Does anybody enjoy the...

[brian1961]

Yes, I do.

For example, "valiantmann" on eBay produced a smashing version of a 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle. I have hated the 1962 Topps regular Mantle from day 1.
Valiantmann came to my rescue, so to speak. He tastefully selected a perfect photo of Mickey that traces to about 1960. He then gave it a unique horizontal design, with the correct dark wood frame that Topps used in their third series cards. The 18-point cardboard stock is superb, and in a Pro-Mold 1-screw it is perfect! I've placed it with my period Mantles, and I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!

I acknowledge it is not worth diddly squat, but our hobby is about what makes us happy and content. This elegant 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle card that never was is 100 times better than the actual one. Were Topps to design only one card horizontally, they would probably have chosen someone special.... like Mr. Mantle.

I'm happy........Brian Powell

[Phil68]

Hi Brian. Can you post a pic of the Mantle? If it's here, I'm missing it. I love '62s...the photos are not the best, as you mentioned.
Phil

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Phil68

Hi Brian. Can you post a pic of the Mantle? If it's here, I'm missing it. I love '62s...the photos are not the best, as you mentioned.
Phil

As embarassing as it sounds, I honestly do not know how to post a picture. However, I found it on eBay, and here's the listing title:

"1962 Style Mickey Mantle New York Yankees HOF Novelty Custom Art Card"

Valiantmann charges $7.99 for the card, plus $3.89 shipping. While the shipping charge is excessive, the card much, much, much more than makes up for the entire cost to you. If you're adroit at posting photos, would you please kindly do the honors in posting his listing photo for us, to reinforce what I've been expressing about this fantasy card?

He simply uses the backside of the regular Topps card for his own creation. Stunning, and I must say essentially perfect.

Have a peaceful day, friend, and happy collecting! -- Brian Powell

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by brian1961

As embarassing as it sounds, I honestly do not know how to post a picture. However, I found it on eBay, and here's the listing title:

"1962 Style Mickey Mantle New York Yankees HOF Novelty Custom Art Card"

Valiantmann charges $7.99 for the card, plus $3.89 shipping. While the shipping charge is excessive, the card much, much, much more than makes up for the entire cost to you. If you're adroit at posting photos, would you please kindly do the honors in posting his listing photo for us, to reinforce what I've been expressing about this fantasy card?

He simply uses the backside of the regular Topps card for his own creation. Stunning, and I must say essentially perfect.

Have a peaceful day, friend, and happy collecting! -- Brian Powell

Here is a picture of both versions listed. I am also a big fan of custom cards.

[ALBB]

Eeh... cool to look at..would never buy one,or add to a set to say " there !, I have the 52T Musial "

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Here is a picture of both versions listed. I am also a big fan of custom cards.

A long overdue thanks to Ben North for coming to my rescue in posting scans of the fantasy 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle I spoke so highly of.

The specific photo I was referring to is the scan on the right side of the screen. It's a special image to me, personally. You see, when the awful day came in August 1995 that Mickey died and went to be with the Lord, the USAToday chose this same image to bring the news of his death. I still remember seeing the picture, and thinking to myself, boy, would that shot have made a nice baseball card of Mickey. I even bought the issue just to get that picture! As I had written before, I believe the caption with the photo stated it was taken in the summer of 1960, when Mickey was very healthy and still looked young. This image would have been most apropos for a 1962 Topps baseball card of The Mighty Mick, in a distinctive horizontal format.

If you've patiently read my recollection, thanks for bearing with me.

To be sure, fantasy cards mean something to me. In conjunction with my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, and with the help of an artist and a computer graphic artist, I lovingly made two versions each of fantasy 1954 Wilson Franks Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson cards. That was a lot of fun, though expensive! A quartet of breathtaking dream come trues, though! Having a pretty good imagination, as well as knowledge of regional-collecting as it was, I play it out in my mind as a 10-year-old successfully begging his dear Mom to buy a pair of Wilson Franks packs, though the family brand was Oscar Meyer. Later that evening, I assisted her in the preparation of the franks, for the first time in my life! Opening the packages, the first "free prize" was Jackie Robinson. Jack looked terrific, as he's shown stealing home in a marvelous horizontal pose. The actual photo I chose to do the card was the moment Jack actually stole home against the Cubs in '52. Cub pitcher Willard Ramsdell nearly blew a fuse at his catcher when he missed Jackie by a whisker! With a nice light blue background, the card is perfect to me. Then, the second card. With apprehension, but tingling excitement, I slowly find the second "free prize". Wow---Mickey Mantle!!! I've always liked purple, even as a little kid. I found this evocative shade of red-violet that matched some I'd seen in mid 50s advertising. Fifteen years prior, I had sourced a profoundly beautiful action shot of Mickey about to slug the ball during a Yanks' home game. The time period of the game was close enough to work for a '54 Wilson Franks, since Mantle looked very young, and he was still batting with his regular cloth baseball cap on. You can see the dirt spray up on Mick's lead foot as he's about to swing. The wonderful NY on his uniform stands out beautifully. The complete package is ..... perfect! All in all, to get Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle Wilson Franks cards in a matter of minutes would put this baseball card-lovin' kid on a Cardboard Cloud 9, as I described it in my book, for a couple of weeks!

