TTM Success - Rodney Scott

I had ROdney Scott's cards in my box for probably 4 years or more, but always put off mailing to him due to him having signing fees.  I finally had a few extra bucks and decided to send to him, so I could clear out some space in my box.

I sent along a 1981 Topps (above) and a 1979 Topps (below).  He used some weird colored marker; I guess you could say that is purple.

Still, the cards got signed, and they'll add something a little different to my album, which always helps.

Scott (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1975 to 1982 for the Royals, Expos, A's, Cubs and Yankees.  He had 504 hits, 3 home runs and a .236 batting average.  He led the NL in triples in 1980 with 13; that year he also had 63 stolen based.  He finished 22nd in the 1980 NL MVP race.

I mailed to Scott on April 8 and got the cards back on April 25, for a 17-day TAT.  I paid a fee through PastPros of $17/card.  Had I known that the signatures wouldn't look all that great, I probably would have put it off even longer.  Oh well.

TTM Success - Don Rose

I got another card signed from the lot of 1973 Topps cards that I picked up from Conrad in South Carolina.  This one was signed in ballpoint pen by Don Rose.

Rose (b. 1947) played in the majors in 1971, 1972 and 1974.  He had a career record of 1-4 with 40 strike outs and a 4.14 ERA.

I mailed to Rose on March 9 and got the card back on April 24, for a 46-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sean Casey

I mailed to him twice, but I was able to get Sean Casey's autograph on some nice cards.  I had mailed to him via MLB Network a couple years ago and never got anything back.  Finally, I saw his addrerss on SCN, so I tried again.

I got some really nice stuff signed, even though I would have rather had the 2006 Upper Deck Ovation that I had sent originally, but these were will really nice.

Casey (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1997 to 2008 for the Indians, Reds, Pirates, Tigers and Red Sox.  He had 1,531 hits, 130 home runs and a .302 batting average.  He was a three-time All Star (1999, 2001 and 2004).  He appeared in the 2006 World Series while with Detroit and batted .529 with 2 home runs over 5 games, even though the Tigers lost to the Cardinals.

I mailed to Casey on April 10 and got the cards back on April 23, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rich Monteleone

I added some cool cards to my album with this TTM success from Rich Monteleone.  I had him in my "To Be TTMed" box for a while, and finally got the cards in the mail.

All of the cards turned out pretty well, and they were all ones I was happy to get out of my boxes.

Monteleone (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1987 to 1996 for the Mariners, Angels, Yankees, Giants and Angels.  He had a career record of 24-17 with 212 strike outs and a 3.87 ERA.

I mailed to Monteleone on April 14 and got the cards back on April 21, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Charles Nagy

He was one of the tip pitchers of the mid-90s, leading the Indians to a couple playoff berths, and has recently been a major league pitching coach.  When I saw that Charles Nagy was signing TTM, I was very excited and picked up some nice cards of his to send off.

The 1999 Stadium Club (above) turned out really well, and was a card that I had found at my LCS a while back.

I don't have many signed 1997 Topps and even fewer 1997 Topps Chrome in my album, so adding these was nice.

Finally, I had him sign a 1997 Finest Hurlers, 1997 Studio and a 2000 Topps.

Nagy (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1990 to 2003 for the Indians and Padres.  He had a record of 129-105 with 1,242 strike outs and a 4.51 ERA.  His best finish in the AL Cy Young race was 4th (1996).  He was also a three-time All Star (1992, 1996 and 1999).

I mailed to Nagy on October 15 and got the cards back on April 17, for a 185-day TAT.

TTM Success - Drew Stubbs

I have spent more and more time trying to identify recent players who sign TTM.  One of them was Drew Stubbs, and I got some nice cards signed by him.  The above 2014 Topps Target red parallel turned out nicely.

I also sent a (curved) 2010 Topps Chrome (left), a 2011 Topps (middle) and a 2016 Topps Update (right).  They all look nice.

Stubbs (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2009 to 2017 for the Reds, Indians, Rockies, Rangers, Braves, Orioles and Giants.  He had 687 hits, 92 home runs and a .242 batting average.

I mailed to Stubbs on April 8 and got the cards back on April 16, for an 8-day TAT.

Huge Set Addition - Barry Bonds

With the National being pushed back and possibly canceled, I took the money I had saved up for my trip and went ahead and paid off my car.  I also got myself a little something, since there aren't too many cards to be had out there.  I picked up this nice addition to my 1987 set, a signed Barry Bonds rookie card.

