Another TTM Success From Bobby Richardson

Another TTM success has come in from former Yankee, Bobby Richardson.  This 1958 Topps is a card that I found at the Chantilly show and wanted to get signed.  At 87 years old, Richardson still signs, and has a great signature.

I mailed to Richardson on October 25 and got the card back on November 21, for a 27-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Sweeney

A few cards spread out over a couple decades were added to my autograph album with this TTM success from Mark Sweeney.  The above 1996 Fleer is a cool card; it has a rough matte finish that was done to aid in autographing.  The concept later only two years, but makes for something a little different.  The cards are a pain to search through if you're in a hurry, though.

I also got a 1995 Topps, 2007 Upper Deck First Edition and 2007 Upper deck signed.  These were good cards to get out of my boxes, since I've got so many cards from these years.

Sweeney (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1995 to 2008 for the Cardinals, Padres, Reds, Brewers, Rockies, Giants and Dodgers.  He had 464 hits, 42 home runs and a .254 batting average.

I mailed to Sweeney on October 13 and got the cards back on November 21, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott McClain

1996 Bowman is a card set that doesn't get a lot of play lately.  From what I can tell, there aren't any huge rookie cards in the set like some of the prior years of Bowman.  The design isn't bad; it is very reminiscent of 1968 Topps.  I got a wax box of 1996 Bowman from the neighbor of my good friend, Andrew, when I was up there in 2018 for Andrew's graduation.  I have tried to get a few signed cards from this set into my album, and the above card of former Oriole minor leaguer, Scott McClain, is the latest example.

McClain (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1998, 2005, 2007 and 2008 for the Devil Rays, Cubs and Giants.  He had 15 hits, 2 home runs and a .192 batting average.  McClain would play professional baseball for 20 seasons; not bad for a 22nd round pick out of the 1990 June Amateur Draft.  He began playing pro baseball at the age of 18 in 1990 for the Bluefield Orioles and finished his career in 2009 for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan at the age of 37.  His complete career totals are impressive: 2,039 hits, 383 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to McClain on October 1 and got the card back on November 19, for a 49-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Ross

He's not the Bob Ross that is famous for happy little trees, but he still is noteworthy and has some nice cards.  I sent two cards to Ross TTM and both came out great.  The above 1954 Topps is a little rough in condition, but the signature looks great on the card.

I also got a 1952 Topps signed.  Sadly, these two may be the last cards I get signed from living players from each of these sets.  There aren't too many guys left who are still living, let alone who sign from either of these sets.

Ross (b. 1928) played in the majors in 1950, 1951 and 1956 for the Senators and Phillies.  He had a record of 0-2 with 29 strike outs and a 7.17 ERA.

I mailed to Ross on October 31 and got the cards back on November 19, for a 19-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Mom - Lefty Grove Signed Baseball

Mom did it again.  She went and found a Hall of Famer that I needed, and proceeded to add a tough name to my Hall of Fame signed baseball collection.  Not only that, she allowed me to double up on a player who used to be my most coveted signature in the collection.  All of this from the above 1938 Boston Red Sox signed baseball.  The ball has a JSA full letter of authenticity and authenticates five of the ten signatures on the ball (Grove, Bobby Doerr, Jimmie Foxx (!!!!), Fritz Ostermuller and Doc Cramer.  I am going to try to identify the five other guys, but some of the signatures are terribly faded.  The ball has been shellacked, which hopefully will help the signatures stay in their current state.  She got the ball from Fanatics, so it has a really nice case it can stay in.

Grove (b. 1900 - d. 1975) played in the majors from 1925 to 1941 for the A's (Philadelphia) and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 300-141 with 2,266 strike outs and a 3.06 ERA.  He was the AL MVP in 1931 and won the World Series with the A's in 1929 and 1930.  That 1929 team was a 104-win team managed by Hall of Famer Connie Mack and featured Hall of Famers Grove, Foxx, Al Simmons, Eddie Collins and Mickey Cochrane.  The 1930 squad would win 102 games and featured those same future Hall of Famers.

