Nellie Fox featured on '52 Topps-style custom

Nellie Fox was a perennial All-Star and a fan (and collector) favorite. He parlayed modest baseball playing skills into a Hall of Fame career.

Topps was never able to get Fox's signature on a baseball card contract until 1956, after Bowman was out of the picture. He'd debuted with a rookie card in 1951 Bowman and was in each year's set through 1955. His 1953, 1954 and 1955 Bowman cards were some of my childhood favorites.

Fox was also in each year's Red Man tobacco set from 1952-55; fitting since he was often photographed with a large wad of chew in his cheek. He was also seen in such early 1950s issues as Berk Ross, Dixie ice cream lids and premiums and 1954 Red Heart dog food and Wilson's wieners.

If you've been following my blog, you know my custom card making has recently included a pair of 1952 Topps cards "that never were." I've extended that streak with my recent creation of a 1952 Topps-style Nellie Fox card.

The impetus for jumping a '52 Fox to the top of my to-do list was the discovery on-line of a really appealing 1951 portrait photo of Fox. I knew it would look good in the '52 format.

I decided to make my Fox custom with the "plain" color background that Topps used on a few of its cards back in 1952. One of my favorite '52s was such a card, Dale Coogan.

For some reason the color purple came to me as the right choice for the background of Fox's haloed portrait.

That's really about all there is to say about my 1952 Topps-style Nellie Fox custom. I think I can safely predict that this will not be my last Nellie Fox creation.