The card is numbered 69/500; I imagine that is from whatever signing this came from.  It was JSA authenticated, and it now in my album.

Bonds (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1986 to 2007 for the Pirates and Giants.  He has 2,935 hits, 762 home runs and a .298 batting average.

He is the all-tome home run leader with 762, the all-time walks leader with 2,558 and the all-time intentional walks leader with 688.  He won 7 NL MVP awards (1990, 1992, 1993, and 2001 to 2004).  He was a 14-time All Star (1990 1992 to 1998, 2000 to 2004 and 2007).  He has the record for most home runs in a season with 73, hit in 2001.  Neither before, nor after, did he hit more than 49. 

Bonds only appeared in one World Series, a 2002 loss to the Angels.  In those 7 games, he hit 4 home runs and had a .471 batting average.

He is the face of the Steroid Era in baseball and this will most likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame.  In my opinion, he was a Hall of Famer before he took steroids, and being one of the most well-known baseball players of all-time should punch his ticket, since the Hall is supposed to tell the story of the game, but that isn't for me to decide.  The all-time hits leader isn't in, either.  If Bonds (and Clemens) get in, then I believe Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe and Buck Weaver should be in, too.

Still, though, I am very excited to have been able to add this card to my set.

TTM Success - Fred Scherman

Here are some nice mid-70s cards that came out of my boxes and were able to be signed TTM.  The top two (1972 and 1973 Topps) came from the boxes I bought off of Conrad while I was in South Carolina.  Fred Scherman's signature looks really nice on the both of them.

This 1974 Topps came out of a box of cards that my awesome friend, Max, hooked me up with at the National last year.

Scherman (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1969 to 1976 for the Tigers, Astros and Expos.  He had a career record of 33-26 with 297 strike outs and a 3.66 ERA.

I mailed to Scherman on April 8 and got the cards back on April 15, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ernie Camacho

I've been having to use private signing more and more to knock cards off of my 1987 checklist, and this is how I was able to get my card signed by Ernie Camacho.

Camacho (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1980 to 1981 and 1983 to 1990 for the A's, Pirates, Indians, Astros, Giants and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 10-20 with 159 strike outs and a 4.21 ERA.

I mailed to the private signing on February 24 and got the card back on April 13, for a 49-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $20.00.

TTM Success - Ken Reynolds

I took a couple more 72/73 Topps cards out of my box when I sent off to Ken Reynolds TTM.  Both cards came back signed in black ballpoint pen, and look pretty nice.

Reynolds (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1970 to 1973 and 1975 to 1976 for the Phillies, Brewers, Cardinals and Padres.  He had a career record of 7-29 with 197 strike outs and a 4.46 ERA.

I mailed to Reynolds on April 1 and got the cards back on April 9, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Alex Trebek

I was able to add another notable figure to my 1987 set when I was able to get Alex Trebek to sign a 1987 Topps checklist.

I had seen that folks were getting his autograph TTM, but I didn't have any Jeopardy! cards, so I figured a 1987 checklist would do just fine.  I even put in my note about not having any Jeopardy! related items, and that led to the cool inscriptions that Trebek wrote for me.  The above card says "With the best wishes of a Ted Williams fan."

I also sent along an extra 1986 Topps Spring Fever Baseball entry card, and Trebek signed it, too.  This one was inscribed "At least I'm a baseball fan."

I've watched Jeopardy! for years, and was glad to see that Trebek is signing TTM.  He has had health challenges lately, following his diagnosis of Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

Trebek (b. 1940) has hosted numerous TV and Game Shows since 1963.  He is most notably known as the host of Jeopardy! since 1984.

I mailed to Trebek on March 7 and got the cards back on April 6, for a 30-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Eric Bell

I pulled a few more cards out of my 1991 Orioles Crown set and sent them off for signatures.  One of them was to someone I had already gotten TTM, Eric Bell.

I had found a couple other cool cards of Bell that I sent along with the 1991 Orioles Crown.  The 1988 Score Rookies and Stars card (left) came out of a ton of boxes that I found at a Goodwill, and the Red Wings card from 1988 came out of some extras that someone sent to me in a trade several years ago. Both cards are going to look cool in my album.

I mailed to Bell on March 9 ad got the cards back on April 4, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ted White

He isn't a baseball player.  He is a new subject for an 87 Topps checklist, mainly because for some reason, I didn't have any acceptable cards of him, but I added a new autograph to my 87 album of a  Hollywood stuntman and actor.

