TTM Success - Greg Louganis

My mom gave me a bag of oddball card packs that she found at Goodwill a while back.  In the bag were several packs of US Olympic Hall of Fame cards.  I had seen that Greg Louganis signed TTM, and since I pulled one of his cards from one of the packs, I decided to send to him.

I waited a bit, though, because I knew he was in 2007 Allen & Ginter, as well, so once I got around to looking through my boxes, I found his 07 Ginter and sent the two cards out.

Louganis (b. 1960) is widely considered one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) divers of all time.  He won Gold in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.  The events he won Gold in were (for both olympics) 3m Springboard and 10m platform.  He also won Silver in the 1976 Olympic Games 10m platform event.

In Seoul in 1988, Louganis hit his head on a board while performing a dive in a preliminary round and suffered a concussion.  He would come back from that injury and score the Gold, anyway.

Louganis attended the University of Miami, but transferred to UC-Irvine and graduated in 1983 with a major in theatre and a minor in dance.  He probably transferred out of Miami because their football team isn't all that great.

I mailed to Louganis on October 2 and got the cards back on October 11, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rob Mackowiak

I saw a lot of posts on Instagram showing that Rob Mackowiak was signing TTM, so I jumped on board and send a few cards out, myself.  This is what actually prompted me to spend much of the MLB playoffs by going through my card boxes.  I went through a bunch of years of cards and pulled a ton of guys who are signing, so I should have enough subjects to send to for quite a long time.

I sent some pretty nice Mackowiak cards, like the 2007 Topps at the top of the page, or the above 2007 Upper Deck, 2006 Topps or 2008 Topps Update.

Mackowiak (b. 1976) played in the majors from 2001 to 2008 for the Pirates, White Sox, Padres and Nationals.  He had 603 hits, 64 home runs and a .259 batting average.

I mailed to Mackowiak on September 30 and got the cards back on October 11, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Neil Walker

I got some really cool horizontal cards in from this TTM success from Neil Walker.  The above 2016 Topps Update looks really awesome.  It is a little hard to see his signature, but still, it is a really nice card.

This 2010 Topps also looks great.  Walker had some nice cards, and I think I sent some good ones out for this TTM request.

Walker (b. 1985) has played in the majors since 2009 for the Pirates, Mets, Brewers, Yankees and Marlins.  He has 1,215 hits, 149 home runs and a .267 batting average.  He was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2014. 

I mailed to Walker via Marlins Spring Training on February 20 and got the cards back on October 11, for a 233-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Kealey

I added two more signed cards to my album that came out of the lot of cards I bought a while back from my friend Conrad.  I have been chipping away at the 72 and 73 Topps cards that I got from him, and have gotten a good many of them signed.

Steve Kealey is the latest former player who has signed TTM for me.  He signed both cards in blue ink pen.

Kealey (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1968 to 1973 for the Angels and White Sox.  He had a career record of 8-5 with 126 strike outs and a 4.28 ERA.

I mailed to Kealey on September 26 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 14-day TAT.

Some 50/50s From Cal

I sent some cards to my buddy, Cal, a while back so he could graph the Lond Island Ducks and Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders.    Cal wasn't able to get much done, as he didn't get to as many games as he had hoped, but he still got a few cards done for me, like the above die cut Edgardo Alfonzo from 1005 Upper Deck SP.

He also got a 2006 Topps Alfonzo and a 2007 Fleer Delwyn Young.

Thanks for getting these cards done for me, Cal!  I'll be sending you some more next season.

TTM Success - Jack Cust

It took a long time, but I was able to add a couple signed cards of former Oriole, Jack Cust, to my collection.  I didn't have many cards of Cust as an Oriole, but I did have two 2004 Upper Deck Vintage, so I sent both of them.

I also had this 2009 Upper Deck that he signed.  His Sharpie looks like it is starting to dry up, but I'm happy to have the signed cards nonetheless.

Cust (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2004 and 2006 to 2011 for the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Orioles, A's and Mariners.  He had 510 hits, 105 home runs and a .242 batting average.

I mailed to Cust on October 26, 2017, and got the cards back on October 8, 2019, for a 712-day TAT.

TTM Success - Luis Gomez

Here are some more cards that I got signed TTM.  This time, they came from Luis Gomez.  I sent him a 1980 Topps (above), a 1979 Topps and 1981 Topps (both below).  The cards look nice, and the signatures are pretty sharp.

