What If Bowman issued a '42 Play Ball Set...Sets that never were

[Phil68]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

I think these are pretty cool cards. Definitely not something I would buy but I do like the aesthetic. Are there licensing/likeness issues?

Hello!
Yes, there are some issues. Nothing money doesn't solve. Luckily, I own thousands of pre-1960s negatives as I am an avid collector for the past 30 years. Hundreds of original Conlon large formats as well--my favorites.
In addition, I use public domain images and many are out of copyright to begin with. I license roughly 6k worth of images each year to use in various projects. That's what eats up all my sales revenue. Of course, I get to keep my cards!
In the end, I have only one guy that doesn't want to be in any sets that have the "Tobacco & Ale" moniker. He suffered from the use of tobacco and I certainly respect that position. The coolest thing is the commissioned work the families request. 1-3 requests a month and it's great to build those relationships with family members. Typically grandsons.
Keep in mind...the populations of my cards--to date--have never reached 9 of any one card. The average population is just under 3. They sell for a few bucks--occasionally more--but it's not a mass-produced retail product.
People may view them differently if they were.

Another thing to note is, they're hand made and, with the exception of the '42s, our only b/w set, the images are hand-painted and there are few laws governing custom artwork. They are mounted to substrates from the approximate decade they represent--which I love. I think I'm the only guy that matters to, Lol.

I'm glad you like them. If you'd like to know more, just drop me a line.