TTM Successes - Tom Bruno and George Frazier

I have to report one TTM success to lead into the one I got today.  I received the above card signed by Terry Kennedy on April 4, then sent it out to Tom Bruno in order to try to get his signature, and got his signature back on May 5.  Since I mailed it off on April 21, I got the card back in 14 days.

Bruno also included this nice note, thanking me for being a baseball fan.  Bruno (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1976 to 1979 for the Royals, Blue Jays and Cardinals.  He had a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.22 and 80 strike outs.

The success from Bruno led me to send the 1979 RC off to George Frazier on May 21 to see if I could complete the card.  I got the card (and the others shown) back today (6/30) for a 40-day TAT.  Frazier also signed the above 1982 and 1985 Topps and the 1987 shown below.

Frazier sent back one of my cards unsigned, a 1983 Topps, but I am really happy with the results of the TTM success.

Frazier (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1978 to 1987 for the Cardinals, Yankees, Indians, Cubs and Twins.  He had a record of 35-43 with an ERA of 4.20 and 449 strike outs.  He won the World Series in 1987 with the Twins.

Chrome Care Package From Nick C.

I got a nice care package in recently from my friend, Nick C. that had a few nice Chris Davis Bowman Chrome parallels, as well as a few other cards.  I have helped Nick's Maikel Franco PC quite a bit, and he finally got around to hooking me up with these cards.

The 2013 Bowman Chrome blue refractor at the top of the page is numbered 209/250.  The above purple parallel is numbered 147/199.  After consulting my Davis spreadsheet, I learned that I didn't have the blue parallel yet.  I do have another purple parallel, but extra numbered cards are always welcome.

I also have another of these 2014 Finest refractors somewhere in my box, but I failed to log the numbering on my spreadsheet.  I'll have to remember to figure that out sometime.  In the meantime, I will have this one logged and put in my box.

Chris Davis wasn't the only player in the package from Nick.  He also included this 2009 Bowman blue parallel numbered 372/500.

There was also this 2006 Bowman Chrome Nolan Reimold form the Futures Game.  I had one of these in my collection.  You would think that I would have had more of them, but I guess I never picked any other up.  This one will get logged in a few minutes as well.

Thank you so much for the package, Nick!  I enjoyed all of the cards.  I'll have to keep an eye out for some nice Phillies stuff for you.

50-50s From Dilan

Now that I am officially caught up on my TTM successes (for now), I now have the opportunity to try to catch up on some other packages that have come in over the last few months.  I got two batches of cards from my friend, Dilan, after he and I worked together to get some IP autos. Dilan messaged me a few times to tell me what teams he was planning on seeing, and I did my best to accommodate him.

One of the cards that he got signed for me that I liked the most was the above 2013 Bowman Sterling Henry Urrutia.  The card is numbered 9/25 and turned out great when signed.  Dilan really did a good job getting that one for me.

Other than the numbered Urrutia, I tried to let Dilan have the better versions of the cards that he got signed, such as parallels and inserts.  I was more than happy to take base cards, especially Topps.  He helped me knock out 2015 and 2016 from my Topps Autograph Project.

I know Dilan's main objective in getting the IP autos is to get up and coming prospects.  I was able to, however, help Dilan get some older cards of some of the coaches.  You figure that those guys are there signing, too, so why not try to get one of their cards signed?  I used my older Topps boxes from Mom to help with that part of the project.

Dilan got a few more recent players as well.  The above 2012 Steve Delabar is a nice horizontal card that turned out great.

These JP Arencibia cards also turned out nice.  I was more than happy to send along several of his cards, since I had so many.  The Heritage cards really turn out great when signed.

The biggest surprise of all, though was that Dilan was able to get Byron Buxton on a 2016 Bowman for me.  He had texted me saying that Buxton was only signing one per, so I told him that he was doing all of the work getting signatures, so he should keep Buxton.  Dilan texted me a few hours later saying he waiting after the game and got another Buxton signature, this one for me.  It was a really nice thing that Dilan did.  He went out of his way to try to get me the marquee guy, and came through.

