[Chas79]

I was away from the hobby for almost two decades, and I've just gotten back into baseball card collecting in the last year or two. I keep reading about "variation short prints". I know what a variation was two decades ago (a different photo), and I understand what a short print is (numbered/limited edition), but are all variations nowadays always short prints? Thanks in advance for the help!

[Hofcollector]

Nope. A good example would be the 2012 Topps Bryce Harper rc's. There are photo variations and an sp.

[djohn]

The two are not the same, there are variations that have the same number of each printed. There are also SSP (super short prints) which are usually one per case or rarer. A lot has changed in the card world during the past decade. Keep asking questions and you will get caught up quickly.

[Chas79]

Thanks a lot for the info! Needless to say, trying to find an article online that explains all the terminology is a bit difficult.

[DrMitchJ]

Thanks a lot for the info! Needless to say, trying to find an article online that explains all the terminology is a bit difficult.

Not sure if this will help you or not, but ....
Www.cardboardconnection.com is a great website that usually lists each card product released and gives information, photo guide and a checklist of all the cards, SP, variants, inserts, etc.
I use them all the time.

[Phillies_Joe]

One thing to remember, both the Variations and SSP's actual numbers are not released by the manufacturer for the most part (ie cards not numbered). Makes it hard to determine how rare they are. Unless PC stuff, I don't chase them, but they are good for trade bait.