TTM Success - Jeff Francoeur

I was really excited to get this TTM success back from former Braves outfielder, Jeff Francoeur.  I had sent several of his cards out, then sat and waited.  I waited a long time, but they finally came in.  The above 2008 Goudey mini turned out really well.  I don't believe I had any of these in my autograph album, so this one will look cool in there.

Francoeur signed a couple nice horizontal cards for me, and they may be the best of the bunch.  I especially like the 2013 Topps.  The blue background matches well with his signature, I think.

Finally, I put a 2008 UD First Edition Starquest to use, and it turned out really well.  I also added a 2008 Topps to the album.

Francoeur (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2005 to 2016 for the Braves, Mets, Rangers, Royals, Giants, Padres, Phillies and Marlins.  He had 1,373 hits, 160 home runs and a .261 batting average.  He finished third in the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year Award voting and won a Gold Glove in 2007.

I mailed to Francoeur on February 27, 2017, and got the cards back on March 9, 2019, for a 740-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeff Russell

I added another card to my 1987 set with this success from Jeff Russell.  I had him in my TTM box for a long time, and finally got around to paying his fee.  There is quite a backlog in my box of guys who charge.  Eventually, I'll get them done, but it'll be slow going.

I paid for this card, as well, since I have very few 1994 Topps in my autograph album.  It's not a bad set, I just got rid of most of my extras when I finished the set.  This was one of the worst years of Topps cards that stuck together due to the high gloss on the cards.  It really is a shame.

Russell (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1983 to 1996 for the Reds, Rangers, A's, Red Sox and Indians.  He had a record of 56-73 with 693 strike outs and a 3.75 ERA.  He was a two-time All Star (1988 and 1989) and won the Rolaids Relief Award in 1989 when he recorded 38 saves and a 1.98 ERA.  He appeared on the 2002 Hall of Fame ballot, but did not receive any votes.

I mailed to Russell on February 27 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 9-day TAT.  I paid his PastPros fee of $16.00 total ($8/card).

TTM Success - Jay Tibbs

The cards that I got back from Jay Tibbs all turned out really well.  I really like this 1986 Fleer.  These are cards that I don't have many of, so it is nice to add them to my album.

I had to get my 1987 Topps signed for my set.  It will complete only my second page in my 87 album.  I also got the 1989 Topps signed, since it has Tibbs as an Oriole.

Tibbs (b. 1962) played in the majors 1984 to 1990 for the Reds, Expos, Orioles and Pirates.  He had a career record of 39-54 with 448 strike outs and a 4.20 ERA.

I mailed to Tibbs on November 17 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 111-day TAT.

TTM Success - Warren Morris

I had sat aside a few cards out of a box of 2000 Topps recently.  The cards were of guys who signed TTM, and Warren Morris was one of them.  I went to my LCS a couple weeks ago and added a few more cards to my pile.  The above 1999 Fleer Brilliants turned out really well, even though the scan doesn't do it justice.

I also got a 1998 Bowman and a 1999 Just Minors.  Both of them look really nice, also.  Note, Morris kept the 2000 Topps that started this whole thing, for some reason.  Still, I like what was returned, and I am happy with this TTM success.

Morris (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1999 to 2003 for the Pirates, Twins and Tigers.  He had 399 hits, 26 home runs and a .267 bating average.  He finished 3rd in the 1999 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Morris on January 23 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dick Calmus

Another card lifted from my vintage box came back signed TTM recently.  This 1968 Topps Dick Calmus turned out nicely, signed in blue ballpoint pen.

Calmus (b. 1944) played in the majors in 1963 and 1967 for the Dodgers and Cubs.  He had a career record of 3-1 with 26 strike outs and a 3.17 ERA.

I mailed to him on February 11 and got the card back on March 7, for a 24-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jim Kaat

I added a couple cards from former pitcher, Jim Kaat, while paying his fee.  I had gotten him on a ball a while back, but I wanted to add a few of his cards to my album.  So, I decided on this 1983 Topps Super Veterans card, that looks really cool, and the nice vintage card below.

This 1965 Topps turned out really well.  I love the 65 design, and this card looks awesome.

I love listening to Kaat on the radio; I think he has a lot of insight to offer.  He pitched for forever, and really should be in the Hall of Fame.

