Another TTM Success From Jerry Browne

Here are some mid-90s cards I cleared out of my box to send out TTM to Jerry Browne. The above 1993 Topps turned out great.

I also got a 1993 Pinnacle and a 1994 Score. Both of these cards are very similar, and turned out well.

I mailed to Browne on January 6 and got the cards back on January 17, for an 11-day TAT.  

Another TTM Success From Blas Minor

Back in 2017, I got Blas Minor TTM on some cards.  I found two more and finally sent them out recently.  I was glad to add another 1994 Topps to the autograph album. 

I also sent out this 1994 Scotr, which turned out great.  I've got a 5,000-count box of that year of Score and was happy to get one of them out.  

I mailed to Minor on January 7 and got the cards back on February 6 for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Kevin Higgins

With some more graphing trips being completed, I can see myself falling way behind again on TTM posts.  I'm not quite at the point of posting two a day again to catch up, but i may start.  Until then, I'll just keep plugging away.  Here are two cards that came back signed by Kevin Higgins.  Above is a 1994 Donruss, a very underrated set.  I tend to enjoy looking at these, but they came from the over-gloss era where stacks of cards can brick by sticking together.  I had to toss out a bunch of 1994 and 1995 Donruss a few years ago.  What a shame.

Another relic of that same era was 1994 Score.  This can be another sharp-looking set.  It has a very basic border, but some pretty decent photography on some cards.  Something else that I love about the 1994 Score set was that they did stadium cards that season.  I need more card sets doing some stadium cards because they come in handy while graphing.

Higgins (b. 1967) played in the majors in 1993 for the Padres.  He had 40 hits, no home runs and a .221 batting average. 

I mailed to Higgins on November 19 and got the cards back on January 22 for a 64-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Bill Greason

Bill Greason is now 100 years old and I have added a couple more of his autographs to the collection with this TTM success.  I had him sign a 1994 Score showing Busch Stadium, since he was a Cardinal.

My friend Jesse gave me this 5 x 7 photo, and it looks pretty nice. He signed it in copper Sharpie.  

I mailed to Greason on August 30 and got the card and photo back on September 17, for an 18-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Steve Scarsone

Here are some mid-90s Junk Wax Era cards that I got signed TTM by Steve Scarsone.  Above is a 1994 Topps Stadium Club, which is always fun due to the old label maker font.  These have really grown on me over the years. 

I also got a 1993 Donruss, showing Scarsone with the Orioles, and a 1994 Score.

Scarsone (b. 1966) played in the majors from 1992 to 1997 and 1999 for the Phillies, Orioles, Giants, Cardinals and Royals.  He had 198 hits, 20 home runs and a .239 batting average. I mailed to Scarsone on February 1 and got the cards back on February 26, for a 25-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Scott Fletcher

Here are some 90s cards that I got back signed from Scott Fletcher.  I really like the design of the above 1990 Topps Big, but the autograph smudged.  Oh well. It still looks cool.

I also got a 1990 Topps, 1992 Flair, 1994 Finest and 1994 Score signed.  All of them look great.  The Finest is cool.  I like the mid 90s Finest cards and have been able to get a few signed.

Fletcher (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1981 to 1995 for the Cubs, White Sox, Rangers, Brewers, Red Sox and Tigers.  He had 1,376 hits, 34 home runs and a .262 batting average. He finished 17th in the 1986 AL MVP voting.  

I mailed to Fletcher on November 6 and got the cards back on January 22, for a 77-day TAT.

November 14, 2023, Wilson Baseball Hot Stove Event

Last night was the 48th annual Wilson Hot Stove event.  I had heard a lot about it, but had never troed to go.  I finally got there, and had a great time.  My good friend, Jesse, met me at the North Carolina Baseball Museum for the pre-event reception, then headed over to the community center for the night's dinner and awards ceremony. 

One of the big draws to this year's event was Reds prospect, Rhett Lowder.  He was there to receive the pitcher of the year award commemorating his season with Wake Forest.  He was really nice and signed cards for Jesse and I.

