TTM Success - Ricky Jones

Here is another 1991 Crown Orioles card for the autograph album. This card is signed by Ricky Jones. I had never heard of him before, so it was nice to get this card taken care of.

Jones (b. 1958) played in the majors in 1986 for the Orioles. He had 6 hits, no home runs and a .182 batting average. 

I mailed to Jones on November 13 and got the card back on December 4, for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Glenn Borgmann

Back in 2018, I got a few cards signed TTM by Glenn Borgmann.  One of the cards that I didn't send at the time was a 1974 Topps. I found this one in the boxes from Conrad. I went ahead and sent it out and it came back signed in blue Sharpie. 

I mailed to Borgmann on November 22 and got the card back on December 4, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bud Norris

A private signing popped up with a former Oriole that I wanted to add to the autograph album, Bud Norris. I wanted him on an Orioles card, so I chose this 2015 Topps.  I like this set, and it was an easy choice.

Norris (b. 1985) played in the majors from 2009 to 2018 for the Astros, Orioles, Padres, Braves, Dodgers, Angels and Cardinals. He had a record of 67-90 with 1,153 strike outs and a 4.45 ERA.

I mailed to the signing on September 22 and got the card back on December 4, for a 73-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $20.00.

TTM Success - Royle Stillman

My question to knock out another 1991 Crown Orioles card led me to Royle Stillman.  It also helped me add the above 1978 Topps to the autograph album. He signed the card in blue ballpoint, and it turned out nicely.

The signature on the 1991 Crown turned out well, also.  I haven't counted how many of these that I've gotten, or how many I could still add, but they're fun to put in the album. 

Stillman (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1975 to 1977 for the Orioles and White Sox. He had 33 hits, 3 home runs and a .213 batting average. 

I mailed to Stillman on November 5 and got the cards back on December 2, for a 27-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Mangum

This 1997 Bowman of Mark Mangum was my second success from him.  I had gotten him TTM back in 2021, and figured it was time to send to him again to get this one oit of the box.  I had forgotten that I got that 2021 success, but it wouldn't have stopped me from sending this one out, too.

I mailed to Mangum on October 28 and got the card back on December 2, for a 35-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brett Evert

This 2001 Bowman of Brett Evert was another card out of the stack of older Bowmans from Ryan. I sent it out TTM and got it back signed in black Sharpie. 

Evert (b. 1980) was a 7th round pick by the Braves in the 1999 June Amateur Draft out of North Salem High School in Oregon. He played in the minors from 1999 to 2007 in the Braves, Mariners, Brewers and Red Sox. He wound up reaching AAA. He had a record of 43-50, 714 strike outs and a 3.88 ERA.

I mailed to Evert on November 20 and got the card back signed, along with a note telling me happy holidays, on December 2, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nathan Panther

Here is another older Bowman card that my friend Ryan sent me to try TTM. Nathan Panther has one of those great names, so I was excited to get his card back signed. 

Panther (b. 1981) was a 15th round pick by the Indians in the 2002 June Amateur Draft out of Muscatine Community College in Iowa. He played in the minors from 2002 to 2008 in the Indians system. He reached AAA. He had 594 hits, 56 home runs and a .255 batting average. He played in Kinston during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons.

I mailed to Panther on February 5, 2025, and got the card back signed on December 2, 2026, for a 300-day TAT.

TTM Success - Matt Abraham

This random 2011 Topps Pro Debut of Matt Abraham was in one of my boxes. I saw that Abraham signed TTM, so I got it out of the box and sent it on its way.

Abraham (b. 1987) was a 49th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2010 June Amateur Draft out of Eckerd College in Florida. I thought this college sounded familiar, so I checked and it is the same school that new Orioles manager, Craig Albernaz, attended.

Abraham played in the minors in 2010 and 2011 in the Blue Jays system. He never got out of Rookie ball. He had 20 hits, no home runs and a .172 batting average.

