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Desert Shield - Variations?

I'm curious to know about any known variations that exist in Desert Shield. Someone recently commented over at Net54 that '91 Topps Baseball is one of the most error-riddled sets that Topps has ever produced. If this is true, wouldn't we expect to see more variations in DS?

The only error card that I've truly searched for is the Lonnie Smith. If you recall, on the back of the original card, Lonnie Smith's 1990 stat line reads that he played 136 games in 1990. The card was later corrected to read that he played in 135 games in 1990. Both versions of the card are easily found from the base 1991 set. However, after searching for over a decade, I could not find the 135 version in the Desert Shield set. I have standing offers with several dealers if they should ever come across one. I have over 50 copies of the Lonnie Smith DS card, and they are all the 136G version. I also contacted several of the PSA registry players in the set and none of them had ever seen a 135 version either. Because of this collective "I've never seen one", PSA removed the 135 version from the Desert Shield composite several years ago.

Because the 135 was the corrected version, I've also always believed the Desert Shield set was actually made early in Topps printing process, prior to the Lonnie Smith 135G (The "Corrected" version) being printed. I'd love to hear other thoughts.
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Comments

  • MC,

    I have approx. 4,000 Desert Shield cards and have only found 1 variation from the original 1991 Topps set. This card is the #685 Doug Drabek gray/black border variation card (see below). I suspect there are other variations, but it seems (with the limited information I have) that there aren't variations within the Desert Shield set. Just for reference I am pasting a list of the "possible" errors that could exist in the Desert Shield set. The following list of Desert Shield variations have been compiled from my own cards and several other sources acknowledged below. It is interesting to note some DS cards have correct stats while other DS cards have incorrect stats. For the most part, it seems as if most of the corrections were made prior to starting the DS print run. However, to date I have not found the error & corresponding corrected version of the card - just 1 or the other. In fact, the only variation which I have been able to confirm is the Drabek gray/black border variation previously noted.

    Also I have obtained some actual printer sheets with provenance (ie uncut full sheets of cards) and now know which ones were the original Desert Shield checklists versus the regular issue Topps set. It is interesting to note that the sheets have backs listed as being printed on Sheet A...F in equal number. The C Jones rookie card (the key card in the set) & checklists were printed on the same "F" sheet. And I believe have seen DS cards printed with a dual sheet designation (ie EF or something similar) meaning the sheet composition was changed at a later date. I suspect this means that errors or variations - if they exist - will be found on cards with the dual print sheet designation.

    Many thanks to KeyMan Collectibles, JunkWaxGems, Beckett, PSA, CU, Net54 and numerous other sources from which this information was compiled. Here are the variations I have checked against the 1991 Topps regular issue set but not found both versions of the same card (only #685 Drabek):

    • Card #21 Joe Morgan MGR – “87” hits; DS set has the corrected version which is “187 hits”.

    • Card #22 Storm Davis – (Front) Copyright logo in Upper left corner above Topps in white border area; 1991 Topps regular issue has both. DS cards do not have the copyright logo.

    • Card #42 Chris Hoiles – (Front) Black Border white or Gray border (DS cards have gray border).

    • Card #48 – Dennis Boyd – 3 Variations –left wrist covers 40th Anniv logo; airbrushed pink to blend in with logo, no black box on banner underneath “40”; DS cards have 40th Anniversary logo which covers wrist fully with black border and it appears as if the wrist is behind the border.

    • Card 49A Pat Borders (DS cards have 1986 – “40 steals in Kinston”) 49B (0 Steal in Kinston)

    • Card 80A Fernando Valenzuela (DS cards have In 1990 104 ER in '90 Tied League Lead “◊” Present in line)) 80B (Led League)

    • Card #83 Daryl Boston (Front) Line through his position, left side of card in the top portion of “OF”;

    • Card #97A Brady Anderson Box at bottom, (DS cards “In Sept 2 RBI and 3 Hits”) 97B (Set, 3 RBI and 14 Hits)

    • Card #100A Don Mattingly (DS cards 10 hits in 1990) 100B (101 hits in 1990)

    • Card #124 Randy Bush – No print code on back of card, bottom, to the left of 1991 Topps copyright. DS cards are corrected and have a D* Print Code.

