much time putting these graphics together to turn back now. I have a new 1956 Topps Ted Williams variation.

As a quick primer for anyone unfamiliar with it, the area above Ted's name has a few different color variations. The strip of color up there can be found in 3 or 4 drastically different hues. In my mind, these are the different versions: yellow/orange; blue/green; and only a hair's width sliver of blue. I believe the sliver can only be found with a grey back.

But today, while looking on ebay, something occurred to me. There are distinct cropping differences involved with the white back versions of the card with the yellow/orange strip of color.

Here is a blue/green version followed by the two yellow/orange versions that I will be comparing...

williamsvariation1.jpg


If you look at the top of the card, you can see that Ted's hat hits the border at different places in the two versions. There is much more blue seen above the cap's 'B' and a bit of a fold is also visible ('white notch').

williamsvariation3.jpg

And now look at his uniform at lower left. There are two dark lines up around his collar. In the one version, the outside line meets an abrupt end as it runs into the white border. In the other example, you can see the entirety of this line, including its rounded end point. And the shadows at the bottom are quite differently sized. There are other differences to be found as well. Check out the shadows/dark line on his neck and the size difference of the triangular area below and to the left of his foot, for instance.

williamsvariation2.jpg

These cropping differences were obviously made between print runs as they are not things that occur naturally, so in my book these guys count as variations. Again...hopefully this wasn't already found. If so, I just wasted a boatload of time!!!