This week, I found a few cool items that were buried in 5,000ct. boxes. This post will be focusing on one specific card, but before we get to it... here are a few cardboard appetizers:
Appetizer #1: 2006 Topps #163
I knew Tom Gordon's nickname is Flash... and I know that Topps has used nicknames in place of first names in the past. Still this card brought a smile to my face when I saw it. Based on a quick COMC search, it looks like Topps started using "Flash" on the front of their cards in 2003 which was when I was on a sports card sabbatical.
By the way, according to this article... Tom's brother is Pork Chop Pough:
Appetizer #2: 1992 Leaf Gold #445
I never went out of my way to track down any Jeff Kent rookie cards, so this was a nice surprise. The question is whether or not it goes into my rookie card collection or my Damaged Card PC, because this card is all scratched up.
Appetizer #3: 2015 Bowman Draft Chrome #46
Last summer, I had the opportunity to watch Buehler pitch at Dodger Stadium and I was pretty impressed. I'll happily add a 1st Bowman card of him to my rookie card stash any day of the week.
But now it's time for the main course. Thirty years ago, Upper Deck produced a card that would quickly become one of the most sought after error cards of the year. Prices shot up so quickly that it even drove a fellow blogger out of the hobby.
The card? It's the 1990 Upper Deck #54 Ben McDonald:
If you collected back in 1990, then you're probably familiar with the error. But just in case you weren't or don't remember, it has to do with the Orioles logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the card.
According to this article in the Chicago Tribune, Upper Deck accidentally printed 60,000 to 70,000 McDonald cards with the Orioles logo before catching the mistake. The corrected version features Upper Deck's Star Rookie logo:
This was one year after the release of the famous Billy Ripken error card, so there are people out there who believe that Upper Deck printed this card on purpose to create hype around the rookie card of the first pick in the 1989 MLB Draft.
One of those collectors is Commishbob who up until the release of that error card had built complete a collection of Baltimore Orioles team sets. But when he realized that it might end up costing him over $50 to build this one, he threw in the towel and "let go of the hobby".
Personally, I don't remember chasing this error card, nor do I remember having an opinion on whether or not it was intentional. For the record, Upper Deck's VP of Sales (back in 1990), Jay McCracken stated "we don't do things like this on purpose". However... I could totally see Upper Deck and any other card company doing it to create a hobby stir.
These days, the error card is no longer in high demand. Yet after thirty years, they still fetch about the price of a blaster.
To think that I almost let this error card slip through my fingers and into the boxes I'm planning on dumping on Craigslist. Thankfully I stumbled across the corrected version a few cards later and noticed the difference. Now both versions are sitting back to back in my Sports Card Smorgasbord binder.
Here's a quick look at the back of both versions:
Left: Error Card
Right: Corrected Version
Okay collectors... it's your turn to chime in.
Who remembers the hype surrounding this error card? Anyone pull one from a pack?
I look forward to reading and responding to your comments. Happy Saturday and sayonara!
22 comments:
That Flash Gordon is weird - besides using his nickname, the front has him listed with the Yankees while the back lists him as a Philadelphia Phillies player.
By the time I found the Ben McDonald error card, the hype around the card and the player's career was ancient history.
https://cardsandgraphs.blogspot.com/2006/12/featured-pickup-though-worthless-i.html
I'm kind of surprised it's even considered an error and not a variant.
I've never even heard of that Ben McDonald error card.
Totally forgot about this and it probably has to do with Ben not living up to expectations on the field as he never reached the lofty levels some expected of him.
Just think if he was HOFer or Griffey like that error might be worth a few bucks.
I never heard any of the hype on the UD card. I'll have to check my dupes one day to see if I have both versions.
That error is news to me! Interesting. So is Pork Chop Pough, who is now definitely on my want list for the 'ol frankenset.
I think I got a few of the McDonald cards. They are probably buried in one of my boxes since they didn't seem to be a big deal for a long time around Chicago.
I remember the hype. Peak Jr High collecting. We ALL wanted it. My sister of all people pulled one out of the only pack she ripped that year. I have it now as the only card in that set that's pennysleeved.
I never heard of the hype until I started reading blogs. I bought no cards in 1990.
That card STILL pisses me off. My beautiful, orange-bindered Orioles team sets stopped dead with that one. What I remember most is that my wife was happy because, having given up my hobby room to my new-born twins, I'd put those binders on a wall unit in the corner of our bedroom. I took all the cards out of the pages and tossed all the binders and pages away, along with boxes of junk wax from the previous decade. She was so happy. It was 12 or 13 years before I really thought about cards again.
