Uncut panel 8 Ripken Topps Rookies. What is it?

[The Quarter Box]

I have an eight card uncut panel of the 1982 Topps Ripken Rookie card. Printed on card stock, the backs, though having the layout, are blank. Panel measures 8 1/2" by 11".

Spacing between the cards leads be to believe they might have been meant for insertion into some magazine or another. But I don't recall ever seeing this rookie card as any magazine insert.

Anyone have any ideas what this might be? I've done some searches both recently and about two years ago, and have come up with nothing like it.

You should be able to click on the photos to get a larger image.





Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
---Frank

 

[BoomerSooner]

I don't recall anything like that in a magazine, but I guess it's possible. Maybe it's some sort of proof sheet? Is it an even cut all the way around or is the border wider on one edge? If it is, I'd suspect it was cut from a larger proof sheet....

 

[mrmopar]

It could be real, but with the same card featured multiple times, especially one so popular, my first thought would be some sort of scrap/waste sheet from a run of counterfeits!

Then I found this...

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=692700&STARTPAGE=1

 

[The Quarter Box]

Thanks, Curt.

I did wonder if it was a counterfeiters sheet or what. I'll open a discussion here as to whether this should be considered a counterfeit or be considered a reprint.

A representative from Topps, according to that article, stated the item they were selling appeared to be a reprint. That leads me to believe there is an actual proof sheet. The fact that thousands of these exist would lead me to think they were sold as reprints and not as a fraudulent proof sheet.

On the other hand, unless the reprints were printed by Topps, or licensed by them, is there any way not to consider them counterfeit?

Did the original make it out the back door? If so, how did a reprint make it's way into Topps Vault? Did Topps reprint it themselves with the thought of using them for an Archives type set? If the original got mixed in with the reprints, it could explain why Topps couldn't verify the authenticity of their listing.

However, perhaps the most telling sign of all--if there are thousands of these, why can't I find even one on eBay?

Your thoughts......?

 

[mrmopar]

Just guessing here, as I have not come across one before, but I wasn't looking either.

I suspect that a fair number of those sheets made their way into collections and I would be willing to be that a number of them were cut up into singles. If they surfaced in the 90s, it is not surprising that there aren't many to be found. Ripken is popular, as are proofs and rookie cards, but sheets generally are not very well received by collectors.

Counterfeit seems most fitting to me, as Topps would be the only one who could make legal reprints and the biggest tell is that I have not seen any mention of them, that I can remember at least, in the big books. However, maybe Topps did mess around with this idea and there are real sheets out there. Why are they not finished? Usually that would mean a very small quantity of something not meant for the market slipping out. Or...maybe someone else ran off reproduction sheets as well? We could speculate all night, but unless anyone knows anything solid, it's just that.

You might try getting a hold of that Ripken guy on the site I linked. I bet he has lots of answers for this item. Still makes for an interesting item at least, if it turns out not to be that hidden gem worth a fortune.

 

[mintman2]

I've never seen any evidence that they're legit. Several singles with the green back have sold recently on ebay and there was one with no printing whatsoever graded by sgc, so who knows.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tbcZ0WsbHNi5%2B2nKi80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tbcZ0WsbHNi5%2B2nKi80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tbcZ0WsbHNi5%2B2nKi80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

SGC GRADED.......http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tbcZ0WsbHNi5%2B2nKi80%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[mrmopar]

That blank back one very well could be a proof or more typically found blank back error. I have a number of proofs direct from Topps Vault that were completely blank backed.

The others with the green back must be fake. $12-15 for a Ripken RC tells me that they are fake and someone either wants a novelty or an unsuspecting buyer had little competition. If those were real, I would assume the prices would be much higher.

 

[sinocc]

nice job of digging this up!

Thanks for the information and going the extra mile to inform the Bench trading community about this card sheet! Give yourself a pat on the back for all of us, will ya?

It could be real, but with the same card featured multiple times, especially one so popular, my first thought would be some sort of scrap/waste sheet from a run of counterfeits!

Then I found this...

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=692700&STARTPAGE=1

 

[OnDeck]

I have an eight card uncut panel of the 1982 Topps Ripken Rookie card. Printed on card stock, the backs, though having the layout, are blank. Panel measures 8 1/2" by 11".

Spacing between the cards leads be to believe they might have been meant for insertion into some magazine or another. But I don't recall ever seeing this rookie card as any magazine insert.

Anyone have any ideas what this might be? I've done some searches both recently and about two years ago, and have come up with nothing like it.

You should be able to click on the photos to get a larger image.





Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
---Frank

Call Topps then send them a pic they'll tell you right off. It looks like a sheet pulled for quality control or it was a dead sheet end blank at the end of the printing process. Anyway you look at it call Topps.