General Forum

Whew. I graduated college with an honors degree in philosophy, but I don't know the answer to this one. Parallel vs. variant: it's all too deep for me. If I had to state an opinion, however, I'd probably say that they are variants. To me, a parallel set is a different set from a base set. The cards are of a different size or color or material than the base set. As said above, these seem like variants within the same base set. But I, of course, could be totally wrong.

Regardless, I hope it's all worked out before the day when I'm alone and bored and decide to fix the checklists to include the backs for the entire T206 set....

You people do great work.

v3

I've now flopped back to the VAR side. I spent a few minutes reading what others in the collecting community and some of the major card manufacturers say about parallel sets (I've never given it much thought). It seems everyone defines it a little differently but a common theme is "a modification of a base card" with some kind of distinguishing feature. Numerous definitions state that "paralells are inserts". I see that logic....but I don't think it is always true. 2002 Topps Collection (football) comes to mind. That is a parallel set but I don't believe any of those cards were inserted into packs.

Personnaly I think there has to be intent behind a parallel. Even Topps and their "disclaimer back" fiasco had intent. Eventhough that intent was just to throw a tantrum about liscensing.

I would be ok going either way although in the case of the set that started this thread, determining wich card back is the "base" set might be difficult. One researcher stated that the gray and tan backs were from the first print run and the white backs were from the 2nd print run.

Time to email admin.

Because I have trouble "cutting" and "pasting" and I am a terrible proof-reader.

I think some of the confusion maybe that years ago there was no such thing as a "parallel" there were only variants. It has only been in recent modern years that the concept of "parallels" has entered the industry/hobby of trading cards.

As I said in my other post parallels are a type of variant. Not all variants are parallels.

I agree with variant.  I would hate to have one of each card, but have the site tell me that I was 33% complete on three different parallel sets, rather than 100% complete on one set.

When you can build a whole set with one each version, it's a parallel. Planned or not is irrelevant. 

I recently, as in last week, found 30 cards from the brown back version of 77-78 Topps that I had put in my duplicate stash in 2004, when I got them, because my records showed that I had that card number, but not which version I had. I didn't document which version I had until they were properly listed as a basic and parallel set on here. I'm now one card away from completing the brown back set, further on the slightly rarer white back set. 

Paralells are NOT inserts. They are paralells. Two distinctly different things. 

I gotta go with Billy and Kirk on this one. If you can build a whole set of each version, it's a parallel. Varients are only chosen cards in a set that differ whether intensional or not. Errors are variants, like Kirk said, unless the whole set has the same repeated error, in which case it becomes a parallel.

My vote goes to Parallel.  The precedence has already been set with the 1981 O Pee Chee set and parallel Grey Back version.  More recently, we added the 1990 Topps Traded set in the sameway.  Because the complete set can be had in both versions, we made them parallels.

As for the 1956 Topps set, only the first 180 cards are available in both backs, not the complete set. Even here, we set a precedence with the 1991 Topps Dark Logo Variation, listing it as a parallel due to the large # of cards that have this variation. I would be in favour of doing the same with the 1956 set but I think that is a different discussion.

We only recently added the 1990 Topps Traded as a separate set (after much <ahem> discussion on the boards). I would actually lean toward them being listed as "Variants" as well since it's just different cardstock that was used. I don't feel cardstock is the makings of a parallel set. Disclaimers (a difference in the printing plate to do that), border colors, foil enhancement, and the like, where cards go through a different process is what makes a parallel.

Next thing we'll see on here is people saying that a set that is serial numbered to 10 should have 10 variants, because each card is different. So we'll have the 01/10 set, the 02/10, etc. I guess the 01/10 is the "base" set of that?

Sorry, I'm not trying to upset or anger anyone, just stating my opinion and how I see things going if we continue down this path.

What Dan said.