[mouschi3]

So, I think I've continued to drive my family nuts by obsessing over how to do some patch cards. How to cut straight, how to glue, how to do this, how to do that, etc.

And then the questions - why isn't my printer printing straight? Didn't you hear me, printer?! I SAID LANDSCAPE MODE!!! How can anyone possibly cut these jersey windows properly?

I'm serious, people. This is draining so much of my time, it is getting in the way of my television watching. I haven't been able to watch mah stories all week!

Well, at a little past midnight last night, I was able to give birth to my first dual game used patch card of the Bash Brothers - Canseco and McGwire.

I know what some of you are thinking. "Did he really get some game used Canseco and McGwire jerseys only to tear them up on these custom cards? If not, how can he do this with fake jersey pieces?"

I will answer with this: YES, they are game used pieces! Probably just as authentic as anything Topps, Upper Deck or Panini have put out in the past decade or so...

ZZZZZIIIIINNGGGGGGG!

You see, sure, they are game used pieces, but probably from a little league game...I think. I got the hat for a quarter at a garage sale a while ago, and some kid named Justin was selling it. I assume his name is Justin, anyway - that is what was sewn in the back of the hat!



Thanks, "Justin"...if that really is your name.

I have researched high and low, spent money at hobby lobby, irritated the workers and it looks like there are no shortcuts to doing this. There is just patience, trial and error, and more patience ... and LOTS of wasted paper, ink and various close brushes with death by way of exacto knife.



Did I mention there was a LOT of trial and error? Oh, so much money wasted....



Here is a picture of my dog for some reason? Yes, those are my pants, and yes, I do this whole process with no pants on.



Don't believe what your friends are telling you. It is NOT FUN trying to get these game used windows just right. I used to laugh when I saw others attempt and it looked like a third grader could do better. Well, when I first tried, I sheepishly realized that if I could get to a third grade level, I'd be doing good.



But, I got better! So, with that said - here are some pics of the end result. I'm happy with this - as a first try, anyway. It is a beautiful card of a dual patch we will never see, and if we do, will probably go for hundreds of more dollars than I would be willing to spend!



I think this truly epitomizes the entire experience: A Tier One custom ... with kid's Elmer's Glue in the back. No, I don't recommend this, but it is the only glue I had on hand.


.
Here is a close up of my new custom. It is done - yeah! I think it came out pretty dang good. It is absolute pure joy having the only copy of a card that was created specifically for your collection, which was never produced! Oh, and the fact that it didn't cost $400-$500 sure does help, too. I can live with the fact that Jose and Big Mac never touched these pieces of cloth. How sure are we that the players ever do, anyway, when they come from the packs?



In case anyone wanted to take a peak ... yes, there is a back! The edges/sides are not perfect. Heck, the card isn't perfect. It is done by hand. While naked, it looks good - but in a holder, it looks pretty perfect, and for this card, that is all I care about, because it will always live in a holder of some sort.



I hope you enjoyed following along my journey on this card. There likely will be more to come.

[zeprock]

Evil genius. But you should NEVER work with an exacto knife while not wearing pants. Word to the wise.

[mouschi3]

lol, thanks for the heads up!

[jukeboxhero77]

That looks great. How thick did you have to make the card for the patches?

[mouschi3]

the thickness is a bit uneven ... i tried to make the patch parts as thin as possible, so i just used a bit of cut up cardboard in the areas where there were not any patches to even it out and make sure it didn't look all wavy.

[michaelstepper]

Nice job! I like it a lot

[jniere15]

Another beauty! Great Work!

[yankeeempire]

Thats actually pretty good....Making custom cards has been around for years...I seen a custom Billy Martin card made from when he was on the Yankees and it was done over 50 some odd years ago!...As for the authenticity of patches or swatches it's a double edge sword...Most of the real authentic stuff is usually from older players IE players who sell there older jerseys and pants to card companies for extra cash. My Uncle is Gene Woodling who played for the Yankees,Baltimore and Cleavland and the family was approached by numerous card companies to purchase many of the uniforms that is still in the families possession thats why there isn't any relic cards of him. I have dissected many game used cards and found in small printed words of the players name on the back. So i do think the cards contain a piece of the players jersey just they may not have worn them...It doesnt guarantee that they worn then in any game or event it just says it was theirs. If you ever do a Yankees card let me know. I would like one of Gene Woodling.