Concerning Press Plate News

[Rraincock]

It appears as though, in at least one case with Upper Deck, extra press plates were issued.


The Upper Deck Halak Case:



As someone who has liked press plates ever since they came out, this is of great concern. To me, the neat thing about a press plate is that it is something that touched EVERY SINGLE COPY OF THE CARD. To now find out that there are several press plates takes the last bit of cool out of a plate. Could it be that there is a backup set of plates just in case the first plate gets worn or damaged? You would think that UD would know these things... as several steps are taken to pack out press plates in UD2 (sheet sticker printing, sticker cutting, sticker placing, plate sheet cutting, inserting, and in some cases autographing, etc).

If there have been issues with print run management with ITG, and UD... I wonder what will be the next blow to a hobby that needs a helping hand!

[RGM81]

That set--with bonus plates--has been around for a while, I've seen it before.

Given that it's from a product released almost 9 full years ago, and we haven't seen any other instances of this...is it cause for widespread concern, or just a one-off oddity situation? To me, it's more a case of the latter. I'd be unhappy for sure if I pulled a Black and saw another copy out there.

I don't know the specifics of printing and press plates...is it really just one set for the (depending on the year) 5,000-7,500 YG's? I would think that some of them would get eroded, chipped, etc. after a couple thousand cards or so, but I legitimately don't know if they can handle the full run with one set.

[Rraincock]

I am working on an example of 5 press plates (possibly 2 black ones, from a recent product) from a company that I would rather not name right now as I want to be sure. I would only suggest something silly like extra plates being inserted into packs if I had all 5 in my hand... so far I have 3 in hand (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow), just won another on eBay this week (black? there isn't a scan of the back of the card, but I have the other 3!)... and the last (#5) is on eBay right now (black, showing the back, but different from the first black one). This press plate features an autograph, so I can confirm that each of the 5 cards are distinct and different.

Update, including scans, to come soon!

[RGM81]

Very interesting for sure - the appeal of plates has really dwindled in recent years, so it's pretty cool to see that you're still chasing them down where possible!

[dahabsfan]

More than one set of plates may be used during the printing process...they do get damaged and are replaced as necessary. It's pretty standard when using plate printing equipment. Extras after the process have been packed out...not really a huge deal.

Darren

[jameslacarte]

I just added my first printing plate to my Cujo collection. I cant wait to receive it & have a look at it. I have an idea what it looks like as I have seen a scan of it but to hold it in your hand & examine it is what I am waiting for.. Cant wait to get it..

[creasecollector]

Plates are always cool things to add to the PC. I've owned a few since I started collecting in 2006. I wouldn't panic, though. It's not like these multiple press plate copies are being found after every major release, so I wouldn't worry about it. The 4: Black, Cyan, Yellow and Magenta plates are usually the only ones out there - and I suspect, like others, that this I not a widespread issue w/multiple copies of each plate colour. Probably just a one or two time thing IMO.

[Sharky94]

More than one set of plates may be used during the printing process...they do get damaged and are replaced as necessary. It's pretty standard when using plate printing equipment. Extras after the process have been packed out...not really a huge deal.

It IS a huge deal if they stamp the back as a 1/1. That is no different than printing 20 High Gloss cards and advertising that there are only 10 of them. I don't know if all plates are presented like that, but I know a lot of them are.

[LeafGregg]

It could be a patch parallel. If a jersey card has a patch parallel, then there will be only one extra plate produced for the patch and that will be a black plate. So, theoretically there are 2 black plates from a jersey card if it parallels to a patch, but it is the 5th black for the patch. Does this make sense?

[Rraincock]

HI Gregg.... not that I wanted to name the company I was thinking of... but you hit it on the nose. I want to take a look at the back to see if the 4 are for jerseys and another for a patch. More details to come.