Ars Longa Art Cards
 

Not quite sure which sub-forum is appropriate for this topic but is anyone familiar with these "art cards?" Personally, I love the concept :) .

http://arslongaartcards.com/

http://arslongaartcards.com/wp-conte.../Tim-Keefe.jpg

http://arslongaartcards.com/wp-conte...ke-Beckley.jpg

http://arslongaartcards.com/wp-conte...l-Spalding.jpg

Correct forum since the subjects are vintage :). Not familiar with them but they look very nice.

Nicest such modern fantasy (or whatever is better to call them) cards I've seen. Well done.

Nice person to deal with as well
 

Jesse is also open to exploring new subjects if you shoot him an email. His full gallery of cards are on display on his website.

Just my 2 cents

-Paul

Agreed
 

Jesse Loving is very passionate about his fantasy cards.

I originally approached him to custom make me two for the nephew of 19th century baseball star Gus Weyhing, who could not afford to buy the N172s of his relatives. Ed Weyhing was floored by what Jesse did for him.

I have a couple of cards & an ad poster of the Kimball's that I picked up on eBay when they first started out, so they were inexpensive.
The Kimball's like ad was around $10ish I think.

http://arslongaartcards.com/wp-conte...ds-wrapper.jpg

Grandpa (?) and Grandma (?????)

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...kett-ars-longa

Less expensive than a Ramly too.

I bought a Matt Kilroy after I got outbid for the 50th time trying to win a Kilroy OJ. I'm happy with the card for now as my replacement

These are very nice looking cards. I think if they were selling for a dollar or two a piece they would be great. However, they are selling for a lot more. Is there a limit on the production of these cards or can they produce as many as they want? If the latter, then I would be careful.
Also, I think many of the early images they are basing their cards on were copyrighted. I assume that these copyrights are no longer valid --does anyone know if this is the case?

I agree completely. The Ars Longa cards seem a lot like the modern Helmar cards. They are neat and everything, but it shocks me what some of them are selling for at auction. Currently, there is a Honus Wagner Ars Longa at $224 on eBay, a Shoeless Joe auction at $152, a Connie Mack card at $112 and a Walter Johnson card at $76.

According to the FAQ on their website each card is released 10 times per year:

http://arslongaartcards.com/faq/

At +/- $10 they would be a potential buy for me. However, For +/- $100 they aren't for me, even if they are limited production. They do look great though..

From Ebay Item Desription:
 

Ars Longa Art Cards



•Original pieces of collectible art
•Incorporates iconic design features & historical images to create original contemporary artwork
•Each piece is manually distressed to create a timeless & attractive one-of-a-kind work of art with an authentic vintage appeal
•My intention is to make a meaningful contribution to the hobby, and your collection, by creating cards that delight, educate & inspire the collector
•Your questions, concerns, feedback, requests, ideas and criticisms are all welcome
•Thank you in advance for your interest and support



Beginnings: the 1880s


•Celebrates people & places that made baseball such a colorful enterprise in the 1880s; the decade in which the art of the baseball card was established
•Design is a pastiche of player-photos from the Old Judge cards (N172) & cabinets (N173) with embellished landscapes from the Buchner Gold Coin (N284) series
•To date, 4 images used in this set are not Old Judge issues as adequate images could not be obtained for Beckley, Duffy, Nichols & Robinson
•To date, Sol White is the only player in the set that was not included in the original Old Judge series



Old Judge:


•Issued 1887 to 1890 by Goodwin & Co. in packs of Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarettes
•Set depicts at least 520 different players, managers, owners & umpires from more than 40 major & minor league teams
•More than 4,500 variations have been documented & previously unknown cards are occasionally discovered
•Cards measure 1.5" by 2.5"



Buchner Gold Coin:


•Issued in 1887 by D. Buchner & Co. in pouches of Gold Coin chewing tobacco
•Set depicts 114 different baseball players & 1 owner with 28 additional variations, bringing the number of baseball cards in the series to 143
•Cards measure 1.75" by 3"

A reprint by any other name is still a reprint.

There's a nice article about this card creator in the July 11 SCD.

Should these Ars Longa cards be slabbable?

Only issue I see is whether there is a standard condition, or if they are artificially worn before release.

