HawkHOF Wrote:jacksoncoupage Wrote:[quote=radarblip]...and I have my own theory about the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF that didn't show up in the market until 1993)
This card has always left a bad taste with me, it is just a printing error akin to a blackless card. I first saw these late in 1990 when a dealer had three of them for $10 a piece. I thought that was too much back then (and really still do). People have said they show up in late Xmas sets, I don't know but I did see them in late 1990.
Another "error" card I have issue with is the 2002 Vintage #274 Home Run Leaders error. I think is way more common than reported. There were at least two different printers used to print the entire run of cards. You can tell the difference because the cards printed from one of them are a darker yellow. (Another something to look at for player collectors). I have pulled both variations from the same box and believe the error to be printed in equal quantity as the correct card. I guess it irks me because UD said this was corrected very early in the print run, obviously to get people to rip Vintage.
1990 is the earliest I have ever heard of these. 1992 I thought I remember seeing them mentioned in the pocket-size SCD annual guide but the first "official" mention of them seemed to be around 1993 (by the time Thomas had become an established superstar). But I agree that something still stinks with this card. Say some were distributed erroneously in packs (I have seen several 1990 Topps cards missing pieces of black ink) and a few collectors in 1990 pulled them. I still find it suspicious that come 1993ish, they are $1000 and well-known. It would be little surprise if some one at Topps hoarded these "printers waste"-type sheets they came on only have them cut and released into the hobby several years later. The myth about the Holliday sets has always sounded suspect to me too. Those sets sat at discounted prices for a few years after the fact, dealers stood to profit from the resulting sales of that rumor. This reminds me of the shops that have tried to sell me the 1990 UD Hi# sets claiming that's where the Mike Witt card can be found. It's a set that has little or no longterm value, nor mega-star RC and large quantities of them can still be found at most card shops today.