I have a ton of 1987 Topps checklists, and I have stated before, but I plan on adding signed checklists of folks who were active (in the loosest of terms) in the year 1987.  For that reason, I will paint a bit of a picture of why I sent to White, and how he fits into my project.

Imagine if you will, it is the summer of 1987 and five brothers ranging in age from 11 to 4 are staying up late on a Friday night.  Ok, well, maybe the 4-year old is already in bed; he didn't really get to stay up late until a few years later.  Anyway, FOUR brothers staying up late, watching late-night HBO or popping a tape in the VCR, while Mom and Dad are asleep.  Yep, time for a good horror movie!  One of the staples of those nights was Friday the 13th The Final Chapter (Part IV, if you're scoring at home).  Yes, we all know that there were 8 sequels after the final chapter, but come on.  Jason is hard to keep down.  My older brother was born on a Friday the 13th, so he was a huge fan of the series, and Part IV was the first one we owned on VHS.  Adding the autograph of the guy who played Jason in this movie fits right in to my project.  See?  It does make sense.

Anyway, Part IV is one of the better films of the series and stars folks you have actually heard of like Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover (pre-Back to the Future).  I've probably seen this one more than any of the others in the series (with Part 6 a very close second).  When I saw that Ted White signed TTM, I jumped all over sending to him.

White (b. 1926) has been an active actor and stuntman from 1949 to 2020.  Formerly a football player for the University of Oklahoma, White began acting in 1949 in the film Sands of Iwo Jima.  He worked as a stunt double for John Wayne in several films.

White sells autographed photos on his website, and I probably should pick up one of his signed Jason photos to put with my auto of Kane Hodder (who also played Jason).  At 94 years old, White still makes the horror-con circuit.

I'm really glad I sent the card to White to sign, as it turned out really well.  Recently, I got a couple other checklist back signed from other folks, so you'll have to stay tuned to see who they are of.

I mailed to White on March 17 and got the card back on April 3, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Palmer

I have been using PastPros quite a bit lately to get some cards for my 1987 set.  This time around, I crossed Dave Palmer off of the list.  It took a while, and I had to email the folks at PastPros, but I got my cards in, and they look good.

I went ahead and got this 1981 Topps signed as well.

Palmer (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1978 to 1980, 1982 and 1984 to 1989 for the Expos, Braves, Phillies and Tigers.

He had a career record of 64-59 with 748 strike outs and a 3.78 ERA.

I mailed to Palmer on September 28 and got the cards back on April 2, for a 187-day TAT.

Gerard Delivers With Some 87 Set Needs

My good friend, Gerard, saw two cards that I needed for my 87 set, and worked a deal to snag them for me.

I tried sending to Ray Searage via Spring Training a couple years ago, but the cards were never returned.  Now, I don't think he is coaching with anyone, but if he isn't, I'm sure someone will pick him up.  He worked wonders as the Pirates pitching coach.

This Greg Walker card is also nice.  I don't believe I had mailed to him, but now I don't have to.  Gerard has been a big help with the set, and it definitely is coming along pretty well.

Thanks so much for picking up these cards for me!

TTM Success - Matt Antonelli

I dug these Matt Antonelli cards out of the depths of my boxes, got them signed TTM and can now put them in the autograph album.

I forgot how sharp 2009 Upper Deck Goudey cards looked, and the above one turned out nicely.

This 2009 Bowman didn't look as good, but I'll take it.  The card is at least signed.

Antonelli (b. 1985) played in the majors in 2008 for the Padres.  He had 11 hits, 1 home run and a .193 batting average.

I mailed to Antonelli on March 16 and got the cards back on April 2, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Collins

Another 1987 Topps came off of my list when I got this card back signed from Dave Collins via a private signing.

Collins (b. 1952) played in the majors from 1975 to 1990 for the Angels, Mariners, Reds, Yankees, Blue Jays, A's, Tigers and Cardinals.  He had 1,335 hits, 32 home runs and a .272 batting average.  He finished 27th in the 1979 NL MVP race.

I mailed to the signing on March 4 and got the card back on March 30, for a 26-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00.

TTM Success - Bryan Little

While going through my boxes for the 1,000th time, I pulled out some more cards of guys who I saw that were signing.  I had these two cards of Brian/Bryan Little and sent them off to be signed.  The above 1985 Topps turned out really well.

