Card Statistics

Three of the great figures of Black and Cuban baseball share card #40 of Helmar’s T3 series: Pablo “Champion” Mesa, Oscar Charleston, and Alejandro Oms. The trio stands together with bats in hand, dressed in matching pinstriped uniforms against a green field and softly colored evening sky. Unlike the single-player portraits that dominate much of the series, this card has the character of a team photograph, and the three closely grouped figures give the composition an unusual sense of camaraderie and collective identity.

The original artwork was painted by Natalia Valiukavich in watercolor. The three white uniforms are differentiated through fine blue striping and subtle washes of cream, gray, and warm shadow, while the repeating blue stockings, caps, and chest emblems visually unite the group. Valiukavich gives each face its own modeling and expression without losing the coherence of the trio. The bats form strong vertical diagonals at either side, framing the central figures, while the softly graduated violet, rose, and blue sky lends the scene a quiet atmospheric quality.

The three players formed one of the most celebrated outfields in the history of Cuban baseball. With Santa Clara during the 1922–23 Cuban winter season, Alejandro Oms played left field, Oscar Charleston center, and Pablo Mesa right. Charleston was one of the greatest all-around players in Negro League history, combining exceptional hitting, power, speed, and defense. Oms became one of Cuba’s finest hitters and later starred for the Cuban Stars and New York Cubans, while Mesa was a gifted defensive outfielder and dangerous baserunner who enjoyed long careers in both Cuban and Negro League baseball. Together they represented an extraordinary concentration of talent in the Caribbean game. (Society for American Baseball Research)

Numbered #40, this card marks an important expansion of the T3 checklist into Black and Cuban baseball history. Its three-player format also makes it unlike most of the preceding cards: collectors receive a miniature team grouping on a single issue rather than another individual portrait. For collectors of Negro League and Cuban baseball, the combination of Charleston, Oms, and Mesa makes it one of the particularly distinctive subjects in the series. (Helmar Brewing Co.)

Produced in Helmar’s distinctive handcrafted tradition, the card combines original watercolor artwork, three historically significant players, and a deliberately vintage presentation inspired by the grand-format baseball cards of the tobacco era.

Original watercolor artwork by Natalia Valiukavich.

• Description: Together
• Team: Cuban Stars
• Population (# Sold): 14
• First Date Sold: 2020-05-26
• Latest Date Sold: 2026-08-04
• Card Status: Active
• # Sold in past year: 5
• Highest Auction: $ 112.00
• Average Auction Result: $ 48.38

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