When evaluating Hall of Fame statistics, most pundits like to look at the "Black Ink" meaning instances where a player led their respective league in a stat.  In his career of 17 seasons, Grove would lead the league in: Wins (4 times), Won-Loss % (5 times), ERA (9 times), Games Pitched (1 time), Games Started (1 time), complete games (3 times), shutouts (3 times), Saves (1 time!), walks (1 time), strike outs (7 times, all in a row), wild pitches (1 time), ERA+ (9 times) and so on.  His career WAR was 113.3 (6th all-time for pitchers).  According to baseball-reference.com, his "Black Ink" score is 111, or 3rd all-time for pitchers.  Walter Johnson is first all-time, followed by Grover Cleveland Alexander, then Lefty Grove.

Grove won 20 or more games eight times in his career.  He was a six-time All Star.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947 with 76.4% of the vote.  All of the above stats being considered, Grove was not elected on his first ballot, nor was he elected with a higher percentage that later pitchers would enjoy.  To be fair, his first appearance on the ballot was in 1936 when he was still playing, and also the election process was much different than it is today.

Grove broke into professional baseball in 1920 while playing for the Class D Martinsburg Mountaineers where he got the attention of Jack Dunn.  Dunn would give Martinsburg enough money for Grove's contract to replace their centerfield wall, buying his contract and making him a Baltimore Oriole.  This was when the Orioles were an independent minor league team.  Dunn would hold onto Grove's contract until selling it to Mack's Philadelphia A's for $100,600 in 1925 (just over a million dollars today), the highest amount ever at the time.

Thank you so much for this awesome baseball, Mom.  This is Hall of Famer number 167 in my collection.

TTM Success - Bob Bonner

A small project started when I found this 1982 Topps Baltimore Orioles Future Stars card at the Chantilly show for $25.  I had heard that the card can be completed, so I sent it TTM to Jeff Schneider first, then off to Bob Bonner.  Now I have to wait for another signing with Cal and I can have this completed.

I also pulled the other Bonner cards that I had in m boxes, starting with the above 1991 Crown Orioles card.

I also had a 1982 Donruss and a 1983 Fleer; both turned out nicely.  I had forgotten I had the Fleer, so it was a nice surprise when I came across it in the box.

Bonner (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1980 to 1983 for the Orioles.  He had 21 hits, 0 home runs and a .194 batting average.

I mailed to Bonner on November 8 and got the cards back on November 19, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brad Moore

Here is a random 1989 Topps that I got out of my box and into my autograph album when I got it back signed TTM from Brad Moore.

Moore (b. 1964) played in the majors in 1988 and 1990 for the Phillies.  He had no record, 3 strike outs and a 1.08 ERA.  I mailed to Moore on November 1 and got the card back on November 19, for an 18-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Leiper

With around 50 guys to go, my 1987 Topps signed set is getting tough to fill.  Thankfully, a few tougher guys have shown up in some recent private signings and I've been able to continue to cross off some names on my checklist.  One such player was Dave Leiper.  I had missed him a few times and also missed on TTM, but I finally have him in my album after this private signing. 

Leiper (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1984, 1986 to 1989 and 1994 to 1996 for the A's, Padres, Expos and Phillies.  He had a record of 12-8 with 150 strike outs and a 3.98 ERA.  I mailed to the signing on September 9 and got the card back on November 18, for a 70-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ron Stone

Here are a couple nice vintage cards that I got back signed from Ron Stone.  The above 1970 Topps turned out really well.  You can tell Stone had an A's jersey on, although the card has him listed with the Phillies.

I looked to see if Stone was in the 1991 Orioles Crown set, then learned that he never played a game for the Orioles, so that search didn't last long.  This 1968 Topps was pretty nice, anyway. 

Stone (b. 1942) played in the majors in 1966 and from 1969 to 1972 for the A's (Kansas City) and Phillies.  He had 194 hits, 6 home runs and a .241 batting average.

Stone's connection to the Orioles was that he was originally signed by the Orioles prior to the 1963 season as an amateur free agent.  He was selected by the A's in the 1965 Rule 5 draft, returned to the Orioles I'm July 1966 then traded by the Orioles to the Phillies in 1969 for Clay Dalrymple.

I mailed to Stone on October 17 and got the cards back on November 18, for a 32-day TAT.  Stone also included a signed post card.