I enjoy the 1986 Topps set, and from what I understand, that set has undergone a bit of a renaissance the last few years.  It seems that folks are seeking out Gem Mint 10 versions of these cards, and they fetch a huge sum.  I remember when I got a couple wax boxes of this product for $5/box about 15 years ago.  Times really have changed.

Little (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1982 to 1986 for the Expos, White Sox and Yankees.  He had 226 hits, 3 home runs and a .245 batting average.  I just noticed that he attended Louisburg College in Louisburg, NC.  In my regular line of work, Louisburg College was a client of ours, which is pretty cool.

I mailed to Little on March 16 and got the cards back on March 23, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Colborn

I received a TTM success from former pitcher, Jim Colborn that landed me some 70s cards for my autograph album.

The above 1973 Topps is a really sharp card, and turned out well when signed.

I also got a 1978 and a 1979 Topps signed by Colborn.

Colborn (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1969 to 1978 for the Cubs, Royals, Brewers and Mariners.  He had a career record of 83-88 with 688 strike outs and a 3.80 ERA.  He won 20 games in 1973 when he went 20-12. t hat season, he pitched 22 complete games with 4 shutouts.  He was an All Star that season, and finished 6th in the Cy Young Award voting.

I mailed to Colborn on March 9 and got the cards back on March 23, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lewis Thorpe

I had another Spring Training TTM success come back when I got these cards in from Lewis Thorpe.  I really liked the shot on the above 2020 Topps, and it looks really cool when signed.

The above 2014 Topp Heritage Minors card also turned out well.  I didn't get many Heritage Minors cards prior to 2017, since the Wood Ducks weren't here, but that has changed in recent years.  I have enjoyed going through boxes of the older versions at shops and shows and seeing the minor leaguers of those times.

Thorpe (b. 1995) made his Major League debut last season with the Twins.  He went 3-2 with 31 strike outs and a 6.18 ERA.

I mailed to Thorpe on February 8 via Twins Spring Training and got the cards back on March 23, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Prior

This was a TTM success that I was really excited to get back.  I had waited quite a while, but got a couple signed cards back from Mark Prior.  The above 2002 Upper Deck MVP card was added to my mailer by Prior, himself, which was really awesome.  I like this card's design, and if I were choosing cards to send him, I would have definitely sent this along.

This 2004 Donruss World Series card was the one that I did send him.  It was heavily creased in the mail, so that is why Prior included the other card, I think.  I know nothing about this series; I believe the card came out of a repack box that I picked up somewhere along the way years ago.  It turned out really well, and will be a unique addition to my autograph album.

Prior (b. 1980) was a first round draft pick (43rd overall) by the Yankees in the 1998 June Amateur Draft, but didn't sign.  He was, again, a first round pick (2nd overall) during the 2001 June Amateur Draft, this time by the Cubs.  He played in the majors 2002 to 2006 for the Cubs, amassing a 42-29 record with 757 strike outs and a 3.51 ERA.  Never quite realizing his phenom potential, Prior showed flashes of brilliance (he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 2003 and finished 3rd in the Cy Young Voting, 9th in the MVP voting, and was an All Star), but was beset by injuries.

I mailed to Prior on February 5, 2019, and got the cards back on March 23, 2020, for a 412-day TAT.  I sent the cards to Dodgers Spring Training camp.

TTM Success - Keith Lockhart

I added an assortment of cards to my album with this TTM success from Keith Lockhart.

The above 1996 Pinnacle came out of a box that I got when I visited Andrew for his graduation several years ago.  I have been able to get some of the cards that I got on that trip signed, which is really nice.

The 1997 Score and 1990 CMC AAA card (left and right) both came out of boxes that my mom gave me, and the 2001 Topps in the middle was from another box I got while with Andrew.

Lockhart (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1994 to 2003 for the Padres, Royals and Braves.  He had 591 hits, 44 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to Lockhart on January 14, 2019 and got the cards back on March 21, 2020, for a 432-day TAT.

An Instagram Trade With Al

Believe it or not, I actually hate trading.  Usually, it is a long, drawn out process where you have to haggle with folks and/or meet their demands to pull something decent off.  I prefer the arrangements I have with friend such as Max or Gerard where we just send each other stuff we think the other would like, and in the end, things kind of wash out.

That's not to be said,though, that I won't pull off a trade here and there.  Recently, a guy on Instagram named Al approached me about trading our extra prospect autos from IP graphing.  I keep a box of extra autos just for this reason, and with the cards that I had built up, I made a pretty sweet deal.