John Roper was at the museum prior to the event and signed all of the cards I brought with me.  We talked about some of the big contracts that players were signing then also about his hometown of Raeford, NC.  That led to a conversation about his gas fireplace.  Ah, the things we converse about. He was a really cool guy, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. 

A surprise attendee at the event was Trot Nixon.  He had attended the event in years past, but more recently had not been able to come, due to other commitments.  I took a chance and brought some of his cards, and happily got them signed.

I got Jerry Narron on a 1987 Donruss, and upgraded my 1971 Topps Dick Such to blue Sharpie, as opposed to the one he signed in black Sharpie.

This 1970 Topps Senators Rookie Stars card turned out nicely.  Unfortunately, Dick Stelmaszek is no longer with us.  It also doesn't look like Gene Martin signs regularly.

The museum itself is really cool.  There is at least a card for every former major leaguer who came from NC.  There are a ton of signed baseballs and memorabilia.  I want to take some time and visit the museum during regular hours and really take some time to look at everything. 

I had a great time at the hot stove event and would love to go again next year.  There seem to be some big names that come from time to time.  A few years ago, Rod Carew was a guest speaker. I'll hold out hope that some big names come and I can get some great autos there in the future.

In all, I got the following autographs: Rhett Lowder x 3, Jerry Narron x 1, Trot Nixon x 5, John Roper x 16 and Dick Such x 2 (27 total autographs).

TTM Success - Jerry DiPoto

A couple cards from 1994 and a nice Stadium Club card were sent out TTM and came back signed back in December.  The above 1994 Score Jerry DiPoto turned out nicely.

I really liked the above 1998 Stadium Club, and was glad I could get it signed.  Stadium Club always seems to be a nice product, and this set is pretty high quality.  The card is a bit thicker than a normal card and it super glossed; it almost seems shallacked.

DiPoto (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1993 to 2000 for the Indians, Mets and Rockies.  He had a record of 27-24 with 352 strike outs and a 4.05 ERA.

DiPoto has been a general manager for the Diamondbacks (2010), Angels (2011 to 2015) and Mariners (2015 to 2022).  He was promoted to President of Baseball operations by the Mariners in 2022.

I mailed to DiPoto on December 2 and got the cards back on December 12, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rick Trlicek

These are two cards from the 1990s that I was able to get signed TTM from Rick Trlicek.  An interesting last name made it easy to spot him in my boxes.  I was glad to move these two into the album.  I have a ton of 1994 Score, and I rarely am able to get into that box, since it is at the bottom of a large stack of 5,000-count boxes in my closet.

When I went to a show in Virginia last year, I picked up a box that had a bunch of 1993 Pinnacle.  I didn't have many of these at the time, so it was nice to add something different to the boxes, even though they came out of the Junk Wax Era.  Both cards turned out nicely from the TTM success.

Trlicek (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1992 to 1994 and 1996 to 1997 for the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Red Sox and Mets.  He had a record of 5-8 with 66 strike outs and a 5.23 ERA.

I mailed to Trlicek on November 10 and got the cards back on December 6, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Danny Sheaffer

Some mid-90s cards came back signed TTM from Danny Sheaffer in November.  The above 1994 Stadium Club turned out nicely.  I always enjoyed the 'label maker" font on these cards.  It was a little goofy, but definitely was something different.

I also got a 1994 Donruss and a 1994 Score signed, while Sheaffer included his own custom religious card that he signed.

Sheaffer (b. 1961) played in the majors in 1987, 1989 and from 1993 to 1997 for the Red Sox, Indians, Rockies and Cardinals.  He had 219 hits, 13 home runs and a .232 batting average.

I mailed to Sheaffer on November 8 and got the cards back on November 21, for a 13-day TAT.

2022 National Free Signer - Tommy Greene

Tommy Greene signed for me TTM back in 2016, but I still had a few cards remaining that I was able to bring with me to this year's National.  He signed the above 1994 Score Gold Rush, as well as a 1993 Finest, 1995 Finest and a 1993 Fleer.