Gomez (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1974 to 1981 for the Twins, Blue Jays and Braves.  He had 263 hits, no home runs and a .210 batting average.

I mailed to Gomez on October 1 and got the cards back on October 8, for a 7-day TAT.

Some More Signed Cards From Jackson

My friend, Jackson, sent me another envelope the other day with a couple more autos.  He had gotten hold of my 1987 Topps needs list and found two guys that he had who I needed.

I really wanted to cross Ron Davis off of my list, and I had the opportunity a couple years ago at the National, but I had brought cards for the wrong Ron Davis.  I ended up picking an extra up from someone in line, but it wasn't an 87.  Jackson came through, though, and now he is off of the list.

I also needed Alvaro Espinoza, and was set to send to him TTM, but he signed through PastPros for a fee, so this evened out.

These cards put me at 529/792, or 67% of the set completed.  That's not too bad at all, I think, and I have a bunch more on the way!

TTM Success - Chris Volstad

I have been working on finding some guys who sign TTM from the mid-to-late 2000s, so I can move some of those cards out of my boxes.  I found a handful of guys, and sent out a ton of cards.  I was glad to get these cards back from former pitcher, Chris Volstad.

The above 2008 Topps Heritage rookie card looks pretty great.  I love the 1959 Topps design, and this one looks good.  The only thing that could make it better would have been a higher quality Sharpie.

Volstad also signed these four cards: 2005 Topps Update, 2008 Topps Update, 2009 Allen & Ginter and a 2009 O Pee Chee.

Volstad (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2008 to 2013, 2015 and 2017 to 2018 for the Marlins, Cubs, Rockies, Pirates and White Sox.  He had a career record of 37-58 with 481 strike outs and a 5.00 ERA.

I mailed to Volstad on September 30 and got the cards back on October 8, for an 8-day TAT.

With these five cards being added to my album, I have now filled 11 albums with autographed baseball cards.  Not too bad, since I started the albums in 2016.  Additionally, that does not include my signed 1987 Topps album.

TTM Success - Lance Niekro

I have been working non-stop lately to repopulate my TTM box, and I feel like I have found a ton of guys that I can send cards to.  One of them was former Giant, Lance Niekro.  I got three cards signed, and they all were sets that I don't have many cards of.

The above 2006 Upper Deck looks really cool.  I don't have much at all from this set, and I am glad that I sent this one in.

I found the above 2001 Bowman Heritage at my LCS.  The period of 1997 to 2003 holds a ton of stuff that I never opened.  I was out of the collecting game, and missed out on some gems.  The card looks awesome, and I was super excited to find it at the shop.

Of course, I had to get a Topps base card in there, and 2006 Topps is one set that I have very little of, as far as bulk cards are concerned.  I had a box of them that turned over and fell out of my truck in my move, and the cards ended up in the gutter just after a rainstorm.  Needless to say, most of the cards were ruined.

Niekro (b. 1979) is the son of the late Joe Niekro and the nephew of Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro.  He played in the majors from 2003 and 2005 to 2007 for the Giants.  He had 123 hits, 17 home runs and a .246 batting average.

I mailed to Niekro on September 30 and got the cards back on October 8, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brooke Kieschnick

I have a little bag of failed TTMs that sits beside my desk.  I check it periodically to see if a new address pops up for one of the failures, and have been able to thin the pile down here and there.  One of the players who sat in that bag for almost 3 years was Brooks Kieschnick.  I had some really awesome cards to send him, and originally sent three out in 2016.  They were RTS, so they sat and waited.

Recently, I checked on some of the envelopes, and saw that Kieschnick was signing at a new address, this time for a fee of $10.00/card.  Since the third card wasn't anything special, I sent the other two, along with a $20, and hopes the cards would come back signed this time.

The cards did come back, and I believe they might be some of the coolest cards that I have ever gotten returned.  The above Star Date 2000 from EX 2000 looks amazing.  I was so happy that this one came back signed, and turned out well.  I had prepped it beforehand, and I'm happy I did.  This card just looks awesome.

The other card I sent was a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite sets.  The cards are tough to find, and feature a nice wood-grain nameplate, and the player's face in a stippling design.  When I took art classes way back when, that was my favorite form of artistic media.  I always enjoyed stippling via pen and ink, but it was so time consuming.

Kieschnick (b. 1972) played in the majors from 1996 to 1997, 2000 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2004 for the Cubs, Reds, Rockies and Brewers.  He had 76 hits, 16 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Kieschnick on September 30 and got the cards back on October 8, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00/card.

