As the most popular prewar issue in the hobby, the different ways to collect T206 has no bounds.  One of the most interesting of all the pursuits, however, is the pursuit of the printing anomaly.  Over the years, collectors have uncovered a variety of print "freaks" that help tell the story of how the set was put together, how the cards were laid out on sheets, how the colors were applied, and more.  Some collectors have used printing plate cracks to develop theories on how cards were laid out on sheets.  Others have used cards with missing color to reconstruct the printing process.  And some collectors just think the print anomalies are interesting.

Presented here is one of the most interesting we have seen - a card of New York's Joe Lake, with full color, but with a very clear, dark "ghost" image of Hall of Famer Chief Bender's "portrait" pose, applied upside-down, right on the face of the card.  In addition to appearing upside-down, the Bender "ghost" was printed in mirror image - the "ghost" Bender looks to the right, the Old English "A" on his breast clearly backwards, as the authentic Bender cards depict the pitcher looking to the left side of the card, the "A" in the lower-right corner.  The result is a lattice of colors and lines, depicting two clearly identifiable cards, but with nothing quite right.  The reverse, of course, is completely normal, a tiny spot of visible paper loss the only flaw, and nothing tipping off the viewer as to what lies on the other side.  A truly incredible, one-of-a-kind printing error, one of the most fascinating we have seen.

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