Now and Swen - 1977 Topps Nater Variation Missing Black Ink + More Oddities
ElMagoStrikeZone
Posts: 1,692 ✭✭✭✭✭
On the topic of missing ink and variations, I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen similar examples hatched from a box of 1977 Topps Basketball. I pulled the example on the right many years ago and stored it with some others from the same box which have missing ink, but this one stands out. Black ink totally gone from the banner and team name.

4
Comments
Nice catch!
What's odd about this from my perspective is that there's partial black ink on the ball.
Had to look him up - played in the ABA/NBA 11 yrs.
I agree, it is odd. That's why I've kept it all these years. I like weird stuff. Swen was a basketball oddity when he played. I got to attend games he played at UCLA, and in both pro leagues. So, here I wonder if anyone else has ever seen similar cards pulled from the 1977 Topps issue. Probably, a slim chance. But here is a good place to try.
More inky dinky Topps flubs pulled from the same box:


Do you think his wife ever crooned “Please won’t you be my Nater?”
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
Maybe. The English Beat also popularized a hit song called "Save It For Nater".
I was not aware of the Frazier and the Monroe, I have several copies of Archibald, Havlicek, Nater, Wilkes, and two you didn't mention, Gail Goodrich and Tom Burleson, that I have picked up over the years. Archibald was to the left of Nater, Goodrich was to the left of Wilkes, Havlicek was to the left of Burleson, Frazier was to the left of Monroe, but they were spread out all over the sheet. All of the copies that I have found are the white back version, I don't think any gray back versions exist.


70s and 80s NBA was fantabulous
today's game is a shell, and this coming from a dude who would go on a date with Wemby if he'd ask me out
Nater was a good, but not great, hoopster with a great, but not good, name
and from the you-learn-something-new-every-day category, i never knew that Tiny played for the Nets for a season. i bet he got trashed a LOT in 76-77
as for the anomalies, the 50-cent printer cartridge which would now cost 50 dollars emptied at the most inopportune time
^^
I love the 70s basketball too. Check out the new series on Prime about the ABA.. Very cool show.
Found it, will watch this weekend! 👍