I mailed to Abraham on November 20 and got the card back on December 1 for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Roger Craig

The timing for this Roger Craig TTM success to get posted worked out pretty well. Two days ago, Craig was announced as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. A well-deserved honor for him.

I picked this card up at a show after Jesse told me that Craig signed TTM. I had gotten the baseball Roger Craig a couple times, but not football Craig.

Craig (b. 1960) played professionally from 1983 to 1993 for the 49ers, Raiders and Vikings.  He had 8,189 rushing yards, 56 rushing touchdowns, 4,911 receiving touchdowns and 17 receiving touchdowns. He won Super Bowl XIX, XXIII and XXIV with the 49ers.

I mailed to Craig on November 20 and got the card back on December 1, for an 11-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Brian Simmons

While it doesn't happen often, from time to time, I forget that I even mailed to someone. Such was the case with Brian Simmons. I mailed to him back in 2018 and got a success. I found the above 1999 Upper Deck in a box at a card show and decided to send it to him TTM, forgetting that I had gotten him on a 2000 Upper Deck back then. I'm glad I didn't duplicate the card, at least.

I mailed to Simmons on November 18 and got the card back on December 1, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jimmy Journell

2003 Upper Deck is a rare set in the autograph album. I didn't open any packs from that year, as I hadn't quite gotten back into collecting at that point.  I also never really saw much bulk from that set in any boxes I've searched. So, I'm not quite sure where this Jimmy Journell card came from, but I found it and sent it out TTM. It came back signed and is now in the album, so there's one more 2003 Upper Deck in there than I had before.

Journell (b. 1977) played in the majors in 2003 and 2005 for the Cardinals.  He had a record of 0-1 with 13 strike outs and a 7.43 ERA. I mailed to Journell on November 17 and got the card back on November 29, for a 12-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Pat Gillick

Way back in 2011, I got a TTM success from Hall of Famer, Pat Gillick on a baseball.  It was far beyond time to send to him again, so when I pulled this 2023 Panini Select, I had something new to send out.

While it is tough to see the signature on this card, it is signed and inscribed with HOF 2011. I love how these cards look, regardless of how they scan. This is just a sharp set, and I'm glad I could add this one to the autograph album. 

I mailed to Gillick on November 14 and got the card back on November 29, for a 15-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Steve Kealey

This 1971 Topps of Steve Kealey is yet another of the cards that came from Conrad's boxes. I thought I was getting to the end of those, but I guess there are a few more that I haven't posted.

I lime the 1971 Topps design, but the black borders chipped easily, so it can be hard to find them in mint condition. Not that I've let that bother me before. 

I had originally gotten Kealey back in 2019 on a 1972 and a 1973 Topps. This time, I mailed on November 14 and got the card back on November 29, for a 15-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Fred Holdsworth

Another 1991 Crown Orioles card was pulled from my box and sent out TTM.  I've been slowly chipping away at my stack of living Crown Orioles guys, and Fred Holdsworth was the next pull from the box.

Holdsworth (b. 1952) played in the majors from 1972 to 1974, 1976 to 1978 and 1980 for the Tigers, Orioles, Expos and Brewers.  He had a record of 7-10 with 94 strike outs and a 4.40 ERA.

I mailed to Holdsworth on November 14 and got the card back on November 29, for a 15-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Dick Billings

Here is another guy I sent a second TTM request to, Dick Billings.  I had this 1974 Topps that I'm pretty sure I pulled from Conrad's boxes. 

The signature on the card looks great.  I'm pretty sure I'm down to just a small handful of cards that are left from what I pulled from Conrad's stuff several years ago.  I wish I had been able to get some cards from some earlier years while he had them, but when I returned the boxes I had borrowed, he had sold off all of his bulk inventory. That was a shame, but it was good for Conrad. He has been able to retire and not have to deal with his antique shop or cards any longer.

I mailed to Billings on November 14 and got the card, along with a signed note on November 29, for a 15-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Bruce Miller

Almost exactly three years ago, I posted a success from Bruce Miller.  That time, he signed a 1976 Topps.  My friend, Ryan, sent me this 1975 Topps to try, and it came back signed. 

