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Uncut Sheets and Asterisks
PaulMaul
Posts: 4,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
When I was focused on wacky packages everything was simple.
Uncut sheets from the early series were double sheets. Each side was 77 stickers, two full sets plus an extra row, sometimes with a few double prints. As a result, all stickers came in two variants, * (from the left half sheet) and ** (from the right half sheet).
I've only recently started considering this stuff for sports sets and I am very confused. I think the following questions may have different answers pre and post "all series sets" (1974).
1. Are baseball sheets double sheets? Only from earlier years?
2. Does a given baseball sheet always correspond to a given "series" exclusively? For example, does one 1973 sheet contain 1-132, another 133-264, etc.? I always assumed this, but evidently it's not the case at least post-1973.
3. I assume the asterisks are always consistent within a given 132 card (half) sheet.
4. When did more than just */** start? I only just realized 1976 has three types: *,** and no asterisks. Eventually, the ABCDEF thing started. How did these changes reflect the overall sheet structure of the sets?
This seems way more complicated than I initially assumed.
Uncut sheets from the early series were double sheets. Each side was 77 stickers, two full sets plus an extra row, sometimes with a few double prints. As a result, all stickers came in two variants, * (from the left half sheet) and ** (from the right half sheet).
I've only recently started considering this stuff for sports sets and I am very confused. I think the following questions may have different answers pre and post "all series sets" (1974).
1. Are baseball sheets double sheets? Only from earlier years?
2. Does a given baseball sheet always correspond to a given "series" exclusively? For example, does one 1973 sheet contain 1-132, another 133-264, etc.? I always assumed this, but evidently it's not the case at least post-1973.
3. I assume the asterisks are always consistent within a given 132 card (half) sheet.
4. When did more than just */** start? I only just realized 1976 has three types: *,** and no asterisks. Eventually, the ABCDEF thing started. How did these changes reflect the overall sheet structure of the sets?
This seems way more complicated than I initially assumed.
0
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Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>The sheets also (after 1973) don't conform to a particular "series," right? For example, one 1975 sheet contains card #7 and card #228. >>
Correct. The sheets are not in necessarily numerical order like series were. In general, low number cards were from the one asterisk sheets and high number cards were from the two asterisk sheets, but there are exceptions to that rule. In 1975, there were three one asterisk 132-card sheets and two two asterisk sheets. This disparity is the reason there are two one asterisk sections and one two asterisk section in a 75 rack pack and also the reason the gum was inserted after the 7th card in an 18-card 75 cello pack instead of the middle of the pack.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Probably easier to show than explain:
Anyone creating a press run for a job is going to utilize the full press sheet- doesn't make sense to waste any. I've heard that Topps cards were printed in 264 card sheets, and then cut down to 132 card sheets before cutting into individual cards. I'm not saying this isn't true, but in over a decade of searching I've yet to come across a 264 card sheet, and I've obviously come across many 132 card sheets.
Additionally, in 3 decades of working with commercial printers I've yet to see a job cut twice-time is money and they always want to cut everything down to final size all at once. So while I don't rule out Topps utilizing a press capable of printing a 264 card sheet, I find the lack of evidence of such a sheet, and the work flow of cutting it in half and then later in individual cards curious.
In regards to cards being in numerical order, I do find this common in older sheets. This '53 Bowman sheet is in numerical order, and suspect this fact is fueling the erroneous (in my opinion) belief that any 3 card panel from that set is a "salesman sample". The sheets below are all laid out in numerical order:
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
PaulMaul, I know there are asterisk variations in the 1991 Topps set. There's a pretty good conversation about it over on Net54.
EDIT: The 1971 double sheet above suggests the whole series is represented if you consider both sides. The '71 sheet Anthony posted is the high number sheet and so has more double prints, but I bet both sides together would have contained the full series.
<< <i>Looking into it some more, it appears 1971 was the first year the *'s were used. >>
This is correct. There were no asterisks on the reverse of 1970 and earlier cards to designate sheets.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Wonder why they cut them into 132 card sheets then?
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
For 1978 through 1980, it's A/B nearest the header, C/D in the middle and E/F in the far cell.
One question for the experts...is it possible in a 1974 rack to have */**/** starting from the header instead of */*/**? This is the only rack of mine that worries me a bit.
<< <i>Looking over my racks, it appears that in '76 and '77 the cell closest to the header is *, the middle is no star, and the far cell is **.
For 1978 through 1980, it's A/B nearest the header, C/D in the middle and E/F in the far cell.
