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Originally Posted by SAllen2556
I've always been curious what the licensing rules are for cards like these. Would the estates of these players have any legal claim? And what about the photos they use for the cards? Can anyone just create a vintage looking Babe Ruth card and sell it on eBay....legally?
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I do the business for the Walter Johnson estate, and I'd say it's a good bet that these have all been done with no licensing from players, the estates of deceased players, or MLB. If so, it would say so somewhere on the cards. As someone else speculated, it's probably just too small a fish for anyone to go after. The legality of it is another matter altogether, and I can't see how they aren't in violation of trademark and copyright laws. As for the aesthetics, I've always liked the artwork and considered them attractive and nicely done. I have the two Johnson bottlecaps and was hoping they would actually do the beer bottles and six-packs for him as they did with the Babe. And they should definitely have the dates of production on them. We all know, and especially with the ones made to look worn and aged, that many of these will be sold, or attempted to be sold, as vintage cards forever down the road.