The card turned out great.  I like all of the blue on the card, from the border, to the sky and touched off by the signature. 

I mailed to Miller on November 13 and got the card back signed on November 29, for a 16-day. 

TTM Success - Chris Lambert

A couple more mid-to-late 2000s cards were added to the autograph album when these two came back signed TTM from Chris Lambert.  I raided my 2009 set to add a 2009 to the album since I don't have many bulk cards left from that set. I later replaced the one I pulled from my completed set, don't worry.

I also had this 2005 Topps Update cards that I sent off.

Lambert (b. 1983) played in the majors in 2008 and 2009 for the Tigers and Orioles. He had a record of 1-3 with 26 strike outs and a 7.36 ERA. His Orioles.career consisted of 4 games in 2009.

I mailed to Lambert on November 7 and got the cards back on November 29, for a 22-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From David Nied

This post isn't as much about David Nied signing two more cards for me. It's more about an appreciation for 1993 Upper Deck. This is such an underrated set.  The checklist cards (above) and the team profile cards (below) are (as the kids say) fire. I found these in a box at a show, and knew when I saw them that I was going to have to send to Nied TTM again.  They will look great in the album. 

I intend to keep an eye out for signings with Dante Bichette and Amdres Gallarraga to finish this card.  I don't believe they're too expensive, so I may have a shot at completing it.

I mailed to Nied on November 6 and got the cards back on November 29, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Craig Colbert

These Craig Colbert cards sat in my to-be-TTMed box for quite some time before I got around to mailing to him.  I finally did, and got three cards back signed.  I have to say, one of the reasons I finally sent to him was that I was tired of seeing this 1993 Topps sitting in the box.

I also got a 1993 Fleer (left) and a 1992 Stadium Club (right) signed.  All of the cards turned out fine.

Colbert (b. 1965) played in the majors in 1992 and 1993 for the Giants.  He had 35 hits, 2 home runs and a .215 batting average. 

I mailed to Colbert on November 3 and got the cards back on November 29, for a 26-day TAT. 

A Couple Older 50-50s From Dylan

My desk is quite a mess. I had hoped to clean it off during the offseason, but I haven't been any less busy than I usually am in-season.  So, little by little, I am clearing things off and getting small stacks of cards scanned.  

I got a few cards back recently from a Spring Training 50/50 I sent out to my friend, Dylan.  Both of us have been busy and haven't talked with each othet like we had in the past.  No hard feelings or anything, just life getting in the way.  Dylan was finally able to get my cards back to me, and I was able to get them scanned and loaded into the autograph album. 

He took a few cards for Cardinals Spring Training this past season, and got the above 2024 Topps Heritage Mini of Jose Fermin and the below 2023 Topps and 2024 Topps Update Michael Siani cards signed.

The cards turned out great, and I appreciate Dylan getting them back to me.

I ended up seeing Siani last season in Durham, but had no cards left.  I probably should have held onto a few, but in the end, it doesn't matter. 

Thanks, Dylan,!

A Couple Old 50-50s From Gerard

Oof. These Christian Vazquez signed cards were sitting in a team bag, in a box that I had put aside a while back and forgot about. The cards were taken as a 50/50 by Gerard some time ago, and I never scanned them.  Above is a 2019 Topps Heritage. Below is a 2008 Bowman.

If I had to guess, I probably sent these to Gerard in 2021.  I'm sure he will tell me.

I feel bad that they sat for so long without being scanned and added to the autograph album.  However, this has been rectified and the cards are safely locked in the album.

Thanks for getting these done, Gerard.  As always, I appreciate it, even though it took me so long to get them posted.

TTM Success - Brandon Rice

A couple mid-2000s Bowman Chrome cards came back signed TTM by Brandon Rice.  The above 2006 Bowman Chrome came from my friend, Ryan.  He sent me a bunch of Bowmans to try TTM, and I got a lot of them done. 

