2026 National Free Signer - Steve Lyons

The last free signer that I was getting at this year's National was Steve Lyons. His line took the longest, but it was because he made a point to talk to everyone. I appreciated that, even though I really wanted to get back to the bargain boxes that Nate and I were looking through.

I did make it back to the bargain boxes with about 30 minutes to spare.

Lyons (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1993 for the Red Sox, White Sox, Braves and Expos. He had 545 hits, 19 home runs and a .252 batting average. 

2026 National VIP Free Signer - Gregg Jefferies

Gregg Jefferies was one of the VIP party signers on Wednesday at the National. Nate and I went through the line initially and got one card signed, each. Later on, we went back through and got the rest of our stuff signed. 

Jefferies was really nice and chatted with us the two times through the line. The 1994 Score Gold Rush is what I had him sign initially, then he signed a: 1993 Topps, 1992 Topps, 1991 Topps, 1989 Topps, 1996 Fleer, 1991 Fleer, 1988 Fleer and 1988 Donruss. Everything turned out great.

They had three VIP party signers, and the others will be posted shortly. 

TTM Success - Doug Jennings

This 1989 Topps that I got signed TTM by Doug Jennings turned out great. The A's cards in the 1989 set always looked cool. I guess it's how the green and yellow team name and player name ribbon really pop on the card. 1989 will always be a good-looking set in my opinion. 

Jennings (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1988 to 1991 and 1993 for the A's and Cubs. He had 65 hits, 5 home runs and a .202 batting average. 

I mailed to Jennings on October 30, 2024, and got the card back on March 24, 2026, for a 510-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Mark Parent

Some more Junk Wax Era cards were added to the autograph album when I got these three cards back from Mark Parent. He signed the above 1990 Topps, and the 1990 Fleer and 1989 Topps below.

He also signed a 1996 Fleer for me, but I sent that along to my friend, Max, for his Cubs collection. 

I had gotten Parent before back in 2020. He had actually signed a 1989 Topps in that return, as well, but that one was in black Sharpie. This one is in blue, so I'll take that as an upgrade.

I mailed to Parent on February 25 and got the cards back on March 19, for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Harkey

Some older cards from the Junk Wax Era were added to the autograph album when I got these back signed TTM from Mike Harkey. He signed the above 1989 Topps and the three cards below: a 1992 Topps, 1994 Score and 1993 Fleer Ultra. 

Harkey (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1988, from 1990 to 1995 and 1997 for the Cubs, Rockies, A's, Angels and Dodgers. He had a record of 36-36 with 316 strike outs and a 4.49 ERA. He finished 5th in the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year voting. 

I mailed to Harkey on January 31 and got the cards back on March 19, for a 47-day TAT.

TTM Success - John Morris

There are actually two players named John Morris from whom I have received signed cards TTM. This John Morris played in the late 80s and early 90s, and is in the 1987 Topps set. I had gotten that card several years ago from a friend. This time around, I cleared out some othet older Topps cards from the boxes.

He signed my 1988 (above, left), 1989 (above, right) and 1990 (top) Topps cards. All turned out well.

Morris (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1986 to 1992 for the Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. He had 145 hits, 8 home runs and a .236 batting average. 

I mailed to Morris on January 7 and got the cards back on January 24, for a 17-day TAT. 

July 25, 2025, Graphing of the Ghost Peppers at Rockers

This past Friday, I went to High Point to try to knock a few Gastonia cards out that I missed from my road trip last month.  I didnt exactly clear many Gastonia guys out, but I did do pretty well with High Point. 

A lot of the Gastonia guys that I needed were on the IL.  I did get a couple guys like Tony Fossas and Cory Thompson. 

I did pretty well with High Point, like I said above.  Alex Dickerson was added to the roster since the last time I had been there.  He was really nice and signed almost everything that I had.  I helped Max complete some 2017 Topps Heritage Minors trio cards, which was cool.

In all, I got the following autographs: Tony Fossas x 1, Jack Reinheimer x 4, Cory Thompson x 2, Kevin Watson x 1, Alex Dickerson x 8, Kyle Halbohn x 1, Drew Mendoza x 3, Frank Viola x 9, and Luis Gonzalez x 7 (36 autographs).

TTM Success - Terry Clark

Some late 80s cards came back signed TTM when I got this TTM success in from Terry Clark.  I don't have many 1989 Fleer in the autograph album, so adding this one was nice.

I do have a bunch of 1989 Topps in the album, but another one didn't hurt. This is a sharp looking 89, and I'm glad it is signed.

Clark (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1988 to 1990 and 1995 to 1997 for the Angels, Astros, Braves, Orioles, Royals, Indians and Rangers.  He had a record of 10-23 with 109 strike outs and a 5.54 ERA.

I mailed to Clark on December 2 and got the cards back on February 18 for a 78-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Kurt Stillwell

This 1991 Donruss Diamond King that came back signed TTM from Kurt Stillwell is such a great card.  Diamond Kings were a favorite of the Junk Wax Era.  I had found this card in a box and decided to send to Stillwell again after originally getting him TTM in 2019.

I found a few more cards to send along with the Diamond King.  The 1988 Donruss ALs Best was a cool find in one of the boxes from the former LCS.  I also got a 1989 Topps and 1994 Leaf signed.

I mailed to Stillwell on January 25 and got the cards back on February 14 for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jon Perlman

This nice 1989 Topps of Jon Perlman came back signed TTM recently.  The card turned out nicely.