    • Card #130 (Checklist) – no Foil Shield – consistent with both DS and 1991 issue

    • Card 131A Checklist 1 (DS cards have #727 Phil Bradley) 131B (#727 Mookie Wilson); Card #727 is Mookie Wilson in actual set

    • Card #153 Bryan Harvey – has A*B* print code on reverse to the left of Topps Copyright; Original DS card has A* Print Code.

    • Card 155A Dwight Evans (DS cards have “In 1982, Led league w/162 games in 1982”) 155B (tied for lead.....)

    • Card 167A Randy Tomlin (DS cards have 1989 & 1990 Club is “Harriburg”) 167B (Harrisburg)

    • Card #189 Daryl Irvine (Back) 1988 GS has a “*” or blob; DS cards are corrected and have 14 for GS in 1988.

    • Card #213 has A*B* Print Code on back of card to left of Topps copyright; Original DS card has A* )

    • Card 236A Frank Tanana (DS cards have “In 1975, Tied for lead w/269 K’s” with the symbol “◊” Present in text) 236B (Lead League w/269....)

    • Card #247 – Jody Reed (Bio is dark red; DS version have lighter red or pinkish box for bio.

    • Card 270A Mark McGwire (DS cards have 1987 Slug % 618) 270B (1987 Slug % .618)

    • Card 277 Scott Coolbaugh – (Front) DS cards have Streak on left side of hat; streak is airbrushed out.

    • Card 279A Jose Gonzalez (Photo Billy Bean) 279B (DS cards have the correct photo)

    • Card 306A Lonnie Smith (DS cards have incorrect stats stating In 1990, played in 136 Games) 396B (corrected not found in DS set and was
    actually 135 Games in 1990)

    • Card 324A Ron Kittle (DS cards have the last line of text @ bottom of card “…set another standard) 324B (“….tied another standard)

    • Card 337A Keith Comstock (DS cards have incorrect Cubs logo on front) 337B (Mariners logo on front – Mariners is correct)

    • Card 366A Checklist 3 (DS checklist has #19 as Carl Nichols) 366B (#119 Carl Nichols); #19 in Actual set is Jeff Robinson P Yankees

    • Card 374 Larry Casian – Pimples on left side of neck can be seen; DS cards are corrected and have pimples airbrushed out.

    • Card 378A Wilson Alvarez (89 & 90 minor league stats deleted) 378B (DS cards have minor league stats included)

    • Card 454A Kevin Appier (DS cards have in the line for 1990 Omaha Stats deleted) 454B (stats included)

    • Card #519 – Sparky Anderson – Back) – Bullseye covesr O in “…Anderson…” at the top of card in name. (1X is corrected); DS cards do not have this printers mark.

    • Card 526A Moises Alou (DS cards show incorrect stats in the 1990 Pirates line, 37 runs in 2 games) 526B (0 Runs in 2 games)

    • Card 527A Checklist 4 ((Back) DS cards on sheet incorrectly state #105 Keith Miller #719 Kevin McReyolds 527B (#105 Kevin McReyolds #719 Keith Miller). Actual DS set has #105 as McReynolds

    • Card #530 Roger Clemens (Back) – Card # is pink. DS cards have not found variation.

    • Card #588 Mark Whitten (Front) left hand is over or under border. DS cards have corrected – hand does not extend into white border.

    • Card 593A Mike Walker (DS cards have in 1990 Canton Stats deleted 593B (Stats included) Note: Both cards have Colo. Springs Stats

    • Card 599A Greg Myers (DS cards have in 1990 Syracuse stats deleted 599B (Stats included)

    • Card 603A Wes Chamberlain (DS cards have incorrect photo with Louie Meadows with bat on right shoulder) 603B (correct photo –smiling no bat on shoulder),

    • Card #648 Lee Stevens – Back of card; bio is dark red; DS cards have light red bio box.

