1989 Fleer Randy Johnson #381 Marlboro Errors - 30 Years Later

[steve5838]

I've noticed the same thing Dylan. Prices are definitely off from their highs. The br2s still seem to get snapped up quickly if the price is right. There was one br2 PSA9 last month that must have sold within minutes for 250... before I was even able to pull the trigger. Demand for the less clear versions isn't as strong though. It is hard for me to gauge demand until I see some high grade br2 or rg2's come to market... I'd be interested in how well they would sell.

For me the most desirable versions are still the ones with the clearest presentation of the Marlboro sign. I like ones that I can show others and they immediately see the difference vs the corrected card. On your site the versions in pictures 1, 2, 4, and 5 really stand out to me and continue to be the ones I seek out. Even though 2 and 4 aren't the rarest I believe demand is relatively strong for them because it is so easy to tell they are Marlboro versions. I was fortunate that one of my first graded card purchases was a BGS9 that happened to be the br2 version. It really piqued my interest more in the card. I used to be disappointed getting cards I thought would be less obscured only to open the mail and not be able to make out the Marlboro letters.

Collecting this card is a real challenge for the completist since the clear and blue versions are so rare... almost to the point of taking the fun out of it. I really dislike that part and think more people would enjoy the card if more of these versions came out of the woodwork. At least with the NNOF card we know there are at least a couple hundred graded examples floating around. The clear and blue version of this card... who knows - and the TPG's don't make it any easier on us. It seems there have to be more of these out there and it is infuriating that we don't really know how many might exist.

Steve

[jacksoncoupage]

Originally Posted by steve5838

I've noticed the same thing Dylan. Prices are definitely off from their highs. The br2s still seem to get snapped up quickly if the price is right. There was one br2 PSA9 last month that must have sold within minutes for 250... before I was even able to pull the trigger. Demand for the less clear versions isn't as strong though. It is hard for me to gauge demand until I see some high grade br2 or rg2's come to market... I'd be interested in how well they would sell.

For me the most desirable versions are still the ones with the clearest presentation of the Marlboro sign. I like ones that I can show others and they immediately see the difference vs the corrected card. On your site the versions in pictures 1, 2, 4, and 5 really stand out to me and continue to be the ones I seek out. Even though 2 and 4 aren't the rarest I believe demand is relatively strong for them because it is so easy to tell they are Marlboro versions. I was fortunate that one of my first graded card purchases was a BGS9 that happened to be the br2 version. It really piqued my interest more in the card. I used to be disappointed getting cards I thought would be less obscured only to open the mail and not be able to make out the Marlboro letters.

Collecting this card is a real challenge for the completist since the clear and blue versions are so rare... almost to the point of taking the fun out of it. I really dislike that part and think more people would enjoy the card if more of these versions came out of the woodwork. At least with the NNOF card we know there are at least a couple hundred graded examples floating around. The clear and blue version of this card... who knows - and the TPG's don't make it any easier on us. It seems there have to be more of these out there and it is infuriating that we don't really know how many might exist.

Steve

I agree with all of this.

Two things that really interest me when examining recent sales: If the card gets the Marlboro Ad notation, it sells well in a 10, even if it is actually a heavily edited version. Buyers who aren't obsessive about the minutia of these seem to be interested in the flip notation most.

Secondly, there are some great deals to be found on 9s and 9s with Ad Partially Obscured notations where the actual, specific variation type is, in my opinion, much scarcer than the typical, PSA labeled 'Marlboro Ad' type.

But like you said, the truly tough stuff seems to be selling outside of these trends for much higher prices.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by steve5838

I've noticed the same thing Dylan. Prices are definitely off from their highs. The br2s still seem to get snapped up quickly if the price is right. There was one br2 PSA9 last month that must have sold within minutes for 250... before I was even able to pull the trigger. Demand for the less clear versions isn't as strong though. It is hard for me to gauge demand until I see some high grade br2 or rg2's come to market... I'd be interested in how well they would sell.

