Topps has an early deadline to make cards for the next season. Players get traded after the cards go to press and are therefore shown with the old team instead of the new one. Fans want to see the players with the new team. Topps makes Traded / Update and everyone is happy.
But Topps, make sure you look over the cards in the first two series before you make the update set.
Topps issued this card of Chris Coglhan in series one. But during spring training, Coghlan is traded to the A's. The good folks at Topps tuck that factoid away...got to make an update card of Coghlan as a member of the A's.
However, Coghlan doesn't hit his weight with the A's and the Cubs re-acquire him in early June. Topps can scratch the Oakland card and will show him with his new, team...
...which was also his old team! They wasted a slot in update to show the former Cub as a new Cub. Same team, almost the exact same pose, just different locations.
Didn't anyone on the Topps update team realize that there already was a 2016 card of Coghlan as a Cub? Is he really worthy of having two cards in one season?
In fact, I wonder how many players have ever had a basic card in both the regular set and the update set that shows them with the same team?
I just ran across an example of this the other day. In 2014, Dustin Ackley was #9 in Series 1, and US-328 in the Update set... for no apparent reason. He's shown with the Mariners on both cards, and unlike Coughlan he hadn't left and come back. It seems like this happens every year or two. I assume it's a clerical error, but I do wonder if sometimes a card they have planned falls through for whatever reason, so they just stick a nondescript player into Update and mutter "You're welcome, Dustin Ackley collectors".
ReplyDeleteSteve Pearce, of the Orioles, has THREE base cards in the 2016 Flagship set. Two of them are in Update, both are in an O's uniform. Most people don't even collect Steve Pearce.
ReplyDeleteNice catch (addressed to both you and Mr. Coghlan).
ReplyDelete2014 Topps Mike Olt #386 & #US219. Topps forgot that Olt got a card in Sereis 2 and gave us an extra Olt in the update set
ReplyDelete