Lots and Lots of Cards From Gerard

I received a Christmas gift from my friend, Gerard, and realized that I still had a bunch of stuff that he had gotten signed for me that had yet to be scanned.  So, I combined everything into this one post.

He got me a bunch of autos during Pawtucket Red Sox games, and one of the coaches was Rich Gedman.  He had gotten me Gedman's 87 Topps before, and also the above 1987 Red Sox team card.  Still, I'm going to keep this one on hand, in case I am able to get Tom Seaver at some point.  It'll make this easy to find.

I needed the Carolina League Top Prospects card signed by Travis Lakins.  The other Bowman cards came from the National.

I think I sent this Luis Sardinas card to Gerard because he was going to see Norfolk toward the end of the year.  A lot of the cards he got signed, I gave him in person when we met up in Boston.

Here are some nice Sam Travis cards that he got done.  I'm pretty sure I sent him the 14 Bowman.  The others are probably from the National.

These are some 2017 Topps Update cards that he was able to get done.  Adam Lind is a pretty big sig for me.  I sent to him TTM, but didn't get anything back.

These two are just extra autos he sent along with other packages.  I think he pulled the Tyler Mahle while we were sitting in the park in Boston.

One of the cards he sent for Christmas was this signed 1987 Topps Ed Romero for my set.

He got me all of these PawSox team cards signed.

There were also some Orioles cards that I can try to get signed at Fan Fest.

I'm pretty sure he found these Nolan Reimolds while he was at a recent card show.

I really liked this 2018 Bowman Mike Baumann auto that he sent.  Baumann was really good for Frederick this season, and is a bright prospect to watch for the Orioles.  He was also really nice when we met him this season.

Finally, Gerard knocked this 2012 Bowman Red Ice Nick Markakis off of my wishlist.  Except, my friend Jackson had also bought this cards for me.  Jackson kept telling me this season that he had the card in his card on COMC, but had kept forgetting to send it.  I should have crossed it off of my list, but I also kept forgetting.

Thank you so much for all of the cards, Gerard.  I really appreciate it.

TTM Success - Erik Hanson

Some 90s cards got signed during this TTM success from former pitcher, Erik Hanson.  I had a ton of his cards, and narrowed it down to just three, and ended up with some pretty nice autos.

I had a ton of 1991 Fleer in a box in a closet.  They were unopened packs from back then, and I figured I would go ahead and open them.  They look really nice when signed.  I know a lot of people who don't like the yellow borders, but they really aren't that bad.

I also got a 1996 Topps and a 1994 Upper Deck Electric Diamond signed.

Hanson (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1988 to 1998 for the Mariners, Reds, Red Sox and Blue Jays.  He had a record of 89-84 with 1,175 strike outs and a 4.15 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1995.

I mailed to Hanson on October 3 and got the cards back on November 14, for a 42-day TAT.

Free Signed 87s From Billy

I got a DM on Instagram not too long ago from a guy named Billy who I had traded with a few times.  He had gone on my needs list of signed 87 Topps and offered up two of the cards he had free of charge.  That knocked off two more cards, the above Rick Anderson, and the below Greg Gross.

I had both of these guys out on TTM, but the cards had not come back yet.  It was really nice of Billy to hook me up.

Thanks so much, Billy!

TTM Success - Aaron Small

I found that Aaron Small signed TTM just by chance.  I had found the above 1995 Score in a box and figured I would search him.  I saw he signed, then I happened to remember that I had seen his cards in the stack of 2005 Update that I had, so I got some pretty cool cards signed as a result.

He signed in blue Sharpie, and the cards look great.

Small (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1994 to 1998, 2002 and 2004 to 2006 for the Blue Jays, Marlins, A's, Diamondbacks, Braves and Yankees.  He had a career record of 25-13 with 170 strike outs and a 5.20 ERA.

I mailed to Small on October 31 and got the cards back on November 13, for a 13-day TAT.

RedsFest 50/50 From TTMGraphs

I love when other teams' fan fests come up.  Teams other than the Orioles have it where you can get a ton of stuff signed, and it helps me clear out some old stuff when folks send me their lists of cards that they need.  I helped out someone new this year, a kid with the handle TTMGraphs.  He went to RedsFest, and worked hard to knock two 1987 Topps off of my list.

He wasn't able to rack like some folks I know, but he did do well enough to where he was able to send a few other cards back my way.

