The Diamond Cutting Stage - Customs, Pickups, and More!

[mouschi]

Hi everyone! I realize this is primarily Pre WWII stuff - Hopefully there is enough vintage content in here to be worthy of this forum.

It has been a while since I've written, so I figured I'd write a little bit about what I've been up to! First, here are some customs I created:

This Back to the Future jumbo was created using a signed index card from Lea Thompson. Here is a video showing it (along with Footloose and Roberto Clemente customs).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au7buwvtn3I



A Braves fan reached out to me with a number of signed baseballs from his collection that he wanted cards made out of.



A UFC fan reached out to me with a fight glove from Chris "Lights Out" Lytle. Here is a custom booklet I created!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56qFuZDYcY



A friend of Lenny Harris reached out and requested a custom that included an embedded micro card and a ticket. Lenny signed it at the bottom.



"Can you do a custom that doesn't have anything to do with baseball?" The answer is YES! I love the weird things. Here is an authentic "Day used tie" from chief meteorologist Joe Crain. Google "Joe Crain Red Alert" for a very interesting read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyMDhhECijA



Charles sent me some game used cleats of his to create this set out of. There is a spot under each jumbo relic for him to sign. Here is a video of them as well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBMQtsPG0wA



A Roberto Clemente cut signature! No, that wasn't nerve wracking at all! LOL



This custom was created of someone's daughter. He sent me a number of pieces to create this jumbo quad relic. I also did a video tutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrVt4__mwcQ



Jason reached out to me asking me to do a custom that features both him and his favorite player, Johnny Damon. The plan is to have both of them sign. In the middle is a manufactured World Series patch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMY8JJArDvc



Someone reached out to me with a number of wrestling cards, along with the contracts that each wrestler signed from 1982. They wanted me to create a set that utilize each piece. Here they are together, in custom holders!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_gPwYp2U-Q



Here is one of my favorites. It is a custom booklet of the best pitcher in baseball history, Walter Johnson. Embedded in this card is an authentic T206 and cut signature of WaJo. Don't worry - no T206's were harmed in the creation of this custom!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcn2R2a4NI4



With as much as I love creating these, I think I love the feedback even more! Here is what someone said once they received theirs in the mail today:



Here is a custom nameplate set I created a few years back that I've only just now started displaying permanently on my game used home run bat. Each letter is from a jersey of each team Jose played on. He wore each jersey, and signed each letter. Thanks to diversifying, my room looks a LOT less Canseco stalkerish. I can vividly remember having a friend over, and having to toss a game worn Canseco sock off to the side (LOL!)



As you can see, I've been quite busy creating customs, but that isn't the only thing I've been creating. I have also written a parable called "A Boy and His Collection". The boy's path in the story closely parallels many of us in the sports card world, and many other hobbies.

I have a link to it here:https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/2021/0...a-parable.html

and an audio version of it on my podcast here:https://anchor.fm/tan-man-baseball-f...Parable-eujp7u



A quick summary is this: The boy's affections are captured by exploring a stream, and discovering some beautiful stones. He grabs the stones and brings them home to display. The boy grows up and his childhood passion for these stones is rekindled. Armed with "real" money, the now-grown man searches for stones that once excited him as a child, but only stones that were worthy of the hunt (i.e. expensive stones). (Perhaps this is how we as collectors are not satisfied by merely having raw copies of cards we owned as kids, but rather desire perfect examples, and are willing to pony up BIG TIME for them! As for myself, I'm building a raw binder of all the cards I loved as a kid instead of going for the PSA 10 stuff.)



The man becomes obsessed, and builds an extensive collection that would make his 10 year old self jaw drop.

The man battles with his obsession and finds it difficult to quit, but ultimately realizes his hobby went from becoming a joy to a duty. He finds that his collection is more burdensome to upkeep than it is satisfying. He no longer has excitement over any single piece, but rather feels obligated to keep growing his collection. He ultimately parts with his collection, aside from a handful of stones that he loves.

In doing so, the man makes a very important discovery: less is more. His joy is restored, and with it, his excitement and contentment for what he has. Ultimately the man realizes that many of the pieces he used to own can be appreciated without actually owning them, and if he wanted, he could always find and buy them later - or at least stones that were just as impressive. Coming to this realization broke him of his compulsion to own it all, and ultimately was able to break the chains that FOMO (fear of missing out) had on him.

Again, if you want to read it, you can go here: https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/2021/0...a-parable.html

or listen to me read it to you here:https://anchor.fm/tan-man-baseball-f...Parable-eujp7u

.... Continued .......