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-   -   Custom Cards (http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=210157)

brewing 08-16-2015 10:48 AM

Custom Cards
 
I've always been a fan of the cards that never were concept. There's a bunch of people that create them on blogs, but the majority just create photos of the front. Bob Lemke goes through the effort of creating the entire card under the famous Bobbs logo. He has done some great work. There are also some that create truly custom cards with autos and memorabilia incorporated in their cards.

I see this as a huge missed opportunity by Topps. They've dabbled in it, but have made some gross mistakes.

Mistakes include the black and white photos in the 1953 Archives set of cards that never were. Another is when they re-create solo rookie cards of players originally on multiple player cards. Instead of creating a card true to the set, they just eliminate the other player.

I have decided to join the fray of actually creating the cards. I'm still in the training/developmental stages. I am open to tips and/or suggestions for gluing the fronts to the backs. Paper type and adhesive.

My goal is to make cards that match the original series as much as possible. To me the card should look like it belongs in the set.

My focus will be on rookie cards, final career cards (that include lifetime stats), and cards that were not made for various reasons. I'll also make some cards to send off for autographs.

I've included the fronts of a 1941 Play Ball Musial rookie and 1948 Bowman Greenberg career caper.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps1hr8mi9c.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps93x3sxlv.jpg

pokerplyr80 08-16-2015 11:31 AM

I remember seeing one, I believe on PSA's website, of a 1914 CJ Babe Ruth. I wonder what that would be worth if they included him in the set.

bnorth 08-16-2015 02:47 PM

3 Attachment(s)
If you want to make a new shiny version of an old card I can help you there.

Here are 2 I made and put in old slabs. If the card I am turning into a refractor/super refractor is cheap I sometimes use the card and put a new shiny front on it. The Johnson is a blank back.

I have a Kodak printer/scanner so I print on Kodak Inkjet 5 mil transparency film. I use 3M optical clear double sided adhesive to hold the layers together. For blocking out the portion of the card I don't want to refract I use a rattle can of white paint.

SAllen2556 08-16-2015 04:31 PM

I've dabbled....
The problem with making older cards is finding photos and turning them into color paintings. Notice the Williams. It's not just a color photo but an actual aritistic (although crude) looking painting. Photoshop has some options, like the watercolor effect, but it's a bite to get it to look right. I rarely do. I think the only way Topps could get it right would be to hire actual artists - it's really tough to recreate a 1953 looking card with just photoshop.
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps9zf72epy.jpg

The next issue is the font used on the older cards. I always have to find something close and try to shrink the text or expand it to get it to look right. I rarely do! And I'd add that colorizing a black and white photo to use is also a real pain.

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/z...psr7jpwnao.jpg
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/z...pslgpsptmh.jpg
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps5ecsjvmr.jpg

And as for the backs: I'll leave that to the retirees with way more time to dabble than I have. Once you try it, you really appreciate the time and skill Mr. Lemke has in making his cards. I recreated the back of a 1976 Mark Fidrych card and it took me forever! It's a great stress-reducing activity for me though, so I just have fun with it. I like to call it Phun with Photoshop!
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/z...pstfgswcoe.jpg

brewing 08-16-2015 08:05 PM

This is the stuff I'm talking about.

Topps version
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...psh1jgstjm.jpg


My version
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps7f0kodxo.jpg


Topps version
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...jL._SY355_.jpg

Baseball Card Magazine version
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps9qiaag4x.jpg

brewing 08-16-2015 08:12 PM

I like your creations Ben, my goal is to be anti-shiny though. Especially like your TPG cases, very cool.

Scott,
Very nice card back of Fydrich. I haven't done a back that has stats yet.

JollyElm 08-17-2015 12:07 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Here are a couple of custom Mays cards I put together. Things that I would have loved to see…

Attachment 201330

brewing 08-17-2015 04:59 AM

Those are cool Darren. I plan on making a 74 career capstone Mays.

baseballfan 08-17-2015 11:01 AM

very nice stuff

con40 08-17-2015 01:21 PM

A few of my frankensteins...
 
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gf...=w751-h1052-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qS...=w752-h1052-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Vb...=w752-h1052-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m5...=w752-h1052-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bJ...=w750-h1052-no

ALR-bishop 08-17-2015 02:08 PM

Customs
 
Great stuff Keith

heh indeed, even Vargha would be impressed

Bob Lemke 08-17-2015 03:37 PM

Brent,

For my customs I print "sheets" of 8-9 fronts or backs on Avery #8255 full-sheet labels and sandwich a piece of poster board stock in between.

It's exacting work to get the alignment right.

MacDice 08-18-2015 03:18 PM

Love the 1974 Yount

Volod 08-18-2015 03:48 PM

Hair pulling
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke (Post 1443316)
Brent,

For my customs I print "sheets" of 8-9 fronts or backs on Avery #8255 full-sheet labels and sandwich a piece of poster board stock in between.

It's exacting work to get the alignment right.

I'll second that. Aligning fronts to backs on multi-image sheets often calls for painstaking precision and strong drink, not necessarily in that order. But it always gives one a lot of empathy for the Topps and Bowman printers who have taken abuse for off-center cards.

JollyElm 08-26-2015 05:00 AM

1 Attachment(s)
I put together a couple of career capstone cards for Sandy Koufax from 1967…

Attachment 202309

ALR-bishop 08-26-2015 08:13 AM

Koufax
 
Good ones

Boilernurse 08-26-2015 05:47 PM

Customs
 
These all look amazing. I have been trying to create custom cards using a 2006 Topps template but can not get the template right. Not sure what to do now.

hangman62 08-26-2015 07:21 PM

74T Mays
 
that 74T Mays fantasy card....

I remember it well. .. 1973 World Series....A's catcher missed tag on Buddy Harrelson at the plate..but was called out...where the replay Yogi ?..use your challenge !

and Mays begging and pleading on his knees for the call to be reversed ..yea..good luck with that Willie !

JollyElm 08-26-2015 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hangman62 (Post 1446398)
that 74T Mays fantasy card....

I remember it well. .. 1973 World Series....A's catcher missed tag on Buddy Harrelson at the plate..but was called out...where the replay Yogi ?..use your challenge !

and Mays begging and pleading on his knees for the call to be reversed ..yea..good luck with that Willie !

It's funny, Ral, because most people don't realize the Mets actually went on to win that game in 12 innings. Even with that, though, the image of Willie Mays pleading on his knees is burnt into our Mets fans' brains.

HRBAKER 08-26-2015 08:32 PM

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...StM52TAuto.jpg http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...TOS/boyer2.jpg

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s.../69Simmons.jpg

jdl7860 08-27-2015 09:51 AM

Great stuff shown as always! Jeff, that Simmons is beautiful. I print my fronts on matte photo paper and backs on cardboard colored cardstock and then glue together with 3m spray with a sheet of the cardstock in the middle. I have found that lining the backs up is pretty easy if you use a transparent template and then just line it up in ps.
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0appb6ex.jpg
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psmh7ayqrj.jpg
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2wd7tre2.jpg
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psqljxvp1t.jpg
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psle89xqfe.png
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psxkwzadff.png

Exhibitman 08-27-2015 11:52 AM

I commissioned a custom Exhibit-sized card to house an autograph I collected in person:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...le_%20Eric.jpg


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