"The set that never was".

[Johnphotoman]

Hi everyone, does anyone know how Ted Taylor (HRT) and Robert Schmierer (RES) were able to make baseball cards, and call them 1947 Bowman...they were reprinted in 1977 as promotional cards...also called HRT/RES.
I just purchased the set and would like more info on the cards. Where did the images come- from for the cards? I have some photos that match some of the images that are on the cards. Does this mean I could take my 184 vintage photos and just make baseball cards of them, I do not understand. Thanks, John.

[John1941]

I don't know how they did it, but I do know that it's probably not a good idea to just make some baseball cards (for sale), as it invites lawsuits. Making custom cards from the photos would be cool.

[Johnphotoman]

Yes, this is what I was thinking too. It would be cool to make some custom cards.

[mrreality68]

+1 agree

[vintagetoppsguy]

I'd never heard of these, so I looked on eBay and there are a few singles. They have "1947 Series" printed on them, but nowhere does it say Bowman.

It looks like some kind of promotional cards that were printed as a giveaway for the show.

[steve B]

If they're the ones I'm thinking of they were given out at a show. Maybe some other way too since there would probably be leftovers.

Back in 1977 a set that wasn't widely distributed or produced in quantity would have easily gone under the radar.
And if people knew about it, they may not have cared. Licensing fees were MUCH lower than today.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by steve B

If they're the ones I'm thinking of they were given out at a show. Maybe some other way too since there would probably be leftovers.

Back in 1977 a set that wasn't widely distributed or produced in quantity would have easily gone under the radar.
And if people knew about it, they may not have cared. Licensing fees were MUCH lower than today.

Right on, Steve. Ted and Bob were very proud of their 1947 Bowman fantasy set, as I remember reading about it at the time. They actually sourced the precise same kind of cardboard used to make the 1948 Bowman b/w set the next year. They were pleased as punch to find what they thought was the only photo of Joe DiMaggio playing first base. They thought it would be a turn-on, but I found it to be a miserable turn-off. If I want an action shot of DiMag, I want to see his beautiful swing. They were not thinking right. My favorite card was that of Yanks' slugger Charlie "King Kong" Keller, in a gorgeous action shot. Taylor and Schmierer certainly took great pains to ensure anybody with a ounce of brains would know these cards were printed in 1976, and were most assuredly not an actual 1947 release. Of course, you'll always get some clowns wondering if they're rare and valuable, but these types perfectly portray the group of "YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID!"

I'm sure those two made peanuts compared to what they spent to produce the set. I sure as anything spent a whole lot more producing my E-book on a CD, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, than what I received from purchases. I never lowered my price for a physical copy, and never will. I will destroy them, first.

So many people have done little and large things for the hobby, and all the thanks they got for it were sqawks, snide remarks, or questions of legalities and lawsuits. --- Brian Powell

[jason.1969]

Would bet a lot these were unlicensed.