Interesting New(?) 1956 Ted Williams Variation
 

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...

Attachment 138319


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').

Attachment 138317

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.

Attachment 138318

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!!!

Williams 56
 

Darren,
I have been putting together this 1956 Williams variation set. I agree with your assessment of the "Yellow" and "Green" line versions being available in the white back and the "Yellow", "Green" and "Blue Sliver" versions being available in the gray back.

I had been lookin at your "new" variation in the past, but from the other side of the card. I noted previously that some of the Name/Team boxes were "pushed" into the border--see my cropping and notations on your photos, although I never thought of that as a variation. (see the thin black lines added to the right border of the card).

Now that you point out your photo cropping differences, I believe the overall cropping differences are much more extensive than I ever noted. As I am a stickler for minor variations, I would consider this another variation that I need to find.

Thanks for killing my budget,
Dave

Williams
 

Here is a scan that shows the five versions I am familiar with. I checked my other scan and saw the differences that you pointed out correctly. Thanks for noticing that.

I've always thought that there were 4 color variations: blue/silver, green, yellow, and red-yellow. In the last posted pic, is the difference between the 3rd and 5th (both yellow to me) supposed to be the print marks (pen?) under 'outfield' and 'SOX'? or something else?

Thanks for any info!