TTM Success - Mike Ignasiak

A couple posts ago, I mentioned how 1993 Fleer Ultra was an underrated set.  Another underrated set came from the same group, just a year later, 1994 Fleer Ultra.  This was another simple set, albeit very nice with a full-bleed photo and minimal border.  These are super glossed, again, and heavy on the foil, but they are very sharp-looking cards.  I got this one back signed by Mike Ignasiak via TTM.  The card came from the huge lot that my aunt gave me a few months ago.

Ignasiak (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1991 and from 1993 to 1995 for the Brewers.  He had a record of 10-4 with 88 strike outs and a 4.80 ERA.

I mailed to Ignasiak on October 26 and got the card back on November 18, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Kiely

Here are some mid-90s cards that I got back signed TTM from John Kiely.  The above 1993 Fleer Ultra turned out great.  This is a really underrated set; I like the "marble" at the bottom of the card.  The problem with these, like most 90s cards, is the over gloss.  These tens to stick together, thankfully, I got a batch of 93 Ultras that were in really good shape.  A few of them should be added to the album soon.

I also got a 1993 Fleer and a 1993 Topps signed by Kiely.  These also turned out nicely.

Kiely (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1991 to 1993 for the Tigers.  He had a record of 4-5 with 24 strike outs and a 4.17 ERA.

I mailed to Kiely on November 8 and got the cards back on November 17, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Rosenberg

A few Junk Wax Era cards were added to my autograph album when I got this TTM success in from Steve Rosenberg.  I cleared out a little bit of room in my boxes from this era by pulling several guys who I had seen sign TTM and sent a few on their way.  The above 1990 Donruss turned out well.  I don't care what anyone else says, I like this set.  It was one of the first sets I had collated (because I had so many of them).

I wasn't about to deny some Topps entries into the album, so I added the above 1989 Topps and 1990 Topps,  Both look great.

Rosenberg (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1988 to 1991 for the White Sox ad Padres.  He had a record of 6-15 with 115 strike outs and a 4.94 ERA.

I mailed to Rosenberg on November 7 and got the cards back on November 17, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Bristol

He has shown up at Reds Fest in the past, but I believe I was unable to find Dave Bristol's cards when they had been requested.  I know I found some after the fact and put them aside, then COVID happened, and I kept seeing them on my desk.  I finally got tired of waiting for another grapher to ask for them, so I sent these out to Bristol, myself, for a TTM request.  Bristol signed a 1967 and a 1968 Topps for me, and both look nice.

Both of the cards are lower grade.  I can't remember where found them.  I feel like I picked them up at a show sometime in the past, knowing folks had been asking me for his cards.  Regardless, these are now signed and in my album.

Bristol (b. 1933) managed the Reds from 1966 to 1969, Brewers from 1970 to 1972, Braves from 1976 to 1977 and the Giants from 1979 to 1980.  His managerial record over 11 seasons was 657-764 (.462 win %).

I mailed to Bristol on September 29 and got the cards back on November 17, for a 49-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Schmidt

Back in 2020, I sent off two Mike Schmidt 1987 Topps cards to te Hall of Fame to try to get them signed for my set.  They came back signed, but by a ghost signer (not by Schmidt, himself).  I saw that he was added to the autograph lineup for the 2020 National that was to be held in Atlantic City that year, but it was later canceled.  This year in Atlantic City, Schmidt wasn't in the autograph lineup, so I had to wait a little bit longer to get my cards signed for real.  Finally, a promoter that I have used in the past sent me a message soliciting for a Schmidt signing (at a pretty high price).  I went ahead and paid the fees to get Schmidt into my set and not have to worry any more about getting these cards signed.

I was out of the All Star card after my ghost signing incident, so I had to rely on my good friend, Gerard to send me one that he had.  I got it in hand and sent off to the signing.  Both of the cards came back looking great, and are now in my album.  The long, drawn out drama of me adding Schmid to the set has been put to bed.

I mailed to the signing on September 28 and got the cards back on November 17, for a 50-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Williamson

Another 1991 Crown Orioles card was part of another TTM success that I got in.  I sent off four cards to former Oriole, Mark Williamson.  He has a cool signature.

