Newest card creation: 1954 Topps-style Charley Pride

You might have noticed that I haven't been posting as frequently to the blog in the last few weeks. I've recently decided that I much prefer to spend my limited hobby time working on my custom card creations.

In the eight months or so that I've been blogging, my card output has really suffered and my to-do list of custom projects has been growing.

So . . . I'm going to be cutting back on the blogging and devoting more time to my card making.
I'll be sure to post all of my new cards here, so check back once in awhile if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Shown here is my first attempt to recreate the look of one of my all-time favorite Fifties card sets, the 1954 Topps issue.

I chose Charley Pride as the subject, but since there aren't a lot of pictures out there of Pride in his playing days, I had to recycle the photo I colorized for my earlier 1954 Bowman-style card. And, as you can see, the portrait is a close-up from the full-length pose.

The back was the really challenging part. Because Pride played for such low-level minor league teams in 1953, there were few official stats to report. I tried to channel what the Topps creators would have done in such a case, and the results are what they are.

I did have fun doing the cartoons. I scoured the backs of the 50-60 or so original 1954s that I have to find cartoons that could be converted to tell Pride's story. I'm pleased with the result.

1954 Topps variation? Probably not, but . . .

There is no I in . . .

I was pishing around with some 1954 Topps cards the other day, working on a future custom card project, when I noticed an error on the back of card #235, Vernon Law.

Where it was intended that the Year stats line was to read, "IN MILITARY SERVICE," the "I" in "IN" had been left off.

I'm going to assume this was am error that was never corrected, or we'd likely have heard about the variation prior to now . . . but you never know.

Actually, Topps DID correct the error -- 40 years later when they issued the 1954 Topps Archives reprint set.

Though it's unlikely, it would certainly be worth your while to check the back of any original 1954 Topps Vern Law cards you might have. If you turn up a correct version, let us know.