Who has 12-13 OPC knowledge....blank back

[whbonney014]

I just got a 12-13 OPC Retro Blank Back card and can't really find any info on them.. How rare are they? Were they just released in packs? Any info would be great...Thanks

[sedinfan]

Upper Deck never lists them on checklists nor provides any print run info, they are inserts in packs every year going back at least to 08-09. Typically I see only in the low single-digits surface for each of the Sedins, and I recall it took me months to find a copy of one of the 12-13 cards after I forgot to bid on the first copy that showed up on ebay. Rarity-wise I'd be surprised if there are more than 10 copies... they are usually harder for me to find than say Upper Deck HG's x/10, but in my experience they're surprisingly affordable given their rarity as team collectors don't seem to chase them much, so other than the handful of true superstars you've mainly just got player collectors - sometimes it just takes two to spark a bidding war when someone has to have it, other times they go for just a few bucks.

[piper1]

I can't add much that sedinfan hasn't told you already but you have us all in suspense. Who did you hit?

[Gibby]

In total I cannot tell you how many there are

I can tell you every case of OPC I have opened that have them they hit 3 to a case

I find them hard to sell (Sold one for $ 7-8 recently Zucker rookie ) and even harder to trade

I guess it depends on who you have

[jbudny]

This topic has come up before. I have spoken to plenty of dealers and collectors and they seem to think that 5 copies of each player were printed.

The poor sales certainly come down to lack of knowledge on how rare they are and the fact that they do not have an auto, patch and come from a low end product.

I really like the blank backs cards and it can be a very fun challenge to chase after them.

[RGM81]

Unofficial tallies have the print runs going anywhere from 5 to 15 copies. They're mighty tough to find once the initial flurry of OPC breaks dies down - but sometimes the world is funny. I once lost out on an 08-09 Gorges Blank Back...didn't see another copy for 18 months. Within the span of 2 months after that, I ended up with a total of 3 in my PC.

They're a good parallel to have, probably slightly higher in value than the Black Rainbow /100 version.

[centrehice]

I'd say they are between 10 and 15 copies. Also heard that some players might be shorter printed.

[Dave71120]

Thanks for the info on the blank back's, guys! I pulled one out of a box of 12/13 OPC (Brandon Sutter) and I haven't been able to move it on the Bay, not even a sniff of interest. If anyone is interested in it, feel free to PM me.

And... there may have only been 5, 10, or 15 of each printed??? I had no idea they were THAT scarce. When comparing them to the Black Rainbow variants - Gibby mentioned getting 3 blank back's per case that he's opened. I got 3 Black Rainbows in the one box that I busted, and I've heard that's definitely not an uncommon occurrence. If that sort of ratio held up across the entire print run, you'd think the blank back's would sell for 10-15x the price of a Black Rainbow for the same player, but it seems like the lack of information put out by UD may be working against card values, in this case. I guess Retro blank back's don't have quite the same appeal as an Young Guns acetate variant. (grin)

[subban7677]

I would also think the fact that it's not the most desirable variation could lend to the lack of interest. Low print run or not, it's basically a regular card, but LESS. It's half a card. Also difficult to display, if you so do this with your collection. Do you display it with the front out? Big deal, looks like a regular OPC card. Do you display it back out? Big deal, it's a beige piece of cardboard. This is the main reason for my lack of interest in them.

[Cunnuc]

Everything mentioned already is true. No one really knows the exact print run. A guy crunched the numbers once and said 10 copies of each exist. 5-15 is definitely where the fall though, and it could very well change from year to year. No one knows. No one knows if some players are produced more or less than others.

Also, they can be hard to move after the initial flurry of it's release dies down as previously stated. I have two that I can't move. Maybe one day someone will want them :P