This dynamic card from the Helmar T3 series reimagines the grand format of the early
1910s Turkey Red issues, celebrating the golden age of baseball through fine-art
rendering. Artist Natali Valiukevich depicts shortstop Leo Durocher of the St. Louis
Nationals poised in mid-action, glove extended as he prepares to make a catch.
The composition is alive with motion—the folds of the uniform, the glint of light on
his cap, and the vivid green of the field contrasting the deep blue of the grandstand.
Verma’s hand-painted gouache technique gives the work a luminous, vintage realism,
combining nostalgia with expressive energy.

Durocher, known as “The Lip,” was among baseball’s most fiery and controversial
figures. As a slick-fielding shortstop, he played for the Yankees, Reds, Cardinals,
and Dodgers, helping St. Louis to the 1934 World Series championship. Later, as a
manager, he became famous for his brash personality and tactical brilliance, guiding
the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants during baseball’s postwar heyday.

Original watercolor painting by Natali Valiukevich.