Flipping out

I think I may have inadvertently started a new theme on this blog.

Before I arrived on the idea for my "Into the Sunset" series, I tossed around a number of possible topics.

One of those was a theme comprised entirely of "error" cards, something I've been interested in since the beginning of my time in this hobby.

As a result, I wanted to give the "errors" at least a little recognition on the blog, even if I decided not to create an entire series out of them.

So, last month, I comprised a post that consisted of the infamous "player swaps". It was a lot of fun digging through my collection and doing the write-ups for each of those.

Since I didn't have any concrete ideas for tonight's post, I figured I'd revive the whole "error" theme and give my readers a look at some of my other personal favorites.

The reverse negatives.

Upper Deck Authentics flew a little under the radar when it was released in 2002. That's understandable, especially given the enormous amount of sets that card companies were churning out at the time.

While largely forgettable, the set did produce one of my personal favorite insert sets, one which honors the awkward greatness of the "reverse negatives". (Specifically, the famous Dale Murphy "flip".)

At the moment, the above Brent Abernathy is one of just two issues that I currently own from the insert set, both recent dime box finds.

For the most part, these are a thing of the past.

I'm a little disappointed about that.

How great would it be to pull a backwards card from a pack?

I can only imagine the looks on people's faces when they pulled this Phil Garner card back in '82. How no one at Donruss caught the slip-up is beyond me.

That's part of why these are so neat, though.

Oddly enough, Phil Garner isn't the only Pirate with a reverse negative to his credit.

I've had this Willie Stargell card for years. Only recently did I notice that this particular photo of "Pops" was flipped.

Since the "Pirates" on Stargell's jersey is mostly hidden, it's a little tough to tell at first glance. But after a closer examination, that number 8 just didn't look right.

That's because it should've been on the other side of his uniform.

This "Front Row" issue of Stargell is actually a promo, as noted by the stamp on the back. I'm not sure whether the "flip" was intentional or not.

If it wasn't, then I can probably see why "Front Row" isn't exactly a household name in the card industry.

After all, quality control is key.

Here's another one that almost snuck past me.

This was one of the best "gets" from the greatest garage sale of my collecting life. (The Haddix and 99 others set me back just two pennies a piece.)

Before he'd gain fame for his 12-inning perfect game, Harvey Haddix was a 20-game winner with the St. Louis Cardinals in the '50s.

And he was a lefty, not a righty, as this card would have you believe.

Someone down at the Swell company screwed up with this one.

Displaying my cards in binders has many advantages.

Easy organization is one of them, but the main reason I do so is because my cards simply look better that way.

You have no idea how awesome these look next to each other in a nine-pocket page.

For the record, the one on the left is the correct image. The other is "flipped".

One thing I've come to enjoy about these is that they don't hurt my wallet, which is always a plus.

With the exception of the Stargell, all of the cards I've shown so far were dime box (or less) finds.

Even "Marvelous Marv" Throneberry isn't safe from the "flipping" epidemic.

As with the aforementioned Elston Howards, these were just asking to be stored in a binder next to each other. (The one on the left is the correct photo.)

This is the kind of thing an ordinary 3200-count box can't give you. The aesthetic side of baseball cards.

In a way, these "flipped" issues represent part of the beauty of baseball cards as a whole.

Even a screw-up can turn into a great piece of cardboard history.