Printing press plates for cards

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by JustinD

I did find a Wally Post and part of the run I had. Strangely, I could not locate the easy regular issue, here it is next to a Vene and a green tint. Sorry for the crap photo, the aluminum is really hard to get a photo of.

Justin,

Sure do appreciate the photo. That would make a cool display having the '62 regular issue, green tint, Venezuelan and the printing plate displayed together. Of coarse you may want to try and locate the progressive proofs, possibly a blank back and match print photo to round out the grouping! I have a few cards that I have several types that I'd like to display together some day.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Justin,

Sure do appreciate the photo. That would make a cool display having the '62 regular issue, green tint, Venezuelan and the printing plate displayed together. Of coarse you may want to try and locate the progressive proofs, possibly a blank back and match print photo to round out the grouping! I have a few cards that I have several types that I'd like to display together some day.

Lol, I know I have a psa graded copy around here somewhere and an autoed version. Where is always the question in this house.

I tend to collect groupings like this when I pick up something that starts it like these plates.

[Tedw9]

Originally Posted by JustinD

I tend to collect groupings like this when I pick up something that starts it like these plates.

Me too, it's almost an obsession with my collection. I like to group things together, just appeals to me.

Here are a few pics of my '62 plates for 174b Carl Willey. I had a sixth one but sold it to a relative of his many years back.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by Tedw9

Me too, it's almost an obsession with my collection. I like to group things together, just appeals to me.

Here are a few pics of my '62 plates for 174b Carl Willey. I had a sixth one but sold it to a relative of his many years back.

"Really" like the way you have the display set up. Any way to get a picture of how you have this whole players collection set up maybe a bit farther away? I see, I think, a transparency and the Topps file of items the player received as gifts. Some neat items you have there.

Also, I wish I knew more on the printing process (even though it's been explained to me before) since there are at least 6 plates for the same card. Plus they have the color separations, transparency, print photo, etc for each card produced?!?

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

"Really" like the way you have the display set up. Any way to get a picture of how you have this whole players collection set up maybe a bit farther away? I see, I think, a transparency and the Topps file of items the player received as gifts. Some neat items you have there.

Also, I wish I knew more on the printing process (even though it's been explained to me before) since there are at least 6 plates for the same card. Plus they have the color separations, transparency, print photo, etc for each card produced?!?

Modern stuff will typically only have four plates/colors. Topps did a few things a bit differently at times, and did a lot more proofing prototyping, etc than the place I worked. We pretty much did almost no proofing at all. Maybe a mockup to get customer approval, but I wasn't involved in the sales end at all.

I think Topps did so much because they needed a lot of approvals for the different sets.

Because they did so much, some of what they did is pretty foreign to me. For example I never saw one of the transparent overlay proofs until Topps vault started selling them.

I think once the proofing was over their production system was very close to what I'm familiar with.

Steve B

Steve B

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by steve B

Modern stuff will typically only have four plates/colors. Topps did a few things a bit differently at times, and did a lot more proofing prototyping, etc than the place I worked. We pretty much did almost no proofing at all. Maybe a mockup to get customer approval, but I wasn't involved in the sales end at all.

I think Topps did so much because they needed a lot of approvals for the different sets.

Because they did so much, some of what they did is pretty foreign to me. For example I never saw one of the transparent overlay proofs until Topps vault started selling them.

I think once the proofing was over their production system was very close to what I'm familiar with. Steve B

Steve...just so you know you were the one I was referring to when it came to going over the printing process in the past (I think it was in a thread referring to progressive proofs if I'm not mistaken). Anyway, if the modern cards have 4 plates, how many did the more vintage cards have? Was it one for each color? I've seen as many as 10 progressive proofs; does that mean they used 10 printing plates... We know in this example it's at least 6.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Steve...just so you know you were the one I was referring to when it came to going over the printing process in the past (I think it was in a thread referring to progressive proofs if I'm not mistaken). Anyway, if the modern cards have 4 plates, how many did the more vintage cards have? Was it one for each color? I've seen as many as 10 progressive proofs; does that mean they used 10 printing plates... We know in this example it's at least 6.

Hi mark,

I think I get the question. Actually Ted's pic shows what looks like 5. The last one I am unsure as to what pass it is as it is so light. It's a bit of a mystery to me as to why there is 5 different in his collection as here is what I know about topps process. (I am a hack mind you, not an expert)

The vintage cards used a RGB 4 color process. This would be 4 passes of red, green, blue and black. Modern cards use a CMYK process, this is 4 passes of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

This is how I understand it, if someone can correct me that's fine.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Steve...just so you know you were the one I was referring to when it came to going over the printing process in the past (I think it was in a thread referring to progressive proofs if I'm not mistaken). Anyway, if the modern cards have 4 plates, how many did the more vintage cards have? Was it one for each color? I've seen as many as 10 progressive proofs; does that mean they used 10 printing plates... We know in this example it's at least 6.