I'm pretty sure this 2007 Bowman Chrome came from my own stuff.  I have a ton of 2007s, so it was good to get them out of the box.

Rice (b. 1988) was an 11th round pick by the Reds in the 2006 June Amateur Draft out of Spalding High School in Georgia. He played in the minors from 2006 to 2008, in the Reds system. He never got out of Rookie Ball.  He had a record of 5-7 with 47 strike outs and a 4.43 ERA.

I mailed to Rice on November 10 and got the cards back on November 25 for a 15-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tom Hagan

This 2008 Bowman Chrome refractor of Tom Hagan came back signed TTM recently. He signed it in black Sharpie, and it turned out nicely.

Hagan (b. 1983) was a 39th round pick by the Pirates in the 2006 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Virginia. He played in the minors from 2006 to 2008 in the Pirates systems, reaching A ball.  He had 156 hits, 10 home runs and a .286 batting average. 

I mailed to Hagan on November 14 and got the card back on November 24, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rick Austin

A couple nice cards from the 7ps came back signed TTM by Rick Austin. This 1971 Topps turned out great.  This either came from Ryan or from Conrad's boxes.  I don't remember anymore, but it's in the album now.

I also sent off this 1976 Topp that turned out well. Hard to believe 1976 Topps is now 59 years old.

Austin (b. 1946) played in the majors in 1970, 1971, 1975 and 1976 for the Indians and Brewers.  He had a record of 4-8 with 106 strike outs and a 4.63 ERA.

I mailed to Austin on November 3 and got the cards back on November 24, for a 21-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rod Lofton

Another 1993 Bowman has been added to the autograph album. I couldn't even speculate where the box of 93 Bowman I have came from. I say that because I'm pretty sure they did not come from the former LCS. They could have come from one of the Goodwill boxes that Mom has found over time. I'm really not sure.  It doesn't matter, though. I have a ton of them, and have been able to get a few signed here and there. This one came back signed from Rod Lofton.

Lofton (b. 1967) was a 13th round pick by the Orioles in the 1988 June Amateur Draft out of Grambling State University.  He played in the minors from 1988 to 1995 in the Orioles, Brewers and Reds systems, reaching AAA.  He had 704 hits, 6 home runs and a .268 batting average.

I mailed to Lofton on October 27 and got the card back on November 22, for a 26-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Earl Stephenson

As far as my autograph collection goes, I've got a lot of irons in the fire.  I'm still working on the 1987 Topps set. I send off a handful of Bowman Draft every year. I am positioning myself to send a handful to Spring Training (probably less than last year, though). I also try to knock off a few 1991 Crown Orioles when I can.  Again, I have no chance at filling the set, but I can try to get as many of the living former Oriole players as I can.  One that recently came back signed TTM was the above Earl Stephnson. 

Stephenson (b. 1947) played in the majors in 1971, 1972, 1977 and 1978 for the Cubs, Brewers and Orioles.  He had a record of 4-5 with 50 strike outs and a 3.57 ERA.

I mailed to Stephenson on November 10 abd got the card back on November 22 for a 12-day TAT. 

January 15-16, 2026, Trip To RedsFest

The baseball offseason is a long one.  I'm at the point where I really want to go out and do some graphing, so when my buddy, Aidan, mentioned to me that I ought to make a trip up to Cincinnati for RedsFest, I was intrigued.  I planned the trip for over a month, and looped Jesse in on it, since he is a huge Reds fan.  I treated him to the trip as part of his Christmas gift. It was a gift to me, as well, because I enjoy his company, and that would be a long ride to take on by myself. 

Jesse and I started the trip Wednesday night, driving across the state from Greenville to my parents' farm in Yadkinville.  We got up Thurdasy morning, visited with my mom (and sister, Elly), then grandma (and Uncle Joe; Jesse loves Uncle Joe) for a bit, then headed to the card shop.  I wanted to see if I could get some 2025 Bowman Draft (not at $725/box).  They did let me take the leftover base, which helped me add a few cards to the Reds box. 

