1973 Topps Printing Sheets
 

I've begun gathering images of sheets from 1973, and I believe I've detected a pattern that I'd like to validate.

It appears that each series was printed 1) entirely on a 132-card half sheet, AND 2) on a sheet with 6 repeated rows, 2 times.

For example, here is a full 132-card series 1 sheet and a sheet on which the first 6 rows are printed twice.

Also, here are 2 series 3 sheets which each contain 6 double printed rows.

I don't have any examples where I have all 3 version for a single series - e.g. a 132 card sheet and 2 6x sheets.

So we think each series was in fact printed in this fashion, and is there any reason to think that this then tied into how the cards were distributed - whether by series or all at once?

I have the 2 series 1 sheets shown, a full 132-card series 2 sheet, the 2 series 3 sheets shown, a series 4 sheet with 6 rows (headed by Gene Tenace in the upper left) printed 2x and a series 5 sheet with 6 rows (Twins team in upper left) printed 2x. Any additional sheet images would be appreciated.




Thanks!

Kevin studied this extensively, I think he found 66 x 2 sheets for all five Series and 132 card sheets for Series 1 through 3 but not for the 4th and 5th Series if I remember correctly. ETA, I wonder if the variation sheets could be OPC like what happened on the 1976 sheets.

I wondered about that as well- but upon inspection they all appear to be Topps - you can tell most easily by the checklists.

I just discovered another pattern - Each card in the set is printed with either 1 or 2 asterisks on the reverse.

Sheets with 66x 2 - all cards have either 1 or 2, the series' other 66x2 sheet will have the opposite.

On the 132 card sheets, the top half have 1 and the bottom half have 2 - never seen a pattern where cards from the same sheet have differing printing asterisks.

5th series sheets I have saved. FYI the one I have labeled OPC is same as the Schmidt sheet below. John

schmidt

I thought Topps didn't start using master sheet codes A - F until 1977, and in 1976 started using an "*" to indicate individual cards were updated. Maybe they did not have a consistent use of codes in. Maybe Toppcat can shed light on this issue

Not really. Are they saying above that the 73 sheets had A-E codes though?

Series 4 sheets you didn't note as having. John

Nope - no sheet codes. Just talking asterisks.

Thank you!

Here is a 1973 Topps 2nd Series 132 x 1 sheet. I believe what hasn't been shown yet are the 1st Series 66 x 2 Dodgers Team sheet, 2nd Series 66 x 2 Breeden sheet, 2nd Series 66 x 2 Indians Team sheet, and a 5th Series 132 x 1 sheet, if it exists.

I missed this one, the 4th Series 66 x 2 Gene Tenace sheet also hasn't been posted here yet.

One more, the 3rd Series 132 x 1 hasn't been posted on this thread.

series 2 sheet

1973 series 1
 

Here is series 1 with the 132x1 pattern.

Attachment 623951

I think it's interesting that the 20 action shots per series that Haber mentioned in his interview are all found in the upper right quadrant of the 1x132 sheets, in four rows of five.

Good eye! That means if a 1973 5th Series 132 x 1 sheet exists it would have the Deron Johnson 66 card half sheet on the top part. I have looked for any miscuts which would prove that a 5th Series 132 x 1 sheet existed but I haven’t found any. I have found miscuts which prove the missing 1st Series and 2nd Series 66 x 2 sheets exist.

If Topps recreated the 132 sheets for the all series release (a guess, not a fact), I wonder if they would have bothered to do so for the highs or just used the 66/66 sheets?

1973 wax box
 

In case you didn't have this

Attachment 624092

1973 missing 2nd series sheet
 

I haven't seen the 1973 series 2 sheet with the 66 x 2 configuration, headed by card 173, Hal Breeden. However, it has to exist as this miscut of Gibby shows it below Kelly, meaning that Gibby is in the middle of a sheet.

Attachment 624096

I'll bet you're right, for the All Series release they probably made one 264 card super sheet with the 1st Series on the left and the 2nd Series on the right, another 264 card super sheet with the 3rd Series on the left and the 4th Series on the right, and just left the 264 card super sheet with the 5th Series as it was before with the 66 x 2 sheets. That would explain why there are so many 5th Series 66 x 2 uncut sheets out there.