1991 Topps Football Forum

All,

Alas, there are many, many variations in this set.  All have to do with the letter* next to copyright statement on the back.

Next to each copyright statement of the back, the cards have one of these letter * combinations:

A*

B*

C*

D*

E*

F*

C*D*

The A*, B*, D* cards have NO variations.

Cards that have E* or F* actually have BOTH E* and F* versions.  So if you see a card that has an *E, it also has *F.  I point you to card #630 for an example of this.

SOME cards have either C* and C*D* versions.  At this moment, I cannot confirm that all C* also have C*D* and visa versa.  I am working on that.  I point you to card #407 for an example of this.

Even though the print is small, the variations are easy to spot.  It is the spacing.  E* & F* go something like this

E*    c1991 THE TOPPS COMPANY, INC.

    F*c1991 THE TOPPS COMPANY, INC.

There is some space between the E* and the copyright date, while F* is right next to the copyright date.

Similarly, spacing is easy to identify with the C* and C*D*

C*       c1991 THE TOPPS COMPANY, INC.

   C*D*c1991 THE TOPPS COMPANY, INC.

There is some space between the C* and the copyright date, while C*D* is right next to the copyright date.

I have found these variations by examining my collection & double checking with images over on comc.

I will be adding variations & scans as I can.

I know this knowledge will not be welcome, but we are collectors.  

So one quick thought. Are you looking to add VARs as you go along or all at once? Based on Dan did with the Donruss sets it seems better to compile the full list of VARs to update the checklist rather than a few at a time. 

I encourage you to read this post on the '84 & '87 sets prior to starting an as-you-find-them project . I'll quote what I said in that thread as it echoes my opinion in this case.

"I am not a fan of VARs...not even a little bit, but if we are going to do this we should take the time to get it right."

Maybe we should be aware of the full scope of this set and communicate the changes thoroughly before making major changes like that. I think the Donruss/Fleer Baseball projects are good examples of the impact and level of discussion required before drastically altering sets and member's collections.

Exactly where I was going with my question....

absolutely !

Piecemeal changes just lead to more confusion.

Here's what I found so far:

E* or F* -- a total of 132 cards

C* or C*D* -- a total of 132 cards

Therse numbers make sense for Topps used to print sheets with 132 cards on it.

I can work up a spread sheet with all the variations & non-variations.  Then I can hand it off to.... someone & they can update the set all at once.  

Does this make sense?

Forgot to mention that I different variation for #480 James Hasty.

In the bottom box, you can find 2 variations.  1 is normal & 1 has a dark, rounded line.  I thought it was just an inking quirk until I looked at comc.  You can find the same mark on some their cards.    Very akin to the Donruss "finger" cards.

What Dan has done is set up a Google spreadsheet and people would message him to get access to contribute. Rows for card #/player and columns headers for potential VARs for those cards 

Ummm, who's Dan?  What's their name here?

thanks

<-------------------------------  Dan