The overall process specifics have varied over the years.

As Justin pointed out some modern cards ( I'm using "modern" to apply to cards printed with a typically 4 color processs of some sort, which is mostly postwar) Will be either CMYK - or without fancy names, pink blue yellow black, Or RGB - red green blue black.

Some Topps cards even into the 70's and 80's appear to have areas of solid color that isn't an overlaid color. Plus they have gloss and occasionally an underlayer of white which could be taken as colors 5 and 6. (The underlayer is more noticeable when it's on the back which is a straight two color printing until they added color pictures to it)

Much older processes like the one for T206 would often use a lot more individual colors, typically for T206 it's around 8 depending on the card, at least 6, although I suspect there are very few that are only 6 with most being 8 or more. Some cigar box labels are 12+ colors.

Then there's sets done with processes that are variable in colors, quality, and type. Like 49 Leaf, where there's at least 3-4 identifiable runs using different colors, Pink vs red, and sometimes there's shading sometimes there isn't.

On the 1962 plates, since some cards were on a sheet multiple times there could be two plate pieces of the same card/color.

Steve B

[Tedw9]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

"Really" like the way you have the display set up. Any way to get a picture of how you have this whole players collection set up maybe a bit farther away? I see, I think, a transparency and the Topps file of items the player received as gifts. Some neat items you have there.

Also, I wish I knew more on the printing process (even though it's been explained to me before) since there are at least 6 plates for the same card. Plus they have the color separations, transparency, print photo, etc for each card produced?!?

Thanks. Here are pics, I apologize for so many, but it's a 6' case as you can see in the first pic. And I've got cards shoe horned onto that top shelf.

I have the Alan Hagar proof "price guide" from years ago that has some good information in it. I can post pics of pages if you're interested.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Tedw9

Me too, it's almost an obsession with my collection. I like to group things together, just appeals to me.

Here are a few pics of my '62 plates for 174b Carl Willey. I had a sixth one but sold it to a relative of his many years back.

Originally Posted by Tedw9

Thanks. Here are pics, I apologize for so many, but it's a 6' case as you can see in the first pic. And I've got cards shoe horned onto that top shelf.

I have the Alan Hagar proof "price guide" from years ago that has some good information in it. I can post pics of pages if you're interested.

Thank you for sharing the awesome Carl Willey collection.

Your display case looks great also. Someday I hope to get one and organize some of my stuff.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by Tedw9

Thanks. Here are pics, I apologize for so many, but it's a 6' case as you can see in the first pic. And I've got cards shoe horned onto that top shelf.

I have the Alan Hagar proof "price guide" from years ago that has some good information in it. I can post pics of pages if you're interested.

Just wanted to say thank you for posting the pictures of your Carl Willey collection; definely impressive. Sure does give me motivation to continue working on displaying the collection rather than just storing a collection.

On the proof price guide; I didn't even know one existed. How in the world does the fellow list proof items?

[Leon]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!!

Originally Posted by Tedw9

Thanks. Here are pics, I apologize for so many, but it's a 6' case as you can see in the first pic. And I've got cards shoe horned onto that top shelf.

I have the Alan Hagar proof "price guide" from years ago that has some good information in it. I can post pics of pages if you're interested.

[Leon]

It is always fun getting a group of cards that are in different stages of production, or have similar connections, as a display. It reminds me of some other proof and artist type cards like the LOC Goudey cards.......

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Justin,

Sure do appreciate the photo. That would make a cool display having the '62 regular issue, green tint, Venezuelan and the printing plate displayed together. Of coarse you may want to try and locate the progressive proofs, possibly a blank back and match print photo to round out the grouping! I have a few cards that I have several types that I'd like to display together some day.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by Leon

It is always fun getting a group of cards that are in different stages of production, or have similar connections, as a display. It reminds me of some other proof and artist type cards like the LOC Goudey cards.......

I think it's likely an easier process when you're basically a single player collector to find things over the years and put them together for display purposes. While this is not the best example I've attached the '72 Topps Boyhood Photo #498 of Brooks Robinson with some progressive proofs along with a blank back, regular issue Topps and an OPC. I have a signed example as well, but just can't locate at the moment.