Another TTM Success From Mike Bielecki

The above 1990 Topps Mini League Leaders card of Mike Bielecki drove me to send another TTM request to him.  I don't believe I had any of these in the autograph album, so i wanted to add one.  It is a good looking card, and I'm glad I had found it in a random box.

I went ahead and cleared out four other cards from the boxes; a 1988 Donruss, 1990 Donruss, 1991 Bowman and 1991 Donruss.  I remember my older brother though Don Russ was a person.  Kind of like Jon Blonde Jovi or Arrow Smith.  Anyway, it was nice to add these to the album.  Oh, what about Curvy Puckett?  I think there are a few more.  I'll have to try to remember them.

I mailed to Bielecki on January 29 and got the cards back on February 28 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Linskey

This is a random 1991 Bowman that I got back TTM from an Oriole that I had never heard of before.  I saw the card in the Orioles box, and looked Mike Linskey up to see if he signed TTM.  He does, so I sent the card off.  He needs a new pen, but the card is signed and is now in the autograph album.

Linskey (b. 1966) was a 9th round pick by the Orioles in the 1988 June Amateur Draft out of James Madison University.  He played in the minors from 1988 to 1993 in the Orioles and Padres systems, reaching AAA.  He had a record of 50-42 with 581 strike outs and a 3.64 ERA.

I mailed to Linskey on October 15 and got the card back on December 19, for a 65-day TAT.

A Bunch of Autos From Max

My good friend, Max, just sent me a nice stack of IP autos that he had gotten done recently.  I contributed some of the cards to his efforts, so it was nice to see some of them come back signed.  I like the above 2007 Topps CoSigners of Joe Crede.  I may have to send it off to Tadahito Iguchi, as well, and complete the card.

Max tossed in a couple minor league cards that I know I didn't contribute.  It will be cool to add them to the autograph album, for sure.

I was especially glad to move the several 2000 Topps Crede rookies and the 2007 Allen & Ginters that I had.  Some of that stuff can be hard to move, to when I get a chance to, I jump on it.

Here are a few more guys that Max added.  I'm pretty sure I didn't provide the 2013 Topps Geovany Soto, but if I had, then good, because I have a ton of 2013 Topps and I definitely am happy to thin out that box.

I know I sent Max some Rafael Furcal cards, so it is very likely the 2006 Topps, 2010 Topps and 2013 Topps came from me.  I like the minor league card, as well, because I wouldn't have had this one in my collection at all, if not for Max.

These two Jose Contreras cards appear to have gotten smudged a bit.  No worries, they still will have a good home in my album with the rest of the cards.

Finally, here are a couple Carl Everett cards.  I'm not sure if I sent any of Everett to Max in the past, but I have a ton of 1991 Bowman and don't often get much of a chance to move any.

Thank you so much for the signed cards, Max!  I look forward to the next list of names you send me so I can move some stuff out of my boxes again.

TTM Success - Wayne Edwards

I got a lot of junk wax era cards out of my box with this TTM success from Wayne Edwards.  I was surprised at all of the cards I found, and added some nice ones to my album.

I'm usually a Topps guy (and there is a Topps in the bunch, a 1991), but some of these other brands look really nice when signed.  Most aren't my first choice, but I was glad with how all of these turned out.

I've grown to like some of the older Bowman cards when they get signed.  These two are from 1991 (L) and 1990 (R).  These turned out really well with Edwards's signature.

Edwards (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1989 to 1991 for the White Sox.  He had a record of 5-5 with 84 strike outs and a 3.37 ERA.

I mailed to Edwards on May 21 and got the cards back on June 29, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - Matt Mieske

I was able to add some 1990s cards via TTM when I got these back from Matt Mieske.  This 1995 Topps was the first that I was able to add from that set.  This is a really nice one, with it being horizontal, and the cloudy sky in the background.  It really turned out great.

Here are some other 90s staples that I was able to get signed.  Clockwise from top left are: 1991 Bowman RC, 1995 Collectors Choice SE (I always loved this set), 1994 Donruss and 1995 Stadium Club.

Mieske (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1993 to 2000 for the Brewers, Cubs, Mariners, Astros and Diamondbacks.  He had 406 hits, 56 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to Mieske on April 21 and got the cards back on May 2, for an 11-day TAT.

Two Trade Packages From Alex R.

Recently, I met a trio of guys from the Chicago area who I have been corresponding back and forth with on Instagram and various forms of messaging.  Sean, Shawn and Alex are their names.  Each a Cubs fan, but Alex is more of a Hanley Ramirez fan.  I sent Alex some cards recently as a hello and a welcome to the hobby and in return, I got two packages back from him.  There were a bunch of Orioles and a few Joe Morgans in the envelopes he sent me.  Funny thing, Alex found me a Cal that I didn't yet have in my collection.

What an underrated design 1986 Topps was.  This is actually a 2014 Archives, but the design is still really sharp, even after all these years.  This really might be one of the more forgotten sets of the 1980s, but it really is a good one.

Alex was also able to find a Chris Davis card that I didn't have yet in this 2014 Bowman Platinum sapphire parallel.  This is a really nice parallel.  I have a gold parallel coming, so I might try to get a few others, but I won't be taking a rainbow seriously or anything like that.

Finally, there was this 1991 Bowman Mike Mussina RC that Alex included.  I'm still a big Moose fan and I truly believe he will make it to the Hall of Fame.  Probably not anytime soon, but he will get in.  I also love the retro O's jersey from the early 90s that Moose has on.  I have the black version, Ripken of course.

Thanks for all of the cards, Alex!  I really appreciate it, and really, welcome to the hobby!

A Few Cards From My Brother

I got a box of Oriole cards from my brother John a couple weeks ago. He's the one who gave me my first Cal Ripken cards 20+ years ago. Here are a couple from the box.
This is a 1991 Bowman Bill Ripken. Bill has really come on strong as far as coaching; he was a coach for Team USA. Rumor has it that he is a strong candidate to be named to the Orioles coaching staff for next season. We'll see if that pans out, because Bill is tied into he and Cal's business ventures (most notably, Ripken Baseball which owns a couple minor league teams).

BRADY!!!!! A 1991 Donruss Brady Anderson. Brady currently works some games for MASN as a color commentator, but he is another candidate to be tapped for the Orioles' coaching staff. I'm hoping he gets a gig on one of the minor league teams... You know I'll be going to those games, for sure, if he does!!! I really REALLY want an Anderson ball. Maybe a bat too. Yeah, no maybes. I WANT an Anderson bat.

Finally, a Brian Roberts. I already had this one, but it's still a good looking card. Another sharp offering from Fleer. Once again, I'm a little sad that they're gone.

It is really nice that my brother has been able to straighten himself out and get back into cards full on. I'm hoping he stays in it and tries to get a collection together that can rival mine.