I mailed to Kaat on February 27 and got the cards back on March 7, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - Sal Romano

I got this TTM success from Sal Romano via Reds Spring Training.  The cards look really nice with his signature on them.  The above 2018 Topps Update turned out really nice, I think.

This 2019 Topps also looks nice.  He did a really good job on the cards for me.

Romano (b. 1993) has played in the majors since 2017 with the Reds.  He has a record of 13-19 with 178 strike outs and a 4.99 ERA.  He was a 23rd round pick by the Reds in the 2011 June Amateur Draft out of a Connecticut high school.

I mailed to Romano on February 6 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dooley Womack

I raided my vintage box once again so that I could send some cards out for TTM autographs.  This 1968 Topps Dooley Womack came back looking pretty nice.

Womack (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1966 to 1970 for the Yankees, Astros, Pilots and A's.  He had a career record of 19-18 with 177 strike outs and a 2.95 ERA.

I mailed to Womack on February 25 and got the card back on March 4, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trevor Williams

Another Spring Training TTM success; this one is from Pirates pitcher, Trevor Williams.  I was able to use this 2015 Topps Pro Debut, and it turned out well.  I prepped it before I sent it, of course.

These Topps cards, from 2018 and 2019, also look really nice.

Williams (b. 1992 has played in the majors for the Pirates since 2016.  He has a 22-20 record with 254 strike outs and a 3.72 ERA.  He was a second round draft pick by the Marlins in the 2013 June Amateur Draft out of Arizona State.

I mailed to Williams via Pirates Spring Training on February 6 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joey Wendle

I got another success back from Spring Training, this one coming from Joey Wendle out of Rays camp.  I was able to get a 2015 Bowman Chrome out of my box, which was nice.  I wish the Sharpie showed up better on it, but oh well.

I also added this 2019 Topps.

Wendle (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2016 for the A's and Rays.  He has 175 hits, 9 home runs and a .294 batting average.  He finished 4th last season in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.  He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2012 June Amateur Draft by the Indians.

I mailed to Wendle on February 19 and got the cards back on March 2, for an 11-day TAT.

Ebay Pickup - Sparky Anderson Signed 1987 Topps Tigers Leaders

I got this card in after I had done the private signing with Willie Hernandez, so I'll have to get him again sometime.  Still, though, here is a really nice card signed by the late Sparky Anderson.  The card is BSA authenticated, and looks really nice.  I didn't pay much for it, either, which is a bonus.

I'll have to keep an eye out for another Hernandez signing, as well as the catcher depicted on the card, Marty Castillo.

Gerard With Some Nice Autos

I got a nice package in the other day from my good friend, Gerard.  In it, he included this signed 1987 Topps Jesse Orosco for my 1987 set.  I missed out on Orosco when he did a private signing a few months ago, but Gerard came through in the clutch and picked this MLB authenticated one up for me.

He also got a couple Sam Horn cards signed for me when Horn was doing a signing.  It was reallt nice of Gerard to hook me up like this!  Thanks so much!

Chris is Getting Some TTMs

My son, Chris, has been sending out TTMs here and there, and has gotten a couple back so far.  He was going to send to Luis Gonzlez, so I added a couple cards to his mailer.  I wanted him to have a few more options that the two cards he had found.  He ended up getting five cards back and let me keep these two.

The cards turned out well, and Chris didn't have to wait the two years that I had to, to get my cards back.

He wants to do more, but he doesn't want to put in the work of searching for cards.  Maybe he will start doing that more, and can get more of a return.

TTM Success - Willie Hernandez

This was a nice private signing that landed me a pitcher I needed for my 1987 set.  Unfortunately, he is on two cards in the set, and the second card was one I wasn't ready to send (the Tigers leaders card).  Still, I crossed this one off of my list, and it turned out well.

Hernandez (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1977 to 1989 for the Cubs, Phillies and Tigers.  He had a record of 70-63 with 788 strike outs and a 3.38 ERA.  He was the 1984 AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP.  He had gone 9-3 with 32 saves in 80 games that season.  He was an All Star in 1984, 1985 and 1986.  He won the 1984 World Series with the Tigers.

Hernandez appeared on the 1995 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.5% of the vote.

I mailed to the private signing on January 19 and got the card back on March 2, for a 42-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $35.00.

TTM Success - Patrick Wisdom

This was one of the best cards that I got back so far from Spring Training.  I sent this 2019 Topps 84 Chrome to Rangers camp and got it signed TTM by Patrick Wisdom.  The card turned out great!

