TTM Success - Joe Grahe

I waited a long time to send to Joe Grahe because I saw his TAT (turn around time) was pretty slow, but I finally did send to him.  I sent the maximum of cards that I would send to someone (seven cards) and waited quite a while for them to come back.  They finally did, and I was really happy with the results.

The 1994 Topps Finest above didn't scan all that great, but it looks really awesome in person.  Those early chrome cards are all really nice, and I would like to get some more different ones in my album.

Grahe also signed a 1992 Pinnacle, 1993 Score Select, 1994 Score, 1993 Topps, 1994 Donruss and a 1995 Topps.

Grahe (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1990 to 1995 and 1999 for the Angels, Rockies and Phillies.  He had a record of 22-30 with 204 strike outs and a 4.41 ERA.

I mailed to Grahe on April 25 and got the cards back on December 8, for a 227-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trever Miller

I had Trever Miller's cards in my box for a long time before I finally got around to mailing to him.  I'm not sure what took me so long, but I'm glad I finally got around to sending these out.  His cards cover a wide range of years, beginning with this 1992 Pinnacle.

I also had this 1991 Classic Best that was in one of my boxes.  I don't think I have gotten any other cards from this set signed.  I remember way back when thinking that the Classic Minor League cards would be worth a lot.  It has just taken me 26 years to fully apperciate a minor league card, now that I'm graphing.

Finally, here are the two Topps cards that I was able to find in my boxes.  I'm glad I found the 2011 Topps, as I don't have many of those around to get signed at all. 

Miller (b. 1973) played in the majors in 1996, 1998 to 2000 and 2003 to 2011 for the Tigers, Astros, Phillies, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Devil Rays/Rays, Cardinals and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 18-17 with 434 strike outs and an ERA of 4.18.

I mailed to Miller on September 2 and got the cards back on September 23, for a 21-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kevin Elster

Ah, look at that 1989 Topps.  To me, that is still one of the underrated Topps issues, especially since it is a big part of the "overproduction era."  The set is important to me, though, because it represents the first baseball cards that I ever owned.  So, whenever I am deciding on which cards to send to a former player, 1989 is one that oftentimes finds its way into the envelope.

I sent four cards to Kevin Elster on November 9 and got the cards back on November 19, for a 10-day TAT.

Another horizontal card was a must in this submission.  They always turn out great, and this 1998 Topps didn't disappoint.  The only issue is that the foil name on the card doesn't scan all that well, but I don't feel like it takes anything away.

Here are the two other cards I sent for signature.  I found the 1988 Classic at my LCS after the shop owner let me dig through boxes in the back room.  I grabbed a few of them to send off so they would be represented in my album.  The 1992 Pinnacle (on the left) is just a nice-looking card that I thought would look even better with a signature.  It turned out pretty well; the blue Sharpie fitting in nicely, even though Elster signed it in an odd direction to the photo.

Elster (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1986 to 1992, 1994 to 1998 and 2000 for the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, Pirates and Dodgers.  He had 648 hits, 88 home runs and a .228 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Mets in 1986.

TTM Succes - Charlie Hough

I received a huge TTM success on Friday, March 25 from former pitcher, Charlie Hough.  The above 1986 Topps Rangers Leaders card might be one of the best looking TTM successes that I have gotten.  Hough has a really nice signature, and the design of this card really fits with the auto.

Hough signed for free, and signed everything that I sent.

I tried a few different Hough cards, and they all turned out great.  I think the 1992 Pinnacle really looks nice.  I don't have very many of those any more, but I opened a ton of those packs way back when.

1994 Collector's Choice might be another nice forgotten 90s set, and this one turned out really great.  By this time, Hough was at the end of his career, but was a veteran presence on an expansion Marlins team.

Finally, here is a 1986 Topps mini league leaders Hough.  This was in one of the boxes that Mom gave me, and I figured I would try to get one of them signed.

I mailed to Hough on March 2 and got the cards back on March 25 for a 23-day TAT.

Hough (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1970 to 1994 for the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Marlins.  He was an inaugural member of the Marlins.  He had a career record of 216-216 with an ERA of 3.75 and 2,362 strike outs.  He was an All Star only once, in 1986.  He appeared in three World Series with the Dodgers (1974, 1977 and 1978), but failed to win a ring.  His might be one of my favorite signatures that I have gotten so far.