I've Acquired the ENTIRE 1919-21 W514 Set! Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe, Black Sox +++

[brianp-beme]

"Thank you! My wife is telling me I should hang onto them for a while as well. I'm still undecided - movement is what excites me. Whether that means just keeping the Ruth, keeping the Ruth & 8 Men Out, or keeping all, I am just not sure yet. They sure are fun to look at for now, though!"

I think you would be more likely to hang onto them longer if you were to continue to search for the source photos used for the artwork, whether Conlon or not. If you were to do so, I would think it would almost become, at least in your mind, a set that you personally created, or at least creatively rediscovered, especially if you continue to share your efforts. I had a similar feeling when tracking down matching facial artwork seen in the E91A and E91B sets.

Brian

[robw1959]

You sure had some fun with this post! I have exactly two W514 cards: an SGC "Authentic" George Sisler and an SGC 6 card of Grover Cleveland Alexander. The artwork is hit and miss for the most part, I think, but I do like those two.

[mouschi]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I also used to like the chase. I have owned a lot of the bigger cards. Then would sell them to buy others and kept repeating. I called it renting cards.

I feel that at a heart level, haha! I seriously don't really think of any I have as lifers. If I had an unreal amount of money, I'd keep a lot of stuff, but I don't, so I need to recycle. Catch & release!

Originally Posted by 68Hawk

Ok Mouschi, here's the next thing I'd like to know about this set and it will take some mighty sleuthing....

There's quite a variance in the quality of the artwork on these cards, some have been given very limited detail and others appear quite naturalistic for the style.
I'm thinking these weren't done by the one artist sitting down and going from Conlon to Conlon and tracing and filling characteristics, but by a few different hands.

Have you come across anything that speaks to the creators of the artwork?

This would definitely be interesting to research more. The knowledge I have at the moment is limited to what I've written about here, but that sounds like a fun project to tackle!

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

"Thank you! My wife is telling me I should hang onto them for a while as well. I'm still undecided - movement is what excites me. Whether that means just keeping the Ruth, keeping the Ruth & 8 Men Out, or keeping all, I am just not sure yet. They sure are fun to look at for now, though!"

I think you would be more likely to hang onto them longer if you were to continue to search for the source photos used for the artwork, whether Conlon or not. If you were to do so, I would think it would almost become, at least in your mind, a set that you personally created, or at least creatively rediscovered, especially if you continue to share your efforts. I had a similar feeling when tracking down matching facial artwork seen in the E91A and E91B sets.

Brian

I think that is quite possibly true - would be cool to somehow display each card next to the photographs they were based off of!

Originally Posted by robw1959

You sure had some fun with this post! I have exactly two W514 cards: an SGC "Authentic" George Sisler and an SGC 6 card of Grover Cleveland Alexander. The artwork is hit and miss for the most part, I think, but I do like those two.

I agree - I used to see strip cards as a whole as being "ugly", but drilling down into them, I really like the W514 set, and now knowing several (if not all) were based on photos really brings them to life for me.

[pitburgfan]

I was able to complete this set a little over a year ago with the help of a Net54 member. I searched for the last card for almost a year to include posting it here in the BST section before a member contacted me at Christmas time and sent me the last card I needed for free. I now have 2 Jake Daubert's and would never part with the one sent to me. Congrats on completing the set. If you decide to sell I am always looking to upgrade some of mine.

[mouschi]

Originally Posted by pitburgfan

I was able to complete this set a little over a year ago with the help of a Net54 member. I searched for the last card for almost a year to include posting it here in the BST section before a member contacted me at Christmas time and sent me the last card I needed for free. I now have 2 Jake Daubert's and would never part with the one sent to me. Congrats on completing the set. If you decide to sell I am always looking to upgrade some of mine.

That's so cool! I'm glad to be a part of club W514 ... at least for now

[Kevin]

I’m sort of blown away by this and real nostalgic. Thanks so much for sharing

[hcv123]

I can't think of more enjoyable/entertaining posts than some of yours (including this one). Your approach to collecting and the INCREDIBLE added "touches" just enhance the cards you have so much. Thank you and please continue sharing that which you are passionate about.

I agree I think it would be an INCREDIBLE project to do your photo to card metamorphosis for as many images as you could find for the set. Perhaps even doing hi-res prints of the metamorphosis to be included with the cards at whatever point you choose to send them to a new home!