    • Card 656A Checklist 5 (DS checklists have corrected card numbers of #348 Palacios, #381 Lind, #537 Lavalliere) 656B (438 Palacios 537 Lind 665 Lavalliere) 656C (433 Palacios) actual 348 is stottlemeyer, Actual set has #348 is Palacios, #381 is Leyland, #537 is Lind.

    • CardA 674 Kevin Gross (DS cards have in 1988 Tied for lead in BB) 674B (1988 Lead league) – looks like he led league

    • Card #685 – Doug Drabek – (Front) Corrected – Gray-ish border on left & right side of card. Black broder on left & right side of card. DS cards appear to have both black & gray border, with different color team banners.

    • Card 687A John Cerutti (DS cards have 4.46 ERA in 1990) 687B (4.76 ERA in 1990); 4.76 ERA is correct

    • Card 692A Efrain Valdez (Born 6/11/66) 692B (DS cards have correct birthdate text stating Born 7/11/66).

    • Card 706A Brad Arnsberg (DS cards have incorrect data stating 68.2 IP in 1990) 706B (62.2 IP in 1990)

    • Card 780A Randy Myers (DS cards have incorrect stat line for losses - 15 Career losses) 780B (19 Career losses).


    Let me know if anyone is able to find the other variation on these cards. Thanks.

    ZWheat
  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭

    I'm bumping this back to the top to see if we can put this issue to bed one last time. Please, please, please post photos of any legitimate 91 Topps Desert Shield variations you possess. PSA requires a few of them for its team sets, and I'd like to convince them that they don't exist (hard to do).

  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭
    edited June 4, 2018 6:39PM

    These are all listed in the POP REPORT (some are required for the team sets). If you have any of these, please post a scan:

    42 Chris Hoiles - 9 cards are listed as having the white inner frame. None do.

    80 Fernando Valenzuela - 27 cards are listed as having no diamond. All have the diamond.

    100 Don Mattingly - 2 cards are labeled as having 101 hits. All the DS cards will show 10 hits in 1990.

    131 Checklist 1 - 18 cards are labeled as having Phil Bradley as card #717. All the DS cards will have Phil as card #727.

    270 Mark McGwire - 122 cards are listed for 1987 Slg .618. I contend that PSA dumped all unlabeled cards in this bucket when none exist (i.e., all will show the 1987 Slg % as 618).

    337 Keith Comstock - 14 are listed as having the Mariners logo. Same thing happened here. PSA dumped the unlabeled cards in this bucket when none exist.

    366 Checklist 3 - 22 are listed as having Carl Nichols as card #119. Again, incorrect assumption about unlabeled cards.

    461 Robin Ventura - 27 are listed as having a gray inner frame. All DS cards will have a red inner frame.

    527 Checklist 4 - 19 are listed as having Kevin McReynolds as card #105. None actually do, since all DS cards have him listed as #719.

    656 Checklist 5 - 18 are listed as having V. Palacios being card #438. None do, since all DS cards have him listed as #348.

    I contend that all of the cards listed incorrectly in the POP REPORT are unlabeled, and PSA dumped them incorrectly in the "corrected" slot when someone finally requested (for some insane reason) that their DS show the uncorrected error. My McGwire (for instance) is unlabeled, but PSA thinks it's the .618 Slg % card. Obviously PSA should stop labeling DS cards with any error/correction information, since that applies only to the regular set.

  • saucywombatsaucywombat Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭

    My assessment is that no errors exist for 1991 Topps Desert Storm because they were all printed in one run. There were never different plates from another printing to provide "corrected" versions. Slight variations in the print quality or alignment would be possible though.

    Always looking for 1993-1999 Baseball Finest Refractors and1994 Football Finest Refractors.
    saucywombat@hotmail.com
  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭
    edited June 5, 2018 12:30PM

    Bob— I do not have any DS variants and believe the wombat may be correct as to why the gazillion differences in the base set do not exist in DS

    Zach who made the last post before yours posts on 54 and is a very experienced DS and 1991 collector. ( he is also quite versed in variants to the 1952 Topps set )

    He started a thread on 54 some time back about his conclusion that the DS set lacks other variants. I will try to dig up a site to it.