Though I could not market the cards legally, I went through the laborious process of having a few made for me, period. It was a great experience and very fulfilling, and made for an appropriate last chapter of my book, as I concentrated on Wilson Franks and focused on Jackie Robinson, particularly his 1947-49 Bond Bread cards. Oh yes, at the end of that chapter, you will find a a beautiful color page with all four of the fantasy Wilsons I made, arranged around a large color photo of the Wilson Franks package, just as it appears on their great cards.

Have a swell day, guys, as well as the ladies who frequent Net54.

--- Brian Powell

[maniac_73]

I'm not a big fan of them personally but I understand why others would enjoy them. Only because to me, a card represents a period in time. I look at it as a historical piece and not just an art piece. I imagine someone pulling it from a pack at the time and what was happening in baseball in the world. Kind of a mini timecapsule. That gets lost for me in reprints and cards that never were.

[Exhibitman]

Panini just filed a big copyright infringement case against some of the makers and sellers who used the Donruss "Rated Rookie" and other design elements.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by maniac_73

I'm not a big fan of them personally but I understand why others would enjoy them. Only because to me, a card represents a period in time. I look at it as a historical piece and not just an art piece.

Exactly. It's an actual genuine real artifact from a time when someone who's now a household name was still an unknown, unproven player... someone you could approach for an autograph and not only would he be thrilled to give you one, but if he wasn't pressed for time he'd be happy to spend a few minutes with you to talk baseball or otherwise just hang and talk about whatever.

Originally Posted by maniac_73

That gets lost for me in reprints

Not for me... although I agree that it's not the same as holding the real thing.

Originally Posted by maniac_73

That gets lost for me in . . . cards that never were.

True. I'm thinking of the "1952" Joe DiMaggio card that Topps made a while back. Even if Topps made an official statement to the effect of 'this is the card we would have made, if we had issued a DiMaggio card that year,' it's not the same because the photo and the writeup were done with x-number of years of hindsight of how big a legend he became.

Perhaps if Topps had intended to produce a DiMaggio card in '52, and such a card had made it all the way to the proof stage before Topps decided to pull the plug, and those proofs were reprinted and sold for the first time in the '80s or later, that would be a different thing... but in general, I agree with you.

[mrmopar]

I doesn't get much easier than this site. Click on the paperclip when you are drafting a message and it opens an image manager. You browse for the pic you want and attach it. Voila!

Originally Posted by brian1961

As embarassing as it sounds, I honestly do not know how to post a picture. However, I found it on eBay, and here's the listing title:

"1962 Style Mickey Mantle New York Yankees HOF Novelty Custom Art Card"

Valiantmann charges $7.99 for the card, plus $3.89 shipping. While the shipping charge is excessive, the card much, much, much more than makes up for the entire cost to you. If you're adroit at posting photos, would you please kindly do the honors in posting his listing photo for us, to reinforce what I've been expressing about this fantasy card?

He simply uses the backside of the regular Topps card for his own creation. Stunning, and I must say essentially perfect.

Have a peaceful day, friend, and happy collecting! -- Brian Powell

[Bigdaddy]

I really like some of the customs, though they do have to have certain attributes for me:

• The photo needs to be from the sam time period as the card
• The cardstock needs to be of type
• The back of the card needs to be similar to cards of that series

You have to admit, some of the photo choices of Topps, and even some of the prewar cards, is quite poor. If someone can do a better job and produce a better card, then more power to them.

[HRBAKER]

I buy a few now and again to use for autographs.

[GasHouseGang]

Have you ever gotten a surprised reaction from one of the stars signing an autograph on a card they've never seen?

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

The photo needs to be from the same time period as the card

Topps didn't always stick to that rule.

Extreme example: the 1969 Chris Cannizzaro, which uses a photo taken at the Polo Grounds, which meant at the time the card was issued the image was at least six years old.