Thank you so much for the work that you put in, Dilan!  I really appreciate all of the autos.

Set Complete - 2016 Topps

It's that time of year, again!  I have completed the 2016 Topps flagship set.  This year's set was a really nice one, with great photography.  I got my requisite three jumbo boxes and was able to collate the set this past week.  I had a case hit in one of my boxes that I will post soon, a Topps laser booklet with a patch and auto of Miguel Sano.

Completing this set was pretty easy.  Now I need to focus on tying up some loose ends with a few other sets.

TTM Succes - Charlie Silvera

I am officially caught up with my TTM posts!  I still have a bunch of cards that have been sent out into the world that have yet to return, but my TTM stack "to be blogged" is now caught up.  What better way to catch up than to have a success from a 1950s-era player!  Here is a nice 1952 Topps signed by Charlie Silvera.  I was really excited about this TTM because he actually played in the World Series that my grandmother attended (1949). I hoped that Silvera would put the 1949 WS Champs inscription, but he didn't.  That's ok, though, the signature still looks nice!

Here is the 1954 Topps card that I was able to get signed.  It turned out great, as well.  I got all three of these cards from the Columbia antique shop.  I still have a couple cards that I am waiting on that I got from there, but overall, my buying trip back in April was a huge success.

I spent a good bit on all of these 1950s cards, but have had great success in getting them signed.  I'm really glad I took the plunge and tried some of these out.

Silvera (b. 1924) played in the majors from 1948 to 1957 for the Yankees and Cubs.  He had 136 hits, 1 home run and an average of .282.  He appeared in one game of the 1949 World Series, which the Yankees won.  He did not appear in the game that my grandma went to (we pretty much narrowed it down to Game 3).

I mailed to Silvera on April 18 and got the cards back on June 18, for a 61-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Owchinko

The stack of TTM successes is winding down.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I have had a great time talking about all of these players from the past and pursuing their autographs, but now that the baseball season is in full swing and new products continually are hitting the shelves, I have had a tough time sending new ones out.  I have this success, and one more sitting here that need to be posted, then I will be caught up on TTMs.

I was able to get five signed cards back from Bob Owchinko recently.  I did pretty well, getting a five-year run of cards signed: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983.  His signature turned out pretty nice on all of them.

Owchinko (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1976 to 1984 and 1986 for the Padres, Indians, A's, Pirates, Reds and Expos.  He had a career record of 37-60 with an ERA of 4.28 and 490 strike outs.

I mailed to Owchinko on April 20 and got the cards back on June 16 for a 57-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mo Vaughn

Here is a pretty huge TTM success that I got not too long ago.  I really wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised when these two cards finally came in.  First is this 1996 Fleer E-XL.  The card got somewhat damaged in transit, with the blue matting separating from the card a bit, but when it is placed in my album, you won't be able to tell.

Also, here is the 2002 Topps that I got signed.  I actually sent this card off before I decided to do my Topps Autograph Project, but it will fit in nicely with the plan.  Additionally, I had completely forgotten that Vaughn wore uniform number 42 long before it was retired all across baseball.

Vaughn (b.1967) played in the majors from 1991 to 2000, 2002 and 2003 for the Red Sox, Angels and Mets.  He had 1,620 hits, 328 home runs and a .293 batting average.  He was the 1995 AL MVP.  He was also an All Star three times.  Vaughn appeared on the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot and received 1.1% of the vote.  Vaughn might have had a good shot at the Hall, had he played more seasons.  Otherwise, he will likely still be remembered as a force, albeit a brief one.

I mailed to Vaughn on March 4 and got the cards back on June 10, for a 98-day TAT.

TTM Success - Doug Jones

I got back one of the best TTM successes in a while when I received 7 signed cards from former pitcher, Doug Jones.  When I started doing TTMs and was looking for guys to send to, I saw that Jones signed.  So, I had to get a copy of this 1991 Score Dream Team to send along with whatever else I could find.  I actually bought two of these and sent one to my good friend, Andrew.  I am so glad I got this back because it looks awesome signed.

