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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Error Gallery: Improperly Cut

There are two kinds of improperly cut cards. The less common is when the cutting device used by the card company doesn't get the entire card, leaving a piece of another card present.

Interestingly, of the three versions of this in my collection, two come from 2001-02 SP Authentic.
1994-95 Skybox provides the third.

The more common cutting error is Diamond Cut. This was much more common in the 1970s, and many people consider this damage. It's not, though, it's a genuine error caused by the cards not being lined up properly when sent to the machine that cuts them. It's fairly rare but when you do see it in the 1990s, it's almost always from Upper Deck, and tends to run in waves.
I opened a box of 1993-94 Upper Deck Special Edition and got dozens of them, most of which are still awaiting scans.



Here's two examples from 1993-94 Upper Deck Special Edition and 1999-00 Upper Deck (flagship). The 1999-00 UD set is the most recent of these I've ever seen.
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13 comments:

  1. Mark HoyleMarch 27, 2018 at 8:03 PM

    You are correct. Diamond cuts and miscut cards with a piece of another were prevalent in the 70’s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:04 PM

      I have a couple in my 1975-76 NBA set that I forgot to include because I have the scans stored with the set, not the errors.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 27, 2018 at 10:54 PM

    That looks familiar..I probably had a few of those back then. I ended up with a diamond cut card or two from COMC, bought a Robin Yount 1975 Topps RC and a 1968 Topps Roberto Clemente about two years ago..neither had condition notes but when I had them in hand I could tell they were miscut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:05 PM

      Sometimes they do miss stuff like that..still a good place to buy from though

      Delete
  3. FujiMarch 28, 2018 at 1:18 AM

    I think out of all of the errors so far, this one is the most annoying. I recently bought a 1974 Topps baseball set that's in really, really nice condition and the Winfield was diamond cut. When I came across that card, saw the fairly sharp corners, and finally noticed it was diamond cut... it felt like I was punched in the gut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:07 PM

      I can see how that would be frustrating. 99% of my error collection is made up of cards I have normal versions of but the few I don't remain on my want list.

      Delete
  4. CorkyMarch 28, 2018 at 1:58 AM

    I have been watching a diamond cut Griffey error on eBay but the seller is asking way too much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:08 PM

      You rarely see errors on major superstars. Good luck!

      Delete
  5. JonMarch 28, 2018 at 8:14 AM

    I remember when I was a kid that miscut cards were considered by most collectors to be flaws, not it seems like most people consider them errors... funny how mindsets can change over time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:08 PM

      This isn't the only time you will see that scenario in this series...

      Delete
  6. GCAMarch 28, 2018 at 1:38 PM

    I didn't put it in the post, but when I opened those boxes of 2003 Upper Deck baseball, in one pack I got a little strip of cardboard about a half inch wide and the length matched the short side of a card. It looked like it had a strip of color from the bottoms of two cards on it. Or it could be from the edge of a sheet. I'll have to post the picture...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy KingsleyMarch 30, 2018 at 12:10 PM

      I've got a few of them too! They are really hard to pull a scan out of.

      Delete
  7. BulldogApril 1, 2018 at 9:13 PM

    By far the most annoying error out there - in my opinion. I can overlook many of the others in small bits but these just jump out at you, especially now that cutting errors are more rare than in the past.

    ReplyDelete