1973 Topps Coaches Variations

[Rich Klein]

All series were 132 cards and IIRC the sheets are also 132 so i don't think there ever were double prints. Having said that, at times certain cards seem to be slightly more difficult to obtain but nothing ever was proven that there were no double/single prints.

[deweyinthehall]

Each series of 132 was printed in one of two ways - slits either had all 132 cards in 12 different rows, or a block of 6 rows printed one on top of each other. The illustrations here might help - https://mrpekrul.wixsite.com/narcissism/1973

We don't know what a true full sheet looked like, but it is reasonable to assume that the full 132 card slit was paired with an identical 132 card slit and that the other full sheet variety had the 6-over-6 on one side and the other 6-over-6 on the other.

If this is accurate than regardless of which version full sheet was used, each card was printed twice.

No short- or over-prints.

[ALR-bishop]

DP was a misnomer by me, meant was there more than one print set up for some cards. If so would that increase the odds for minor print differences like color or cropping in a card

[deweyinthehall]

Yes - that is what caused it I think. Each card was set up multiple different times.

This is the reason for all those often minor checklist variations from 1972 on back...the same card being set up and printed off multiple different sheets.

[ALR-bishop]

I collect these darn things in sets from 1951 to 2010. Still do sets but not these thngs

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Yes - that is what caused it I think. Each card was set up multiple different times.

This is the reason for all those often minor checklist variations from 1972 on back...the same card being set up and printed off multiple different sheets.

This set up method makes sense for so many variations over the years. There's also the extra checklist from the next series also printed with the earlier series that adds an extra, third variant to many checklists.

Here is a good look at the 1973 sheets and the reasons why there are two types of arrays for all but the high number sheet: https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=349917

I wonder if there's some kind of correlation between the 66/66 and 132 half sheets and the coaches backgrounds? If there are no variants in the fifth series and the "All 660" used "reprints" of the first four sheets in an array of 132 but never adapted the high number sheet from 66/66, it could make sense. I can't resolve any of the scans in the linked threads to any degree of clarity though.

[steve B]

Looking at the series 1 and 2 cards on the linked site.
To me it looks like the ones discounted are a matter of plain backgrounds being removed. A close up should show some degree of halftone on the dark ones and none on the others.

The ones where there are different colors for the "clean" backgrounds are less clear. Colors were often mixed by hand according to a recipe. Those could be sort of imprecise, so you'd get different colors for different batches. Especially if it was a different press operator.
Thos differences could be different runs, like one guy ran a batch, then a different guy ran a batch printed a month later.
It's probably impossible to know if there were different actual runs or sets of plates and what was done when or if it was just the guy on the next shift mixing the ink differently.

I would keep them if I got them, but probably not actively go looking for them.

[ALR-bishop]

If you do, getting them all will take you awhile