In addition to the 1991 Crown, Williamson signed a 1989 Topps, 1991 Topps and a 1994 Fleer.  I don't have very many 1994 Fleer cards at all; I was surprised that I had this one. 

Williamson (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1987 to 1994 for the Orioles. He had a career record of 46-35 with 397 strike outs and a 3.86 ERA.

I mailed to Williamson on October 27 and got the cards back on November 15, for a 19-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jerry Walker

Jerry Walker was another guy who was in the 1991 Crown Orioles set that I wanted to go ahead and get TTM again.  I had found the above 1958 Topps at the Chantilly show and wanted to add one of them to my autograph album. The card turned out great.

I also got the 1991 Crown signed and it turned out great.  I was glad tomove another of these into my album.

I mailed to Walker on October 25 and got the cards back on November 14, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tom Patton

Here is another guy from the 1991 Crown Orioles set that I got an autograph from TTM, Tom Patton.  I was happily surprised with the extras he put in with my card upon return. 

The above custom photo is a bit misshapen, but it is still really nice that he included it.

I also received a note on the back of the one that I had written, which was a very nice touch. 

Patton (b. 1935) appeared in one game for the Orioles in 1957.  He had 2 plate appearances but had no hits.

I mailed to Patton on November 3 and got the card back on November 14, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Andy Sides

Here are a couple nice mid-2000s cards that came back signed TTM from Andy Sides.  I got a few 2005 Bowman gold parallels in the boxes I got from my former LCS, and was able to add a signed one to the album.  The card turned out well, but like most thicker cards, it was damaged in the mail.  I need to pick up some non-machinable stamps and use those for these thicker cards.

I also got a 2005 Topps Update signed by Sides.  This one also turned out nicely.

Sides (b. 1984) was an 11th round pick in the 2003 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Mets out of DeSoto High School in Missouri.  He played in the minors in 2003 and 2004 in the Mets system, reaching Rookie Level ball.  He had a record of 3-6 with 63 strike outs and a 3.86 ERA.

I mailed to Sides on October 31 and got the cards back on November 14, for a 14-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Gerard

My friend, Gerard, hooked me up with some nice stuff for Christmas.  The above 2022 Topps Gallery of Yohel Pozo is really nice.  I never got a chance to open this product, so it was a nice surprise.

Gerard did some signings recently with James Triantos and Jared Shuster.  These are some pretty nice cards.  I wanted to participate in the signings, but didn't get time to go through my stuff.  Gerard helped out and I can add these to my album.

It was also really cool that Gerard knocked three guys off of my 1987 Topps checklist.  These three are tougher guys to get, and I am glad to knock them off of the list.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Gerard.  I really appreciate it, and am glad you have helped me with this set.

TTM Success - Jim Lindeman

Some more Junk Wax Era cards were added to my autograph album recently when I got this TTM success back from Jim Lindeman.  He signed the above 1992 Topps and the below 1989 Topps and 1992 Topps Stadium Club.

All of the cards look pretty good, I think.  Lindeman has a nice signature, and I am glad he signed the cards in blue.

Lindeman (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1986 to 1994 for the Cardinals, Tigers, Phillies, Astros and Mets.  He had 165 hits, 21 home runs and a .244 batting average.

I mailed to Lindeman on October 27 and got the cards back on November 14, for an 18-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Baldwin

This TTM success from Dave Baldwin was nice because Baldwin included several of his own custom cards along with the 1968 Topps that I sent.  He has a really nice signature, and it looks great on everything.

These four customs turned out great, as well.  It looks like he sent one custom card for every team he had played on.  He sent one of him on the Seattle Pilots, but they moved to Milwaukee before he could play for them.

Baldwin (b. 1938) played in the majors from 1966 to 1970 and 1973 for the Senators, Brewers and White Sox.  He had a record of 6-11 with 164 strike outs and a 3.08 ERA.

I mailed to Baldwin on October 25 and got the cards back on November 12, for an 18-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jackie Brandt

Since I was trying to add move vintage Topps cards to my autograph album, and also knock out a few 1991 Crown Orioles cards, I sent out another TTM request to former Oriole, Jackie Brandt.  I got the above 1965 Topps signed, as well as the 91 Crown.

