Printing Plates- Manufactured gimmick or legit?

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

Started off as a harmless informative thread about 2010 Bowman Chrome plates not being reversed. Quickly turned into a claim of plates not being "used". Hmm....Thoughts?

FCB thread

EAsports

Regarding the "Chrome is reversed while the others aren't, but now Chrome isn't so it must be fake" argument.

Topps changed the way they did SOME of the Chrome cards a couple of years back.

Look at Chromes from years past (late 90s - early 00s) and look at Chromes from last year. The older ones are more "indented" if that makes sense. The newer ones almost look like some sort of overlay, as opposed to the old printing process.

Old Chrome:



New Chrome:



That may have something to do with why (or why not) the plates are reversed.

Finest, Topps Heritage Chrome look like they use the old process, Bowman Chrome and Topps Chrome the new. Notice the indentations around the logos, names, etc.



That's my guess, anyway.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

I read something awhile back about the"indentions". They were calling it etching IIRC.

MeteoriteGuy

I have never found that arguement logical. (On images being reserved.) It does not seem to me it would matter, it would just indicate another ink transfer....an extra roller.

And more so, where are all the 1000s of dupe plates hiding?

MeteoriteGuy

Also, I could, but others did, post scans of plates with ink of them.

And, you can check my Gonzo thread and see that most of them were stuck to the press. You have to pry the plates off a little as they stick, so they get scratched and often like wavy indented because of this. Maybe 40%-60% of the plates I have or have sold show this.

Now they might, and would likely make more then one set, a back up set in case of printing problems or whatever. But it does appear to me plates are still being using in the process and that used plates are inserted into products.

The best agrument against used plates as inserts I have seen....is those blurry Mayo's I posted. The Mayos are hardly normal cards and this might have resulted in more damaged plates in printing or something and I am guessing here that Topps may have used non-used plates in some cases. I half way collect all the Mayo 1/1's and have for like 3 years now.....never seeing a duplicate.

(edit for spelling)

zep33

I've gotten some pretty beat up, stained plates in packs over the last few years

fkw

IMO
Modern is a gimmick, vintage is not

Not all are reversed.... BTW

ie.

1962 Bazooka

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

Only plates that are ummm I mean were reversed, are the Chrome.