Wisdom (b. 1991) played last season for the Cardinals.  He had 13 hits, 4 home runs and a .260 batting average.  He was traded to the Rangers in December 2018 for Drew Robinson.

I mailed to Wisdom on February 19 and got the card back on March 2, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jerry Kenney

I took some more of the 70s cards I got from Conrad and turned them into this TTM success from Jerry Kenney.  The above 1970 Topps was the only card he signed for me that didn't come from Conrad.  This was a Sportlots pickup.

These two were the cards I got from Conrad.  All of the cards turned out well, and I'm really happy with them.

Kenney (b. 1945) played in the majors in 1967 and from 1969 to 1973 for the Yankees and Indians.  He had 325 hits, 7 home runs and a .237 batting average.

I mailed to Kenney on February 20 and got the cards back on March 2 for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Darryl Motley

I crossed another 1987 Topps off of my list when I took part in another private signing on SCN.  This Darryl Motley card turned out pretty well, and the price was right.

Motley (b. 1960) played in the majors in 1981 and from 1983 to 1987 for the Royals and Braves.  He had 324 hits, 44 home runs and a .243 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Royals in 1985.

I mailed to the signing on February 4 and got the card back on February 28, for a 24-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $8.00.

TTM Success - Jim Holt

Some more older Topps cards came back TTM signed by Jim Holt.  The cards turned out well.

All I could find of Holt in my boxes were these two cards, but they were plenty for me to send.  He has a pretty nice signature.

Holt (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1968 to 1976 for the Twins and A's.  He had 428 hits, 19 home runs and a .265 batting average.  He won the World Series with the A's in 1974.

I mailed to Holt on January 29, and got the cards back on February 27, for a 29-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jakob Junis

I have been really happy with my returns from Spring Training this year.  Last year, I didn't get near as many returns.  This year, I am well over half of what I sent out, and I still have a week to go.  There are a few guys who I would love to get back, but the ones I have gotten back have been some nice ones.

Jakob Junis signed two card for me, a 2018 and 2019 Topps.  Both turned out well.

Junis (b. 1992) was a 29th round pick out of high school by the Royals in the 2011 June Amateur Draft.  He has played in the majors since 2017.  He has an 18-15 record with 244 strike outs and a 4.35 ERA.

I mailed to Junis on February 6 and got the cards back on February 26, for a 20-day TAT.

Signed 87 Set Pickup - Tom Seaver

This was going to be a tough card to get, far before Tom Seaver announced that he would be retiring from public life due to a recent diagnosis of dementia.  He had already largely given up signing, and I knew my best hope of adding him to my collection was going to be through the secondary market.

Luckily, I have two other guys I know that either are putting the set together, or have already completed it.  They both have been helping me look for some of the tougher guys, and when one of them messaged me the other day to tell me that a Seaver popped up on Ebay, I jumped at the chance to go ahead and cross that name off of my list.

The cost was pretty high, but in the end, I would have regretted letting it pass, so I made sure the card would be in my album.

Seaver (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1967 to 1986 for the Mets, Reds, White Sox and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 311-205 with 3,640 strike outs and an ERA of 2.86.  He won the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year Award and was a three-time NL Cy Young Award Winner (1969, 1973 and 1975).  He was a 12-time All Star (1967 to 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1981).  His best MVP finish was 2nd in 1969.  He won the World Series with the Mets in 1969.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992 with a then-record 98.8% of the vote.  His vote percentage still ranks third all-time.

TTM Success - Mitch Garver

Another nice Spring Training TTM success came in, this one being from Twins catcher, Mitch Garver.  I really liked the 2019 Topps, and made sure that card was one that I sent.

He also signed this 2018 Topps, which turned out well.

Garver (b. 1991) has played in the majors since 2017 for the Twins.  He has 90 hits, 7 home runs and a .259 batting average.  He was drafted in the 9th round of the 2013 June Amateur Draft out of the University of New Mexico.

I mailed to Garver on February 12 and got the cards back on February 26, for a 14-day TAT.

March 16, 2019, Raleigh Card Show Recap

I hadn't been to a card show since last year's National, and I really wasn't planning on going to the Raleigh show this past weekend.  I received a message from my friend, Jackson, who wanted to go, and he asked me if I would go with him to the show.  I figured it would be nice to spend time with him, so I decided to go ahead and attend.

