The thread with the Bob Lemke card creations - share and reminisce

[bnorth]

Mr Lemke was an amazing gentleman and I can't say enough great things about the few interactions I was lucky enough to have with him.

I met Bob through this site. It was around a year before he passed. I PMed him about a card myself a couple members and a few other friends had been discussing for some time. I 100% believe it is counterfeit and most others believe it to be a proof/prototype or some other special type of card. I offered to send him one to look at if he would. Bob replied that his vision had gotten so bad that he really couldn't give me an answer. I highly respected his honest answer.

During this time I found out about his website and his cool custom creations. I bought a few from him but I really wanted to learn how to make them myself. Back then there wasn't a ton of good custom card makers like now. I asked most for any help they would give me and they all told me to pound sand. That is except Bob. He went out of his way to help me in anyway he could. He even sent me the exact materials he was using and explained what/how he done stuff.

When I first started making custom stuff it was simple changes to some of Bobs awesome designs. I would post them on here and give Bob all the credit he deserved. He posted in a few of those threads. I am not sure if me appreciated me giving him credit or not. I do know he was the only person who would help me learn how to make custom cards. It was only a few interactions towards the end of his life but it was greatly appreciated by me.

When looking in my card room these stuck out. They are some of the first things I made using Bobs stuff as a template. The top 6oz size is actual size of a real 6oz Jell-O box. Made a ton of cool stuff since then but these are the beginning of what Bob taught me.

[ocjack]

Originally Posted by bnorth

When looking in my card room these stuck out. They are some of the first things I made using Bobs stuff as a template. The top 6oz size is actual size of a real 6oz Jell-O box. Made a ton of cool stuff since then but these are the beginning of what Bob taught me.

Great boxes! Is there any danger of someone selling them as "real?" (Talking about the ones that aren't fantasy boxes.)

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by ocjack

Great boxes! Is there any danger of someone selling them as "real?" (Talking about the ones that aren't fantasy boxes.)

I made way nicer ones than those that included the actual Jello packet inside the box. Yes someone could make some near perfect replicas but it would take a lot of equipment and knowledge in printing. You cannot make something that would pass as real to someone knowledgeable on them with a home printer.

[bnorth]

After some digging I found the very first items I ever bought from Bob. The top 2 Jell-O boxes are from Bob. He just sold the printouts on a full sheet of paper and I cut them out to the box size. Being a huge fan of the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken card the bottom one is one of my favorites that I designed.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by bnorth

After some digging I found the very first items I ever bought from Bob. The top 2 Jell-O boxes are from Bob. He just sold the printouts on a full sheet of paper and I cut them out to the box size. Being a huge fan of the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken card the bottom one is one of my favorites that I designed.

That Ripken flavor is amazing! It's what I like to yell out the driver's window at the top of my lungs when someone cuts me off in traffic.

[bobw]

Bob sent me a copy of the the Munson custom after I supplied him the image because he had misplaced his.



I too was inspired by the Jello boxes he created.......



]

[ALBB]

I used to enjoy looking at his web page with all the " cards that never were",
the were well done

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by bnorth

After some digging I found the very first items I ever bought from Bob. The top 2 Jell-O boxes are from Bob. He just sold the printouts on a full sheet of paper and I cut them out to the box size. Being a huge fan of the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken card the bottom one is one of my favorites that I designed.

Ben, I shouldn't ask but will anyhow: How is the flavor of the Billy Ripkin card?

[ALR-bishop]

Two more

[blackandgold]

I managed to grab a few of his creations:
1952 Topps Paul Petit
1954 Topps Charley Pride
1954 Bowman Charley Pride

I think they’re great. He did a helluva job.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by ocjack

Great boxes! Is there any danger of someone selling them as "real?" (Talking about the ones that aren't fantasy boxes.)

Unfortunately, we can never underestimate the gullibility, stupidity, greed, and probably some other apropos adjectives among some of our fellow collectors. As the succinct saying goes, "YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID."

I was never disuaded from purchasing and enjoying a few of Bob Lemke's fantasy masterpieces. The above 1963 JELL-O Black Raspberry with a variant photo of Mickey Mantle was a stroke of genius. The picture of Mickey was employed on JELL-O's large advertising poster adorning supermarket aisles to capture a kid's attention. I like the photo the General Foods' baseball card design team chose for Mickey in 1963. However, the gorgeous advertising poster photo was much more attractive, and so it was a great surprise to me when I saw Mr. Lemke thinking the same way. Thus, I bought Bob's 1963 JELL-O Mantle box creation, and chose to keep it flat as an unfolded box. I really cherish it.

Three of my other Bob Lemke creations were from his 1955 Topps All-American Football set update series. Bob loved that set, and he slowly built his update series into well over 100 additions. There's a few I wish I had taken the time to buy, natch. Be that as it may, I really love and admire the Jackie Robinson, Bronko Nagurski, and Kenny Washington cards I got. Beautiful, just beautiful. Of course, I have been a fan and an admirer of a good quality fantasy / custom card creation. They're just as a Graig Kreindler limited edition print of one of his paintings, merely shrunken down to the size of an actual trading card, and perhaps more limited than the number of prints he makes.

I never bought Bob's stuff thinking they would appreciate, but I simply loved them. Of course, over the course of my collecting life, whenever I bought something because I loved how it looked, THOSE have been the items that did appreciate. They are harder to part with.....

Thanks for initiating this thread. Bob Lemke's work should not be forgotten. ---Brian Powell

[G1911]

I first wrote to Bob when I was like 10 because I had some cards that weren't in the Standard Catalog for some 70's Sporting News and other sets that had incomplete checklists. He was a really great guy and did a lot for the knowledge end of the hobby.

Never bought any of his awesome fantasy cards, but I spent plenty of time checking them out on his site. Had to limit my collecting in some way, but I kind of regret it nowadays.

[ALR-bishop]

1965