Is your 1967 Topps baseball card set complete? There’s a chance it might not be now.
A funny thing happened when Buzz was working to confirm the various errors and variations in the 1967 card set in the weeks before the arrival of this year’s homage, 2016 Topps Heritage.
There appears there could be a third version of Mike McCormick‘s card No. 86. When examining a group of 1967 cards, Buzz noticed a possible version (above) that’s not cataloged anywhere among the various error & variations lists or noted on any population reports despite this set being 49 years old. It’s a dramatically different version of the card for the Washington Senators pitcher who was traded to the San Francisco Giants, which is the reason for the variations to exist.
It turns out that this card is from the 1967 O-Pee-Chee set, though there is only one version cataloged there. Could a third version like this exist for the Topps card? Or are there two versions for O-Pee-Chee? Keep reading for the details.
The front of McCormick’s card was not updated to reflect his trade on Dec. 13, 1966 — one that sent outfielder Cap Peterson and pitcher Bob Priddy to Washington for him. It’s the back of the card that has two previously recognized versions and a potential third one.
On the first version of the Topps card, McCormick is listed as a member of the Senators on the back immediately below his name. At some point after the trade, that team line was changed and a last line of type was added just above his statistical record on a second version. Most online error & variation sites refer only to the added line of type at the bottom of the card. (Perhaps that’s a reason why any other version hasn’t been noticed before?)
This O-Pee-Chee version has the bottom line of updated text — but it’s missing his team name up at the top. How many were made without a team name? Could it exist for Topps? That’s a good question. (And, no, it’s not Photoshop.)
These are actually all joined by a fourth version, a Topps card, that might be cast aside by some as a mere color-ink shift or printing flaw — but it is not. It’s another version not cataloged anywhere, though it’s definitely not as dramatic as the missing name. On the fourth version, the green ink that’s cut out for the cartoon package is misaligned with the cartoon boxes. It’s in conflict with the shift of the spacing of the black type from when the extra line at the bottom was added. (The black printing plate changed to slide the cartoons up and squeeze in he new type, but the plates to make the green layer was not yet moved for this version. Also of note here? The color is not misaligned with the black lines surrounding the stats package — so it’s definitely not a simple out-of-register scenario.)
Does a no-name version exist for Topps? How rare is the less-impressive color-shift version? Could there be a version with no team and the color still incorrect? Buzz has no idea and would love to see how many others may have found a copy of them. With many master set collectors and set registry users out there, a card like this could end up being of interest … if they search and find one.
When you’re done hunting Heritage variations, it’s time to go hunting through those ’67s.
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz. Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
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