Have you visited our store? Click here.A visitor sent us the following message:
I have read your article about the green, purple, and red Donruss Crusade cards. You mentioned no serial numbers, and you also talked a little about error cards. I have a green 1998 Donruss Crusade Call to Arms Sammy Sosa card. It is numbered 250 of 250. Not sure of the grade. It was printed with a line going horizontally through the middle of the card. I have a another card numbered 243 of 250 to show as a comparison. Any idea what I’m dealing with?
-Frank
Many company printing processes aren’t typically shared publicly. This information is usually proprietary and shared exclusively with select internal stakeholders and serious clients when applicable. That said, we don’t have supporting evidence of the production process but the following description is based on objectivity and logic.
Printing Process:
The printing process is produced in phases. Depending on what’s being made, the titles of these phases may vary. However, the construct is pretty much the same: idea, design, composition, proof, production, and feedback. The production phase can sometimes be made up of a series of steps. So for example, once proofs have been approved, uncut sheets are loaded into the printer for final steps and cutting.
Depending on the card design, layers may need to be added to make parallel sets. These layers can sometimes, themselves, be sheets of material. If these sheets have a smaller dimension than the loaded card sheet, adjustments are arranged so that the layer is applied to all cards on the sheet.
Some cards end up at the intersection where two layer sheets meet. It’s for this reason that we see lines on some refractors. It’s as simple as that.
Market Perception:
These cards aren’t errors; they just landed on the intersection where two layer sheets meet. The general consensus is that the line decreases the appeal of the card and it’s for this reason that they don’t sell as well as line-free example. For those not bothered by the line, these examples make for great set fillers.
This issue is very common in the 1998 Donruss Crusade set no matter the parallel.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1998 Donruss Crusade, click here.
