Why I Make Custom Cards

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mouschi

Bench Warmer
Joined
May 19, 2012
Messages
14
Location
Tomball
I remember when I first started making custom cards. A few months after getting into it, I went to a card show with some of them to show some people just to get a reaction. Right off the bat, I could tell I was going to get a wide array of responses. Some looked angry, some looked confused while others looked overjoyed. Whenever I talk to others and it comes up "yeah, I make custom baseball cards", they scrunch their nose at me and don't really know what that means.

I understand customs aren't for everyone, but if there is one thing I know now more in 2016 is that the cards put out by the big companies aren't for everyone, either. I have never heard so much frustration from the collecting community. Endless complaints target the big dogs. From pedaling out what seems to be 100 different releases a year with uninspired designs, to collation issues to redemption problems, etc. I guess it is true you can't please everyone all the time.

These are all beautiful designs, but they look like virtually all of them should belong in the same set.

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Heck, I just picked up a 2015 National Treasures card I needed, got worried that it was the 2014 instead because I forgot they were similar. When it got here, I found out that I was wrong on both accounts. It was a card from Immaculate that I already had. They all just looked too similar in my head!

I have been a big supporter of the big card companies - I love that they come out with cool stuff, however, I guess it is wearing on me a bit. It seems like each year, we are being pushed to buy the same picture with a different card design in the background and in 10 different colors, with one of them being the all mighty 1 of 1. The sheer volume and redundancy year after year can give any super collector fits!

Patches, autographs, serial numbered cards (yes ... even 1/1 serial numbered cards!) are not exactly rare anymore. Heck, the "huge" cards that were once found in mid-range packs are not as special anymore, thanks to the glut of high end products constantly being invented that have nothing but high end cards in them.

I am torn.

When I see a card I like, half of me hopes that Canseco is included, just so I can enjoy how it looks, but then the other half of me kind of sighs because it is another card with the same picture as the year before with 20 color variations to chase. I'm finding myself enjoying the manufactured 1/1's less and less, when compared to the cards like the 92 fleer ultra prototypes I scored or the original comic book artwork I picked up.

While I'm not about to give up collecting anytime soon, I find myself being more and more disillusioned with every release and a tad more choosy in what I buy for my collection. The super collector mindset of "gotta have it all" doesn't work too well in 2016 when you want to continue to enjoy this hobby without feeling like you are on a hamster wheel trying to keep up with all of the new releases.

So for me, this is where the customs come in. More than ever for me, customs fill an ever-widening hole. A hole where more cards are being produced, but fewer are scratching that collecting "itch". It frustrates me that a regular autograph can go for $10, whereas the exact same card with a different color background can go for hundreds more.

Because of this, I find myself sometimes sacrificing one of those poor little $10 base autograph cards to customize and make up a fantasy superfractor like this:

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Why? Because 5 different types simply isn't near enough for a rainbow.

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Customs are great for when one of your guys hasn't been featured on (m)any high end cards while playing for your team, and you have donor cards because you don't care about him playing for anyone else:

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Or perhaps some of your favorite player was simply never included in any of your favorite sets of cards

1997 Finest Atomic Refractor utilizing junk wax images
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Cramer's Choice die cut w/a few enhancements
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Some others that you likely won't be seeing anytime soon in packs are dual "pawtograph" / dog-worn sweater relic books:

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Or even a relic that one of your favorite players was known for chewing on:

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I mean, c'mon Topps! Where is the certified toothpick love? :)

Perhaps one of the other reasons that customs are so enjoyable for me, is because each one has a story of how it was built. In a sense, the card feels like it has soul. I tend to feel that some of the new cards just feel soul-less when compared to their earlier counterparts.

Here are a few stories of some of my newest PC custom cards.

