A Minor 1972 Variation...

[JollyElm]

If you look at 1972 Topps #209, Joe Rudi, some of his cards appear with varying lengths of a line (hair? crack in the printing plate?) emanating from the left of his name at bottom. (These are all ebay screen grabs.) In the first, there is just a bit of a line apparent. The second shows a much longer line, and the third features this anomaly crossing through Joe and eventually reaching the top white border. It's a little tough to see in the lo-res pic, but just follow the line from the bottom on up and you'll see what I mean. It is also worth noting that the first and third cards also feature what I would call an 'iron burn' on the front of the card. It's a triangular dark area and looks as if someone burnt the card while ironing it. It's most prominent in the third card, where the line intersects it below Rudi's elbow.

rudi.jpg