Helmar Cards & Collectibles - Part 2

Having gone through the standard cards and non-card collectibles issued by Helmar yesterday, I want to write about Helmar's most recent issues today. These are actually the items that got me thinking that I should do a Helmar column in the first place. For the past year or so, Helmar has been selling 'vintage style artwork cards' on eBay and on their website. These are actually hand made cards that have been made to appear to be vintage cards. This includes adding artifical 'wear and tear" and 'aging' to the cards. They state that they plan to produce less than 10 of each card with each being slightly unique since they are hand made.

I finally had a chance to see one of these in person recently and they are pretty nice. They did a decent job of replicating the old time feel, not perfect, but probably an 8 out of 10 for the feel. I think it is reasonable to assume that somebody who doesn't handle a lot of vintage cards could mistake these for legitimate vintage cards. These have been pretty good sellers on eBay too. The Cubs cards I have noticed have typically ended between $50-$100.

There is no full checklist published for these (at least that I am aware of), but I have tried to give a summary below of each of the sets that Helmar has done in this style and listed the Cubs I am aware of with some photos. The list of Cubs is likely not complete, I'll add more to this post as I see new ones. These don't qualify for my master checklist as they are hand made. And while I wouldn't pay the current prices for one of them, if I could get an Anson or an Evers for $20 at some point, I would consider it.

R319 - These are done in the style of 1933 Goudey (R319 is the Standard Catalog designation for the 1933 Goudey set). They measure 2-3/8" x 2-7/8". Reportedly 180 cards in the set, plus some 'high numbers'.
#30 Dolph Camilli
#41 Ernie Banks
#50 Mordecai Brown
#59 Johnny Evers
#60 Hack Wilson
#71 Cap Anson
#105 Joe Tinker
#141 Gabby Hartnett
#181 Charlie Grimm

E145 - These are done in the style of the 1914-15 Cracker Jack cards (E145 is the Standard Catalog designation for that set). They measure 2-1/4" x 3".
#27 Jimmy Archer


Imperial Cabinets - These are large cabinet sized cards that measure 8.25" x 11". Haven't seen any Cubs to date in this set.

Heroes of the Polo Grounds - These measure 4-5/8" x 6" and feature New York Giants players. Reportedly 66 cards in the set. No Cubs expected in this set.

Trolley Card Series - These measure 2.4" x 5".
Frank Chance
Mordecai Brown


6-Up Team Composites - These are six player composites that measure 4.5" x 6". Reportedly 55 cards in the set.
- Frank Schulte, Jack Pfeister, Harry Steinfeldt, Joe Tinker, Orval Overall, and Rube Kroh
- Frank Sculte, Ed Reulbach, Jimmy Sheckard, Orval Overall, Joe Tinker, and Mordecai Brown
- Heinie Zimmerman, Johnny Evers, Pat Moran, Joe Tinker, Orval Overall, and Jack Pfeister
- Tom Needham, Del Howard, Johnny Kling, Jeff Pfeffer, Carl Lundgren, and Solly Hofman (not pictured)