Both cards turned out great, and have been inserted into the album already.

I mailed to Brandt on October 26 and got the cards back on November 10, for a 15-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Felix Mantilla

When I sent off this 1960 Topps of Felix Mantilla, I should have looked him up on the blog to see if I had gotten him before. I had gotten Mantilla before and it was those same card. Oops. Oh well, now I have two signed 1960 Topps Mantilla.

I mailed to Mantilla on October 22 and got the card back on November 10, for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Art Swanson

This 1956 Topps that I got signed ttm by Art "Red" Swanson recently turned out nicely.  I had seen that he signed TTM, so I picked the card up and sent it along.  It got back fairly quickly, and I was happy with the signature.

Swanson (b. 1936) played in the majors from 1955 to 1957 for the Pirates.  He had a record of  3-3 with 34 strike outs and a 4.90 ERA.

I mailed to Swanson on October 31 and got the card back on November 8, for an 8-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Chris Donnels

A few of these early 90s cards of Chris Donnels came from a few boxes of cards that my aunt gave me a couple months ago.  I went through them to see if she was sitting on a gold mine (she wasn't). There were some nice ones I could send TTM and add to my album, though.

In all, I got three cards signed: a 1992 Stadium Club, 1992 Topps and 1993 Topps. They all turned out nicely.

Donnels (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1991 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002 for the Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Dodgers and Diamondbacks.  He had 186 hits, 17 home runs and a .233 batting average. 

I mailed to Donnels on October 27 and got the cards back on November 7, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Dick Nen

Here is another 1964 Topps that I was able to get signed and into my album when I got this TTM success back from Dick Nen.  Nick Willhite died in 2008, so I won't be able to complete the card.

Nen (b. 1939) played in the majors in 1963, from 1965 to 1968 and 1970 for the Dodgers, Senators and Cubs.  He had a 185 hits, 21 home runs and a .224 batting average.

I mailed to Nen on October 19 and got the card back on November 7, for a 19-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Rod Gilbreath

Last year, Rod Gilbreath returned a TTM success, which I had forgotten.  I sent off this 1976 Topps recently, and it turned out really well.  Luckily, I hadn't sent one of them, so this will be new to my album. 

I mailed to Gilbreath on October 27 and got the card back on November 7, for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Russ Heman

Here is a nice 1959 Topps that I picked up at the Chantilly show then sent TTM to Russ Heman to be signed. The card came back looking great.

Heman (b. 1933) played in the majors in 1961 for the Indians and Angels.  He had a record of 0-0 with 6 strike outs and a 2.70 ERA. 

I mailed to Heman on October 25 and got the card back on November 7, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jeff Schneider

One of the cards I sent to former Oriole, Jeff Schneider, is missing from this post because right after I got this TTM success back from him, I sent the card to the second of three people featured on it.  Once the third guy signs the card, it will be a nice feat, as it is the 1982 Topps Orioles rookies card.  The card has Schneider, Bob Bonner and Cal Ripken, Jr.  I did get the card back signed from Bonner, so now, all I need to do is wait for another signing with Cal.

In the meantime, I also had gotten this 1991 Crown Orioles card signed by Schneider.  It turned out nicely.

Schneider (b. 1951) played in the majors in 1981 for the Orioles.  He had a 0-0 record with 17 strike outs and a 4.88 ERA.

I mailed to Schneider on October 25 and got the cards back on November 7, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ted Savage

This is another card that I pulled from my vintage Topps box and sent out for TTM.  This 1964 Topps Ted Savage card wouldn't have made it into a completed set, since it already had writing on it, so the next logical step was to get more writing on it in the form of Savage's signature.  I don't know what the writing is for; the card came that way from some old collection I picked up a while back.

Savage (b. 1937) played in the majors from 1962 to 1963 and from 1965 to 1971 for the Phillies, Pirates, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Reds, Brewers and Royals.  He had 321 hits, 34 home runs and a .233 batting average.

I mailed to Savage on October 17 and got the card back on November 7, for a 21-day TAT.  He also signed my note and my envelope.