Wow, great stuff. I pick up errors, promos, and other pre-production stuff as part of my interest in oddball cards in general. I have an oddball W3 from the 3-card "wood" chase set from the "Hershey's Trading Cards: The Collector's Series" (Dart Flipcards, 1995) that was offered on Ebay a couple of years ago. It's the card with an outlined blank space where artwork from an old Hershey's ad was going to be applied later. Most people want to know why I would pay anything for that, but yeah, it's an otherwise unseen peek into the card-making process.

Wolverine 651,

In reference to your mention of color variations among copies of the same single on Blowout (why they happen), I'm pretty sure it's the result of a particular color running out on the printer with a default to another shade of that color. I'd seen cards like that before but didn't make that connection until printing a photo in which what was supposed to be green grass came out as a blue-green instead. Back in the late 90's, I used to buy a good number of Tomorrowland (1997) promos from a dealer who specialized in Disneyland giveaways/exclusives. Here's a pair of Tomorrowland promos that shows the color variation (lighter blue background in part and purple background in the lower right corner) next to the the more uniform blue color that the cards almost always show. I've seen a couple of other similar examples offered on Ebay since then.

I’ve seen a lot of Star Wars finest refractor cards with no gold on the back. Obviously they ran out of gold ink. Back then I was wondering if I should try a set of no gold cards, but decided not to. I didn’t know how many uncut sheets were missing the gold ink, so I didn’t bother collecting them.

David

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Wow, great stuff. I pick up errors, promos, and other pre-production stuff as part of my interest in oddball cards in general. I have an oddball W3 from the 3-card "wood" chase set from the "Hershey's Trading Cards: The Collector's Series" (Dart Flipcards, 1995) that was offered on Ebay a couple of years ago. It's the card with an outlined blank space where artwork from an old Hershey's ad was going to be applied later. Most people want to know why I would pay anything for that, but yeah, it's an otherwise unseen peek into the card-making process.

That’s a neat one. Frankly these egregious errors are sometimes the most interesting, even though it may take a diehard error collector to appreciate it. I like how you can see the outline of that specific insert…just missing the print layer apparently.

On the note of “bare bones errors”…some recent sets in Marvel have had some rather amusing ‘errors’ randomly found in packs, such as the below from Topps Marvel Chrome which is just a foil layer without anything else, and the back is totally blank.



(this perhaps poses a philosophical question of is this even a marvel card…it did come from a marvel pack but has nothing on it dealing with marvel. The seller of this card in the listing included a screenshot of it being pulled live from a box break…probably not a bad idea to help prove what it is. In your wood error card’s case it’s at least identifiable with that specific insert (and possibly has the back, not sure).

Similarly, although I can’t immediately find a picture, some error cards were coming out of the recent Marvel Beginnings packs that had just 4 large CMYK strips and nothing else on the card. Just major curiosities really…most card collectors probably roll their eyes or even think it’s junk..I enjoy them as curiosities.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wolverine651,

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Wolverine 651,

In reference to your mention of color variations among copies of the same single on Blowout (why they happen), I'm pretty sure it's the result of a particular color running out on the printer with a default to another shade of that color. I'd seen cards like that before but didn't make that connection until printing a photo in which what was supposed to be green grass came out as a blue-green instead. Back in the late 90's, I used to buy a good number of Tomorrowland (1997) promos from a dealer who specialized in Disneyland giveaways/exclusives. Here's a pair of Tomorrowland promos that shows the color variation (lighter blue background in part and purple background in the lower right corner) next to the the more uniform blue color that the cards almost always show. I've seen a couple of other similar examples offered on Ebay since then.

This is pretty striking in comparison. Your theory about the color difference being due to running out (or running low) on a color is plausible.

Some of my examples that seem to have this (sorry they all have to be marvel haha),

Here’s a question…what interest, if any, should an error slab garner?

