Need Help Identifying the Origins of These "Sample" Cards!!!
Smhgbwi
Posts: 27 ✭
Hello! I'm new to the forum. Have been collecting since I was 10 (1994).
I am having trouble identifying the origins of a stack of Aaron Rodgers cards I picked up at an estate sale over the weekend.
All four LCSs within my area code have stated to me they have never seen anything like this before, one even suggested they may be altered.
A friend suggested they may be Beckett sample inserts, but they don't look anything similar to the foil stamping "sample" one would see on the early 2000s Beckett samples.
I placed a phone call to Panini America yesterday morning and was able to speak to a human. They tell me they "may" have been pre production samples for approval and ended up being "backdoored" by employees. I was given an email address to send photos to and have yet to receive a response.
I also contacted Reed Kasaoka of Dave&Adams Card World, He also has not seen anything similar in his ventures either but suggested they may have been "backdoored" out of Panini.
Beckett responded to my email today stating that they are not "samples" that were inserted into their publications, and that they would not slab it without paperwork from Panini.
Has anyone seen anything like this before? I'm at my wits end.
As to one of the local LCS suggesting they may have been altered by someone, I have my doubts. For instance, the photos I will share here show a 2015 Black Gold Aaron Rodgers, Card #44. To my understanding, this set is similar to the Prizm Pandora limited boxes, where every single card in the set is foil stamped /199 etc. This Rodgers does not have such a foil stamp. On the reverse, underneath the card #44, you can see an imprinted 's a m p l e "
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 
Comments
Another example. Note "sample" embedded in the back
Another example
Another example, note "sample" on the chest
Another example
This one appears to be outright printed and is the earliest year of them all
Another example
Another example
No sample stamp but missing serial #
Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Obviously they are some sort of sample. I can imagine they made "sample"'s of more than just Aaron Rodgers! Lol. If anyone has anything like this, please let me know.
It looks like someone took a clamp with the words sample embedded in it and had their way with the Rodgers cards. I don't follow the designs very well, are they any different than the originals? Where the serial numbers are supposed to be, is there an imprint of the gold foil stamp? I have a ton of 90's cards when Donruss was the manufacturer where none of the samples look like that. As mentioned, Panini took over the line about 2005 and seemingly many of those cards are from that timeframe. I think your only hope is to get a hold of an executive/project manager during that timeframe
There are a couple Dornuss Elite Football Samples with the printed "SAMPLE" on the back like yours listed on eBay and COMC
On the Black Gold card #44, there is no imprint or sign thereof, of where there's supposed to be. The foil stamping on these was on the bottom left front side . Same with the 2006 Playoff National Treasures #68(Brown card pictured.) The base cards in that set as were all numbered to /125. The example shown here has no such markings on the reverse
Just found this one today. Not sure about the validity of the item description but appears to be from the players mothers non profit.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166261001465?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=77sVv1hqSkW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=lrs8qvsiqlo&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
The item description sure is interesting if legit
I would hear that logic. But the fact remains there are numerous cards that ought to be foil stamped (101/199) for example. And they simply aren't. The National Treasures for example. They didn't make cards without foil stamping /99 etc for those. And then the "sample" imprint on the reverse.
I did reach out to the project manager at Panini via email. To no response. They know damn well what these are but will not acknowledge. You would think if they were fraudulent they would just say so.