TTM Success - Rick Luecken

I had these Rick Luecken cards in one of my boxes for a long time.  I liked his name, because it reminded me of a Pearl Jam song, and I also really liked the green border for the above 1990 Topps.  I finally got around to sending his cards to him, and got them back signed.

The above 1990 Bowman also turned out well.  I have come to enjoy seeing how well these scan.  they might be pretty plain cards, but they turn out looking pretty sharp when signed.

Luecken (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1989 to 1990 for the Royals, Braves and Blue Jays.  He had a career record of 3-5 with 51 strike outs and a 5.10 ERA.


I mailed to Luecken on September 23 and got the cards back on October 8, for a 15-day TAT.

Some More Autos From Jackson T.

I got another package in today from my friend, Jackson T., who formerly lived in Arizona, but is now back in Chicago.  He had gotten a box of cards off of me last year and tried to get as many cards as he could signed for me.

He sent another batch back today.  The above 2000 Rich Aurilia turned out really well.  I don't have very many cards from 2000 signed, so this one will look good in my album.

He helped me get some random stuff out of my boxes, like the 1990 Bowman Mike Remlinger.  I had a ton of those 90 Bowmans, and it was really rewarding to let some of them go, and clear out some room for other cards.  Same goes with the 1989 Topps Jim Eppard.

Best of all, though, Jackson knocked three more cards off of my 1987 set.  The Ed Lynch was really tough, since Jackson lost the card I sent him, sent me a signed 1987 Topps Tiffany, then I had to raid my completed set to find another Lynch in time for him to get it signed.  He was able to, and the card is now in my album.

Joe Price and Mike Moore are fairly tough, as well, but Jackson got them taken care of.  He also sent me a signed Tom Hume, but I had already gotten him; he also sent me a signed 1987 Topps Giants Leaders card signed by Jim Gott, but he apparently isn't on the card.  It is Jim Barr, and I have a card out to him to be signed right now.

Thanks so much for the autos, Jackson!

TTM Success - Alejandro Pena

Another SCN private signing has helped me land another autograph for my 1987 Topps set.  I had sent to Alejandro Pena a while back, and never got a return, so I went ahead and took advantage of the low fee for this signing, and crossed the card off of my list.

Pena (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1981 to 1992 and 1994 to 1996 for the Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Pirates, Red Sox and Marlins.  He had a career record of 56-52 with 839 strike outs and a 3.11 ERA.  He was the NL ERA leader in 1984 (2.48) and won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1981 and 1988, and the Braves in 1995.

I mailed to the signing on September 14 and got the card back signed on October 5, for a 21-day TAT.

Some 50/50s From Vince

I sent a few cards off to my friend, Vince in Illinois, toward the end of the MiLB season.  He got a few of the cards signed for me, but wasn't able to see all of the teams that he thought he would have.

Still, a few of the cards got done, and turned out well.

I had bought a Midwest League All Star set because I knew some of the guys would come up through the Carolina League, and Vince told me he would try to get some of the guys that I might not see.  He got these 4 cards done, and they look great.

He also got these two Freudis Nova cards done.  Nova is likely to come through Fayetteville next season,  but it was nice to go ahead and get these two cards signed.

Thanks for taking the 50/50s, Vince!

TTM Success - Don Schwall

I had this 1966 Topps card of Don Schwall in my vintage box that I finally got around to sending TTM.  The card turned out well, and I was glad to get it signed.

Schwall (b. 1936) played in the majors from 1961 to 1967 for the Red Sox, Pirates and Braves.  He had a career record of 49-48 with 408 strike outs and a 3.72 ERA.  He was the 1961 AL Rookie of the Year.  That season, he was also an All Star and he finished 14th in the MVP voting.

I mailed to Schwall on September 26 and got the card back on October 5, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Verhoeven

I think 1981 Topps cards look pretty awesome when signed.  The above John Verhoeven that I received signed through a TTM success really looks good.  There's something about how the colors on the card look that really pops.

If I weren't working on the 1987 Topps set, I would have probably gona after the 1981 set, but I had a billion 87s, and it was only natural to choose and go for that one, instead.

The late 70s trucker hat that Verhoeven is wearing in the 1978 Topps card (left) really stands out on that card.  The 1982 set isn't usually one of my first choices to send out, for some reason, but this card looks nice.

Verhoeven (b. 1952) played in the majors in 1976, 77, 80 and 81 for the Angels, White Sox and Twins.

