New 1967 Variation!!!

[JollyElm]

Here's one from 1971 that I discovered a number of years ago. It's the Coins Checklist, #161.

Although you rarely see it listed as such anywhere, many people knew this card came in two versions because the card number on back was either positioned 'high' or 'low' (two noticeably different placements) and the fronts were slightly dissimilar (explained below). But when I studied these cards, it soon became very apparent that there were, in fact, three total variations:

1. Beneath the coins graphic, a solid black line is present. It 'completes' the white box.

2. In that same area, the black line is not present and the blue from the coins forms a straight edge across the gap.

3. The black line is not present and the blue from the coins is cropped differently, forming three distinct curved edges.



For those of you keeping score, the straight blue edge version has the card number in the 'high' position. The other two both have it 'low.' None of these cards seem to be any rarer than their counterparts.

And to Mark, Brooks Robinson appears listed on the back of this card, so it may fit into your ultimate Brooksie checklist.

[ALR-bishop]

Good one Darren

[ALR-bishop]

Cliff---I do not have variants for the 73 CLs either. I know there has been some lively debate here about whether 73 or 74 was the first year Topps started releasing their sets at one time rather than in series. While I do think 74 was the first year they did it nationwide, I think the entire 73 set was released in some places at one time and so the way they formatted the CLs in in the printing process in 73 was likely different from what it had been in the 60s and early 70s. At least that is what I think

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Here's one from 1971 that I discovered a number of years ago. It's the Coins Checklist, #161.

And to Mark, Brooks Robinson appears listed on the back of this card, so it may fit into your ultimate Brooksie checklist.

While I don't collect the checklists w/Brooks just listed, it's one of those "I'll get around to it" things when all others run out or I hit a dry spell. I'll note the checklist and the variation. I tell you what when I first started to collect Brooks I thought I'd be finished within a year, maybe, just maybe a year and a half. Years and Years (and years...) later I'm still working on it

[JollyElm]

I decided to check out the other Brooksie checklist I know of, 1969 #504, and I found there is a variation there. It is so frickin' subtle that it almost doesn't even count, but there is a slight difference in the cropping of the image.



The easiest way to see it is by focusing on the edge of his hat brim at far right. On some/most versions of this card it touches the black, circular border. On a smaller number of these cards it falls short of reaching the border. If you concentrate on the image I created here, you can see how the picture is shifted very slightly upward and to the right. Look at the dark shadow on his jersey to the right of his chin and the upper left and right portions of his hat (as well as the top of the Orioles logo). The spacing in these areas changes between the two versions.

[ALR-bishop]

Darren---I think there may be 4 different fronts, the three you posted and one where the blue is even at the white but does not extend into it...or not as far

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Darren---I think there may be 4 different fronts, the three you posted and one where the blue is even at the white but does not extend into it...or not as far

Hey Al.
I've examined that difference before, but to me it's just a printing anomaly with regard to the registration of the color plates. The cyan/blue isn't perfectly aligned, but Topps didn't make any purposeful changes to the printing plates like the other versions, which show true differences.

[ALR-bishop]

Darren, you are a card. I am sure Topps worked very hard to get all of these versions just so.

[goheels]

As you look through the cropping pictures go back and forth, notice the height of the checklist boxes relative to the card numbers. All part of the cropping differences.

I have never seen a variation in the first series 1972 CL, card #4. I suspect it is because it was part of a 132 card series. The first series did include the 2nd series checklist but the 1st CL was not double printed.

Ditto for the 1973 BB set of 660--five series of 132. The decision by Topps to not double print the first series or show a preview CL of the next series was followed shortly by a shift to a full release of cards vs series by series. Whether or not that started in 1974 or 1973 has been oft debated here.