Like this,


It’s not an error card- the card is a perfectly normal 94MM spidey holofoil, but the error was in the way PSA slabbed it…and only that. I probably paid a bit more than the going rate of a spidey holofoil in this grade, but not much more at all. Maybe $40…I’m one of nutcases who takes interest in this I guess. But whatever it is…out of the total population of graded cards, you just won’t see many like this. I don’t even care for graded cards, Im just drawn to error things whatever they are. Another example,

quote:

Originally posted by dpolis:
I’ve seen a lot of Star Wars finest refractor cards with no gold on the back. Obviously they ran out of gold ink. Back then I was wondering if I should try a set of no gold cards, but decided not to. I didn’t know how many uncut sheets were missing the gold ink, so I didn’t bother collecting them.
David

Collecting an error set would be quite the ambitious task. I essentially consider that “building back the error uncut sheet” (although it need not to have come from a single sheet, but same idea).

I can give an example, but of one much more doable. The 2008 Marvel Masterpieces series 3 base cards routinely had ones without the holo on back. While the no-holo error is more rare than the holo one…it is so common of an error I basically just consider it a variant. I was able to collect the 90-card no holo error set without much difficulty.





Importantly, the no-holo errors aren’t really possible to replicate since it’s not just peeling a holo off or something..the holo is built into the card stock and there would be signs of damage*.

I have attempted some more ambitious error sets, with varying success- basically I just go in thinking I’ll never finish them. One…the no foil 93 Masterpieces errors..I was about 20 cards in of the 90…until I realized you can get that entire no-foil prepress 90 card set MUCH easier, and the cards are almost indistinguishable from the errors…so that project lost a lot of steam real fast, and not really going for them anymore.

I am going for the inverted wrong foil names in that same set though, and am at 9 of the 90 (d’oh..long ways to go). A few examples: note the Venom is the analogue of the Domino, and vice cersa- it must be like that based on the uncut sheet.




also note CGC grades errors and denotes error on the slab, something PSA doesn’t do for most factory misprints.

I am also attempting the following wrong back error set of 1992 Masterpieces, and at 37 of the 100 cards (a long-haul set that will most likely not be finished).


*: a bit of a tangent, but this is an important aspect of factory errors: that they cannot be replicated. There can be a fine line between a poor condition worthless card and a rare error to be cherished. What gives errors their value is they were factory mistakes. In fact someone could leave a normal card out in the sun for months, creating a washed-out looking card (that is worthless!) but it might confuse some into thinking it’s an error, when it’s not. Or take this..which is the result of some card research regarding the 94MM holofoils and how they were layered (I wanted to know this so I could determine if errors I was buying were legit ones or not).

Whacky crazy error of some sort? Hardly! These are worthless trashed cards in poor condition. So again, it very much matters whether the error can be replicated or not. The below for example is a bona-fire error and has a lot of going on with it- no one’s replicating it. Includes a foil layer utterly out of sync with the print layer (which is also out of sync with the cut). With a normal back. This is obviously a factory mistake.

Last post for now, sorry! Don’t want to overload the thread.

Posted this over on BO, but just picked up this interesting wrong back 92MM base card. The card is comprised of two fronts. It is the other error type for the 92MM base (not to be confused with the wrong back type of the Gambit above).




It’s pretty clear how the error came to be. Here’s the uncut sheet.


Skybox must have printed this same front on the backside of this sheet (just upside down)…hence Sandman matching with Galactus, and you can predict all the others that will exist…Spider-Man on back of an Iron Man, Kingpin on back of a Checklist, etc.

There are only 50 errors of this type in the set though, even though it covers all 100 cards in the set. Because a Galactus front with an upside down Sandman front on the other side is indistinguishable from a Sandman front with an upside down Galactus front on the other side- it’s the same card. So each error is /2 (minimum..if just one one sheet made like this)…and there are only 50 in the set to collect. Compared to that Gambit wrong back error above, where there are 100 to collect.