Here are the other cards I got signed by Jones.  The 1993 Flair turned out great.  Those cards really are some nice offerings from the mid-90s.  They look even better signed.  I was able to add a couple cards of Jones as an Oriole, so that was nice as well.  The top left card is an extra that he threw in and has a religious testimonial on the back.  He inscribed each card with "PTL" which means "Praise the Lord".  I thought this was a nice touch.

Jones (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1982 and 1986 to 2000 for the Brewers, Indians, Astros, Phillies, Orioles, Cubs and A's.  He had a career record of 69-79 with an ERA of 3.30 and 909 strike outs.  He also had 303 saves in his career.  Jones was an All Star five times and finished as high as 14th in the MVP voting (NL, 1992).  He appeared on the 2006 Hall of Fame ballot and received 0.4% of the vote.

I mailed to Jones on March 11 and got the cards back on June 9, for a 90-day TAT.

TTM Success - Pete Richert

I got a few vintage cards signed TTM recently with this success from Pete Richert.  A former Oriole, I also was able to get him on a card showing him as a Washington Senator.  This 1966 Topps came out of my vintage box (I think) and turned out really nice.

Here is the 1968 Topps that I was able to get signed.  The ones I have gotten from this set have turned out pretty good, except for the Ken Holtzman that I got.  This Richert auto looks like it could have been printed on the card.  It blends in flawlessly with the sky as the backdrop.

Finally, here is one of the two 1971 Topps that I was able to get signed by Richert.  So, I have a couple new Orioles cards for the project, so that is nice.

Richert (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1962 to 1974 for the Dodgers, Senators, Orioles, Cardinals and Phillies.  He had a career record of 80-73 with an ERA of 3.19 and 925 strike outs.  He was an All Star twice (1965 and 1966) and finished as high as 25th in the AL MVP voting (1965).  He won the World Series with the Orioles in 1970.

I mailed to Richert on March 12 and got the cards back on June 6, for an 86-day TAT.

TTM Success - Garth Iorg

I got a TTM success from the other Iorg brother, Garth, recently.  I added 1985, 1986 and 1987 Topps and a 1988 Donruss.  I mailed to him on April 12 and got the cards on June 6 for a 55-day TAT.

Iorg (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1978 and 1980 to 1987 for the Blue Jays.  He had 633 hits, 20 home runs and a .258 average.

TTM Success - Jayhawk Owens

I got a TTM success after two tries from former catcher, Jayhawk Owens.  I mailed to him on May 21 and got the card back on June 6, for a 16-day TAT.

Owens (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1993 to 1996 for the Rockies.  He had 75 hits, 11 home runs and an average of .232.  His inscription was really nice as well, "1993 1st year, it was so cool".

TTM Success - Dick Groat

One of the most prolific TTM signers around is Dick Groat.  I wanted to make sure I got him on a few cards when I started this card TTM project, but waited a bit because my good friend, Max, had a card for me to try to send along with the vintage that I had picked up.  This 1953 Topps came from my trip to the Columbia antique shop.

I also got these cards from 1957 and 1966 signed.  They both turned out great.  I don't have a lot of 1966 cards signed, so I might pick up a few more soon to try some other guys.

Finally, here is the card that Max sent me, the 2002 Topps Super Teams.  As you may recall, I got Bob Friend on one of these, so now I have Friend and Groat on them, and they both look great.

Groat (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1952 and 1955 to 1967 for the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies and Giants.  He had 2,138 hits, 39 home runs and a .286 batting average.  He was the NL batting champ in 1960, which he parlayed into the NL MVP award.  He also was a 5-time All Star and finished second for the 1963 MVP award (losing to Sandy Koufax).  He won the World Series with the Pirates in 1960 and the Cardinals in 1964.  My question is, how is Groat not in the Hall of Fame, but Bill Mazeroski is?  Groat only received as high as 1.8% ov the vote for the Hall, yet Mazeroski is.  I guess it is the dramatic home run in the 1960 World Series that Mazeroski is known for.  I just think that Groat should have gotten a lot more than 1.8% of the vote.

