Another TTM Success From Felix Mantilla

Here are some more nice vintage cards that were added to the autograph album. I picked up three of these Felix Mantilla cards at the Virginia Beach show, and the last one (the 1964 Topps) was picked up from Conrad's boxes. 

All of the cards turned out great.  I especially like the 1959 Topps.  All of of them were in great shape and didn't cost much. 

I mailed to Mantilla on November 17 and got the cards back on December 2, for a 15-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

Another TTM Success From Jim Marshall

A couple weeks ago, at the Virginia Beach show, I picked up a few Jim Marshall cards to send TTM.  I jad gotten him before, back in 2020 on a 1958 Topps and my 1991 Crown Orioles card.  I wanted to add a few move vintage cards to the album, so I picked up the above 1960 Toppa, and the 1959 Topps and 1961 Topps shown below.

The cards look great. I think I got them at around $1.00, each.  That was a steal, as all three of them are in great shape.

I mailed to Marshall on November 13 and got the cards back on November 29, for a 16-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. 

Another TTM Success From Ted Kazanski

Here is another vintage card that I got signed TTM recently. This is a 1959 Topps signed by Ted Kazanski.  I had sent to him back in 2019.  I found this card at the Chantilly show among some other vintage pickups.

I mailed to Kazanski on October 26 and got the card back on November 3, for a 7-day TAT. 

2022 National Free Signer - Ron Hansen

Another former Oriole, and another player that I had gotten TTM, but was at this year's National as a free VIP signer was Ron Hansen.  I was out of his cards, or I didn't find any in time.  So, I bought enough to cover the vouchers that I ended up with.  I got this cool 1961 Post Cereals card that will look cool in the album.

I also picked up a few vintage Topps cards, a 1961, 1962 and a 1963.  All of them turned out great.  Hansen was really nice, and I was glad I got to meet him.

Update: I forgot to scan this awesome 1959 Topps that I got signed by Hansen.  It was with another of the signers cards for whatever reason.  Oh well.  Here it is, and it is a beauty.

Last Bit of Autos From The National

As far as I know, this is the last of the stuff that I brought home from last year's National.  It only took me about 7 or 8 months to get it all posted.  There were a couple vendors at the show who had some nice, cheap cards signed by deceased former players (and one other), so I figured I would grab a few for my album.  For some reason, I never sent the above 1957 Topps to Virgil Trucks for him to sign.  Whenever I see a Trucks card, I usually pick it up, and this one was no different.

I got the Burke Waldron (above left) cards from the Signatures for Soldiers.  I wanted to send one TTM, but Waldron passed away before I could.  I also liked the Monte Ivrin 1988 Pacific, 1959 Topps Mudcat Grant and 1961 Topps Bill Virdon 1960 World Series Highlight.  These were all cards I would have liked to send out back then, but didn't get a chance (probably because I didn't have extras of said cards).

I'm hoping to signer list for the National comes out soon.  I'd like to start pulling cards for those guys as soon as possible.  The days will be flying away, and July will be here before I know it.

TTM Success - Orlando Pena

Orlando Pena was a player who I had heard about, but hadn't gotten around to sending to him TTM.  I finally saw him in my 1991 Crown Orioles set, so I decided to send to him.  I wanted to send something else, so I raided my 1959 Topps set, pulled his card, and replaced it with a later purchase.

The 1959 Topps turned out great; I doubt there will be many more of these added to the album, so when I get the chance to get one done, I'm going to take it.

The 1991 Crown Orioles turned out well, also, even though his autograph is a bit hard to see.

Pena (b. 1933) played in the majors from 1958 to 1960, 1962 to 1967, 1970 to 1971 and 1973 to 1975 for the Reds, A's (Kansas City), Tigers, Indians, Pirates, Orioles, Cardinals and Angels.  He had a career record of 56-77 with 818 strike outs and a 3.71 ERA.

I mailed to Pena on February 25 and got the cards back on March 18, for a 21-day TAT.  He also included a note where he wrote out the 1971 Orioles lineup and also signed the envelope I mailed the cards in.

TTM Success - Charlie Maxwell

It has been a while since I have added some vintage cards from the 50s to my autograph album, but I picked up a few when I saw that I needed Charlie Maxwell from my Orioles Crown set.  So, I picked up his 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1964 Topps to send along with the Crown.