He had a career record of 3-8 with a 3.79 ERA and 90 strike outs.

I mailed to Verhoeven on September 24 and got the cards back on October 4, for a 10-day TAT.

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Chuck Thompson

I wasn't going to buy anything for quite a while.  I have been trying to save money, and be able to pay for Chris's braces when they are finally put on next month.  I had two different friends offer me two amazing deals on some signed baseballs, so I couldn't pass them up.

The first baseball was an absolute steal that my good friend, Cal, offered me.  His reasoning was that he wanted the baseball to go to a true Orioles fan, and didn't want me to pass it up.  Fair enough.  Cal had actually shown me the ball a while back, and I helped him identify some of the signatures on the ball.

It is a Baltimore Orioles team signed baseball from what appears to be 1994. I would have already been interested in the ball, if it only contained some Orioles players, but whomever got this ball signed (Cal got it from his neighbor who collected when he was a kid) had it signed by Hall of Fame broadcaster, Chuck Thompson.

Thompson was to the Orioles what Ernie Harwell was to the Tigers; Jack Buck was to the Cardinals; Vin Scully was to the Dodgers; you get my point.  I missed out on a good deal on a Thompson single-signed baseball a couple years ago, and regretted it.  When Cal told me Thompson was on this ball, and at the price he offered, I jumped all over it.

Thompson (b. 1921 - d. 2005) began his broadcasting career in 1939, in Reading, PA.  His career was interrupted by a stint in the Army in World War II, where he fought at the Battle of the Bulge.  He resumed his career in 1945.  Beginning in 1946, he called all home games for both of the Philadelphia baseball teams (A's and Phillies).  In 1949, Thompson was hired to broadcast games for the International League Orioles (the O's were not yet a MLB franchise) and the Baltimore Colts.

When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954, Thompson was unable to broadcast Orioles games because their broadcasting rights were owned by a rival corporation.  The company hired Ernie Harwell to broadcast the games, but wanted Thompson to be a part of the broadcast, so he ended up working alongside Harwell beginning in 1955.

From 1957 to 1961, Thompson called Washington Senators games with Bob Wolff.  Thompson would return to the Orioles, and broadcast their games from 1962 to 1987.  During his time with the Orioles, he would call games for two World Series Champions, five AL pennants, six AL East titles and only one losing season.

Thompson would come out of retirement in 1991, to call games part-time for the Orioles, but would retire for good in 2000.

Thompson received the Ford C. Frick Award (which makes him a Hall of Fame broadcaster) in 1993.

Thompson passed away in 2005 after suffering a stroke.

Other players/personnel on the baseball include: Peter Angelos, Elrod Hendricks, Rafael Palmeiro, Harold Baines, Lonnie Smith, Arthur Rhodes, Mark Eichhorn, Mark Williamson, Chris Hoiles, Alan Mills, and Leo Gomez.

Thompson becomes my 147th Hall of Famer on a baseball.  Thank you so much for the deal, Cal!

TTM Success - Darrell Whitmore

I added some cool mid-90s cards to my album with this TTM success from Darrell Whitmore.  I sat on the cards for quite a while, then finally got around to sending to him.

The cards turned out really well, and he even kept my 1995 Topps.  I really like the early Marlins teal; those helmets/hats really stand out.

Whitmore (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1993 to 1995 for the Marlins.  He had 67 hits, 5 home runs and a .203 batting average.

I mailed to Whitmore on September 23 and got the cards back on October 4, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Paul Mitchell

I had cards for Paul Mitchell set to send TTM for quite a while, then when going through my box of 1991 Crown Orioles, I saw he was also in that set.  That, alone, pushed me to go ahead and send cards to Mitchell for signature.

The cards came out well, especially the 91 Crown.

I also got 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980 Topps cards signed, and they all turned out really well.

Mitchell (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1975 to 1980 for the Orioles, A's, Mariners and Brewers.  He had a career record of 32-39 with 277 strike outs and a 4.45 ERA.

I mailed to Mitchell on September 20 and got the cards back on October 3, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dennis Powell

I crossed another player off of my 1987 Topps list when I received this TTM success from Dennis Powell.

Powell has a nice signature, and it showed up well on the two cards that I sent.

Powell (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1985 to 1990 and 1992 to 1993 for the Dodgers, Mariners and Brewers.  He had a career record of 11-22 with 199 strike outs and a 4.95 ERA.

