New Helmar series--highly unusual--your thoughts?

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by sirraffles

Is your question of royalties supposed to be your zinger? The ultimate test of what is and what is not a card? Laughable. If you collect early photographic cards then you already know that virtually every one of the cards in your early collection did not pay royalties. Will you now get rid of them? We'll have to consider them illegitimate and I'm sure that you'd like to be consistent in your philosophy. Sadly they are fading into nothingness anyway. I wonder what a blank Cinderella card will sell for? In my case the families of the players are among the best customers that I have. Literally hundreds of family members have Helmar cards and consider them heirlooms. Regarding Lajoie: the fact also remains that he was retired, probably not paid, and was a "Cinderella" card as per your own tortured logic. It will come as a disappointment to many that it, along with thousands of others from the early days until the present, are not real cards. Your fear of new people buying Helmar cards and somehow being swindled is silly at best. Our cards often sell for more than vintage anyway. You make a decisive error if you are conflating our cards with reprints. I agree that reprints are a danger. Better that we all just look at nice pictures in books. Charles Mandel.

My, haven't you gotten defensive. When the only way you can make an argument is by twisting the other party's words it is probably better to fade quietly into the background. BTW, that was a long answer to simply say that you are not paying for player images.

[sirraffles]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

My, haven't you gotten defensive. When the only way you can make an argument is by twisting the other party's words it is probably better to fade quietly into the background. BTW, that was a long answer to simply say that you are not paying for player images.

I wasn't twisting your words at all; you have no answer. On the images I have the blessings of many of the families, all that I've had contact with. They are pleased to purchase the cards the same way everyone else does, at auction.

But perhaps I am irritable today. I came to the board earlier today to see if I could find someone to contact about a grouping of 57 T206 cards. They were offered to a Helmar collector and he wanted my opinion. They are in horrible shape. Anyway, when I logged on I found that I was being blamed for making that replica Hassan sign that is the subject of a thread or two. How irritating! How smug the accusations! Why even think of me in relation to that madness?

Of all the Old Judge cards out there, I hope that yours fade the last. Charles Mandel

[ejharrington]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

My, haven't you gotten defensive. When the only way you can make an argument is by twisting the other party's words it is probably better to fade quietly into the background. BTW, that was a long answer to simply say that you are not paying for player images.

I read this whole post as I enjoy the look of the Helmar cards and, in response to the original post, really like the look of this card. For the record, I don't own any and never have bought any. I will say, if he is on the defensive it is because he and/or his product was being disparaged. Eric Harrington

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by ejharrington

I read this whole post as I enjoy the look of the Helmar cards and, in response to the original post, really like the look of this card. For the record, I don't own any and never have bought any. I will say, if he is on the defensive it is because he and/or his product was being disparaged. Eric Harrington

+1. Don't own any and never have, but I really like them.

People will pay crazy prices for a Diamond Gold Foil Refractor Titanium card of a modern prospect who may never make it to his second contract in the big leagues.

I have no problem with somebody paying a premium for a modern fantasy art card of Josh Gibson or Tris Speaker, where a lot of thought and creativity actually went into the creation of it.

It's pretty easy to do a cursury search of these things to find out if they are modern or not. Considering the actual fraud going on in this hobby, as evidenced by the T206 autograph scandal going on at this moment that duped many very experienced collectors on this very board for years, I'd say this is almost the least of the hobbies worries.........