1971 Topps Information/Images Needed

[toppcat]

Here's a coin proof sheet, 51 subjects. I once suspected that it was one 51 coin batch per 2nd-3rd-4th series but the silver/blue 3rd series coins described above may disprove that.

[deweyinthehall]

I did a quick image search of coins checklists on COMC and those that are lightly marked (i.e. perhaps 20 coins at most) tend to be marked throughout the entire 153 coin set, giving more weight, I think, to the notion that all coins were issued randomly in 2, 3 and 4.

In the 1971 article above, the author notes that there were no coins in 5 and 6, but that the "old 8x11 poster or 1970 game cards were substituted" - given this was written contemporaneously with the ripping of packs in late 1971, it seems clear that Topps inserted posters as well - the 1970 posters were more square than 8x11, but regardless does anyone recall these being pulled from late 1971 packs?

[obcbeatle]

Is it possible Topps issued some of the 1971 last series in a cello brick? Not rack pack. I have a distinct memory of my Mom buying said brick in a toy store in SF just days or weeks before we moved from SF to Miami, probably September/October 1971. Kind of a parting gift for the long drive across the country. Distinct because all Summer long I bought cards in wax packs, and the cello brick was a pleasant shock to my understanding of how baseball cards were distributed. And the brick held a lot of cards, with many players I didn't have already, and I suspect they were high numbers because I discovered a bunch of high numbers in a shoe box when I got back into the hobby in the middle 1980's. Just curious if anyone else is familiar with cards being packaged in a cello brick back then?

[jmoran19]

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

Is it possible Topps issued some of the 1971 last series in a cello brick? Not rack pack. I have a distinct memory of my Mom buying said brick in a toy store in SF just days or weeks before we moved from SF to Miami, probably September/October 1971. Kind of a parting gift for the long drive across the country. Distinct because all Summer long I bought cards in wax packs, and the cello brick was a pleasant shock to my understanding of how baseball cards were distributed. And the brick held a lot of cards, with many players I didn't have already, and I suspect they were high numbers because I discovered a bunch of high numbers in a shoe box when I got back into the hobby in the middle 1980's. Just curious if anyone else is familiar with cards being packaged in a cello brick back then?

Absolutely, cello packs were standard issue in addition to wax and rak packs. 1971 cellos contained 30 cards, examples below

[obcbeatle]

Originally Posted by jmoran19

Absolutely, cello packs were standard issue in addition to wax and rak packs. 1971 cellos contained 30 cards, examples below

Thanks jmoran19, those are cool, although, the cello bricks I vaguely remember had no cardboard packaging, in your example the blue perimeter with Topps branding. It was just the clear cello wrapping, with more than 30 cards. I've never seen one since. But, at my age it could just be my faulty memory

[Exhibitman]

In 1976 I found a half box of cellos in the cardboard boxes. Cleaned those out. Wish I’d not busted them but I was eleven years old and that’s what eleven year old boys do with packs

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

I did a quick image search of coins checklists on COMC and those that are lightly marked (i.e. perhaps 20 coins at most) tend to be marked throughout the entire 153 coin set, giving more weight, I think, to the notion that all coins were issued randomly in 2, 3 and 4.

In the 1971 article above, the author notes that there were no coins in 5 and 6, but that the "old 8x11 poster or 1970 game cards were substituted" - given this was written contemporaneously with the ripping of packs in late 1971, it seems clear that Topps inserted posters as well - the 1970 posters were more square than 8x11, but regardless does anyone recall these being pulled from late 1971 packs?

No, I am from the Midwest and there were no poster inserts in my 1971 Topps in southern Minnesota. As for the "1970 game cards", I assume he meant the scratch-offs. Since these were essentially the same in 1970 and 1971, I don't recall whether any white background 1970s were planted in 1971 packs-- it would have been of very little importance to me if I ever noticed. After opening the first of these in 1970, I "played" the scratch-off only a couple of times and then never even bothered to really look at the insides again. Curious as to how many here routinely played this game and thereby "ruined" their scratch-off cards?

Informative thread-- thanks.

[deweyinthehall]

I have always been of the mindset that I would chase variations which were design based as opposed to print errors or differences.

At the extremes, this would mean I DO have the 1974 Washington variations but I have no interest in the 1990 NNOF Thomas because it resulted from a printing incident.

Looking at the 1971 set - the Boots Day light fixture seems to just be a matter of a slight difference in ink brightness all around during some passes. In other words, I don't think anyone tried to airbrush out the light fixture. Is that the common opinion?

What do we make of the Jim Nash and Jim Northrup black in blotches - do we think these occurred accidentally somehow during the printing process? They don't appear to me to me intentional or even left over printers marks. Thoughts?

As to the checklists, I do collect the variations where they were set up different on the different sheets - different spacing in type face, different placement of card numbers, etc.

The coloration differences in the helmets, faces and bats I chalk up to printing anomalies and don't care so much about.

As to the little black lines that are sometimes there and sometimes not on the helmet, it seems to me based on the application of black ink in other areas of the helmets that these are just by-products of printing - no one set out to have the black line on some versions, and forgot to place it on others.
Thoughts?

[JollyElm]

The Boots Day is unquestionably an attempt to get rid of the pesky stanchion by the Topps Art Dep't. That is a true variation.

The 1971 Nash and Northrup scratch/blobs cards are different and could be called unintentional variations. They become a personal preference of whether or not you want to think of them as variations. For me, it's a yes.

[deweyinthehall]

Page is up -

https://mrpekrul.wixsite.com/narcissism/1971

Still need a lot of information regarding cases (all but wax), Rack boxes, ANYTHING grocery related, etc.

Thanks to all those who contributed!