The Baltimore Terrapins

Back in August I landed my first Helmar Oasis card, and was incredibly impressed with the quality and attention to detail that went into the card's construction.  You can read more about this set in that last post, but the basic idea is that these are handmade cards, containing original artwork, constructed of seven different layers, and weighing in at a larger size and heavier weight than a standard modern-day baseball card.

I haven't gone all that crazy buying too many Helmar art cards, mainly because the starting bids for all their weekly auctions are $9.99, so your bill can add up fast if you're not careful.  I have cherry-picked a few during the ensuing months though, and today seems like the perfect time to share the next one here.

I say that because I'm actually down in Baltimore, spending the weekend and catching the Patriots/Redskins game tomorrow over at Fedex Field in Landover.  The blog is on auto-pilot while I'm away, and it seems like a fitting time to showcase my very first Baltimore Terrapins card!

I'm telling you, the creativity and bright, bold colors are every bit as stunning in hand as they appear in this scan.  I absolutely have to pick up some more of these at some point.  There are a few different borders/themes within the set, and this one uses the same "Cycle Cigarettes" border as the first one I picked up, actually.

As for the subject, this is my first card of Mickey Doolin, and as I mentioned my first Baltimore Terrapins card overall.  They were a short-lived franchise that lasted just two seasons as part of the Federal League.  I love exploring all parts of the game's history, and have always been intrigued by the Federal League.  It was actually the primary reason I placed a bid on this one.

Here's a look at the back, the advertising obviously differs here to match the design used on the front border.  There are at least a handful of different themes, though I'm not sure of the exact count.

The coolest thing about these, as I mentioned last time I showed one off, is that they have a raised/frame effect going on due to the way the layers of the card are constructed and overlaid.
 

That's a wrap for today, a Baltimore card during a weekend in Baltimore.  Perfect.  Check back tomorrow for the latest in my ongoing series of football card-themed posts.  Until then!