One question for the experts...is it possible in a 1974 rack to have */**/** starting from the header instead of */*/**? This is the only rack of mine that worries me a bit. >>
Yes, it fairly common for 74 racks to feature cards in */**/** sequence from header card, as well as some with */*/**. 1974 was a watershed year with regard to all series packaging, and my opinion is that there are more potential variations and anomalies for this "all series" year than any that followed, which is why it is not uncommon, too, to encounter a 74 rack with same player card in both middle and far sections of the rack.
In 1975, a full year after the advent of the all series packs, Topps implemented stricter sequencing standards for racks and even though one * star cards did appear in both header and middle sections (Topps initiated the no asterisk sheet cards the following year for middle cell cards), certain one * cards are typically found only in header section (like Brett and Yount) while other one * cards are typically found only in middle section (like Yaz and Seaver).
There is a known anomaly for 75 and 77 Topps racks, though, in which cards from two ** sheets are found in both middle and far sections. But in this case, still, ALL cards from that sheet should be uniform throughout that particular section.
You are correct in 76-80 sequencing standards.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Ever series that is 65/66 cards or 87/88 or 131/132 cards had each card printed in equal quantity on the 264 card sheet. The next series CL accounts for the odd #, always printed with the preceding series as well as with the current series.
John
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
<< <i>Thanks for the info Tim. I'm sorry to say that the middle cell of my 1974 rack has Jim Merritt (*) on top and Jim Howarth (**) on the bottom. So I guess that's conclusively fake? No stars showing at all, everything else appears legit to me. I'll post a good scan so you can tell me if anything else looks bad. >>
1974 was kind of a test run with the all series format and sequencing was not as strict as it was for other years, so I would necessarily say the rack is no good based on that. It was in 1975, that much stricter sequencing standards were implemented by Topps, so I'd be more open to other anolamlies for 74 racks, especially if no stars were showing.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
And the latter part of that previous sentence rings true with racks from 75 forward, from which point, other than the known anomaly I mentioned above, sequencing was quite strict. I've also opened quite a few racks from 1975 forward over the past few years to test these sequencing standards, and they always ring true. I have not ripped more than a couple of 74 racks, though, and that lack of test study coupled with more variations for that year than any other from 74 forward (e.g. you never see the same card on top of two sections in another year's rack, though it is not that uncommon in 74 racks) leads me to believe that more possibilities exist for 1974 than later years. There are also some other odd anomalies in 1974 in that there are a few cards which bear no asterisk designation, like Kaline and McCovey.
You can even witness how Topps was adapting to this, too, as in 1975 they had just one asterisk and two asterisk sheets, before creating a no asterisk sheet in 1976 and for 1977 to designate those cards housed in the middle section of a rack.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>There are also some other odd anomalies in 1974 in that there are a few cards which bear no asterisk designation, like Kaline and McCovey. >>
With Kaline and McCovey the entire copyright is missing. The stats section is so long they just didn't have room!
<< <i>
<< <i>There are also some other odd anomalies in 1974 in that there are a few cards which bear no asterisk designation, like Kaline and McCovey. >>
With Kaline and McCovey the entire copyright is missing. The stats section is so long they just didn't have room! >>
For Kaline that is certainly true, but McCovey had fewer seasons played than many players who did have a copyright.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
I'm not sure about sheets from other manufacturers, but I'm fairly certain that there are as many variations in how the cards were printed (depending upon the number of cards in the set). Some of my sheets seem to correspond to a series, others do not. Probably depends upon when the cards were printed and not just what series they were issued as.
If you want to talk more about sheets, let me know.
Jeff
I have started a libary of topps baseball/football/basketball sheets from 1952 to roughly 1979.
John
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972
<< <i>In 1975, a full year after the advent of the all series packs, Topps implemented stricter sequencing standards for racks and even though one * star cards did appear in both header and middle sections (Topps initiated the no asterisk sheet cards the following year for middle cell cards), certain one * cards are typically found only in header section (like Brett and Yount) while other one * cards are typically found only in middle section (like Yaz and Seaver). >>
Tim, Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the header section of 1975 rack packs only contained one * cards numbered from 1-264. The middle section contains the rest of the one * cards.
Doug
<< <i>
<< <i>In 1975, a full year after the advent of the all series packs, Topps implemented stricter sequencing standards for racks and even though one * star cards did appear in both header and middle sections (Topps initiated the no asterisk sheet cards the following year for middle cell cards), certain one * cards are typically found only in header section (like Brett and Yount) while other one * cards are typically found only in middle section (like Yaz and Seaver). >>
Tim, Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the header section of 1975 rack packs only contained one * cards numbered from 1-264. The middle section contains the rest of the one * cards.
Doug >>
Doug,
This is correct and the reason why cards like Yount and Brett are in header section and cards like Yaz and Seaver are in middle section. However, Rose is in far section as a card from two **sheet even though he is card no. 320.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Current obsession, all things Topps 1969 - 1972