Fuji I remember the hype but also the hype around the Jamie Weston card as well back in 1990 collectors were shelling out up to $200 for either version of Big Ben. Surprisingly how much it's now.
I was still collecting in my young days of 1990, but I don't remember the McDonald error card at all. I think the error thing was so big during those years that I just tuned most of it out.
Keith Comstock white team name and Al Leiter on 1988 Topps. I thought I hit a goldmine with Comstock back then. I didn't find out about Leiter card til years later. I remember pulling the corrected Leiter card when I was a kid. It was years later that I got his error card (Steve George) from wax box I purchased and noticed its way different than corrected. Bad news I lost the corrected Leiter card. When I open a pack of 1988 Topps I always pull his error card than his corrected card getting the feeling his corrected card is not that easy to pull
It does seem a bit suspicious to me that they made this "error" but I'm naturally suspicious. I find modern deliberate variants really annoying.
I didn’t know about this era
I very much remember that error card. It was so blatantly obvious that it was deliberately done, coming at the height of both error card and rookie card interest.
I never tried to seek one out. My main fond memory was actually of his Topps rookie card that year. I had mono and was sick in bed for a few weeks in early 1990 and I remember my dad bringing me some packs of 1990 Topps to cheer me up and getting the McDonald rookie card in one of the first ones I opened. It was the most valuable card by far in the set at that time so I was so excited. I started collecting Upper Deck a bit later in the year, by which time the hype had subsided quite a bit, though the error card was still quite valuable. I'm surprised its still worth something!
Never knew about the Gordon-Pough collection. How are you planning to do a Craigslist transaction with social distancing?
I remember reading about the McDonald error at the time, but 1990 was probably the year I collected the least. I still bought topps that year but didn't pick up any upper deck baseball until 91 or 92.
I collected Pork Chop's cards back when I was a minor league card collector and I never knew he was Tom Gordon's brother!
laurens - yeah, they hype has long gone. but finding your ben in a commons bin is a nice find. they still sell for over $10 and the card itself is a nice blast from the past
elliptical man - i think it's considered an error because it was "supposedly" and unintentional error. but yeah, if they did it on purpose then i guess it's like a modern day "variant".
adam - back then i read becketts from cover to cover and studied book values, so this card was definitely on my radar back in 1990
dion's ip autos only - yeah. shame he didn't pan out as expected. the card would definitely be worth more. that being said... this card isn't quite a dime box common either
johnnys trading spot - based on the inventory of cards you have, i'm sure you have plenty
jeff b - pork chop pough is one of the greatest names in baseball history. had no idea he was flash's brother though
runfore!kelloggs baseball cards - i say dig them out, sell them, and add some new kelloggs cards to your collection
nick vossbrink - you don't penny sleeve all of those sammy sosa rookie cards ;D
night owl - outside of leaf, you weren't missing too much in regards to baseball. however 1990 was a great year to start collecting hockey. the base card designs were awesome that year
commishbob - i thought of you as soon as i saw the card. glad you eventually came back to the hobby.
anonymous - oh man. i better dig through the orioles again and see if i have the jamie weston card ;D
gregory - that's pretty cool that you were able to tune it out. i was sorta a trend follower, but like i said... i don't think i ever chased this card. i definitely would have celebrated had i pulled it though
rebel coyote - i remember looking for both of those 1988 topps error cards. can't remember if i pulled either, but i remember looking for them.
jongudmund - upper deck has a pretty shady past, so i'm more inclined to think that this was deliberate than not
sport card collectors - like biggie smalls said... if you don't know, now you know :D
sean - yeah, i was setting aside all of my ben mcdonalds that year. as for the card still being worth something, maybe there are enough collectors out there who remember when this card was selling for $50 to $75 and they think $15 is a steal ;)
bo - didn't think about the social distancing aspect. i'll have to do some homework
gcrl - i don't think you missed much by not collecting 1990 upper deck. now 1990 score... that's a different story. if you didn't bust open any of that, you missed out on the awesome b&w bo.
npb card guy - i honestly didn't know either until saturday when i read gordon's wikipedia page and saw that article cited.
I had the infamous Ripken F-Face card. If I remember right, I flipped it almost immediately to get more cards that I was interested in. To me, that card was massively over-hyped and questionable as to how "accidental" it was
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I did not remember much about Pork Chop Pough, certainly not anything about him being Tom Gordon's brother. I remember the McDonald card being a big deal in 1990. I think initially people thought it was going to be as sought after as the reverse negative cards from the 1989 set. Guess it didn't turn out that way.
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