This error passed eBay authenticity successfully when I bought it. After inspecting it in person- it is a bona fide error (and also matches the geometric layout of the uncut sheet, which it must do).

Thanks for showing the range of errors you've collected. Interesting stuff.

Wow, you must have to buy a lot of boxes and really keep your eyes open for singles to assemble a set of errors. Many of us have singles of near-impossible sets. We figure we might never get there, but hey, that's collecting.

Yeah, what do you call it when a grading company puts the card in the case upside-down?

Yeah, nobody wants a regular miscut which is when the edges aren't perpendicular, centering is off or the card is noticeably smaller than the norm for the set. That miscut Carnage with the foil error is something else especially with the regular back. A unique combination of mistakes led to that.

At least four of the Creator's Universe (Dynamic Entertainment Inc., 1993) promos exist with reversed backs. All the Silencer, Stronghold, and Warhorse promos I've seen have reversed backs but normal ones exist too. From that, I'd have to assume there are uncut sheets of reversed backs.

Hmmm I would guess the reverse back exists for the whole promo set then since errors usually affect whole uncut sheets. I did a cursory look into the Creator Universe promos and do see one reverse back on eBay…they appear to be quite rare.

There is a situation sort of like this in marvel- 1990 Marvel universe holos exist in upside down backs- the MH5 Spidey vs Goblin has it and it’s not super hard to find. It also exists in the Magneto MH2 but much scarcer. I am not sure about the other 3 (1990MU holos were not printed together on an uncut sheet, it was a sheet for each one separately..so an error won’t necessarily affect the whole set).

Yeah I agree, I’m not into the minor stuff like slight miscuts (where a sliver of next card is showing) or crimp errors. Needs to be more egregious. One might ask where is the dividing line between just a very off-center card and a miscut error worthy of attention. Subjective…but for me there needs to be a sizable portion of the next card over on the sheet to make it an interesting error. Like this.







I mentioned above about selling a 1992MU Hulk error holo for around $200ish. I really regret selling that card. It’s probably the most confusing/crazy error I’ve ever seen on a card, a hologram no less. Not even sure what’s going on with it, but looks like stacked card on top of another in the process of creating the holo (this is not actually stacked cards..it’s one single card). I wish I had this one back..

quote:

There is a situation sort of like this in marvel- 1990 Marvel universe holos exist in upside down backs- the MH5 Spidey vs Goblin has it and it’s not super hard to find. It also exists in the Magneto MH2 but much scarcer. I am not sure about the other 3 (1990MU holos were not printed together on an uncut sheet, it was a sheet for each one separately..so an error won’t necessarily affect the whole set).

Yeah I agree, I’m not into the minor stuff like slight miscuts (where a sliver of next card is showing) or crimp errors. Needs to be more egregious. One might ask where is the dividing line between just a very off-center card and a miscut error worthy of attention. Subjective…but for me there needs to be a sizable portion of the next card over on the sheet to make it an interesting error. Like this.







I mentioned above about selling a 1992MU Hulk error holo for around $200ish. I really regret selling that card. It’s probably the most confusing/crazy error I’ve ever seen on a card, a hologram no less. Not even sure what’s going on with it, but looks like stacked card on top of another in the process of creating the holo (this is not actually stacked cards..it’s one single card). I wish I had this one back..

Keep these pics coming please. They're awesome.

That Marvel Masterpieces 1994 card with the foil stamp across the borders of the miscut cards is really cool especially since it also catches the Hildebrandt brothers signature on it.

I wonder if the Creator's Universe reverse back promos were early if they have become rare. It might be just that collectors have held onto the errors so the correct cards are the ones floating around the market now. I think I picked up the Stronghold and Warhorse reverse backs from comic dealer bargain boxes back in the late 90's. I got the Silencer more recently - part of a lot without knowing what the back looked like. I have a regular "Pheros" but a reverse back exists.