Tom Hume was one of the players he was able to get for me, and this 1981 Topps is the result.  I have had a bunch of 81s for a while, so it was nice getting this one out of my box and into my album.

Even better was being able to get these two Chris Welsh out of my Donruss/Fleer box and getting them signed.  The Donruss/Fleer box is at the bottom of my tower of 5,000-count boxes, so it is hard to get into it on a regular basis.  Anytime I can ger cards out of it is good.

These are the two 1987s that he got signed for me.  I have Welsh out TTM, but if that one comes back, it'll be trade bait.

TTM Success - Joe Coleman

I got some nice vintage cards signed in this TTM success from Joe Coleman.  The above 1977 Topps father/son card turned out really well.  Topps has done this a couple times, and the cards are always nice.  I have gotten a few signed.  I think I have only finished two of them, though, the 1985 Schofield and Skinner.

I also got some of Coleman's base cards in, a 1969, 1973 and 1976.  The 1969 was beat up before I sent it in; it was a filler card in my set that got upgraded before I completed the set.

Coleman (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1965 to 1979 for the Senators, Tigers, Cubs, A's, Blue Jays, Gians and Pirates.  He had a career record of 142-135 with 1,728 strike outs and a 3.70 ERA.  He finished a career best 23rd in the 1973 AL MVP voting when he went 23-15 for the Tigers.  He was an All Star in 1972.  He won 20 or more games twice in his career, 1971 and 1973.

I mailed to Coleman on October 25 and got the cards back on November 10, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Don Money

This one took a while, but I finally got my cards in from Don Money.  The cards were signed in ballpoint pen, and turned out fairly well.

Money (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1968 to 1983 for the Phillies and Brewers.  He had 1,623 hits, 176 home runs and a .261 batting average.  He was a 4-time All Star (1974, 1976,1977 and 1978) and his best finish in the NL MVP voting was 29th, which he received 1974 and 1978.

I mailed to Money on November 19, 2016 and got the cards back on November 9, 2018, for a 720-day TAT.

Instagram Deal With Rocco

My good friend, Anthony received his Christmas gift recently, and made a nice post on Instagram about it.  Due to the post and his tagging me, a guy named Rocco began following me.  He saw some of the IP autos I had gotten this season, and sent me a DM asking if I would trade.  When it turned out that he had access to his Dad's incomplete signed 1987 Topps set, we went from discussing an actual trade to my buying some of his dad's autos.  I ended up with three tough deceased guys from the set, Chris Brown, Jose Uribe and Dwight Lowry.  I checked each auto with certified ones on Ebay and they all seem to check out, which is great.  Rocco has a ton more signed 87s, so I feel like we will be making a bunch more trades and sales.

Chris Brown (b. 1961 - d. 2006) played in the majors from 1984 to 1989 for the Giants, Padres and Tigers.  He had 410 hits, 38 home runs and a .269 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1986.

After his retirement from baseball, Brown worked in Iraq as an 18-wheel driver for Halliburton.  He took fire on several occasions, including a time when his convoy was attacked resulting in the deaths of six Halliburton drivers and one soldier.  Another driver had been kidnapped and released.  He was able to return home safely from Iraq, only to die as a result of burns suffered during a fire at a vacant house that he owned.  He was 45.

Jose Uribe (b. 1959 - d. 2006) played in the majors from 1984 to 1993 for the Cardinals, Giants and Astros.  He had 738 hits, 19 home runs and a .241 battting average.  He was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic at the age of 47.

Dwight Lowry (b. 1957 - d. 1997) played in the majors in 1984 and 1986 to 1988 for the Tigers and Twins.  He had 62 hits, 5 home runs and a .273 batting average.  Lowry was born in Lumberton, NC, and attended UNC.  Following his playing career, he managed in the Tigers minor league system.  He suffered a heart attack at his home in Jamestown, NY.  He had been managing the Jamestown Jammers and died within an hour after a victory.  He was 39.

Thanks so much for the deal, Rocco.  These are definitely some tough cards to cross off for my set, but you helped me out tremendously.

Christmas From Max

My good friend Max has been hooking me up for a long time now.  I can't remember what it was like before he came along, but I know it wasn't nearly as fun.  We don't get to talk like we used to because he is so busy with school and sports, but he still makes time to check in and we still do 50/50s for each other quite a bit.