I mailed to Groat on May 21 and got the cards back on June 3, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rick Manning

I am slowly chipping away at my TTM successes, still working on posting each player individually.  I have been pretty much posting them non-stop since early March.  Here we are in June, and I still have a stack of them staring back at me.  Here are some nice cards that I got back from Rick Manning recently.  They all turned out great.

Manning (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1975 to 1987 for the Indians and Brewers.  He had 1,349 hits, 56 home runs and a .257 batting average.  He was a Gold Glove award winner in 1976.

I mailed to Manning on April 30 and got the cards back on May 31, for a 31-day TAT.

Mailday From Tim

A few weeks ago, I bought a few cards from one of the most reputable traders on Instagram, Tim.  I haven't made a deal with him in forever, but I have talked to him some, and his kids quite a bit.  His son Carson is someone I talk to quite a bit.  I'm always happy to chat with anyone from that family, they are all really friendly.

This graded 1974 Brooks Robinson is pretty cool.  It is a nice grade for a year of Topps that struggles with centering on cards.  Since Tim made me a really good deal on it, I figured I would go ahead and pick it up.  I have a few graded Brooks Robinson cards now, so this will go with those in my box.

I also got this nice 2013 Bowman purple parallel of Jonathan Schoop.  I haven't added a whole lot to the Schoop PC lately, so this is a good pickup.  Schoop is having a pretty good year so far, so I'm hoping I can add more in the future.

Thanks so much for the deal, Tim!  I really appreciate it.

TTM Success - Bob Friend

I was able to add some really nice vintage cards to my autograph binder recently when these Bob Friend cards came in.  I picked up this 1955 Bowman from the Columbia antique shop.  This is a really great set, and I keep telling myself that I'm going to try to put it together one day.  I still have a ton of other sets to complete, so I'll keep dreaming for now.  As you can see, this card is trimmed a bit (see the right side), so getting it signed helps me put it to some use, since trimming of cards is never good.

This 1961 Topps is the first from that set that I have been able to get signed.  I found it in my vintage Topps box, and decided to make sure I had the year represented, so I sent it off.  I'm glad I did, since it came out great.

This 1964 Topps was also in my vintage box, so I figured, why not, and sent it as well.  It also turned out really nice.

Finally, here is a 2002 Topps Super Teams card that I got from my good friend, Max.  He sent me a couple cards from this set to try TTM, and they both turned out great.  You'll have to wait to see who the other one is.  This card is numbered 288/1960.

Friend (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1951 to 1966 for the Pirates, Yankees and Mets.  He had a career record of 197-230 with an ERA of 3.58 and 1,734 strike outs.  In 1958, he finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young Voting and 6th in the NL MVP voting after going 22-14 with an ERA of 3.68.  He was the NL ERA leader in 1955 and was a 3-time All Star.  He was a member of the 1960 World Series champion Pirates.

I mailed to Friend on May 21 and got the cards back on May 28, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Turk Lown

My TTMs are starting to dry up, it seems.  Fewer and fewer are rolling in, but I actually see that as a good thing.  This has allowed me to get closer to getting caught up on posts lately.  I am still way behind, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel; until the National comes.

Here is another 1953 Topps that I was able to get signed.  I sent this off to Turk Lown, along with his $20 fee for a signature.  Normally, I would have let that fee scare me away from trying to get a card signed, but when I saw that he donates all of the money to cystic fibrosis research, I felt like I was doing a good thing.  I mailed to Lown on May 2 and got the card back on May 21, for a 19-day TAT.

Lown (b. 1924) played in the majors from 1951 to 1954 and 1956 to 1962 for the Cubs, Reds and White Sox.  He had a career record of 55-61 with an ERA of 4.12 and 574 strike outs.  He also led the league in saves in 1959.  That 1959 season, Lown pitched in three World Series games against the Dodgers (3.1 IP) and didn't allow a run.  The White Sox lost that World Series.

TTM Success - Juan Samuel

 I feel like horizontal cards look the best when signed.  When it is an action horizontal card, they really shine.  This 1992 Upper Deck Juan Samuel that I got recently might be one of the all-around best looking autos/cards that I have seen so far.  Samuel's signature looks awesome, and really fits the card well.  This is a great example of being able to take a junk wax era card and reapply putting some purpose behind it.

