It's unusual that Kyle Kendrick would spark the fire of controversy. I mean, this guy is really vanilla... But, as unlikely as it would seem, after a rare variation of his 2013 Topps Series I card was confirmed by the sports card giant earlier this week, he has found himself in the middle of the latest error card dustup.

For most collectors, Kendrick's # 71 card was just another in the Phillies team set. Much like his career there was really nothing good or bad to say about it - it was simply "a card". That was until a blog post on Beckett.com this week brought to light a rare variation of the card. The "error", found only in 2013 Topps Factory sets, features an enlarged image of the original card graphic (pictured above),

In the Beckett post, Topps Director of Product Development Clay Luraschi classified it as, "an extremely rare error card" which was "found very early in the printing, removed and corrected." He does stop short of saying HOW early in printing it was identified, but simply acknowledging its existence and classifying it as "rare" may have significant impact on it's overall value. A scan of eBay listings show sales consistently in the $50-75 range.

Topps' well documented history of error/variation cards will surely result in raised suspicions. But, I for one, am leaning toward it being a legitimate mistake. It seems unlikely they would choose Kendrick for this flub. C'mon, it's Kyle Kendrick...

Reference: Beckett News 3.3.14