He hooked me up by helping me get my 1987 Topps Bo Jackson signed at a show a couple months ago.  I had to pay Bo's ridiculous fee, but Max got to meet him, and got my card taken care of.  I'm really happy to cross this one off of my list.

Max has pledged to help me as much as he can with my signed 1987 set.  For Christmas he sent me this awesome Dennis Eckersley.  Eck was someone I would have probably paid for at an upcoming National, but I probably would have waited for quite a while.  I'm happy that I don't have to wait for it any longer!

I had looked up quite a few Dave Henderson 87s, but hadn't pulled the trigger on any.  He passed away a few years ago, and I wasn't able to get him while he was living.  I have learned very quickly that once a player passes, his signed 87 Topps cards disappear from the secondary market.  I'm really happy that Max found one and sent it to me.

Thanks so much for getting Bo done for me, and also for the amazing Christmas gifts, Max!  You're one of my closest collecting friends, and you have taught me so much about 50/50s and graphing.  Merry Christmas, my friend, to you and to your family!

Mom With The Huge Christmas Gift - 1946 Tigers Team Ball

Well now.  My mom really enjoys being able to click on the little "Mom" hashtags at the bottom of my posts (or just search "Mom") and seeing all of the posts that end up being about her.  I'm perfectly ok with this, because it affords me some really cool stuff that she wants to see me write about.

This year's Christmas gift from her was a hige hit for me, as it was this team ball signed by many of the 1946 Tigers.  In the top photo, on the sweet spot, you see that I now own two baseballs signed by the legendary Hall of Famer, Hank Greenberg.  Wow.  Also on the sweet spot are Steve O'Neill (manager) and Frank Shellenback (coach).

I have already profiled Greenberg, which you can read here.

O'Neill (b. 1891 - d. 1962) played in the majors from 1911 to 1925 and 1927 to 1928 for the Indians, Red Sox, Yankees and Browns.  He had 1,259 hits, 15 home runs and a .263 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Indians in 1920.  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot from 1948 to 1953 and 1958 (7 ballots) but only received at most 4.9% of the vote.  He managed the Indians from 1935 to 1937, the Tigers from 1943 to 1948, the Red Sox in 1950 and 1951 and the Phillies from 1952 to 1954.  His overall managerial record was 1,040-821 (.559) and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.

Shellenback (b. 1898 - d. 1969) played in the majors in 1918 and 1919 for the White Sox.  He had a record of 10-15 with 57 strike outs and a 3.06 ERA.  He was banned to the minors due to the outlawing of the spitball in 1919 and went on to win a record 295 games in the PCL.

Hall of Famer, George Kell has a very nice signature on this baseball.  He joined the Tigers in May of 1946 for Barney McCoskey.  That means the ball was signed after May 18, 1946.  I profiled Kell on a former blog that no longer exists.  Oops.  I'm going to have to fix that.

Mom wasn't even aware that Virgil Trucks makes an appearance on this baseball, as the second signature on this side panel.  Also on this panel are Al Benton, Paul Richards, a signature that looks like George Rehfuss (but I can't find that name anywhere) and Anse Moore.

Benton (b. 1911 - d. 1968) played in the majors from 1934 to 1935, 1938 to 1942, 1945 to 1950 and 1952 for the A's, Tigers, Indians and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 98-88 with 697 strike outs and a 3.66 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1941 ad 1942 and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.

Trucks has been profiled on here more times than anyone else, so just search his name in the sidebar.

Richards  (b. 1908 - d. 1986) played in the majors from 1932 to 1935 and 1943 to 1946 for the Dodgers, Giants, A's and Tigers.  He had 321 hits, 15 home runs and a .227 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  He managed the White Sox from 1951 to 1954, the Orioles from 1955 to 1961 and the White Sox again in 1976.  He had a career managerial record of 923-901 (.506%).  His 517 wins as Orioles manager rank third all-time behind Earl Weaver and Buck Showalter.

Moore (b. 1917 - d. 1993) played in the majors in 1946 (for the Tigers).  He had 28 hits, 1 home run and a .209 batting average.

Here is a better shot of the signature that I think is George Rehfuss.  If anyone can identify him, please let me know.

This panel features George Caster, Jimmy Bloodworth, Dick Wakefield, Dizzy Trout and Art Mills. 

