Ten Baseball Card Blunders

Here are some of the most well known baseball card blunders of all time.

Hank Aaaron 1960 Topps

1957 Topps Hank Aaron #20 BV$300
Topps reversed the image on the photo negative of Hank Aaron, showing the great home run hitter as a left-handed batter on his 1957 card.

1962 Topps Green Tint Series
The second series of Topps 1962 baseball (cards numbered 110 through 196) were printed without enough ink for the photographs. Without the ink, the sky and dirt in several of the cards background is green, hence the Green Tint Series.

1969 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez #653
Rodriguez card featured a picture of Leonard Garcia, the California Angels team batboy.

1972 Topps Billy Martin #33
Martin is shown standing near a fence in his Detroit Tigers uniform leaning on a bat with his middle finger extending down the bat.

1974 Topps Washington National League Cards
With a strong possibility of the San Diego Padres moving to Washington following the 1973 season, Topps Used Washington National League on the first prints of 15 Padres player cards, since the nickname of the potentially re-located team wasn’t known.

1982 Fleer John Littlefield #576A BV$100
Littlefield, a right handed pitcher, was shown pitching left handed as Fleer issued a reversed negative of the Padres pitcher.

1987 Donruss Opening Day Barry Bonds #163A BV $300
The first print run featured Johnny Ray, Bonds’ Pirates teammate instead of the great slugger. Donruss quickly caught their error making this an extremely rare card.

billy ripken error card

1989 Fleer Billy Ripken **** Face Card #616 BV $15, Whiteout BV $120
The original version of the card was printed with an expletive on the knob of Billy’s  bat. When the error was found Fleer rushed to correct it, resulting in variations of the card being covered with marker, brushed with white-out, and airbrushed. The final version of the card included in all factory sets had the knob of the bat covered with a black box.

1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy #357
Murphy is pictured backwards in his Braves uniform, as Upper Deck used a reversed negative.

1990 Topps Frank Thomas #414 No Name BV $600
The sluggers rookie card had a version produced with no name on the front of the card.

Alex Gordon 2006 Topps

2006 Topps Alex Gordon #297 BV $1200
In 2005 the Major League Baseball Players Association ruled that card manufacturers could only produce rookie cards of players who either made the 25-man roster or played in a major league game the year before. When the Number 2 Overall Draft Pick Alex Gordon signed his contract late in September, his card should have never been produced. Topps quickly pulled the card, and it is believed that there are less than 100 produced.

What are some of your favorite blunders?

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50 Responses to Ten Baseball Card Blunders

  1. Joey January 3, 2008 at 9:26 pm #

    Does anybody know how many of those Frank Thomas No Name cards might be out there?

  2. Gary April 12, 2009 at 7:48 pm #

    I just saw an inverted photo error card of rookie Evan Longoria. Any idea of the rarity factor of these type of card errors?

  3. Jose May 4, 2009 at 8:22 pm #

    well thats a lot of cool cards. i have a rookie exclusives John David Booty card and it says Josh David Booty. On the back it has all of John’s stats and his actual name. I also have three topps baseball cards where the silver part is all black. those are one of my favorites. now i think i am going to look for more in my collection.

  4. Blasco June 19, 2009 at 11:23 pm #

    What is the rareity of the following card error:
    Front of Card-Jose Canseco and Bo Jackson “Big League Prospects” (looks like 1985 Fleer border) – Back of card Ken Griffey Jr. with 1988 Topps Style Border, and says Future Stars accros his photo (not sure what year the pic of Griffey is from, have not seen it anywhere else or on any of his “regular” rookie cards). From what I’ve found so far, the front of the card is a 1990 edition of Fleer that used the 1985 style border, and normally has a “regular” back. The Photo of Griffey has to be 1989 or later as he was not in a Mariners uniform until 1989. I’m not sure where it came from as there is no Griffey Jr. card even similar to this one.

  5. Dan July 18, 2009 at 10:31 pm #

    I always liked the 85 Topps Gary Pettis, where he let his 15 year old brother pose for his photo.

  6. Sweeney July 19, 2009 at 1:39 pm #

    I always liked the 1990 Topps card where George Canale is pictured even though it’s a Bill Spiers card. Spiers told me about that personally when I met him back when I was ten years old.

  7. Martin August 25, 2009 at 3:48 am #

    I have a 2009 Topps Honus Wagner Error card LG2, NNOF . About how many are out there?

  8. Mitch October 25, 2009 at 2:48 am #

    Hi, I was looking through some of my cards tonight and found an error on one. The card is 2006 Topps Boston Red sox Team card #269. There are 4 gray bars on the back of the card that should read Team stats, but they are all blank. I looked at the other team cards that I have from that set and none of them look this way, they all have info. in these gray bars. Does anyone know if this card is more valuable because of this??