Remember the highly photoshopped Topps/Bowman cards that I mentioned above that look like they could all be in the same set? Well, I happen to like the design, quite a bit. I've said this line before and I'll probably say it again, but while I was bummed Jose wasn't included, I'm glad he wasn't now so I could have a go at it. Here was the card that inspired me to give it a go:

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Look, I know. I get it. It doesn't make sense - why is Brett playing baseball in what is clearly being depicted as an apocalyptic end times battle between good and evil? I don't know, but it sings to me. It reminds me of the fun flash animation / photoshop abstract art I used to create 15 years ago.

I came up with my own. A photoshopped mashup of several heavily modified pictures. In case you can't tell, there is a baseball stadium, mountains, asteroids about to hit the earth ... you name it, it is in there.
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Add a cool sounding name like "Augmented Reality" (Why not? Naming the card is half the fun!) and put your favorite player on it:

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Ehhh...wrong guy. Trying again.

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There it is! But something isn't quite right. Oh no! Jose is breaking out of his "real" body and into his photoshopped body!

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To which we arrive with this:

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I thought I could amp it up a bit with some holofoil, so I did. Here is a pic of it as a "real" card:

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Sometimes, I'll draw inspiration from other cards from other sports that catch my eye:

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I didn't think much of the card until I really started thinking about how it could be executed. The card above had a gold ink signature, and I remembered that I had Jose sign some silver and gold ink blanks for me last year.

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I used these primarily because of the texture and look of the material signed on. Take a closer look:

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The silver signature paired up very nicely with the card I came up with "Behind the Plate"

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The entire player, ball, logo and lettering all seem to GLOW while shifting the rainbow colors depending upon how you hold it. It came out very cool in person!

Finally, when a card that is produced by one of the big boys, it is a 1 of 1 and you missed it, I've gotta say that is a BIG motivation to create something truly unique. In this case, it was a National Treasures button card. I was unable to grab it, but figured I might as well make a truly unique button card for myself. Heck, I have plenty of jerseys and other things worn by Canseco for such a time as this, so why not?

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This card means a lot to me. Aside from the fact that I'm very pleased with how the design and finish came out, it fills a (button) hole in my collection - not by using a piece of a jersey that was supposedly worn in a game, but by using a piece that was definitely worn on the biggest day of my *baseball* life by my favorite baseball player. Does this card have soul to me? Yeah, you bet it does.

The longer I do this, the more I find that these customs mean to me, and the more I hear what they mean to those who I make them for. It takes away the stress of being the winner of a hard to find card, and gives me pure enjoyment to add to my collection (when everything goes according to plan, that is!) Heck, a part of their story comes from when I write about them, show them and receive positive feedback. They won't ever have a "book value" but that is fine by me.
 
Wow....just wow. You have a gift.

I completely understand your problems of not being able to quickly identify a year and set of virtually any given card from recent years. I thought I was alone in this problem and missing the days of the 80s and before when you could just automatically know the year of a card based on the design. The team‘s name is in lower left corner in a ball cap? Has to be 1981 Topps. The team’s home city and name are in team-colored pennants pointing in alternate directions in the top left and lower right corners? Has to be 1974 Topps. This is a huge reason why I am done buying new releases.

Well, that and I’ve essentially run out space in hobby room for any new sets.

Anyway, I like it how the hobby has influenced a change in how you appreciate collecting. For me, I get a kick out of flipping cards on COMC and taking penny cards from the junk era and cut them up and try to make something that I can somehow convince myself is artistic. So far all I have done is confirm my absolute lack of artistic ability. However, since they have been made available for trade for a couple of decades and haven’t moved, I don’t think I’ll regret cutting them up at any point down the road.

I‘m just curious. Have you been able to trade or sell any of these? Perhaps some collectors of individual players would be interested.
 
Very cool. My advice is...keep at it. Do what makes you happy and enjoy the hobby. Who cares if some people don’t appreciate your custom cards.
 
Very cool stuff. My favorite has to be the Washington toothpick card.

I started making customs 10 years ago of Dolphins players who never had cards made of them. My goal is to have one card of every player to have played in Miami. I loved sending out to retired players for TTM auto's. I would make two or three and offer one to the player. Most times they would keep one. Most would also answer my questionnaire about what they did after football and what their favorite part of being a Dolphin was. I got some great responses. I haven't sent out any in a long time, but I'm still collecting pictures for when I crank the printer back up.

