My 1956-style Charley Peete card

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Thanks to all the forum members who assisted with the project. I'm pretty happy with the way the card turned out.

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Now . . . who's got pictures of Tom Gastall?

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Posted By: Clint

Bob, I really like the card and the ones I've seen you do in the past too. Do you make any of them into cardboard or are they strictly for the computer?

Clint

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Posted By: martindl

That turned out fantastic Bob. I always looked forward to your Bobbs cards in SCD and this one is right there with them. Better actually, because I can see it in much better detail.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

That's awesome! I want one.

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Posted By: Clint

Dan, that's what I was thinking. It would be cool to get a few of the obscure player photos from Kansas made into cards like this one.

Clint

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Clint, I could see some of the old photos you have being turned into 1921 Exhibits or something like that.

btw noticed some of the new town teams you added to your photobucket. Great stuff.

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Posted By: Clint

Dan, thanks. I still have some more to go. Yeah some of those would look great as 21 exhibits.

Clint

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Thanks, all, for the kind words. Clint, yes all of my cards are "real," printed in full-size and full-color on cardboard. You can see many of them at www.tinyurl.com/customcards. The page opens with my 1955 Topps All-American style cards. My other albums such as Misc. Football and Baseball Card Creations can be accessed in a box at the left of the screen. I have a small (usually one or two) supply of many of my cards on hand that I can make available to interested collectors.

I have also done some "custom" cards such as for a formner minor league pitcher and a fellow who wanted football cards of his father, grandfather and father-in-law. I'm always willing to consider such custom work (at a reasonable fee).

My next projects are a 1979-style Bill Mazeroski card as a Mariners' coach, and a 1969 Thurman Munson. I have quite a file of future projects, both baseball and football, so my custom collection continues to grow . . . it's at more than 125 now.

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Posted By: Dan McCarthy

Great work! What kind of card stock do you print them on? I've made a few similar custom cards but for now they're confined to my hard drive and I'd like to turn them into something tangible. Also, did you draw the cartoon on the back or did you just modify an existing one? How did you match the fonts up correctly, or did you create a custom font? When you print, do you take out the background to let the cardstock show through like the originals or do you have white cardstock that you print the darker color onto? Sorry about all the questions but I those are some of the problems that I have struggled with when making my own.

Thanks
Dan

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Here are some suggestions for potential post-war projects:

1968 Topps Bob Christian
1965 Topps Dick Wantz

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Double post

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Posted By: Clint

Bob, just checked out the site and wow. I'm going to get with you and have some cards made. Many of them look so much beter than the originals. Thanks for sharing again.

Clint

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Dan, to briefly answer your questions . . .

I print the fronts and backs in "sheets" of (usually) 6 or 8 on full-sheet label paper. It's got a matte finish. I then attach them to a comic book backer board and cut with a guillotine cutter. When I want a glossy front, I use regular photo paper and glue it to the backer board.

The cartoons on the Peete were originally used by Topps on various 1950s cards.

Fonts are standard Photoshop, which I try to match as closely as possible to the originals.

I've been at this for 5+ years now, and greatly enjoy the process. It's a great way to stay connected to the players and the cards of the 1950s-1960s without spending a lot of money, although the costs of papers, printer ink cartridges, purchased photos, etc., can add up.

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Posted By: JDRUM

Bob,
Have you ever shown one of the featured players your handiwork?
Jeff

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

As far as I know the only featured player to have seen my custom card of him is Burt Reynolds. I sent him one of the 1955-style "Buddy Reynolds" cards and the Billy Clyde Puckett through a source at the FSU Athletic Dept. He responded with a really nice letter and asked me to do a dozen more copies for his kids, friends, etc.
I did (no charge) and he sent me a great autographed photo in his role as Paul Crewe.

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Posted By: MacDice

Any chance that I could send me the picture that you are going to use for the 1979 Bill Mazeroski? I have been trying to get a picture of Maz in his Mariner uniform to get signed for a while.

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Mac . . . I'll try to round up that scan tonight and get it off to you. I'm not sure it will be suitable for printing a larger-format picture like an 8X10, as it is not all that high-res, but I'll send you the scan and wish you luck.

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

Wow, that's incredible, Bob! Amazing job.

-Ryan

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I got one in the mail from Bob today and I gotta tell you guys he does some awesome work...not only does it look like a 1956 Topps card, but it has the same feel. Excellent work Bob!

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Posted By: JDRUM

Bob,
Rec'd today as well. Thank you very much and job well done.
Jeff

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Posted By: boxingcardman

I got laugh out of the Zonker Harris card.

I made a few "virtual exhibit" cards but didn't print them out. Your technique sounds like a winner. If you want to see mine:

http://imageevent.com/exhibitman/interestingexhibitcards

Images 252-256.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Adam, I greatly enjoyed your virtual Exhibits, as well as your gallery of "real" Exhibits. What a great portrait of Benny Kauff. Back when SCD was pushing 400 pages and had room for really long features, I did a piece on Benny Kauff and how Landis rode him out of baseball. It's too bad all my old columns and features are "locked" away in ink on paper bound volumes. It would be great to have PDFs to share.

Your virtual Exhibits would look great in-hand, and with the use of full-sheet label printer paper, it's not too difficult to accomplish. Just be sure to buy whatever Avery paper model it is that specifies it is for color printing.

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Posted By: JDRUM

Here is a Kauff Federal League "fantasy" Exhibit

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Hello Jeff,

You did a great job on that Kauff Exhibit.

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Posted By: JDRUM

Bob,
Can't take credit for it. It is a Mike Wheat creation.