All cards turned out well, and I was really glad I had mailed to him.

 I need to get some more vintage going into my album, but I haven't had much of a chance to pursue any, since I have been spending a good bit of money on private signings for my 87 set.

Maxwell (b. 1927) played in the majors from 1950 to 1952 and 1954 to 1964 for the Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers and White Sox.  He had 856 hits, 148 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He was a two-time All Star and finished in the MVP voting 3 times (best, 18th, 1957).

It's funny that he got a 1955 Bowman card and it lists him as an Oriole.  He only played 4 games for the Orioles, and was purchased by the Tigers on May 9 of that season.

I mailed to Maxwell on May 12 and got the cards back on May 21, for a 9-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

I just looked, and it turns out that I got Maxwell TTM in 2018, as well.

TTM Success - Stan Williams

I added some cool vintage cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Stan Williams.  The above card is a 1963 Post.  I don't remember where I found the card, but I imagine it was at a card show.

Williams has some really neat handwriting.  I thought the cards looked really nice with his signature.

Williams (b. 1936) and I share a birthday, which I just found out.  He played in the majors from 1958 to 1965 and 1967 to 1972 for the Dodgers, Yankees, Indians, Twins, Cardinals and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 109-94 with 1,305 strike outs and a 3.48 ERA.  He was an All Star twice in 1960.  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1959.

I mailed to Williams on March 18 and got the cards back on March 25, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM SUccess - Jim Bolger

I added a couple more 50s cards to my autograph album with this success from Jim Bolger.  I wanted another 1955 Topps represented, so I picked this one up.  It turned out nicely with Bolger's signature.

I also liked this 1959 Topps, and thought the green card would pop pretty well in the album.  I'm really glad that I completed both of these sets, and am now adding some of them to the autograph album.

Bolger (b. 1932) played in the majors from 1950 to 1951, 1954 to 1955 and 1957 to 1959 for the Reds, Cubs, Indians and Phillies.  He had 140 hits, 6 home runs and a .229 batting average.

I mailed to Bolger on March 5 and got the cards back on March 21, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Al Worthington

This TTM success from Al Worthington was really interesting in that he swapped out the cards I sent (1964 and 1965 Topps) for the above multi-signed 1959 Topps San Francisco Giants team card.  deceased guys on here, notably Daryl Spencer), so I was amazed that he swapped it out.  There is a possibility that this is someone else's card, but seeing the TTM returns of him, it could also be something he had.  He is known to add extras with TTM requests, and he is also known to lose stuff, so I don't know.  I looked at the list of TTM requests for him on SCN and sportscardforum and didn't see a missing 1959 Giants team card, so I assume he gave it to me on his own.

He also included two signed religious tract post cards, which look nice.  He seems to be a great guy, and I really appreciate him going the extra mile to send stuff out.

Worthington (b. 1929) played in the majors in 1953, 1954, 1956 through 1960 and 1963 through 1969 for the Giants (New York and San Francisco), Red Sox, White Sox, Reds and Twins.  He had a record of 75-82 with 834 strike outs and a 3.39 ERA.

I mailed to Worthington on May 24 and got the cards back signed on June 7, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Willie Tasby

I picked up some vintage cards when I was at the Greenville card show a while back, as you all know.  I still have a few cards here and there of guys that I had picked up.  Most of them are guys who charge for autos, like this success from Willie Tasby.

I was excited for this one because I was able to add a former Oriole that I hadn't heard of to my album.

I was also happy to add this 1959 Topps Rookie card to the album, as it was something a little different than the regular 1959s that I have been able to get.

This 1960 Topps was also really cool to add to the collection.  I know a lot of folks love the Topps All Star Rookie trophy cards, so this was a cool one to put away.

Tasby (b. 1933) played in the majors from 1958 to 1963 for the Orioles, Red Sox, Senators and Indians.  He had 467 hits, 46 home runs and a .250 batting average.

I mailed to Tasby on January 3 and got the cards back on January 12, for a 9-TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - Bob Blaylock

I added another 1959 Topps to my autograph album with this TTM success from Bob Blaylock.  He signed the card in ink pen, but it still turned out pretty nicely.