  9. Tim December 8, 2009 at 10:48 pm #

    Info concerning the time Topps put a recently passed away
    player’s picture onto someone else’s baseball card by mistake.

  10. scott December 10, 2009 at 2:24 am #

    i have a 1989 upper deck bo jackson card with no name or emblem on the front…ever heard of that error card? any idea on value?
    scott

  11. mattdwin champ December 16, 2009 at 10:08 pm #

    i just pulled a 09 upper deck goodwin champions error miniature printing plate it is cyan has a pic of joquim soria of the royals on the front but the back says its an andy pettite printing plate anyone know about the value of this i know its extremely rare

  12. bodyguard1230 January 31, 2010 at 10:59 am #

    Hi Just opened a box of 2005 donruss baseball zenith I brought online, and pulled a triple jersey card card P-5 its of the national league 3rd basemen, Scott rolen, Aramis Ramirez, and Chipper Jones, it says on the back “C.O.A, that “THE ENCLOSED PIECES OF JERSEYS WERE CUT FROM AUTHENTIC JERSEYS PERSONALLY WORN BY ROLEN. RAMIREZ, JONES, IN OFFICAL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES, THE AUTHENTIC GAME WORN JERSEYS WERE OBTAINED AND ARE GUARANTEED BY DONRUSS PALYOFF LP.”
    however– the fron of the card has a single piece of bat under the photo of Chipper jones only…under the other 2 pictures are nothing but the team emblems..Anyone know of thise error? anyone want to trade or but it?? I have pictures of it and its mint..email me [email protected]

  13. mary February 23, 2010 at 11:29 am #

    I have 15 cards of 2008 Opening Day, on the front of them, some don’t have the name of the team @ the top of the card an some don’t have there name on the bottom of the card. Has anyone heard of these errors?

  14. mary February 23, 2010 at 2:40 pm #

    Hi Tim!
    I have that card of the Red Sox team, with no stat’s on the back. I hope it is worth something, because I also have card # 281, 285 & 290, that are the same way…no stat’s.
    Have you or anyone heard of this one? (2004 topps, It has Kevin Millar’s pitchure on the front & Bill Mueller stat’s on back. Let me know…Thank’s

  15. K March 27, 2010 at 1:51 am #

    Anyone know if a missing card number counts as an error? I own a 1992 Fleer John Stockton card that is supposed to be marked 227, but has no number printed anywhere on the card itself.

  16. eddie April 16, 2010 at 3:00 pm #

    I didn’t see the Joe Namath rookie card with a butterfly mark on his hand? I have one of these and thought is was a misprint.

  17. Nicholas May 13, 2010 at 4:10 pm #

    Does anyone know why a card background may be blue?

  18. cJ June 1, 2010 at 2:38 am #

    Hi
    I was wondering does anyone know how much a 1996 topps david justice card with no name on front is worth I have 1. It also HAS NO TOPPS STAMPED ON FRONT

  19. Will June 26, 2010 at 9:10 am #

    Mark Wohlers 1996 Topps BB Card no ink print on name, anyone know value of this?

  20. Adam August 12, 2010 at 1:06 pm #

    Billy Ripken ****Face is the best i’ve ever seen. The Topps Frank Thomas should be on this list though.. The one that is missing his name and was not discovered for years after production.

  21. robert August 24, 2010 at 5:49 pm #

    I have a card of rodger clemens with a picture of curt schilling on the back It is a2004 upper deck card

  22. billripken.com August 24, 2010 at 6:58 pm #

    FF !!!!

    If anyone has questions about the FF or other baseball error cards, shoot me a email.

  23. christopher fortunes October 2, 2010 at 1:41 pm #

    i have a 1996 fleer baseballcard on the back it has joe carter card number 268 .joe played for blue jays as a outfielder but on the front theirs a pitcher from the reds

  24. Dave Edwards October 4, 2010 at 2:09 am #

    I HAVE THE F… YOU BILL RIPKIN CARD. Am I accually sending this to Him>you?

  25. Dave Edwards October 4, 2010 at 2:12 am #

    THIS NEXT MESSAGE IS , HOW VALUEABLE IS THE 97 ERROR CARD FROM THE PINNACLE MINT SET THAT IS Manny Rameraze on the gold face card, that wasnt supposed to be in the 97 pinnacle mint set.

  26. Martin McArthur January 16, 2011 at 3:53 am #

    How much is a Honus Wagner LG2 no name on front 2009 Topps worth?

