There are over 2,000 varieties (VAR) of 1990 Donruss baseball cards. Printing began in late 1989 (©1989) and continued through about August 1990. Some 12-16 printing plates (half for the front and half for the back) were used to print them. From Donruss' February 2, 1990 first delivery of its initial printings all across the nation through its final delivery in August 1990, more than 25 printings were made using at least one change in the artwork in a printing plate. These changes in the artwork not only corrected errors in the cards but added new errors along the way. Thus, we have the varieties (VAR) of each of the 1990 Donruss baseball cards. These varieties come from Donruss' changes in its artwork.
The question is: "What is the difference between a consistent variety (VAR) being printed throughout the time a specific artwork is being printed, as opposed to a 'printing glitch" which is a temporarily error and not a consistent variety of the artwork being printed?" Printing glitches can occur when a tiny fragment of paper or something else temporarily blocks the transfer of the ink from a printing plate to a sheet of paper being printed. Such temporary glitches often go away by the automatic cleaning systems of printing presses and when a pressman wipes clean a printing plate. Consistent varieties run throughout a printing.
Beginning with the first printing of the 1990 Donruss baseball cards, two cards have had consistent gaps in the second line on front just right of its center: #585 Jeff Pico and #619 Shawn Hillegas. All first printing cards have a DOT after the copyright line. The gap in the line continued into the printing of the cards with NO DOT after the copyright line. After the NO DOT cards, a solid line replaced the line with the gap and the solid line continued through out the remainder of the printing of the set.
TCDB does not list the gap line with DOT after INC. varieties of the #585 Jeff Pico nor of the #619 Shawn Hillegas. For both, TCDB pictures the gap line with NO DOT after INC but does not indicate these cards are "gap in line" varieties. Rather, TCDB merely they are NO DOT after INC varieties. TCDB does not list a NO DOT variety with a solid line.
I requested these two "gap in line" with DOT after INC. varieties be listed, and was initially told "no" with the presumption they were merely "printing glitches" and not consistent errors.
I explained that on Feb. 2, 1990 I received the first half of my 50 Hobby Dealer 10-Box Cases in California and that boxes contained only the VAR with gap in line with DOT after INC. for these two cards. Because of the distance and delivery method to get to me some Hobby Dealer cases by issue date, Donruss had sent its first printing cards. The nearby Price Club put out for sale its volume of 20 box cases three days later. Price Club received its cases by another delivery method than I. These first Price Club cases also contained the gap in line with DOT after INC. cards for the #585 Jeff Pico and #619 Shawn Hillegas, but the boxes in them already had some corrections of other errors, while my boxes had no corrections at all.
I suggested that TCDB check the information published in 1990 about Donruss errors to see the consistency of Pico and Hillegas gap in line with DOT after INC. varieties. And that's how we got here. TCDB asked I post the images and information to see what others have to say.
I think these two cards are legitimate varieties. What do you think?
Mike
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