I mailed to Powell on September 13 and got the cards back signed on October 3, for a 20-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bobby Heise

I added some mid-70s cards to my album with this TTM success from Bobby Heise.  Heise wins the award for the World's Smallest Autograph.  I had to do a double-take to make sure he had even signed the cards.

This 1974 Topps Traded came out of the vintage box that I bought off of Max at the National.  It wasn't just hockey cards in the box.

Heise (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1967 to 1977 for the Mets, Giants, Brewers, Cardinals, Angels, Red Sox and Royals.  He had 283 hits, 1 home run and a .247 batting average.

I mailed to Heise on September 23 and got the cards back on October 3, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Larry Jeffrey

Here is another of the vintage hockey cards that I was able to get signed TTM.  This is a 1970-1971 Topps card of former Red Wing, Larry Jeffrey.

The card turned out pretty sharp.  I especially liked it because it was a Red Wing.  I may or may not have heard of the hockey team from Detroit once or twice.

Jeffrey (b. 1940) played from 1961 to 1969 for the Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Rangers.  He had 39 goals, 62 assists and 101 points.  He won the Stanley Cup in 1967 with the Rangers.

I mailed to Jeffrey on September 17 and got the card back on October 3, 2019, for a 16-day TAT.

I had ordered a book of Canada-to-US stamps online, and bought some US-to-Canada stamps at my local post office.  Those have helped me expand my TTM requests a bit.  I hope the 5 people who read this blog have enjoyed the small change of pace.

A Couple Autos From Keegan

I sent some Richmond cards to my friend, Keegan, in hopes of getting some 50/50s done, but it was pretty close to the end of the season, so all he was able to get done for me was this Jalen Miller 2016 Bowman Chrome black and gold refractor.  I had sent him a Jonah Arenado card just like this one, but he got released by the Giants right before Keegan was set to do the graphing.

I took a couple guys for Keegan, and in return he sent me this 2013 Topps Update Chris Davis in return.  I didn't have this one signed by Davis yet, so that was nice.

Hopefully, Keegan will be able to take some more 50/50s next season, as some good players should be moving up to Richmond.

TTM Success - Gary Sabourin

Another of the hockey cards that Max gave me came back signed recently; this one being from Gary Sabourin.  This is a 1970-1971 Topps, and looks pretty sharp.  Sabourin has a really nice signature.

Sabourin (b. 1943) played from 1967 to 1977 for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, California Golden Seals and the Cleveland Barons.  He had 169 goals, 188 assists and 357 points. 

I mailed to Sabourin on August 22 and got the card back signed on October 3, for a 42-day TAT.

Two TTM Successes From Dickie Thon

Dickie Thon signs through PastPros, so I figured it would be pretty easy to get my 1987 Topps signed by him.  I went through PastPros' steps back in November, sent my card in and waited.  I waited so long, I had forgotten about it, but when cleaning out my email, I saw the receipt from PastPros, and that it should take no longer than a month to get my card back.  I emailed them, and they said they would look into it.  I waited and forgot again, and when I was missing another player (Eric Plunk), I remembered that I needed to look for this one again.

Finally, I got a message from PastPros that Dickie had never received my 87 Topps, and would sign and send me one of his own.  THEN they message me again saying he didn't have any 87s, but he would send me something else.  I got this 1984 Fleer All Star card.  In the email, PastPros told me to re-send an 87, and Thon would sign that for me, as well.  So, I did, and got that signed card back in about a week.

I'm glad to have gotten my card back.  I have no idea what happened to the other one, but I can mark him off of my checklist, and all is well.

Thon (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1979 to 1993 for the Angels, Astros, Padres, Phillies, Rangers and Brewers.  He had 1,176 hits, 71 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1983.  He was a Silver Slugger and finished 7th in the NL MVP voting that season, as well.

I originally sent to Thon on November 6, 2018, and got the 84 Fleer back on September 30, for a 328-day TAT.  I sent the second 87 Topps on September 28, and got the signed card back on October 5, for a 7-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Don August

I found a few more cards of Don August over time as I looked for other guys to send TTM to, and finally, I sent another request to him.  Normally, I try to not send additional requests to folks, but I have done it from time to time.  I did like the above 1989 Score Rookies and Stars that I found in a box from Goodwill, and I wanted to get it signed.

I also found the above 1989 Score Traded card in a Goodwil box.  The above 1989 Upper Deck was left over from a repack box.

I mailed to August on September 23 and got the cards back on September 30, for a 7-day TAT.