Brett
 
These are some of the best custom cards I've ever seen. We may need to hunt @mouschi down and demand a tutorial!
 
Wow, hey guys! Mike emailed me letting me know this was revived - actually, I don't think I ever got a response on this to begin with, so having the first ever comment over 4 years later from the time it was written has GOT to be some kind of a record! :)

To answer your question, I don't have a tutorial, but I regularly answer questions when people ask. Instead of fielding PMs and such, here is the basic run down:

Print front and back on inkjet paper, cut out a hole where the relic will show through, glue the top and bottom onto a filler card or foam board with a hole in it (where the relic will be) ... voila!

There is no science to it - just like an artist, you have a brush, paints and canvas. It is all about testing different papers, methods, etc. There are a ton of ways to make these things, so if you are interested in trying, just test a ton of stuff out until you find what you like.

BTW, if anyone is interested in following me, here are a number of ways to do so. www.TanManBaseballFan.com has links to my blog, youtube channel, twitter, podcast, and even my book, Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict. Hope to hear from you all soon!
 
having the first ever comment over 4 years later from the time it was written has GOT to be some kind of a record!
I think you're probably right. I was actually curious as to how this thread was even found. I'm wondering if maybe it was listed in the "Similar threads" block, or if it was just returned through a site, or Google, search. Maybe @Jaybo374 will tell us.

In any case, I'm glad it was risen from the grave. It was fun to read, and I think it's pretty clear I'm not the only one who thinks so.
 
Honestly after a long day at work, I was on my last legs at this time last night and forget where I found it. Anyway, great work. I glad this thread has been resurrecte.
 
I have no idea how I missed this one the first time around, but I have been making customs for years, and my hat is off to you! MY GOSH you have a God given talent!!

You are on SCF too, I believe?

God bless,

Kevin
 
Really awesome!!! I bought your book and read it a few months back and really enjoyed it! Fun read for somebody who can definitely relate...on a slightly smaller scale! :)

All the best!
Mike
 
@mouschi I wanted to see if you were working on anything new at the moment? Would love to see some of your awesome work!

By the way, I have 3 children, none of whom is really into cards (they are probably better off!!). I was looking at your thread the other day, and my 2 oldest (8 and 6) were sitting next to me, and both were wowed by your work. My 6 year old son said that my stuff is his favorite (loyalty is definitely his strong suit!!), but my 8 year old daughter, who is incapable of guile or flattery, took a close look at your Jose Canseco card and said "Daddy, that guy's cards are WAY better than yours!" I agreed with her! You have some great stuff!

Compliments of the Season!

Kevin
 
Wow, hey guys! Mike emailed me letting me know this was revived - actually, I don't think I ever got a response on this to begin with, so having the first ever comment over 4 years later from the time it was written has GOT to be some kind of a record! :)

To answer your question, I don't have a tutorial, but I regularly answer questions when people ask. Instead of fielding PMs and such, here is the basic run down:

Print front and back on inkjet paper, cut out a hole where the relic will show through, glue the top and bottom onto a filler card or foam board with a hole in it (where the relic will be) ... voila!

There is no science to it - just like an artist, you have a brush, paints and canvas. It is all about testing different papers, methods, etc. There are a ton of ways to make these things, so if you are interested in trying, just test a ton of stuff out until you find what you like.

BTW, if anyone is interested in following me, here are a number of ways to do so. www.TanManBaseballFan.com has links to my blog, youtube channel, twitter, podcast, and even my book, Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict. Hope to hear from you all soon!
Dude!! I follow you on Twitter already. LOL
 
Great looking cards! I tried to get Pinnacle company to do different things with their Big Bang Cards... and they sent a nice letter back saying they had their own research and development employees! But thanks for the suggestions! A few years later they filed for chapter 12 and ......we're out of business..... Happy Holidays, David
 
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