Blaylock (b. 1935) played in the majors in 1956 and 1959 for the Cardinals.  He had a career record of 1-7 with an ERA of 5.94 and 42 strike outs.

I mailed to Blaylock on November 6 and got the card back on November 16, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Goryl

Man, check out that 1959 Topps.  That one really stands out.  I picked up the card last month at the card show here in town for the specific purpose of sending TTM to John Goryl.  I got the card back and it looks great!

I also had picked up this 1964 Topps, and it looks really nice, as well.  Those cards really do well when getting signed, I feel.

Goryl (b. 1933) played in the majors from 1957 to 1959 and 1962 to 1964 for the Cubs and Twins.  He had 134 hits, 16 home runs and a .225 batting average.  He also managed the Twins in 1980 and 1981 to a record of 34-38 (.466 win %).

I mailed to Goryl on October 28 and got the cards back on November 8, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ike Delock

I added some more vintage to the autograph binder with this success from Ike Delock.  I was looking for some nice Bowman cards to get signed, and saw that Delock was signing, so I chose this 1952 because I liked his Boston jersey.  This marks the second '52 Bowman that I have picked up for the binder (behind the Bobby Brown).

I waned to add some of Delock's Topps issues as well, so I picked 1959 and 1962, since it has been a while since I added any cards from these years to the binder.

Delock (b. 1929) played in the majors from 1952-1953 and 1955 to 1963 for the Red Sox and Orioles.  He had a career record of 84-75 with a 4.03 ERA and 672 strike outs.  He was signed as a free agent by the Orioles in June of 1963 and released a little more than a month later.

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

TTM Success - Joe Cunningham

It has taken me four hours to post this TTM success.  Why?  Well, my laptop up and died on me.  When I say it died, it died.  Everything on there is gone.  All of my pictures, videos, documents, everything.  No, I didn't back anything up.  Lots of what I had is posted on here or on my Facebook, but there are a few things that I know are gone.  That really sucks.  I kept the old laptop with the hope that someday, someone will come along who can pull the stuff off of the damaged hard drive.  Until then, I'll be getting used to a new laptop and looking into an external hard drive.

So, here is a TTM success from Joe Cunningham on some nice vintage.  The above 1960 Topps turned out really nice, I think.

I like the 1959 Topps, as well.  Cunningham also provided the custom "1969 Topps".  That was really nice of him.

Cunningham (b. 1931) played in the majors from 1954 and 1956-1966 for the Cardinals, White Sox and Senators.  He had 980 hits, 64 home runs and a .291 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1959 for the Cardinals, a season where he batted .345 and finished 13th in the NL MVP voting.

I mailed to Cunningham on November 21 and got the cards back on March 7, for a 106-day TAT.

Christmas Gifts From Mom

Continuing with my theme of being way behind on blog posts, I need to show some of the stuff that my mom got me for Christmas.  I still have quite a few Christmas items that need to be posted, along with some cards from the National, still.

Mom always hooks me up with some cool minor league jerseys.  This year was no different, but I believe I got more jerseys than in years past.  Mom explained to me afterward that she may or may not have misplaced a box that had LAST YEAR'S jerseys in it.  See, I'm not the only one who is behind.  Here is the West Virginia Power jersey that she picked up for me.  The Power are the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and are based in Charleston, West Virginia.  I want to catch a game there sometime soon with my amazing friends, Josh and Kaleb, so look for me to be wearing this jersey in the near future.

This Tacos jersey is actually for the Fresno Grizzlies.  This is a cool variation jersey.  The Grizzlies are the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros.  This is also a nod to my nephew-dog, Bruiser, who is a Chihuahua and probably would enjoy a good taco here and there.

Here is a Charlotte Stone Crabs jersey that she picked up.  The Stone Crabs are based in Port Charlotte, Florida and are the Class A Advanced team for the Tampa Bay Rays.  Several folks hear Charlotte Stone Crabs and think of Charlotte, NC, but no, Charlotte, NC houses the Knights, the AAA team for the White Sox.

Here is another nod to Bruiser, a T-Shirt of the El Paso Chihuahuas, the AAA affiliate of the Padres.  The dog on the shirt looks a lot meaner than Bruiser.  Still, it is a cool shirt and I plan on wearing it a lot.

