List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Everything else informative about Magic items and events.

Moderators: cataclysm80, hammr7, l0qii, Apocalypse2K, berkumps, dragsamou, mystical_tutor, pp

Post Reply
Neuron
Legendary Print Variant Explorer
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:57 am

List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Post by Neuron » Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:19 pm

Some sets between Revised Edition and Alliances exist in two variants where one has a black dot on the back and one not. In some printings it’s clearly visible, in some it’s very faint and hard to see.


Image


Below is listed everything I found so far. If you find anything further, please let us know.

o = version with dot exists
x = version without dot exists
o x = both versions exist
no sign = no cards checked

IT = Italian
FR = French
DE = German
SP = Spanish
PT = Portuguese
JP = Japanese
CT = Traditional Chinese
KR = Korean

Alpha: x
Beta: x
Arabian Nights: x
Unlimited Edition: x
Antiquities: x
Revised Edition: o x
Legends: x
Legends IT: x
The Dark: x
The Dark IT: o x
Summer Magic: x
Fallen Empires: o x

Foreign Black Bordered
IT: o x
FR: o
DE: o

Foreign White Bordered
IT: o
FR: o
DE: o

Renaissance
IT: x
FR: o
DE: o

4th Edition Black Bordered
SP: o x
PT: o x
JP: o x
CT: x
KR: x

Chronicles
EN: o x
JP: x

4th Edition
EN: o x
IT: x
FR: o x
DE: o x
SP: x
PT: o x
JP: x

Alpha Cut 4th Edition: o
Alternate 4th Edition: x

Ice Age
EN: o x
IT: o
FR: o
DE: o
SP: o
PT: o

Homelands:
EN: o x
IT: o
FR: o
DE: o
SP:
PT: o

Alliances
EN: o x
IT: x
FR: x
DE: x
SP:
PT:



That time, I can’t tell what the dots represent, different print runs, starter vs. booster, special products, etc… The evidence sometimes favours resp. rules out one thing, sometimes another.

In a playset Revised Swords to Plowshares I found all dot versions have a printing plate error between “Illus.” and “©” (1 cm long dark line) and the non-dot versions do not, thus definitely printed with two different plates. An opened starter contained just non-dot cards.
From a Fallen Empires booster I pulled uncommons with dot and commons without, but there are also commons with.
Basic lands from German 4th Edition exist with and without what rules out starter vs. booster.

Probably it reflects something different in every set. Any ideas?
Last edited by Neuron on Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Alifromcairo
Legendary All Alpha Elitist Wannabe
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:08 pm
Location: Chamonix, FRANCE

Post by Alifromcairo » Mon Nov 10, 2014 5:37 pm

Ron, I haven't forgotten you, I'm a bit busy these days but I will check my French Homelands ASAP 8-[

EDIT : and Italian The Dark...
Visit the Shores of Imagination

User avatar
mystical_tutor
Legendary Old Fart Magic Player
Posts: 3056
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:02 am
Location: Colorado Springs

Post by mystical_tutor » Mon Nov 10, 2014 5:45 pm

This is quite interesting. I will have to wait to persue it farther with checks though as I am frantically trying to throw away as much stuff out of my garage as possible before my wife gets back from Korea. My golden chance.....

Gary
Gary Adkison
Father of a former Wizards of the Coast janitor.

Knowledge is proud because it thinks it knows so much; wisdom is humble because it realizes it knows so little.

User avatar
Alifromcairo
Legendary All Alpha Elitist Wannabe
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:08 pm
Location: Chamonix, FRANCE

Post by Alifromcairo » Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:18 pm

This is quite interesting. I will have to wait to persue it farther with checks though as I am frantically trying to throw away as much stuff out of my garage as possible before my wife gets back from Korea. My golden chance.....
You seem terrified... But what are you storing in your garage during the absence of your wife Gary ? :-D
Visit the Shores of Imagination

User avatar
mystical_tutor
Legendary Old Fart Magic Player
Posts: 3056
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:02 am
Location: Colorado Springs

Post by mystical_tutor » Mon Nov 10, 2014 7:18 pm

Well, there are some Korean Magic cards.. but they really are not what I don't want her to see me throw away. It is the electric raindeer she bought on sale (no sleigh or sants--just 4 deer), The piles of golf "gifts" her friends give her (that in turn got them from friends) which are never used, etc, etc, etc, (I will NOT say anything about shoes...).

My items are all necessary, unique, valuable things that I WILL get around to sorting out and using some day (if I live long enough)....

Gary.
Gary Adkison
Father of a former Wizards of the Coast janitor.

Knowledge is proud because it thinks it knows so much; wisdom is humble because it realizes it knows so little.

Neuron
Legendary Print Variant Explorer
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:57 am

Post by Neuron » Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:13 pm

I'm exited about your further checkings. Thanks in advance!

User avatar
Alifromcairo
Legendary All Alpha Elitist Wannabe
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:08 pm
Location: Chamonix, FRANCE

Post by Alifromcairo » Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:52 pm

Ron,

Some of my Italian The Dark have the black dot, some do not.

The Dark IT: o x

All of my French Homelands have it.

I hope this will help you
Visit the Shores of Imagination

Neuron
Legendary Print Variant Explorer
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:57 am

Post by Neuron » Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:10 pm

Alifromcairo wrote:Ron,

Some of my Italian The Dark have the black dot, some do not.

The Dark IT: o x

All of my French Homelands have it.

I hope this will help you
Of course, many thanks, Sylvain!

tryst
Member
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:38 pm
Location: Austria

Re: List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Post by tryst » Tue Sep 08, 2015 6:50 pm

Awesome work!
I've been staring at the German Revised and German 4th for years now trying to discern differences and I never thought about looking at the back of the card, much less notice a little black dot!

My 2 cents:
I went through my duplicates of confirmed German Revised (the letter i with the diagonal tittle, centered umlaut, known text differences, etc.) and 52/52 have the dot.

I went through my confirmed German 4th dupes and 33/47 have the dot.

Neuron
Legendary Print Variant Explorer
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:57 am

Re: List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Post by Neuron » Wed Sep 09, 2015 7:02 pm

Thank you, tryst, and thanks for the addtional confirmation! There's also a thread that's only about FWB and 4th Edition differences:

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=9321

I hope that helps, too, even though many cards still have to be identified.

User avatar
dragsamou
Administrator
Posts: 5806
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2003 1:17 pm
Location: Paris

Re: List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Post by dragsamou » Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:37 am

Hi Ron

More info collected:
Spanish Homelands has the dot.
Spanish and Portuguese Alliances do not.
Rivals has the dot.
Most promos from this time frame have the dot.

The Revised starters that had a clear pull tab all had black dots (reminder topic):
http://www.magiclibrarities.net/forum/v ... f=6&t=9831
Want/Have Lists.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8903
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1515
I Love you Dad.R.I.P.

Neuron
Legendary Print Variant Explorer
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:57 am

Re: List of "Black Dot" print Variants from 1994-1996

Post by Neuron » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:15 pm

dragsamou wrote:
Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:37 am
Hi Ron

More info collected:
Spanish Homelands has the dot.
Spanish and Portuguese Alliances do not.
Rivals has the dot.
Most promos from this time frame have the dot.

The Revised starters that had a clear pull tab all had black dots (reminder topic):
http://www.magiclibrarities.net/forum/v ... f=6&t=9831
Hi Alexis,

thanks for filling the gaps! Information is added.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests