Show...me...your print variations!

[G1911]

And here is one that is partially new, on 1955 Topps #80 Bob Grim.

Grim had a wonderful season as a rookie in 1954, going 20-6. Like Jackie Robinson, Grim is known to come with 2 versions of the logo, with the team logo cut off at the top and left or appearing fine. In truth, it's not just the logo - the cards are different cropping everywhere. Looks at his cap, his chin, and it's evident there is a sizing difference and moving of the picture everywhere, like happened the next year with a number of cards as well.

I believe there are actually 3 versions though, before we get to the stock differences. At bottom is the version with the team logo's black border circle oviously cut off at left and top. In the middle though, one can see the top border is barely there, and flattened. At top, the top black border of the team outline is 90% complete. The top and middle cards also have very, very slight differences in the position of the top of Grim's hat relative to the white border. Exciting? No. 3 different cropping variations? I think so.

Now these 3 may be 6 if all were done with both stocks. There are likely at least 5 as the main cropping difference come from different slot placements on a sheet.


EDIT: None of the Grim's I've had have ever had a dot over the "I" in his autograph. Has anyone seen one? Several other cards have variations here so it may be a variation on Bob's card as well.

[G1911]

Here's another one my personal checklist is getting complicated on. 1955 Topps #20 Andy Carey. Carey is known as one of the other crop cards, with the team logo cut or complete at the top.

To start, I think there are actually 3 distinctly different crop versions of the team logo. Full gap at top (bottom), almost a gap with the thinnest part of the top black circle being almost missing (middle) and almost complete (top).

Second, I believe there are deeper complications with the coloring. The middle card here has the left half of the logo being pink instead of red. Now this is usually nothing, just representative of light ink or fading or light modification, but a ton of Carey's online are clearly this exact same pattern with a pink left half of the logo. It occurs frequently across the different croppings. I think there is something more than fading going on here, it is quite strange that a significant percentage of Carey's would have the exact same precise pattern of red fading on part of the logo in only this exact spot.

Third, there is a pinky purple sheet mark next to the logo on the bottom card that is off center. This is recurring. This bottom copy also has a yellow splotch at bottom right of the red name box, not sure if recurring. The middle card has a white obstruction streak running from top border to the portrait cap. Also do not know if recurring yet.

[ALR-bishop]

I did not do the gray and whites for 1956 but this is what I have for variants, all recuring

1 Williams..dot on i or not
2 Fowler Topps in the red on back
14 Finnegan missing top line on logo
26 Groat...same as Finnegan
29 Wehmeir..truncated logo, no dot on i and * on back by Life, and white spot
in logo
30 Powers...missing top circle of logo border
31 Spahn...same as Powers
34 Terwilliger...partial logo from Groat card...plus this guy was a tank man in
WW 2 and after his tank was hit on Saipan had to outrun a enemy tank on foot
50 Robinson....truncated logo
54 Limmer...gap on left side of logo
56 Jablonski...blob on N in his name
67 Moon..red dot on i
70..Rosen...truncated logo like Herm and Jackie
80 Grimm...missing top of circle in logo
81 Conley...distortion in headress in logo ( scarce recuring fish eye)
106 Sullivan...all kinds of different dots on i
118 Purkey...blue v green mark on shoulder
137 Elliot..4 different version of last line of bio and the copyright
144 Almalfitano...blue line in left front border
145 Valo..wavy red right border at bottom
161 Tanner...white y in Daffy on back
174 Minarcin...bite out of black right bottom border
177 Robertson...missing part of red stat box on back
193 Sain..missing part of circle on ball on back

[G1911]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I did not do the gray and whites for 1956 but this is what I have for variants, all recuring

1 Williams..dot on i or not
2 Fowler Topps in the red on back
14 Finnegan missing top line on logo
26 Groat...same as Finnegan
29 Wehmeir..truncated logo, no dot on i and * on back by Life, and white spot
in logo
30 Powers...missing top circle of logo border
31 Spahn...same as Powers
34 Terwilliger...partial logo from Groat card...plus this guy was a tank man in
WW 2 and after his tank was hit on Saipan had to outrun a enemy tank on foot
50 Robinson....truncated logo
54 Limmer...gap on left side of logo
56 Jablonski...blob on N in his name
67 Moon..red dot on i
70..Rosen...truncated logo like Herm and Jackie
80 Grimm...missing top of circle in logo
81 Conley...distortion in headress in logo ( scarce recuring fish eye)
106 Sullivan...all kinds of different dots on i
118 Purkey...blue v green mark on shoulder
137 Elliot..4 different version of last line of bio and the copyright
144 Almalfitano...blue line in left front border
145 Valo..wavy red right border at bottom
161 Tanner...white y in Daffy on back
174 Minarcin...bite out of black right bottom border
177 Robertson...missing part of red stat box on back
193 Sain..missing part of circle on ball on back

My list also has:

34 Terwilliger also has cropping variations of the logo or changes to the very top of it (I think 3 in total). I did not know he outran a tank!

137 - I believe there are 5 (?) with the 'extra' being that the "in '53" version comes with the top of the 5 damaged, or actually fully complete.

145 Valo has a "280" or ".280" batting average, that I think somebody found in this thread. It's an obstruction blocking a small area of the print, rather than a correction made to the type.

[ALR-bishop]

After recount I do have 5 Elliotts including the damaged 5 version which I think may be the toughest.

May have to look for the Terwilliger logo. On of mine has a flattened area at top of logo rather that rounded. Are there some with gaps ?

On Valo my version with the wavy front righ bottom border is missing the . in 280

[Sliphorn]

I had this one as a result of the lower right bar being somewhat cut off, like Minarcin, only less so.

One of these has the .280 BA without the dot on the reverse.

[Sliphorn]

I know this is baseball cards, but this is variation in the 1956 Topps set. Both varieties are on COMC and eBay, so they are easy to get. You can see the yellow block on the lower right of the card front.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

May have to look for the Terwilliger logo. On of mine has a flattened area at top of logo rather that rounded. Are there some with gaps ?

Here what I believe are the 3 different versions

1) Fully rounded, normal and proper logo

2) Flat top logo, top flattened and squished, but thinly connected.

3) Full gap, similar to 2 but the line is fully broken and cut off even more. The top black line is 'bent down'.

Combined with the pirates logo and stocks, there are a lot of total versions of Terwilliger.

[G1911]

1952 Topps Bobby Shantz #219 comes with, beneath the bottom black border roughly below the first "B" in his first name:

1) Light pink blotch

2) Darker magenta/red spot

3) Cleanly printed

[G1911]

1970 Topps #19 Johnny Boccabella comes with or without this small blue extension from the biography box, above the card number.

These are both the white stock reverses.