For me the most desirable versions are still the ones with the clearest presentation of the Marlboro sign. I like ones that I can show others and they immediately see the difference vs the corrected card. On your site the versions in pictures 1, 2, 4, and 5 really stand out to me and continue to be the ones I seek out. Even though 2 and 4 aren't the rarest I believe demand is relatively strong for them because it is so easy to tell they are Marlboro versions. I was fortunate that one of my first graded card purchases was a BGS9 that happened to be the br2 version. It really piqued my interest more in the card. I used to be disappointed getting cards I thought would be less obscured only to open the mail and not be able to make out the Marlboro letters.

Collecting this card is a real challenge for the completist since the clear and blue versions are so rare... almost to the point of taking the fun out of it. I really dislike that part and think more people would enjoy the card if more of these versions came out of the woodwork. At least with the NNOF card we know there are at least a couple hundred graded examples floating around. The clear and blue version of this card... who knows - and the TPG's don't make it any easier on us. It seems there have to be more of these out there and it is infuriating that we don't really know how many might exist.

Steve

Getting good pics of these cards is hard. I have found both for looking at and taking pictures of them it is best to do in direct sun light. Some of the darker tint versions will look like box cards under indoor lighting and as soon as you put in in sunlight the sign is easily seen.

Never had any luck scanning them. I have seen some pretty clear looking signs but the scan is so jacked up the whole card looks radioactive.

I had a guy tell me he used a certain light to get better pics but he never did say what kind of light. What works best for you all?

[steve5838]

Ben,

First off, that is an awesome card!! Is there a faintish white box over the sign and sort of a light blue tint? Kevin sent me a picture of a similar looking card he had purchased from Dylan a long time ago. Kevin: does this look similar to yours? I don't believe I have this version. Very cool!

Anyway, I use an Espon V600 scanner for my scans. Someone on the board posted a good set of instructions on using an Epson V600 scanner at

https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...hlight=scanner

It works really well on this card. I bump up the brightness setting so the sign looks more like I see it in a well lit room.

Steve

[Athos01]

Yes Steve, that card looks identical to mine. At the time, we classified it as a "blue tint" because there seemed to be a light whitish box covering over the sign that made the red areas of the sign almost appear to have a bluish tint to it.

You guys are right, the prices do seem to be dropping. Unfortunately, folks need to pay closer attention to the ad itself, rather than the label. As we all know, PSA has been pretty inconsistent with their labeling. I have about 15 Marlboro Ad Blacked out PSA cards that are really more of the boxed versions whereby the sign is obscured and not fully blacked out.

If PSA is only going with 3 different versions, I would say only those cards where Marlboro is clearly visible - clear version, green/aqua tint should be labeled Marlboro Ad on Scoreboard. Anything not fully blacked out would fall under Marlboro Ad Partially Obscured, and then the Marlboro Ad Blacked Out versions.

But certainly, similar to the Ripken cards, there are so many different versions, it would be tough for the graders to identify and track them all.

[steve5838]

Thanks, Kevin. I agree with your logic about PSA labeling given they only use 3 different versions. It would certainly help clear some confusion. My only addition might be to include the r1 version along with the clear (n0) and blue (b1) versions under the Ad on Scoreboard label. I can see both sides for that one but the r1 does have clear sign lettering and cowboy.

[lowpopper]

So do we have a finalized order of true rarity?

[jacksoncoupage]

Originally Posted by lowpopper

So do we have a finalized order of true rarity?

How sure are you that these even come from packs??

[steve5838]

Originally Posted by lowpopper

So do we have a finalized order of true rarity?

I have little doubt the clear (n0) and blue tint (b1) versions are the rarest ones. After that, I have no idea. I believe there are only 3 known cards of the n0 version and 5 known cards of the b1 version. If anyone out there has some n0 or b1 cards please shout out and we can update these numbers. Regardless I don't think final talleys will be high. Steve