Caster, (b. 1907 - d. 1955) played in the majors from 1934 to 1935 and 1937 to 1946 for the A's, Browns and Tigers.  He had a career record of 76-100 with 595 strike outs and a 4.54 ERA.  He won the 1945 World Series with the Tigers.

Bloodworth (b. 1917 - d. 2002) played in the majors in 1937, 1939 to 1943, 1946-1947 and 1949 to 1951 for the Senators, Tigers, Pirates, Reds and Phillies.  He had 874 hits, 62 home runs and a .248 batting average. 

Wakefield (b. 1921 - d. 1985) played in the majors in 1941, 1943 to 1944, 1946 to 1950 and 1952 for the Tigers, Yankees and Giants.  He had 625 hits, 56 home runs and a .293 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1943 and finished a career-best 5th in the AL MVP voting in 1944.  He had 200 hits in 1943, then left for the Navy.  When the cadet program he was in was canceled, he rejoined the Tigers in June of 1944 and batted .355 over 78 games.  He was recalled to the Navy in November of 1944 and served until January of 1946.  While in the service, Wakefield bet Ted Williams that he would beat him in home runs, RBI and batting average when the war ended, $1,000 for each stat.  He lost all three bets and never regained his form that he had prior to the War.  Wakefield was the first "bonus baby" ballplayer.  He tried out for several teams in 1941 and signed for $52,000, which led to a lot of resentment from other players, fans and the press.

Trout (b. 1915 - d. 1972) played in the majors from 1939 to 1952 and 1957 for the Tigers, Red Sox and Orioles.  He had a record of 170-161 with 1,256 strike outs and a 3.23 ERA.  He won 20 or more games twice in his career (1943 and 1944) and had the AL ERA title in 1944 (2.12).  His best MVP finish was 2nd in 1944 to Hal Newhouser, to whom he lost by 4 vote points.  Trout was an All Star in 1944 and 1947 and is the father of former pitcher, Steve Trout.  He appeared on the 1964 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.5% of the vote.  I know he isn't likely a Hall of Famer, but he needs a better showing than that, come on.

Mills (b. 1903 - d. 1975) played in the majors from 1927 to 1928 for the Boston Braves.  He had a career record of 0-1 with 7 strike outs and a 5.36 ERA.  

The signature at the top of this panel is one I haven't been able to identify at all.  I thought it said Jack something, but I can't figure it out.  The rest of the signatures are Bob Swift, Johnny Groth, Roy Cullenbine and Johnny Lipon.

Swift (b. 1915 - d. 1966) played in the majors from 1940 to 1953 for the Browns, A's and Tigers.  He had 635 hits, 14 home runs and a .231 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  He managed the Tigers in 1965 and 1966 to a record of 56-43 (.566 %).  He had taken over for Chuck Dressen as Dressen had a mild heart attack during Spring Training in 1965.  He stepped aside when Dressen was able to return later that season.  In 1966, Dressen had another heart attack, and Swift took over, but he, too, had to step aside when he fell ill at the All Star break with what was originally thought to be food poisoning.  It was revealed that Swift had inoperable lung cancer.  Swift died on October 17 of that year (Dressen had died also that season, on August 10).

Groth is the only living player who is on this baseball, and was profiled here.  He signs TTM.  I may get a few pictures of the unidentified signatures and see if he can help at all.

Cullenbine (b. 1913 - d. 1991) played in the majors from 1938 to 1947 for the Tigers, Dodgers, Browns, Senators, Yankees and Indians.  He had 1,072 hits, 110 home runs and a .276 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1941 and 1944 and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  His best MVP finish was 10th in 1941 while with the Browns,

Lipon (b. 1922 - d. 1998) played in the majors in 1942, 1946 and 1948 to 1954 for the Tigers, Red Sox, Browns and Reds.  He had 690 hits, 10 home runs and a .259 batting average.

So, I got 17 of the 19 names for sure.  My guess is the other two guys may be clubbies or someone else.  We'll see what I can figure out.

Thanks so much for the ball, Mom.  You always know how to surprise me. This ball was pretty amazing.  I'm glad I was able to identify and profile so many of the names on the ball.

TTM Success - Dillon Gee

I had cards pre-scanned for this weekend while I was away for Christmas, but ended up not pulling my laptop out of my bag.  So, this is the last of what I had pre-scanned before I start showing off Christmas gifts (Mom, yours will be first).

