Error Rookie Cards

[hckycdn93]

Hi, I a looking at maybe acquiring one or two error YG cards of star players. Sellers want more than BV for then which I understand because there is no defined population. However, one is asking for even more than what a BGS pristine 10 goes for, while the other is asking more than a BGS 9.5 with strong subgrades. I am just curious as to what fair value for error rookie cards would go for and why. Also since they are error cards, would sending them to grading even be worth it? One is severely off-centered which makes it cool, but not sure if it is worth the money. Keep in mind these are newer cards, don'y want to disclose who the players are but lets just say they are Kane and Teows level of superstars. Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Rraincock]

Error cards had some traction back in about 1992... but now they are often seen as oddities. If I had a Crosby YG... and it had a piece of a ... Phaneuf YG on it... or the foil from the Cam Ward... I don't think I would be able to get the $200 (or so) that a Crosby YG would usually go for.

That said, low end cards (where the regular version isn't worth much) can sometimes go for a few times the value of the regular card.

An error is different from a varietal though.... or when there is an error and corrected version.

[hckycdn93]

I can definitely see your point. I guess the more high value the rookie card, the more people will pay for a pristine copy, making the error card less valuable and the reverse is true. I suppose with error cards maybe you have to think do you want the error version or a pristine version for the same or even less price. Thanks for the feedback!

[subban7677]

As far as I'm concerned, (maybe it's just me) the idea of the "error card" is long since dead. A mis-cut card is not an "error card". It's just a mistake. Yes, semantics, I know. I would value those types of things at a fraction of the card's actual value.

[hckycdn93]

I do agree with you subban7677, although I do also see the seller's perspective where they believe the card is rare because in a sense it is. The rarity isn't in question, just value. So how much of a fraction would the card be worth?

[Sharky94]

As far as I'm concerned, (maybe it's just me) the idea of the "error card" is long since dead. A mis-cut card is not an "error card". It's just a mistake. Yes, semantics, I know. I would value those types of things at a fraction of the card's actual value.

An "error card" is only an "error" if a corrected version was made. Beckett's was very adamant about that back in the 90s. That is why they started listing some cards as UER (uncorrected error). If it was not corrected, then every card of that player is exactly the same, so therefore it should not carry any type of different value.

If it is simply off-set and contains a part of another card, then you simply have a below standard card, and it should be worth significantly less than the normal card (unless of course, its a cheap card and has part of a really expensive card on it. Say, if a 2005 Andrew Alberts YG had Sidney Crosby's face on it, then it may be worth $5, instead of 50 cents). If you sent it in for grading, you would get a VERY LOW grade (perhaps below 5) even if everything else was pristine. So, no, do not send it in to get graded, you would be wasting your money.

Your dilemma seems to be the "how to collect" question. If the card is worth it to you to pay that price, then go ahead. If you simply expect to sell it down the road sometime, you would probably never find someone else to give you a premium for it, and I would bet good money you wouldn't even get market price for it.

[30ranfordfan]

If it was off centered really badly, it would come back with a bad grade. No?


I don't think "error" is the right word for what you're describing. Error Cards (at least in my mind) would refer to a mistake that was made on the card, and then was corrected... so two variations of the card had been made. Are you talking about printing defects only? Like missing foil, or off center, or stuff like that?

If you think they're cool cards, I say grab them, but I wouldn't pay a premium for them.

[subban7677]

I do agree with you subban7677, although I do also see the seller's perspective where they believe the card is rare because in a sense it is. The rarity isn't in question, just value. So how much of a fraction would the card be worth?

It's hard to give a number without knowing the cards in question, but I can give some examples of how I would operate. If I was a Sven Andrighetto collector and I could acquire his RC prom product "A" for $1, I might be willing to pay $2 for a version with a major defect if it looks cool. But, if I was buying a Carey Price YG with a major defect, even if it looks neat, not paying more than...say...$10, if I was even interested at all. I think the best term for the type of cards we're talking about is "defect card", not "error card".

[Cunnuc]

I collect errors and oddities. Not only in hockey cards.

Depends on what the error is. badly off center these days is rare. The way cards are printed though with let's say a mass-produced card like Young Guns then having just a handful of off-centered cards is even more rare.

What you're asking is impossible to answer. You have to think about the actual process of how the card was printed to gauge the error and the significance of the error.

If the error is actually rare and authenticated then yes, the error card can go for 10x BV. Those prices though are as rare as an actual error card. You have to wonder why the card hasn't been sold already if it were actually worth that much.

Buying errors is like buying oddities. It's only worth so much to a select few people. If it's worth that much to you then there is no sense in asking what it's worth. It's essentially artwork. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you like it then buy it, just do your own due diligence to decipher how rare the error is.

I promise not to steal your error from you, but if you PM me the details of the card(s) in question I can actually help you. Only this week-end though. Back to 70 hours a week so I won't have any time for hockey cards until the Expo :)

[cardscardscards]

I personally wouldn't want to pay much for an error card at all because, by definition, it's flawed.
I have one in my PC that's very off-center, but it's a 1/1 so there's not much I can do about it.

In the end it all depends on your point of view and if you consider error cards as more than annoying eyesores. One man's trash is another man's treasure.