We got into Cincinnati around 7pm and had dinner.  I was glad that I over-prepared ahead of time and didn't have to prep or add anything to my book, other than the couoke of Draft cards I got earlier in the day. We could relax in the hotel and rest up for a full day of graphing. 

Jesse and I met up with Aidan Friday morning and graphed outside the hotel near the convention center.  There were a ton of other graphers there, and it was really cold. Still, we were able to get a couple guys to stop and sign, which took the edge off of the huge lot of stuff I brought to get signed. 

RedsFest was very similar to Orioles FanFest, except that the autograph sessions are free to the first 225 folks to get in line, and you don't know who's going to be in each session until 30 minutes before the session starts.  You sign up for the text alerts and have a fighting chance to get in a line in time.  I'll say, we didn't miss getting autographs in any time slot. I was able to double up during most slots, as well, which was great.  The only session we tried to get into but skipped was one on Saturday that included Matt McLain, but we saw the mob of people heading in there, so we skipped it.

I also was cut off by the Reds employee for the line to meet Bronson Arroyo.  I went around the area and stood by the barrier until a guy that was working for Arroyo (he was selling copies of his LPs and CDs at the show). The guy took my card and had Arroyo sign it, a 2010 Topps Walmart black parallel.  Arroyo turned around and told me "that's a weird card man".  I agreed, then asked him what his favorite Pearl Jam song is.  He started by saying "all of them" then pivoted and told me "Black is always a transcendent experience", which was cool as hell.

Aside from the Bowman Draft cards I picked up as we were leaving Winston-Salem, I had prepped and brought 706 cards with me to split between me, Jesse, Aidan, Aidan's brother Riley and Aidan's friend Marcus.  I just happened to pull a few Pierce Johnson cards and prepped them, just in case he showed up.  He was a signing the week before the event, and he did show up.

Devin Mesoraco was one of the guys we got outside of the hotel Friday morning. He signed everything we had.  I even found the smeared 2012 Heritage on the ground after everyone else left, so it went into my slider box.

Every player we met was really nice.  A couple folks on Instagram commented that I was lucky to get a couple of the guys, so it seems that RedsFest does facilitate getting autos from some guys a little better.

For most of the players, I put out no more than 4 cards, with the majority of them being 3 on a page.  The only guys who limited were Graham Ashcraft (1), Tony Santillan (1), JJ Bleday (2), JJ Hoover (2) and Tucker Barnhart (1).

I actually didn't keep the Tucker Barnhart that I got done.  He signed a 2023 Topps Heritage that is going to Max for his Cubs collection. I also got Barnhart's 2022 Topps signed by his little boy who was coloring the table with a Sharpie as hus dad was signing. I asked him if he wanted to sign a card, and I think that made his day.

Aidan's buddy Marcus slipped a custom card of "Big Sugar" Zach Maxwell into my book when I wasn't looking.  I was glad to get it signed, and it drew a response from Maxwell. That was really nice of Marcus.

Finally, the last auto of the show was this custom of my buddy, Aidan.  He and I have graphed together quite a bit over the last year, and I am happy that we have hit it off.  He is a pitcher for Wake Tech, and hopes to get picked up by a 4-year university after this season.  I hope he does, as well.

I'm glad I was able to take Jesse with me, and make this part of his Christmas gift.  I know he had an amazing time (he met TJ Friedl, and found a pair of game used cleats from Blake Dunn's first MLB home run game). We are already talking about going back up to Cincinnati soon.

