1988 Donruss Back Variations?
ajw
Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭
A serious Mark Grace collector just informed me of a variation on the back of (at least some) 1988 Donruss cards. It seems that the "Career Highlights" text is printed in a smaller, or less bold, font. That difference is easy to see, as the lines break at different words. Here's an example from my collection:
Common on Top
Rare on Bottom
Here is the Grace collector's post on the Beckett boards.
There's some question as to whether this is a factory set variation, or if both versions were available in wax packs. Regardless, the rare version seems to be about 30 or 40 times tougher than the common version, based on informal information. (I have about 35 of the common and just one of the rare, and other player collectors are saying similar things, apparently.)
Was anyone aware of this? Are there player collectors out there that can check their own stockpiles? I'd love to see some more scans and find out how tough these are for other collectors.
Finally, this is just one more in a series of Donruss variations from the late 80s and early 90s. I posted several from my Clark collection quite a while ago. Check out that thread for more info.
Common on Top
Rare on Bottom
Here is the Grace collector's post on the Beckett boards.
There's some question as to whether this is a factory set variation, or if both versions were available in wax packs. Regardless, the rare version seems to be about 30 or 40 times tougher than the common version, based on informal information. (I have about 35 of the common and just one of the rare, and other player collectors are saying similar things, apparently.)
Was anyone aware of this? Are there player collectors out there that can check their own stockpiles? I'd love to see some more scans and find out how tough these are for other collectors.
Finally, this is just one more in a series of Donruss variations from the late 80s and early 90s. I posted several from my Clark collection quite a while ago. Check out that thread for more info.
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Which version do you think is the rare version? On the Beckett forum and in your post, I only see "rare" and "common" as descriptive terms between the two.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
It's only $9.99
Cheap fun
Sorry I can't check any of my 88 donruss for you; I'm not sure were they are
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
<< <i>Interesting. I just checked my only hand set and it has the top version.....I might open a few of the factory sets tonight to check them.
Which version do you think is the rare version? On the Beckett forum and in your post, I only see "rare" and "common" as descriptive terms between the two.
Mark >>
The "thin" text is much rarer. For Will Clark, that's the bottom card. The common is easy to identify, as the second line of text ends in an ellipse ("...")
The rare version also has a brighter card stock, and the text is a little less blurry. I'm not sure you'll be able to see those without the common version to compare to, though.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
<< <i>Looked a little more in the wax set and I have the smaller font on the Grace card. Strange.
Mark >>
Are you certain it's from a wax box? If so, that's of interest, and it would be great if you could post to the Beckett thread.
Anyone else?
Most of the cards in this set appear to be the smaller font version but it is hard to tell.....I have 4-5 factory sets so I guess I will break one of them and compare.
After I break one, and more so since you asked, I will post the results on the Beckett board. I rarely go there and almost never post.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
1988 Donruss #28 Mackey Sasser, Factory on Top. Note baseball is different location, top fonts slightly different.
1988 Donruss #50 Eric King, Factory on Bottom. Note the font above the highlights paragraph.
Anyway, I am finding too many variations and this is taking much longer then I thought it would. So I think I am going to have to throw in the towel tonight and try to play with this more later. Sorry about that ajw but I simply do not have 10-12 hours I can put to this right now as I did not think I would find so many variations. But six variations and I am only 50 cards in, and need to check most of them again for the other variations such as above.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
edit: I'm guessing the only reason for the border variation is basically attributed to there being a factory set and a wax set, right?
edit #2: here are my Butlers - small scans, but definitely a difference in borders and in the text on the back.
Geordie
BTW - your Clark postcard is still on my desk. I promise it'll be on its way soon.
Dodgers collection scans | Brett Butler registry | 1978 Dodgers - straight 9s, homie
Front of both the same in both sets.
1988 Donruss #40 Mark Grace, Factory on Bottom
And a couple others....
1988 Donruss #28 Jeff Treadway, Factory on Left
1988 Donruss #28 Jeff Treadway, Factory on Bottom
1988 Donruss #56 Floyd Youmans
1988 Donruss #56 Floyd Youmans, Factory on Bottom
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
I am trying my best to keep the cards separate and not confuse them. However, I know for fact the Grace from the hand set is the smaller font variation...mind you I did not put it together, but as the seller told me it was a hand set (typically worth a little less) and since it has the MVP cards (which are only in the wax and not the factory I believe) the sellers seems to be telling the truth.
That having been said, I do not know if you can find both version in both wax and factory. I will open another factory set....if...and after I go through all of these to confirm factory or wax (when possible).
The location of the baseball/number might be the key to confirming factory or wax on cards where the front border is the same.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
lol
No wife....but if I did I would try to convince her to spend the next month playing with these. I run my own business so I'm not sure I can quit, who would I tell? Then again, I do own my own house with no mortgage....hmmmm.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
<< <i>Drew - I don't have but a couple extra '88 Donruss Butlers. I checked my extras and have to wonder whether the differences can be attributed to the front border variations - I'm assuming you're recognizing those? I checked both my Butlers (which previously had recognized as border variations) and sure enough, the back was different too. Both of my extra Butlers that I matched the front border on had the same back variation too. So here's the question - do you have examples of back variations that are spread across both border variations?
edit: I'm guessing the only reason for the border variation is basically attributed to there being a factory set and a wax set, right?
Geordie
BTW - your Clark postcard is still on my desk. I promise it'll be on its way soon. >>
Geordie, not all cards have the factory border variation. I bought and busted a factory set last summer, and the base Will Clark card did NOT have a border variation. The Diamond King did, though. I didn't think to look at the back, so now I don't know if the base card had thin or bold text. I only have the one thin text variation, and it may well have come from that set. I just don't know. Based on what others are saying, the thin text can be found in wax boxes and factory boxes.
Is it possible that some cards have FOUR variations?
1. Wax Border Thin Text
2. Wax Border Bold Text
3. Factory Border Thin Text
4. Factory Border Bold Text
That seems unlikely, but not impossible. Someone's got to have a huge brick of Tom Glavine cards, right? One additional problem is that busting a case of wax might not prove anything, as my guess is they'd all be one variation or the other, right? I'd guess the same for a case of factory sets. Of course, what do I know? I only became aware of this about 15 hours ago...