Variation

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Posted By: Robert {Bigb13}

I wanted to ask the board what they think about variations. I have two cards that have each others backs. Is that a varation? Rob {Bigb13}

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Posted By: jay behrens

we've had this discussion several times as to what is a variation and what is an error. Technically, it boils down to this, an error is something like Irv Younf being pictured on a card labeled Cy Young and the mistake never corrected. A variation is something like the the t206 Magee portrait where the name was initially misspelled and then corrected at a later date.

Your's fall in a bit more nebulous area. as most likely, the sheet got flipped around before the back got printed, thus creating wrong backs. This is more a printing/manufacturing error and some would consider the cards printer scrap. Interesting items, none the less. I just picked up a 1941 Play Ball card of Lefty Gomez with a Babe Dahlgren back.

Jay

My place is full of valuable, worthless junk.

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Posted By: Michael Campbell

I agree with Jay. They are, for the most part, sometimes interesting, but nevertheless, scrap. 90% of my collection is Pre War. Hopefully the purists won't send me off to a deserted island when I say this, But I own a Kirby Puckett card with a tampa bay Buc football player on the back. Fun to have, but it holds little value. I have other pucketts with Gary carter flip flopped on the front and back. Again, fun to have, but no value. Just mistakes.

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Posted By: Robert {Bigb13}

I understand wrong backs but they have each others back. Rob

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Posted By: jay behrens

Using my 1941 Play Ball Gomez/Dahlgren as an example, the abck is upside down relative to what it normall should be. This means that the Dahlgren should most likely have the Gomez back if the Dahlgren card from this same sheet survived. I can't think of the set off the top of my head, but I recall one that has known examples like yours, where the theplayers re paired up as far as wrong backs.

Jay

My place is full of valuable, worthless junk.

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Posted By: identify7

I believe that each error and each variation stands on its own merit. As such, the desireability of different examples will vary over time, based on collector interest. For example, currently cards which exhibit ghost images are quite popular. Additionally, some error cards have demanded high prices for decades. Similarly, as awareness of the variations which exist in many issues increase, and as information becomes available regarding the rarity and commonness of these cards, collector interest will certainly follow.

A recent poster asked about the value of a w516-1 Ruth card which exhibited an offset in the coloring. Some collectors expressed no interest, while other posters speculated that prices higher than cards with non-offset printing would be realized. I would not pay a premium for this error, but it is currently on eBay; we will see.

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Posted By: andy becker

1955 topps all american football has a verified error of whizzer white and tinsley (i think).
the card is available in normal or in "flip flopped"...wrong back.
i think that's the error jay mentioned.
btw, jay where last nights stamps just between you and i?

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Posted By: Nick

If it is found to have happened just once or a very few times, it's a printing error. If large numbers of sheets were printed that way, it's a variation.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Andy, I assume you are refering to Jay Miller or another Jay, because I certainly have no idea what you are talking about.

Jay- the other white meat

My place is full of valuable, worthless junk.

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Posted By: andy becker

my bad jay, i don't usually know what I'M talking about either. sorry. one of the jays collects piedmont art stamps.
great phrase, though. i manage a "the other white meat" company.

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Posted By: tbob

For a long time the T207 Wagner with Carrigan's back and vice-versa were listed as legitimate variations in almost every listing in guides. Then Stovall-Tooley started to make it in before wiser heads prevailed and now none of these back variations are listed as anything other than errors and not listed in the price guides. I have also seen other combinations than these 2...