Helmar Discussion and Debate Here

[GregMitch34]

Would great for Charles to weigh in here, as he has in past.

[GregMitch34]

Just the hell of it, picked up cheap off ebay this original Helmar cig box, with hinge still attached--great for storing vintage t206s an others or the new art cards....http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...1&d=1495755752

[obcbobd]

I always thought it would be great if they would produce a set in vintage style in conjunction with the BB HOF

[sirraffles]

Late to the conversation but here I am.

I'm still here, satisfying my compulsion to make cards. Recently I think we've been doing some good work (images of unpublished work attached). Of course I can't help but notice that there is still some hesitation or even resistance to our work among members of this board. That is fine, to each his own and I would have it no other way. Personally, I think that much of this resistance will melt away when it comes to future collectors.

I would like to gently address one or two things, the first of which is related to the occasional expressions of astonishment at the prices the Helmar cards often get at auction. The fact is that I've done a really poor job of relating how much work goes into the art cards. Maybe I should do a few videos on the process from start to finish but I'm not sure that it is worth the effort. In any event, I think some people think that making these cards is no more difficult that hitting the print button and voila! Another skid of cards in the warehouse at the cost of a nickle each. Nothing could be further than the truth but, as I've said, I've really done nothing to correct this view. Oops, gotta run. Thanks, Charles Mandel Helmar

[GregMitch34]

Wow, look forward to those new cabinets, hope they are in the 8 x 10 format.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by sirraffles

Late to the conversation but here I am.

I'm still here, satisfying my compulsion to make cards. Recently I think we've been doing some good work (images of unpublished work attached). Of course I can't help but notice that there is still some hesitation or even resistance to our work among members of this board. That is fine, to each his own and I would have it no other way. Personally, I think that much of this resistance will melt away when it comes to future collectors.

I would like to gently address one or two things, the first of which is related to the occasional expressions of astonishment at the prices the Helmar cards often get at auction. The fact is that I've done a really poor job of relating how much work goes into the art cards. Maybe I should do a few videos on the process from start to finish but I'm not sure that it is worth the effort. In any event, I think some people think that making these cards is no more difficult that hitting the print button and voila! Another skid of cards in the warehouse at the cost of a nickle each. Nothing could be further than the truth but, as I've said, I've really done nothing to correct this view. Oops, gotta run. Thanks, Charles Mandel Helmar

Do you own each of the original photos you use for the art?

[Snapolit1]

To each his own, as said above. Many of them are really cool looking. But to my eyes, a lot of work also goes into making a decent knock off Rolex. That doesn't make it a collector's item.

[sirraffles]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

To each his own, as said above. Many of them are really cool looking. But to my eyes, a lot of work also goes into making a decent knock off Rolex. That doesn't make it a collector's item.

Thanks for your post. From time to time I've heard variations of your "knock off/not a collector item" position. And I've discussed this theme with detractors in the past. The nut of the issue seems to be that some collectors think that our Helmar cards detract from and lessen the value of the collections that the collectors have worked so hard to build. In that light the collectors are viewing our Helmar cards as a threat of some sort. You can recognize this mind-set in a few of the posts from over the last few years. Logically I think those collectors know that this is a silly argument but they are looking at it from a emotional view, not a logical one. I'm not referring to you by any means. Charles

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

To each his own, as said above. Many of them are really cool looking. But to my eyes, a lot of work also goes into making a decent knock off Rolex. That doesn't make it a collector's item.

I don't think these can be considered a "knock off" any more than Topps' Heritage cards. They use the design elements from old sets, but they are never an exact replication of the original sets. These are more like fantasy pieces, not knock offs.

I am still curious where the photos come from and if those images are owned by the artists.

[sirraffles]

I like this idea of a series done with the HOF. Charles

[GregMitch34]

Which idea?

[Peter_Spaeth]

There are some very cool and well done examples of these (that Cobb is great for example, as are others in that series I just looked at) and other fantasy issues, but ultimately, to me, if it's not a period card, it's not much different than a reprint. YMMV.