I actually think they are really pretty, and the most artistic fantasy set I've ever seen. But they should not be eligible for slabbing. Just my opinion.

I just looked at the Wagner. $200 plus for a reprint that has been manually distressed? Uh, ok, whatever.

Well there are idiots everywhere. Who am I to tell them what to buy or what to pay?

If there's a buck to be made they will be slabbed by someone.

From the FAQ on their site:

Are Ars Longa Art Cards reproductions or reprints?

No. Ars Longa Art Cards are original pieces of collectible art. Ars Longa incorporates historical design features and images to create original contemporary artwork. We then manually distress each card to create a timeless and attractive one-of-a-kind work of art with an authentic vintage appeal.

Our intention is to honor the sport and the hobby by bringing their histories to life through art. By drawing attention to certain players, their stories and accomplishments, and drawing inspiration from some iconic card designs, we hope to make the early histories of baseball and the baseball card more accessible to collectors.

I understand that distinction, but at the same time, to me, any non-contemporaneous card, in the style of prior issues, is essentially a reprint.

Interesting cards.....I like the Helmar stuff better but it's gotten a little pricey lately. I bought a few of the Helmar L1 leathers back in the day a couple years ago and they are fantastic pieces. He no longer makes them. The Helmar cards like the 33 Goudeys are just incredibly beautiful cards. Like many have said, at the right price, they're great collectibles. I'm assuming the people collecting them know they likely won't get $200-$500 out of them on the secondary market.

Who will be the first to authenticate an autographed Ars Longa card?:eek:

I kinda like the looks of these cards...but I do not like buying reprints of any kind...not baseball cards...not art...not furniture...no repros!!!!!

SO I am not in Arts target market!

They're not reprints; they are broders.

what's a broder?

To me, this is not a reprint set. This is a new/modern card set depicting vintage players created with a vintage design. A reprint would be re-producing (re-printing, if you will) a vintage card or set, such as OJ, T206, etc. As a graphic designer, I appreciate the beauty and creativity in these cards.

Further, there are other really nice, modern cards or sets depicting turn-of-the-century or pre-war players that are not reprints, just modern day offerings of classic ballplayers. Other examples of really nice cards like these are the Ronnie Joyner 1944 St. Louis Browns set:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1944-ST-LOUI...item565ec46395

And also the Infinite Baseball set:
http://www.infinitecardset.blogspot.com/

Would you judge either of these to be reprints? I would not. Should these be slabbed? I guess that would depend on the collector. Personally, I don't buy/collect graded cards, but that's just me.

100% agreed :) .

+1 to Jayworld and TCMA's comments
 

In our view, some of the finest cards ever issued were produced by TCMA and the various producers of the Conlon Collection series, 1981-1995. TCMA's Stars of the 1950s and Stars of the 1960s (for just two examples) combined outstanding photography with well-written biographical/statistical information.

Later, the various Conlon Collection manufacturers (The Sporting News, Marketcom, Wide World Sports and Megacards) took the superior Conlon photo negatives and added great baseball writing - particularly when TSN historian Paul Mac Farlane wrote the card backs.

These cards are not reprints: they are commemoratives. They commemorate players and times past, and better (in many cases) than were produced when the players were active.

More recently, as Jay pointed out, artist Ronnie Joyner has produced some great (and eminently affordable) sets commemorating the 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1953 St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics for the Philadelphia A's Historical Society, and the 1944 St. Louis Browns.

These are pretty incredible. I especially like the Pilgrims. I would buy some at a lower price, but I'm not going to spend $200 on one when I could put that towards an actual pre-war card.

I don't consider these reprints, either. I see these as being an homage to the classic sets from the turn of the century.

I really dig this guy's work. I tried to win the Louis Santop card he made that depicted him as an Oklahoma Monarch. I think it went for $60 or so.

I bid on two of the NY Giants 1880's cards. Didn't win either. One went for $10.50, the other $30.99.

i misspoke earlier when I called them reprints...I definitely do not consider them to be that. they are nice...and are pretty cool...but personally I do not collect these fabrications and to echo the sentiment of others i'd consider buying them...maybe at topps prices...but not at prices anywhere near what they are selling for.