1914 Cracker Jack Color Variations?

[investinrookies]

Seeking some insight on what seems to be some degree of color variations on these particularly with the red color of the background. There appears to be some that have more of a deeper red than others and some with an overall orange/red background. I’ve noticed the orange/red version on a few of the mattys in particular. Heres an example below. I’ve also seen it on unaltered versions to suggest it’s not a result of cleaning.





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[Casey2296]

I've noticed that too and always assumed it was fading, but looking at your Matty example if that was the case then the black should be a little more faded also. A quick check of the 14 CJ's on eBay shows several cards with the red/orange background. One explanation might be a different red ink formulation used on different printing runs. It may have looked like the same red at time of printing but contained a pigment or filler that became fugitive over time.

[investinrookies]

that's the thing, the black on the Matty is really dark, actually darker than most of my others, especially from the back.

[tiger8mush]

This one has a pink/magenta tone to it ...

[t206fanatic]

This is the "pinkest" one in my collection -- always has looked a little, off.

[steve B]

Black inks were often colored with carbon, and shouldn't fade.

Red generally will fade with light exposure, but at the time there were competing red pigments. Some of them were more colorfast than others.

The exact color was also mixed by hand starting with a base color and adding small amounts of others to adjust it to exactly what was wanted. And if the pressman was slightly short of base or ran low adding a little of something could extend the existing ink just enough to finish the days work (Or shift)
But of course, if you put in too much white, or extend with a tiny bit of white your red will be lighter.