Perlman (b. 1956) played in the majors in 1985, 1987 and 1988 for the Cubs, Giants and Indians.  He had a record of 1-2 with 17 strike outs and a 6.35 ERA.

I mailed to Perlman on November 25 and got the card back on December 31 for a 37-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jose Bautista

A while back, Jose Bautista was coaching for some team that was going to come through Kinston; I think maybe Myrtle Beach. For whatever reason, I didn't see him (COVID season, maybe?). I don't remember now.  Anyway, I had his cards pulled, then put away, then pulled again.  I finally sent to him TTM, and after quite a while, got the cards back signed.  I was glad to finally get his 1991 Crown Orioles card into the autograph album. 

I also got a 1989 Topps, 1994 Topps Finest and a 1994 Topps signed.

Bautista (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1988 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997 for the Orioles, Cubs, Giants, Tigers and Cardinals.  He had a record of 32-42 with 328 strike outs and a 4.62 ERA.

I mailed to Bautista on October 24, 2023, and got the cards back on November 25, 2024, for a 398-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Joe Morgan

Back in 2017, I got a TTM success in from former Manager, Joe Morgan.  He signed a 1960 Topps and a 1990 Topps.  Since then, I found this 1989 Topps and decided to finally send it out.  This card turned out great.  I'm glad I got it sent out.

I mailed to Morgan on August 10 and got the card back on August 22, for a 12-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mike Dunne

This 1989 Topps came back signed from Mike Dunne recently.  I had sent him a 1985 Topps also, but that one didn't come back. 

This card was also damaged, but I'm still glad it came back, finally.

I mailed to Dunne on November 2, 2022, and got the card back on August 19, 2024, for a 656-day TAT.

2024 National Free Signer - Pat Tabler

Pat Tabler was the next free signer at this year's National. I ended up with two vouchers for him.  I got this 1989 Topps out of a box of cards that my grandma gave me.  The card turned out nicely.

I also got this 1985 Topps signed. This one is a bit dark, but still looks nice.

Tabler (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1981 to 1992 for the Cubs, Indians, Royals, Mets and Blue Jays.  He had 1,101 hits, 47 home runs and a .282 batting average. He was an All Star in 1987. He won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992.

Another TTM Success From Tom Kelly

Another batch of signed cards came in signed from former Twins manager, Tom Kelly.  I had seen these cards in a couple passes through my boxes and wanted to add them to the autograph album. 

The cards I sent were a 2002 and 1989 Topps.  They both turned out great, and I'm glad I got them out of the boxes.

I mailed to Kelly on March 6 and got the cards back today (March 18), for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - John Davis

Today saw only one TTM come in, which, since I'm posting it now, puts me as caught up with my posts.  This TTM success came in from John Davis after waiting since 2022.

Davis (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1987 to 1990 for the Royals, White Sox and Padres.  He had a record of 7-9 with 73 strike outs and a 4.92 ERA.

I mailed to Davis on November 17, 2022, and got the card back today (March 7, 2024), for a 476-day TAT.

TTM Success - Greg Cadaret

Some Junk Wax era cards were removed from the boxes and added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from Greg Cadaret.  I had to dig to find the working address, but I was successful.  The above 1991 Donruss turned out nicely. 

I also added a few of his Topps cards; a 1988, 1989 and 1994.

Cadaret (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1987 to 1994 and 1997 to 1998 for the A's, Yankees, Reds, Royals, Blue Jays, Tigers, Angels and Rangers.  He had a record of 38-32 with 539 strike outs and a 3.99 ERA.

I mailed to Cadaret on October 16 and got the cards back on February 20, for a 127-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bruce Fields

A couple cards from 1989 came back signed in this TTM success from Bruce Fields.  The above 1989 Upper Deck came from a partial set that I got from the former LCS.  Obviously it was partial because the Griffey had been removed.

I also got this nice 1989 Topps signed.  It looks great, as well.

Fields (b. 1960) played in the majors in 1986, 1988 and 1989 for the Tigers and Mariners.  He had 31 hits, 1 home run and a .271 batting average. 

I mailed to Fields on January 18 and got the cards back on January 30, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bob Brower

While I have a ton of 1988 and 1989 Topps, I don't have near as many in my autograph album compared to other sets from that era.  1988 especially is underrepresented. I added one to the album with this TTM success from Bob Brower.  The 1988 turned out nicely.

The 1989 turned out well, also.

Brower (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1986 to 1989 for the Rangers and Yankees.  He had 141 hits, 17 home runs and a .242 batting average.

I mailed to Brower on June 30 and got the cards back on July 20, for a 20-day TAT. 

2023 National Free Signer - Steve Trout

The next free signer at the National was Steve Trout, a guy who I had gotten as a free signer before at a National a few years ago.  I had a bunch of his cards put aside for a potential TTM at some point.  I had held off sending to him because I didn't want to pay a fee to send to someone I've already met.  I'm glad I waited, because I ended up with 6 of Trout's vouchers.

I got the above 1981 Topps signed, which turned out well 

I also got a 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988 Topps signed.

The above 1989 Topps was one I found while locking for Jim Gantner cards prior to leaving for the show, and it turned out nicely, as well.

Trout is always fun to meet.  He's very friendly and seems to enjoy doing signings. I believe I have most of his Topps run signed, so that's a plus.