Posted By:
Steve DawsonAn "error" card is any card that has incorrect information on it. For example, the 1969 Brian Piccolo rookie card is an error card, since it has his first name misspelled "Brion". The card was never corrected, so there is no "variation", i.e., there is only one version of the card. Also, one of Brett Favre's early cards has his last name misspelled "Farve". It is also an "error" card which was never corrected, so it is not considered a "variation".
In order to be a variation, a card must have two or more versions, i.e., the 1974 Topps "Washington NL" and "San Diego" versions. The "Washington NL" cards are "errors" since the team never played in Washington.
Another "variation" card is the 1979 Topps Bump Wills card, where the "error" version shows him with the Toronto Blue Jays. Topps corrected the card to show him with the Texas Rangers. The Toronto card is an "error" and the Texas card is the corrected card. Both cards are "variations" of the same card.
An example of "variations" which are not "errors" are the 1962 Topps baseball cards where there are differences in the background colors or poses. For example the 1962 Topps #176 Eddie Yost. One version has a portrait pose, and the other version shows him in a batting stance. Neither is an "error" since neither is incorrect, however, they are "variations", as there are two versions of the same card.
Steve