1975 Topps Minis
 

I hear it said a lot that the minis were a "test" issue - what exactly was Topps testing? If they sold like hotcakes and they couldn't print enough (best case scenario) would they have considered shrinking the standard card size permanently? Would they have offered two sizes for every card every year?

I've never understood the motivation...

Topps did a myriad of test issues in the 60s and early 70s. Some issued, some not. Some magnificent (68 3d) , some not so much ( 74 Action Emblems) Most were never further developed. But while the later 85 minis went nowhere,Topps did issue several mini issues in the 80s and early 90s. Most not very successful

I assume the motivation was cost savings. Topps was generally reluctant to put much quality into their cards, though I think the design team did great. As soon as they bought out Bowman, they shrunk the card size and produced sets cheaper to make. When Score upped the quality of mainstream card sets in 1988 and Upper Deck in 1989, Topps refused to drop their low quality stock until 1992, the last holdout. I have always presumed they wanted to shrink the cards again to save money and fit more cards on one sheet, just as they did in 1957.

I'm nearing completion of the Mini's, they are easy and a dime a dozen out here in the Bay Area, tons of them at every show. The supply was evidently vast in the few areas it was released. My father bought a couple dozen boxes as a teen, and does remember the basic size set also being available here. Unfortunately, he sold his whole collection a few years later, not long before prices started to take off.

Great post G. Good luck on finishing the set

I bought probably one or two packs when they were new. I lived in western Mass, which isn't usually thought of as one of the places they were issued.

I found out about them when I moved to eastern Mass a couple years later. When I got home that day I checked my 75s and had a few.

They're different in a lot of ways from most test sets, which usually had less than production type wrappers, and usually very limited distribution.

What I was told was that by the mid 70's enough people knew about that and would simply buy up all of whatever test stuff they found, making the tests useless to Topps.
The next one I can think of was the non-wax tamper resistant packs in 83, which was also a pretty large test.

Growing up in Seattle, I was SHOCKED when I first saw a regular sized 75 Topps card in the mid 80s...I wouldn't have known they existed. I thought they were all mini's. To this day holding a regular size 75 card feels weird.

Mini’s
 

75 minis were the main cards in my dupes box back then and a lot of them ended up in John’s collection. Same thing was shocked about ten years later when I seen my first regular 75.
Rick

Ha, your absolutely right! :)

The 85 minis are my favorite set of the 80s. So many versions, some still being located (the finds of two new versions in the past year or two)and my personal favorite topps design of the 80's. :) Love em.

On topic, still confused on the turn with 75 and collectors. Growing up the minis always carried a premium, it seems that has turned with many collectors. Much to my happiness as I still take the mini over regular every time.

I agree the logic would have been cost savings and testing a permanent card size reduction much like they did in the 50's.

Justin, what are the different versions of the 85 minis? I'm familiar only with the regular and blank backs. Thanks.

I have finished the set in regular back and blank back. There are tan and white blank backs. I also have the set about half
done in red only backs, no green. Not sure if it can be completed that way. Also have a half dozen with swirl backs, the red and green smeared together. Maybe there are others. Have some uncut panels but no sheets

Like Al mentioned the most known are printed backs and blank. Of the blank the tan is much rarer than the white to locate. Off the top of my head I think there were only 5 tan sheets. The red print only existed in only one known sheet. I have no idea as to how many of the error or swirl sheets exist.

As far as 85 having such variety adds to my love for the year. They had the minis, regular, Tiffany, and Giant. Newer finds included the Acme and Fuch proof version of the 85's that came to auction in 2015 can likely never be assembled as a set as only the 117 Acme cards and 100 Fuch cards are known. I was lucky enough to get type examples when board member TATSR broke some of the group up on eBay. There is one example posted on there now, these are blue backed.

Here is a current listing for an example because I don’t have a scan handy - https://www.ebay.com/itm/PSA-1985-To...4AAOSw6vBeBnsc

Edited to say the link was for example, that valuation is nuts. Lol.

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Bringing it back to the original post subject because I want to put the train back on track. :)

Does anyone else feel that the 75 minis were of a stricter quality control that their regular sized counterparts? While hundreds of miscuts and wrong backs flipped print sheets exist on eBay daily, the errors are far less seen in the minis. As an error collector I am checking for severe errors fairly consistently and have noted this.

I feel it lends credence that unlike an general test looking to be an additional topps line the printer may have saw this as a possible bigger contract if the real thought was changing the future size of cards for cost saving

I wonder if the size let them print three sheets on the same size stock as the regular two sheets side by side format.

If the ones I have are any indicator, the QC may have weeded out major miscuts etc, but the centering wasn't improved at all.