Spearheads: Series Guide – Ars Longa Art Cards

The design for the Spearheads series was inspired by the W.S. Kimball & Co.’s 1887 Champions of Games and Sports (N184) tobacco cards.

1887 W.S. Kimball Champions (N184)

The Champions of Games and Sports (N184) tobacco cards were issued in packs of High Grade tobacco products by W. S. Kimball & Co. in 1887
The complete Kimball set features 50 different figures from the world of games and sports, including a champion cannonball catcher, a champion heel & toe pedestrian, and a champion water queen
Fortunately, four of the subjects are professional baseball players: catcher Dell Darling, pitcher Hardie Henderson, fielder E.A. Burch, and batter Tip O’Neill
Kimball Champions measure 1.5 x 2.75 inches

Ars Longa: Spearheads

spear·head: a leading element, force, or influence in an undertaking or activity

Spearheads is a set of 4 cards featuring men whose contributions to baseball extend far beyond their substantial achievements as players
My intention with this set was to combine the pastoral illustrations of the four baseball-themed Kimball Champions cards with more luminary subjects than those depicted on the originals, making the original design and the chosen subjects more accessible to collectors
By integrating legendary subjects with an authentic vintage design and manually distressing each piece to create one-of-a-kind art cards, my goal is to create an intriguing and attractive set of cards that is not only fun to collect, but inspires further exploration into the lives and achievements of these trail blazers