Al was super generous with his cards, and I didn't know he would be at the start.  I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the deal until he sent me some photos of cards he was making available.  The 2017 Topps Heritage Minors Gavin Lux is the card that got my attention, and ultimately what persuaded me to strike a deal.

I had a couple unsigned versions of the card, but I had no way of seeing Lux in person in order to get one signed.  I know he is a really well thought of prospect, so I was hoping I would have a chance to get him at some point.

Al and I basically did a card-for-card trade, but the autograph he was most focused on was Nick Madrigal.  I had one left, and was able to include it in the deal.  I think including that card set the wheels in motion on Al's end, and I think the both of us are very excited about each person's returns.  I was able to get: Lux, Jeff Brigham, Dilson Herrera, Lewis Brinson, Tyler Alexander, Helmis Rodriguez, Daniel Robertson, Chris Ellis, Ryan McMahon, Austin Beck...

 Justus Sheffield, AJ Reed, Forrest Wall, Rosell Herrera, Kyle Freeland, Alex Verdugo, Jamie Westbrook, Cody Reed, Sam Selman...

Jairo!, Tyler Danish, Andrew Sopko x 3, and Pat Neshek.  Al also included autos of Josh Morgan and Collin Wiles, but I already had them, so those will either be included in a future trade with someone else, or they'll make it into a gift or something.

I was very happy with my deal with Al.  He and I agreed to do some 50/50s together, if the season can ever get going.

TTM Success - Sam Perlozzo

I had these cards of former Orioles manager, Sam Perlozzo, in my Orioles box for years.  I finally got them out of the box and out in the mail last month.  Perlozzo signed everything I sent, and the cards turned out pretty well.

I got Perlozzo to sign a 2006 Upper Deck, 1979 Topps, 2006 Topps and 2007 Topps.  I had the 1979 Topps since I picked up my partial set back in '06, and saved the extra Perlozzo that I found in the box.  It has floated around my Orioles boxes for a long time, and now it will reside in my autograph album.

Perlozzo (b. 1951) played in the majors in 1977 and 1979 for the Twins and Padres.  He had 7 hits, no home runs and a .269 batting average (he only got into 12 games).

He managed the Orioles from 2005 to 2007.  His overall managerial record was 122-164 (.427 win %).  Those were some pretty bad Orioles teams.  Perlozzo even lobbied for his longtime best friend, Leo Mazzone, to come on board as the Orioles pitching coach.  The Orioles pitchers were pretty brutal during that time, and Mazzone was ineffective as pitching coach.  I just remember all of the hype, and then poof, Mazzone was gone.  I knew it wasn't going to end well when Mazzone showed up at Spring Training with a new Orioles logo tattoo on his arm.

I mailed to Perlozzo on March 9 and got the cards back on March 20, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Will Smith

I added a cool card to my autograph album with this TTM success from Will Smith.  Not that Will Smith.  The Will Smith pictured on the card.  Duh.

He signed the card with a silver Sharpie, and it shows up a lot better in person.

Smith (b. 1995) made his Major League debut last season with the Dodgers.  He had 43 hits, 15 home runs and a .253 batting average.  He was a 1st Round (32nd overall) pick by the Dodgers in the 2016 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Louisville.

I mailed to Smith via the Oklahoma City Dodgers on May 22, 2019 and got the card back on March 20, 2020, for a 303-day TAT.  I sent three cards, and he signed one.

Another TTM Success From Juan Gonzalez

I sent to Juan Gonzalez a few times already, but I had compiled several cards that I really wanted to get signed, so I finally sent more to him recently.  The above 2019 Panini Prizm is what started me with picking up more Gonzo cards.  This one is numbered 348/399.  I wish he had used a better Sharpie, but it is signed, and I can't really complain.

I really love the 1997 Zenith set (top left).  I looked at picking up a box of it, and it turns out, it is a very small set.  I may pick some more up and try to get a few more signed for my album.  Top right is a 2001 Topps Heritage.  I like that 1952 design, and also a photo of Gonzalez as a Tiger.  The 2002 Stadium Club (bottom left) is the only one from that set that has made it into the album as of yet.  The photo is really nice and glossy.  I might have to look into a box of those, as well, depending on price.  Finally, the 1998 Topps Picture Perfect insert turned out well and finishes off the success.

I mailed to Gonzalez on January 6 and got the cards back on March 17, for a 71-day TAT.