Editor’s Introduction: In this week’s Magic Oddica TheMisprintGuy steps back from the world of misprinted cards to share with us another strange phenomenon – misprinted packaging. Check out Chapter XIII of Keith Adams‘ Magic Oddica to learn all about these unique collectibles!
Mistakes happen. So far, I think I’ve done a good job at conveying how Wizards of the Coast has allowed quite a few mistakes to slip through during the printing of our beloved hobby and game, and give us some unique Magic cards. However, the mistakes that happen aren’t limited to only the cards. This week I want to cover something that so far we have overlooked.
What about the packaging? Is that always perfect? Of course not. One box typically holds over 540 cards, giving us a good chance at finding a minor misprint or two, but we forget that the packaging itself can be flawed as well. Obviously there are far fewer boxes and packs than cards, but many of the same types of mistakes are found here. Color runs, miscuts, and common flaws seen on cards have also been spotted on the packs or boxes.
Another strange phenomenon is what can accidentally end up in packs. There have been reports of paper being removed from packs, but of course unless you videotaped it, you are left with nothing but a strange story of paper. Who will believe that a few square inches of paper came out of your pack? Well, I happened to get lucky. I found an unopened pack, complete with paper sticking out of it. Everything is still intact. No need for a tall tale of what was in a pack, I can show you what still is. Images are difficult to show, so this is the perfect example of where a video tells the tale much better. Notice, the paper is crimped, due to the fact that it got wedged between the packaging seal. Someone’s astute eye caught this pack and thankfully did not open it, so have a good look at how this pack ended up being packaged. So, this goes to show that sometimes the mistakes and errors can be found before we dig in to the contents of our boxes and packs. Before you do, see if it looks like it should!
In this specific instance, without opening the pack we will not know for sure how much paper is in it, but the key point here is that we have an actual example of what randomness can be found within. After a bit of research, I did find a picture of uncut sheets stacked high waiting to be cut. Every few sheets had slips of paper sticking out of them, looking as if the divide these sheets into stacks of 50 or 100. These slips of paper could easily be our culprit for how a confused few may claim they opened more than just cards.
Unfortunately, until one of us opens up a golden ticket inviting us to tour their plant, these random freebies are simply not worth anything once removed from the packaging. Without proof or any WOTC official markings, paper is only that. We can only hope you videotaped this, or still have everything in tact. You will, however, have a fun story to tell!