The West Michigan Whitecaps round out the shirts and jerseys that Mom picked up.  The Whitecaps are the Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and are based in a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Mom also got me some really cool stuff like a Brooks Robinson comic book and some more Oyo figures that I need to display.  Here is a 1959 Topps Orioles team set that she picked up.  Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Hoyt Wilhelm are encapsulates, and the rest of the team is in a plastic snap case.

The cards are in great shape, and I think I may put them in an album, instead of letting them sit on a shelf or get stuck in a box.  One of these days, I want to put together Orioles team sets, but that is something that is way on down my list at this point.  I hope to get to it sometime in the future, though.

As always, Mom comes up with the best Christmas ideas.  I don't even bother making out any kind of list for her, because I know that she A.) has probably already bought me next year's presents and B.) she is so creative with how she picks up stuff, I would feel bad LIMITING her with a list.  When she is allowed to run free with what she is picking up, she makes it a lot of fun to see where it goes.

Thanks so much for the Christmas presents, Mom.  You know I love them, and now is your chance to see them again in blog form!

TTM Success - Gary Bell

Here are some more vintage cards that I was able to pull in via TTM recently with this success from Gary Bell.  I picked up a few of his cards from COMC and sportlots so I could add a few more tick marks to my notebook.  I love the 1959 set, so adding another to the TTM/IP auto album is always a plus.  Bell's signature is really small, but it is nice and also legible, so I don't feel like it takes away from the card.

Here is another 1964 Topps and also a 1969.  Surprisingly, even with me working to complete the 1969 set, I only had a couple signed cards from the set.  I need to try to find a few extras here and there of guys who sign.

Bell (b. 1936) played in the majors from 1958 to 1969 for the Indians, Red Sox, Pilots and White Sox.  He had a career record of 121-117 with 1,378 strike outs and an ERA of 3.68.  He finished third in the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year voting (behind Albie Pearson and Ryne Duren).  He was also a three-time All Star (1960, 1966 and 1968).

I mailed to Bell on November 21 and got the cards back on November 30 for a 9-day TAT.

Care Package From My Buddy, Josh F.

I got a nice care package back in June from my buddy, Josh F. after he had let me know I had something on the way.

He is a big Patrick Corbin and Jason Grilli fan, and I have sent him a bunch of their cards for his collection.  I was pleasantly surprised when Josh included one of the cards that he had signed by Grilli.

Josh had found this 1959 Virgil Trucks and remembered that I liked him, so he included it in the package.  I have the card already, but am always happy to take on another Trucks for the collection.

Josh also included a bunch of Orioles cards.  Among them was this Topps Coin of Brooks Robinson.  These are really cool, and I don't really see too many of them, these days.

Thank you so much for the care package, Josh.  I hope I can find more cards for your PC really soon!

TTM Success - Del Crandall

I had a TTM return waiting on me when I got home from Baltimore, yesterday.  The envelope had come on Saturday, but I was sitting in the heat, watching the Orioles beat the Angels.  Inside the envelope was a success from former player, Del Crandall.  Crandall charges $5/card, but since I bought all of these cards at the Columbia antique shop in April, I went ahead and sent $20 to get them all signed.

Above are the 1953 and 1954 Topps that I got signed.  They both turned out great.  I feel like I really enjoy getting the 53s signed for some reason.  I wish I had the money to build that set, but that one will cost an arm and about 8 legs.  1954 Topps is a great set, too, and it is one that is far more realistic to pursue.

Here are the 1957 and 1959 Topps that I got signed.  I like the huge Braves logo on Crandall's sleeve on the 1957.  Both of these turned out nice, as well.

Crandall (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1949 to 1950 and 1953 to 1966 for the Braves (Boston and Milwaukee), Giants, Pirates and Indians.  He had 1,276 hits, 179 home runs and a .254 batting average.  He was an 8-time All Star (1953 to 1956, 1958 to 1960 and 1962).  He finished second in the 1949 NL Rookie of the Year Award voting to Don Newcombe and finished as high as 10th in the NL MVP voting (1958).  Crandall was also a 4-time Gold Glove Award winner.  He won the World Series with the Braves in 1957.  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot 4 times between 1976 and 1979, but only got as high as 3.9% of the vote.

I mailed to Crandall on June 27 and got the cards back on Saturday (July 9) for a 12-day TAT.