I had some Christmas money that I hadn't spent, so I had a little bit of a budget.  I bought mostly stuff for other people, which is usually the case.  I did, however, find a few things for myself.  Most of what I bought was vintage stuff for TTMs and cirrent prospect stuff for graphing.  I did grab a few things for the collection, like the above 1949 Bowman Ralph Kiner.

The Kiner is really rough, but I liked it, and it was part of a bulk vintage deal with one of my favorite vendors.  I paid $20 for this card and a stack of lower grad vintage for TTMs.

This blue wave Riley Pint auto was part of the last deal I made.  The guy had a ton of nice Bowman parallels and autos.  I got a decent stack from him for $50.

I picked up a bunch of current and former Wood Ducks autos, as well.  I got this Eric Jenkins as part of a 2/$5.00 or 5/$10.00 deal.

Kyle Cody is a case of "buy low" at this point.  He has been out with arm injuries, but when he was on the Wood Ducks, he was pretty much "lights out".  I'm hoping he can bounce back and also spend a little more time in Kinston before he moves up (for selfish reasons, of course).

 I loved this green shimmer Cody auto, and this was the card that started that bulk $50 deal.  Jackson found it for me, and I made sure to take it home.

 This Jairo Beras auto was a steal.  He is a really cool guy, and even if he doesn't make the Show, I will hold onto this, since we met him several times.

I guess I have a small bit of a PC for guys that I have met, so adding this Jose Trevino made sense.  He was an awesome guy, even though he wasn't a Wood Duck.

This Ryan Ripken auto was a throw in on the bulk deal, and I was glad to grab it.  I was also glad I have finally learned not to wear Orioles gear to a show.  I got hosed back in the day when Ripken was first drafted, since I had an Orioles shirt on.

Finally, my big ticket item was this graded 10/10 Leody Taveras auto.  I paid $50 for it, and I think it will only go up.  I expect to see him again in Kinston this summer, but probably for not very long.

I had a great time at the show.  I was happy with everything I picked up, and I really appreciate Jackson inviting me.

TTM Success - Mark Teahen

I was really glad to get a bunch of these late 2000s cards signed TTM from Mark Teahen.  I have a ton of this kind of stuff, and would love to get more of it signed, but players from that time-frame don't sign a lot of TTM.  This 2007 Turkey Red is definitely one of the types of cards that I really wanted in my autograph album.  It turned out really well with Teahen's signature.

I also added a 2005 Upper Deck, 2008 Piece of History and a 2007 Finest.  They al turned out well, I think.  Piece of History was an interesting set that I opened quite a bit of when I was at the old card shop.

Teahen (b. 1981) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 for the Royals, White Sox and Blue Jays.  He had 759 hits, 67 home runs and a .264 batting average.

I mailed to him on February 11 and got the cards back on February 26, for a 15-day TAT.

TTM Success - Luis Pujols

I was finally able to get a few team set cards completed by Luis Pujols via TTM.  I has this 2015 NY-Penn League All Star card for a while, since I had tried to get some of the Ironbirds as they came up through Frederick.  I had hoped that I would get a chance to get Pujols, but he has since left the Orioles organization.

Pujos also signed these cards for me.  The card on the left is the second Charleston Charlies card that I picked up.  I thought the uniform looked cool.

Pujols (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1977 to 1985 for the Astros, Royals and Rangers.  He had 164 hits, 6 home runs and a .193 batting average.  He managed the Detroit Tigers in 2002, taking over for Phil Garner after the Tigers got off to an 0-6 start.  Pujols didn't fare any better, the Tigers went 55-100 with him at the helm.

According to Wikipedia, Luis Pujols is a cousin of Albert Pujols.

I mailed to Pujols on February 11 and got the cards back on February 25, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dereck Rodriguez

Another Spring Training TTM success came in recently; this one from Giants pitcher, Dereck Rodriguez.  I liked how this card came out, and I have encouraged Chris to send a couple of his own cards to Rodriguez, as well.  He has yet to do so, but I think he will once the season starts.

Rodriguez (b. 1992) played his rookie season last year in the Majors for the Giants.  He went 6-5 with 99 strike outs and a 3.34 ERA.  He was a 6th round pick out of high school by the Twins in the June 2011 Amateur Draft.

I mailed to Rodriguez on February 5 and got the card back on February 25, for a 20-day TAT.