  27. Tony February 17, 2011 at 1:44 pm #

    WLL LIKE TO FIND OUT ABOUT A CAL RIPKEN STADIUM CLUB CARD # 1 WITH HIS LAST NAME RIPKIN

  28. ez February 21, 2011 at 8:11 pm #

    i have a pitcher card with the stats like a batters like HR SB or 3B but its stats are like

    HR 3B SB
    11.7 27 77
    i want to know about this card

  29. chi March 12, 2011 at 3:26 pm #

    2001 topps stadium club pat burrell card with a picture of scott rolen leading off of 3rd

  30. John March 20, 2011 at 10:14 pm #

    I have been searching for a price on a 1993 Classic Best Jeter autograph that is not numbered. I believe that the above card I have is one of a kind, 1/1.
    Generally these cards are serial numbered to 1200 on the front, but the one I
    have has no number, only Jeters autograph. This card is exactly the same as the
    ones released in the packs in 93′ with the back of the card certifying its
    authenticity. [email protected]

  31. Paul Gee March 26, 2011 at 11:47 am #

    Just opened a pack of 2011 Topps Baseball Series 1 cards that has a #183 Strasbourg card with a white back with no writing. Anyone know what this is going for?

  32. Rick Ciminello March 28, 2011 at 5:55 pm #

    I have a corey koskie stats card #470 with a picture of eric hinske on front. is it worth anything??

  33. ben May 3, 2011 at 9:03 pm #

    I have a Jay Bruce rookie card from the bowman 2005 set. The question I have is that the . front looks like all the rest but the back of the card has the back of Troy Tulowizki. Any idea of the value or rarity of this card?

  34. Daniel May 29, 2011 at 4:16 am #

    I recently bought a 2008 topps hobby box and in it was a patch card on the front is jose reyes on the back it says congratulations you have just received a game worn jersey relic card of vladimir guerrero how wierd is that. I just wonder if there is more like it out there?

  35. Josh August 11, 2011 at 9:42 pm #

    I have a topps chrome homerun heroes edition card of mark McGuire that I am trying to find out what it may be worth. The lettering on these cards is indented into the card, as well as printed over the indention. On MY card tho, they do not line up like they should, it’s like a double print. Even the outline of McGuire is misaligned ….. If you could help at all thanks

  36. Dillon August 20, 2011 at 10:36 pm #

    I have a Mario Mendoza Topps card with Gaylord Perry’s stats on the back and a partial of #185 stats. It’s a 1982 card. Any ideas on value?

  37. Mike Perez September 3, 2011 at 11:14 am #

    I found a A Rod rookie card UC3 that has his face and name on the front and rookie and card # on back then its 95% blank. Is there a grading service for this. Does it have value.

  38. Dion September 26, 2011 at 9:11 pm #

    I have an ’02 Pedro Martinez card, with short hair on the sox, that says he’s 5’1″

  39. justin October 28, 2011 at 9:19 pm #

    I have a pile of the ripken cards with the fu on the bat and I think I have a few dale murphy cards with similar slips on them anyboy looking for those?

  40. junky January 8, 2012 at 12:09 pm #

    i also have a 96 topps joe vitiello with no name on the front and no topps symbol on the front either i also have the 88 topps angels leaders with the red slash on wally joyner sleeve what is the value u of both these cards

  41. J. Karastamatis January 29, 2012 at 3:23 am #

    I have just discovered a possible error card in 1988 topps #645 Matt Nokes RC card. The Topps copyright is missing on front while all other cards in the set have both sides with Topps copyright front and back.

    Can anyone explain?

  42. Cracker February 13, 2012 at 6:53 am #

    Eddie said: “didn’t see the Joe Namath rookie card with a butterfly mark on his hand? I have one of these and thought is was a misprint.”

    Yeah, it’s quite the shocker that a Joe Namath error isn’t listed in an article about baseball cards….

  43. arbo March 29, 2012 at 11:12 am #

    i have found a couple cards in the 1997 fleer set that have the gold stamp missing on the front. one is manny ramirez checklist and the other a ken griffey jr encore. thanx for any help on this matter.

  44. Jeff April 8, 2012 at 3:51 pm #

    My son has an Albert Pujols 2011 Topps baseball card #100 that came in a 2011 complete set. He noticed that Pujols is wearing number 42 on his jersey instead of his normal number 5. Pujols is wearing number 5 on his wristband. We have searched the internet but cannot find any reference to this card. One site lists all of the cards except this one. Anyone have any ideas on this card or it’s value?

  45. will April 19, 2012 at 2:34 pm #

    Jeff, it was probably taken during jackie robinson day, they all wear the #42 once a year by every player of every team, during the game..It just happened this past week.

    Sorry 🙂

  46. Ed April 28, 2012 at 6:03 pm #

    i have a 1989 Topps Jose Uribe card with a blank back. the back just looks like cardboard. does anyone know its value or can refer me to someone who might know what they’re talking about?

  47. jeremiah May 24, 2012 at 10:28 pm #

    i have a deion sanders card the back is completely white from looking online its a wildcard1993 is it worth anything

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