I was excited to see that Dillon Gee was signing TTM, since I had a lot of his cards and they were in the 2010s, which are a bit harder to get done TTM (for me at least).  So, I sent off this 2015 Topps, which turned out ok.  He used a fading Sharpie, but I'll have to deal with it.

This 2011 Topps turned out better, and 11 is a set I really struggle to get stuff signed in.  I just don't have many cards from this set in bulk.

Gee (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2010 to 2017 for the Mets, Royals, Rangers and Twins.  He had a career record of 51-48 with 619 strike outs and a 4.09 ERA.

I mailed to Gee on October 31 and got the cards back on November 9, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Gullickson

I had his cards set aside for a long time, but I finally got a TTM success from Bill Gullickson.  I definitely needed him for my set, and was able to get the card crossed off of my list.

I also added two different 1981 Topps and a 1990 Topps Traded.

Gullickson (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1979 to 1987 and 1990 to 1994 for the Expos, Reds, Yankees, Astros and Tigers.  He had a career record of 162-136 with 1,279 strike outs and a 3.93 ERA.  He finished second in the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year voting to Steve Howe.  He was a 20-game winner in 1991 while with the Tigers.

I mailed to Gullickson on October 22 and got the cards back on November 8 for a 17-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - Ryan Vilade

I got my first 2018 Topps Heritage Minors card signd with this success from Ryan Vilade.  The card turned out really well.  I had two of them, and went on to send them both.

I also was able to get a card signed out of my 2018 South Atlantic League Top Prispects set.

Vilade (b. 1999) was drafted out of an Oklahoma high school in the second round of the 2017 amateur draft by the Rockies.  He has played in two levels of the minors since he was drafted, Rookie League and Single A.  His most recent stop was the Asheville Tourists.  I almost went to Asheville this past summer to see him play, but the timing didn't work out and I didn't go.  It isn't too terribly far from my parents' house, so I may head that way this summer.

So far, Vilade has 161 hits, 10 home runs and a .280 batting average across 157 games.

I mailed to Vilade on October 22 and got the cards back on November 8, for a 17-day TAT.  In exchange for the autographs, I made a donation to Keeper of the Game, at Vilade's request.

TTM Success - Ed Olwine

My TTM stack is slowly dwindling down, but I still have a ton to post.  I have cut down the number of requests I have sent and am waiting til the new year to send out more (save from two private signings that are coming up).  This has helped me reel in the number of cards to be posted.  This success from Ed Olwine turned out nice.

I got him on the above 1987 Fleer, and also on my 87 and 88 Topps.

Olwine (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1986 to 1988 for the Braves.  He had a record of 0-1 over 80 games with 54 strike outs and a 4.52 ERA.

I mailed to Olwine on September 20 and got the cards back on November 5, for a 46-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ron Guidry

A private signing on SCN got me this 1987 Topps signed by Ron Guidry.  The card turned out really well, and wasn't too crazy expensive.

Guidry (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1975 to 1988 for the Yankees.  He had a career record of 170-91 with 1,778 strike outs and a 3.29 ERA.  He was the 1978 AL Cy Youn Award winner and a 4-time All Star (1978, 1979, 1982 and 1983).  He finished 2nd in the 1978 AL MVP Award voting.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.  He won 21 or more games three times in his career (1978 - 25; 1983 - 21; and 1985 - 22).  He appeared on 9 Hall of Fame ballots between 1994 and 2002, but received a high of only 8.8% of the vote.

I mailed to the private signing on October 16 and got the card back on November 1, for a 16-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $35.00.

Ray Puts A Dent In The 87 Set

It all started with an email from Ray, of the blog All Cardinals All The Time, which said that he would be able to get this Greg Mathews signed for my 1987 Topps set.

Ray said that the card wouldn't come with a charge, which was generous enough, and he asked for my 1987 needs list (which I need to put on here somewhere) and said he maybe could knock off a couple others.  What I didn't know was that Ray would send all of these that I needed.

I had these three Todd Worrells out for TTM for over a year or so, and they haven't come back.  Ray knocked them off of the list, which is very helpful.  Worrell has a really nice auto, as well, so if the others come back, I will have to pay them forward.

Here are three other guys that Ray had for me, Danny Cox, Pat Perry and Ricky Horton.  This knocks off 7 cards for the set, and puts me at 369.  I'm very close to halfway, which is nice.

Thanks so much for the cards, Ray!  It is definitely appreciated.