Misprints and error cards: when the error is worth something

Most print errors make a card worth less, not more. A card that has been cut off-centre or has shifted colours is in practice a damaged card, and that shows straight away in the price. The exception is errors that are known, documented and appeared in a limited number before the print run was corrected. Then the error becomes a version of its own that collectors hunt for.

Quick facts

Most common	Errors that lower the value, not raise it
What creates value	That the error is known, documented and limited
Where it is documented	Collectors' own registers and the grading companies' designations
How it is proven	Grading, where the error is noted on the slab
Most common misunderstanding	That every deviation is a valuable misprint

The types of error

Miscut	The card is cut outside its frame. Almost always lowers the value.
Shifted colour	The printing inks are out of register. Shows as double outlines.
Missing foil	A card that should have been foil-treated but is not.
Wrong back	A card with the back of another game or another series.
Text error	A misspelling or wrong rules text, corrected in a later print run.
Double print	The same image printed twice, slightly offset.
Miscut sheet material	Cards cut from the sheet in the wrong place, sometimes with two half cards.

How to tell whether the error is worth something

1. Is the error known? A documented error has a name that other collectors use.
2. Is it limited? An error that was corrected early in the print run exists in few copies.
3. Can it be proven? A graded card gets the error noted on the slab.
4. Are there buyers? Search completed sales with the error's name, not listings.
5. Is the card otherwise intact? A misprint that is also worn is just worn.

Centering is not a misprint

A card with an off-centre image is common and counts as a print characteristic, not as an error. It does not affect the condition grade in ordinary trade but weighs heavily in grading, where centering is one of the parts assessed. Read the condition guide.

Common mistakes

• Believing that every deviation is a valuable misprint.
• Comparing with a documented error that looks roughly the same.
• Sending an ordinary miscut card for grading.
• Describing a damaged card as a misprint when selling.
• Pricing from a single listing instead of from completed sales.

Frequently asked questions

• Is my miscut card valuable? Almost never. It counts as a damaged card.
• What makes a misprint worth something? That it is known, limited and can be proven.
• Can the manufacturer replace a faulty card? Some manufacturers handle print errors, but then the collector value goes with the card.
• Do the grading companies note the error? Known errors are noted on the slab, which is the proof itself.
• Do you sell misprints? We sell sealed product, so the contents are randomised as the manufacturer decided.

What to do with a card you think is a misprint

1. Photograph the card in daylight, front and back, without a sleeve.
2. Compare it with an ordinary copy of the same card, preferably side by side.
3. Search for the type of error together with the card's name and set code.
4. Look for completed sales, not active listings.
5. Put the card in a penny sleeve and toploader while you find out the answer.

Why most errors lower the value

A trading card's value rests on it looking the way it should. The market has agreed on one version of each card, and deviations from that version are read as damage until proven otherwise. Whether an error arose at the printer rather than in a pocket makes no difference to the buyer looking at the card.

The exception arises when enough collectors have decided that a particular error is a version of its own worth hunting. That requires three things at once: that the error is recognisable, that it exists in limited numbers, and that it can be proven. If any of them is missing, the card is simply faulty.

The errors that became versions of their own

A few categories of error have established themselves as collectibles in their own right, and what they have in common is that they can be described unambiguously.

• Text errors that were corrected. A typo or wrong rules text in the first print run creates two versions of the same card.
• Missing symbol or marking. A card printed without its set symbol can be told apart from all others.
• Wrong back. So rare that every copy is known in collector circles.
• Card from the wrong series in the pack. A production error that can be documented with the packaging.

In common: the error can be described in one sentence that everyone understands the same way. A card that is just slightly off does not.

Read more about card condition, grading and what a card is worth.

Shop: sleeves and toploaders at Bangerpack.

Written by us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.