Big news from Nine Pockets Headquarters:
My custom cards are now available in print form!
After spending a few months looking into various printing companies and their products, services, and prices, I finally found one I felt good about and went for it.
Here are a couple of close-ups of the finished product:
I'm happy with the results. The cards have a similar thickness and feel to the standard "vintage" card (i.e., 1980s and earlier). Slight gloss on the front, no gloss on the back.
And speaking of backs, here are two examples.
Instead of basing each card back on whichever Topps design appeared on the front, I decided to give them more of a "compete set" feel. The cards are separated into series by year, and they're numbered in the order in which I designed them. For example, George Costanza up there was the first custom card I created in 2019, so he's card #1 in the 2019 edition. And likewise, the Toxic Twins card was the 11th that I created in 2020, so it's card #11 in the 2020 series. (Note the different ink color for the 2020 backs.)
Also note the hand-stamped Nine Pockets "NP" circle in red, which is my little way of letting you know that you've received an authentic custom card, straight from the source.
For a card like Costanza's, which compares a celebrity's likeness to a ballplayer on an original Topps card, I thought about placing a small image of the original card on the back (à la 1991 Stadium Club). However, that would have been clear misuse of property I don't own. Instead, I decided to go with a brief write-up that mentions the original card. Collectors can then use that information to look up the originals themselves. Maybe that makes it a more fun, interactive experience. There's too much instant gratification in the world these days, anyhow.
So, what am I going to do with these cards now that they've been printed out?
I've set up a store on bonanza.com where the cards can be purchased for prices that I hope everyone will feel are affordable. The site offers some built-in marketing and advertising features, so I'm interested to see what kind of traffic it brings in.
But wait. Don't purchase anything from the store just yet. I have some gifts to give out. If you're one of the first 20 commenters below, I'm going to send you three custom cards of your choice.
It's a way to thank you for reading about my designs and for always leaving such enthusiastic, complimentary comments here on the blog.
Here's what to do:
(1) Go to my custom card gallery and find three cards you'd like from the 2019 and/or 2020 lists. (I haven't ordered the 2021 designs yet, as I'm still working on a couple more.) The only options from 2019 and 2020 currently unavailable are the Sadaharu Oh stained glass card and the Mr. Bean Topps Giant card.
(2) Come back here and leave a comment that includes your three card choices, plus one consolation choice just in case there's high demand on a particular card and I start running out of stock.
(3) email me with your mailing address. A link to my email address appears on my blogger profile page. You can also contact me on TCDB.
And that's all you have to do.
Thanks so much again for spending some time here at Nine Pockets, and for helping to fuel my creativity. I look forward to getting some of these cards into the hands of fellow collectors.
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