    I trade PMs with Zach from time to time and will ask him to pop in here with any further info he has. But proving a negative to PSA may be as hard as getting them to recognize a 1967 Topps Moeller variation

    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭
    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The irony is that trying to get PSA to acknowledge an actual error or variation, even when they literally have BOTH VERSIONS in their hands, is like trying to get a wet noodle up a bobcat's arse in a telephone booth. "It has to be cataloged in a hobby reference blah blah blah..."

    Meanwhile, they just took it upon themselves to whip up this recipe of insane labeling because... ? What could have possibly prompted such a move? If I were to guess... 4SC probably has the pull to do it. They figured they'd create a market and have the first 10, a pop 1, and wham-o, nice ROI.

    Arthur

  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭

    Arthur---how is it that you know about the bobcat thing ?

    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I gotta do something in the summer to make money.

    Arthur

  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭

    @ReggieCleveland said:
    I gotta do something in the summer to make money.

    Arthur

    Okay, I’ll ask the obvious follow-up question—what does wet-noodling a bobcat’s arse pay per insertion? Is it piece rate work or by the hour?

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 6, 2018 6:33AM

    @bobsbbcards said:

    @ReggieCleveland said:
    I gotta do something in the summer to make money.

    Arthur

    Okay, I’ll ask the obvious follow-up question—what does wet-noodling a bobcat’s arse pay per insertion? Is it piece rate work or by the hour?

    Page hits. www.magnificentarthur.com

    Arthur

  • Bobbscards,

    I have looked at perhaps 10,000 1991 Topps DS cards now and I do not believe legit variations exist. I think there were some 1991 Topps cards with variations that have a fake DS logo on them. Perhaps even some were graded. I've looked hard, but can't find legit variations. Every "variation" I've seen has a fake logo.

    However, I think you may find some ink variations on the back. It appears they added a brightener to the red ink early on in the printing of the set, leading to the "Glowback" cards. I think a high percentage - maybe 98-99% follows the same trend as detailed in the set of threads posted above. It is a very odd set and I have enjoyed collecting it.

    Z

  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 8, 2018 6:00PM

    I have the Registered mark for Larkin, both low/left and high/right versions, listed as available in DS also. can anyone confirm?

    From 1991 Topps base:

  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭

    I'm going to work pretty hard to get PSA to renounce all DS variations and fix their database/POP report. Wish me luck.

  • Bobs cards,

    Good luck.

    Larkin Collector,

    What is the sheet code on the back?

  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭

    Pretty hard ?

    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • maddux69maddux69 Posts: 2,130 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good luck on getting them to recognize such, I feel your pain!

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    And that was it. Like that, he was gone. No one ever heard from Bob again. Some say PSA agents got him and gave him an untimely demise. Others think he just went mad and stumbled into the Louisiana bayou only to wind up getting passed through an alligator's colon. What do I think, you ask?

    I think the desert's shield holds many mysteries not intended for man's feeble mind. Beware to those who wish to tangle with it. For there be-ith no water in the great... sandy... bad place... realm. Damn, I lost it.

    Arthur

  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭
    edited June 9, 2018 8:37AM

    Bob is more likely to demise tripping over piles of cards in his basement than run afoul of a gator, or for that matter be within a state or two of a bayou

    And you would think this task would be easy for a guy who is a former PSA collector of the year and whose name is currently all over the PSA Set Registry Home page. :)

    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ZachWheat said:
    Larkin Collector,

    What is the sheet code on the back?

    F* on both versions IIRC.

  • Larkin Collector,

    The DS Larkins I have all have the high Registration mark.

  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ZachWheat said:
    Larkin Collector,

    The DS Larkins I have all have the high Registration mark.

    Thanks! One less I need to chase down.

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