I didn't think much of the card until I really started thinking about how it could be executed. The card above had a gold ink signature, and I remembered that I had Jose sign some silver and gold ink blanks for me last year.
I used these primarily because of the texture and look of the material signed on. Take a closer look:
The silver signature paired up very nicely with the card I came up with "Behind the Plate"
The entire player, ball, logo and lettering all seem to GLOW while shifting the rainbow colors depending upon how you hold it. It came out very cool in person!
Finally, when a card that is produced by one of the big boys, it is a 1 of 1 and you missed it, I've gotta say that is a BIG motivation to create something truly unique. In this case, it was a National Treasures button card. I was unable to grab it, but figured I might as well make a truly unique button card for myself. Heck, I have plenty of jerseys and other things worn by Canseco for such a time as this, so why not?
This card means a lot to me. Aside from the fact that I'm very pleased with how the design and finish came out, it fills a (button) hole in my collection - not by using a piece of a jersey that was supposedly worn in a game, but by using a piece that was definitely worn on the biggest day of my *baseball* life by my favorite baseball player. Does this card have soul to me? Yeah, you bet it does.
The longer I do this, the more I find that these customs mean to me, and the more I hear what they mean to those who I make them for. It takes away the stress of being the winner of a hard to find card, and gives me pure enjoyment to add to my collection (when everything goes according to plan, that is!) Heck, a part of their story comes from when I write about them, show them and receive positive feedback. They won't ever have a "book value" but that is fine by me.