In all, I got the following autographs: Today's graphing recap of RedsFest: Julian Aguiar x 2, Graham Ashcraft x 1, Benson Barnhart x 1, Tucker Barnhart x 1, JJ Bleday x 2, Keith Brown x 2, Danny Graves x 3, JJ Hoover x 2, Zach Maxwell x 3, Luis Mey x 3, Dave Miley x 1, Tony Santillan x 1, Jose Trevino x 1, Aidan Warnock x 1, Bronson Arroyo x 1, Leonardo Balcazar x 1, Skeeter Barnes x 2, Tyler Callihan x 3, Blake Dunn x 5, Alfredo Duno x 1, Luke Hayden x 2, Luke Holman x 1, Pierce Johnson x 3, Carlos Jorge x 3, Tyson Lewis x 3, Devin Mesoraco x 8, Sam Moll x 4, Mason Morris x 4, JP Ortiz x 3, Connor Phillips x 3, Hector Rodriguez x 2, Ben Rortvedt x 2 and Chris Welsh x 1 (76 total autographs).

TTM Success - Scott Shafiroff

When I was looking up 1973 Fleer AHRA drag racing cards to send out, I came across one that was very interesting to me, because it was someone who built engines of several cars that ran against my dad back in the late 1980s.  I'm sure I met Scott Shafiroff personally back then, but I don't remember it.  I do know that he knew my parents personally, which made this TTM success pretty cool.  I also fondly remember one of the drivers he was most closely associated with, the late Gordy Hmiel.  I did know Gordy personally, and relayed a story about him in my autograph request letter to Shafiroff.

Shafiroff signed my card in silver Sharpie.  He began drag racing in the late 60s in the New Jersey area.  He raced Pro Stock in the 70s, before becoming a successful car owner/engine builder in Top Sportsman/Quick Eight era prior to the formation of the Pro Modified class.  His car, piloted by Hmiel, was the first nitrous-injected car to break the 7-second barrier.  I still remember Gordy, and I miss him.  He was a great guy.  I hope Scott liked my letter and story about Gordy that I told him.  Essentially, the story was this:

At Farmington one race, Gordy was talking to my mom and was about to leave.  He was going to go off and fly his plane, and I followed him, telling him I was going to go with him.  He let me believe that for a bit, letting me walk with him along the fence as he left.  He turned to me and said "Boy, you had better go back to your momma", and picked me up and put me over the fence.  I said bye to Gordy and ran back to Dad's trailer.  Gordy died in a plane crash with his father and a friend a few days later.

Shafiroff responded to my note with a note of his own: "William, Thanks for the kind words and great memories..."

I mailed to Shafiroff on November 3 and got the card back on November 21, for an 18-day TAT,

TTM Success - Macay McBride

This 2006 Flair Showcase of Macay McBride kept popping up when I went through one certain box.  I finally "got tired" of seeing it, so I searched for his address and gave TTM a shot.  I was happy to get it back signed. 

McBride (b. 1982) played in the majors from 2005 to 2007 for the Braves and Tigers. He had a record of 6-2 with 98 strike outs and a 4.35 ERA.

I mailed to McBride on November 5 and got the card back on November 21, for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Robert Englund

Freddy Krueger was a big part of my childhood, no matter whether one finds it appropriate or not.  My brothers and I (and later one of my sisters) grew up watching the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, and we loved them.  So much so, one of my brothers and I talked our grandma into taking us one summer to see Nightmare on Elm Street 4 in theaters.  When I saw recently that the man behind the makeup and Christmas sweater, Robert Englund, was signing TTM, I jumped at sending to him.  I bought a playing card off of Ebay and sent it out.

The card came back unsigned, but Englund sent the above signed post card.  I knew that would happen, but gave the card a shot anyway.

Englund (b. 1947) has been acting since 1973.  He has appeared in over 100 movies and TV episodes in his career.  Aside from playing Freddy multiple times, he had major roles in V and Stranger Things. 

I mailed to Englund on October 24 and got the post card back on November 20 for a 27-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bobby Hughes

Here are a couple random cards that I got signed TTM recently. I found the above 1999 Upper Deck of Bobby Hughes at a card show.  I don't have many 99 Upper Deck cards in the autograph album, so I was glad to add this one.

I saw that Hughes had a 1993 Bowman, so I searched my box for it, and found it.

Hughes (b. 1971) played in the majors in 1998 and 1999 for the Brewers.  He had 76 hits, 12 home runs and a .238 batting average. 

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