The top left 1985 Topps Glossy All Stars turned out really well, also.  I was able to add a 1985 Topps, 1988 Topps (All Star) and a 1989 Topps of Samuel to my autograph album on top of the 1992 Upper Deck.

Samuel (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1983 to 1998 for the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Royals, Reds, Tigers and Blue Jays.  He had 1,578 hits, 161 home runs and a .259 batting average.  He was a three-time All Star and finished as high as 13th in the NL MVP voting (1987).  Samuel appeared on the 2004 Hall of Fame ballot and received 0.4% of the vote.

Samuel also managed 51 games for the Orioles in 2010 where he went 17-34.  He was replaced by Buck Showalter, who has managed the Orioles since.

I mailed to Samuel on April 20 and got the cards back on May 20, for a 30-day TAT.  I sent the cards to Citizens Bank Park.

TTM Success - Paul Zuvella

I got this 1986 Topps Traded card signed TTM recently from Paul Zuvella.  The card was in one of the boxes that Mom got me.  The card is in good shape and turned out really nice.

Zuvella (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1982 to 1989 and 1991 for the Braves, Yankees, Indians and Royals.  He had 109 hits, 2 home runs and a .222 batting average.

I mailed to him on April 9 and got the card back on May 19, for a 40-day TAT.

TTM Success - Diego Segui

If the surname looks familiar, it is because a few days ago I reported a TTM success from another Segui, David, who is the son of today's success.  I got this 1970 Topps back from Diego Segui after I decided to try to get a couple Seattle Pilots cards signed.  This one was a beat up old card, but it still turned out nice.  It is especially great since you can see the Pilots hat and uniform very well in this card.

Segui (b. 1937) played in the majors from 1962 to 1975 and 1977 for the A's (KC and Oakland), Washington Senators, Pilots, Cardinals, Red Sox and Mariners.  He had a career record of 92-111 with an ERA of 3.81 and 1,298 strike outs.  Segui was on the 1972 A's that went on to win the World Series, but he was traded to St. Louis as part of a conditional deal.

I mailed to Segui on May 2 and got the card back on May 16, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Tyson

Stepping away from the 1950s era players for a bit, I got a few 70s guys in recently.  One of which has a pretty famous name, but no, I didn't get an auto from the former boxer, Mike Tyson.  I got the former infielder.  Here is a 1975 Topps card that I got from my buddy, Max.  It was damaged in transit, but still looks cool signed.

I also got the 1976 and 1981 Topps cards of his signed.  I liked the '81 because of the old Cubs uniform.  The signature smudged a bit on that one, but in all, the cards turned out great.  I can't complain.

Tyson (b. 1950) grew up in nearby Rocky Mount, NC.  He played in the majors from 1972 to 1981 for the Cardinals and Cubs.  He had 714 hits, 27 home runs and a .241 batting average.

I mailed to Tyson on April 20 and got the cards back on May 16 for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Cerv

I added some more 1950s-era cards to my autograph binder when I got these cards in from Bob Cerv.  I originally mailed to him on April 20, but the cards were sent back, RTS.  However, a new address was printed on the envelope, so I tried again on May 6.  I got the cards back on May 16, for a 10-day TAT.  Cerv signs for $5/card.

This 1953 Topps card was really beat up, but I was happy to be able to re-use it for TTM purposes.  It turned out fine, and will look good in my binder.

This 1956 Topps was in far better condition and looks really nice signed.  I like the 1956 set and will probably try to complete it sometime soon!

Finally, here is a lower grade 1959 Topps that I was able to have Cerv sign.  It is a pretty rough card, but turned out ok.

Cerv (b. 1925) played in the majors from 1951 to 1962 for the Yankees, A's, Angels and Colt .45s.  He had 694 hits, 105 home runs and an average of .276.  His best season was in 1958 when he hit 38 home runs for the KC A's and finished 4th in the AL MVP voting.  That was also the only season in which he was an All Star.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1956.  He was also on several other World Series winning teams, but 1956 was the only season where he actually appeared in the Fall Classic.