All of the cards turned out great.  I was really glad to get the Finest cards out of my boxes and into m album.  The 1995 Finest, especially, turned out well.  It was in really good shape, even after I removed the protective film.

The VIP signers featured a few guys that I had gotten TTM, but thankfully, I still had cards I could get signed.

TTM Success - Jim Gott

Some late 80s to mid-90s cards were added to my autograph album with this TTM success from pitcher, Jim Gott.  I had held his cards in my "to be TTMed" box for a while, then finally got them in the mail.  I was glad to get the above 1994 Score Gold Rush card signed.  I have a ton of 1994 Score, but that box is at the bottom of my stack of boxes.  I should get in there sometime soon and pull some cards.

I got a coupld cards signed out of Gott's Topps run, a 1989 and a 1994.  I also had a really nice 1993 Flair.  Flair is such a nice set; I always enjoy getting those signed.  Finally, I had a 1994 Topps Finest, which also turned out great.

Gott (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1982 to 1995 for the Blue Jays, Giants, Pirates and Dodgers.  He had a record of 56-74 with 837 strike outs and a 3.87 ERA.

I mailed to Gott on May 21 and got the cards back on September 11, for a 113-day TAT.

TTM Success - Paul Wagner

There were a bunch of Paul Wagner cards in my TTM box.  He signs a lot, so I went ahead and sent 7 cards, since I couldn't decide on ones to hold back.  I don't mind if a player decides to not sign something I send, so I didn't see much of an issue with sending 7 cards.  That is the max I would send, though, in case someone was wondering.

The cards I sent all turned out great. They'll look good in my autograph album, especially the 1991 Carolina League All Star card.

Wagner (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1992 to 1999 for the Pirates, Brewers and Indians.  He had a record of 29-45 with 452 strike outs and a 4.83 ERA.

I mailed to Wagner on May 10 and got the cards back on June 15, for a 36-day TAT.

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 - Greg Olson

I got a few junk wax era cards out of my box with this TTM success from former catcher, Greg Olson.  Not to be confused with former Oriole closer, Gregg Olson.

Olson (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1989 to 1993 for the Twins and Braves.  He had 309 hits, 20 home runs and a .242 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1990.

I mailed to Olson on June 29 and got the cards back on December 1, for a 155-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Trombley

I dug deep into the super junk wax era and got a few cards out of my boxes and into my autograph album.  I have so many cards from 1992-1994, it's sad.  A lot of them just sit around in boxes taking up space, and it can be really hard to get rid of them sometimes.  So, when I see someone like Mike Trombley signing, I take advantage of it.  The best part, Trombley signs a lot of cards, so I was able to get 5 of them out of my boxes (and a lot more that I sent out to other friends in TTM starter packs.

I have a whole 5,000-count box of 1993 Fleer.  They're not bad cards, they just sit at the bottom of my closet, and I can't get into the box often enough.  The cards look nice when signed, so I think I need to make an extra effort to get more out into the mail.

I also got a 1993 Donruss, 1994 Donruss, 1996 Ultra, and a 1994 Score signed by Trombley.  1994 Score is another set that I have a ton of.  I wish it was a box of 95 Score, but I guess I'll have to deal with what I've got.

Trombley (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1992 to 2002 for the Twins, Orioles and Dodgers.  He had a career record of 37-47 with 672 strike outs and a 4.48 ERA.

I mailed to Trombley on October 13 and got the cards back on October 22 for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ruben Amaro Jr

 
I got some more junk wax era cards out of my box and into my album with this TTM success from former Phillies GM, Ruben Amaro, Jr.   I had a bunch of his cards, so I was glad to be able to get a few signed, and then send some off to some friends, so they too could get a few done.

Surprisingly, I don't have a whole lot of 1992 Fleer (top left).  Those must not have survived the great card purge I did a few years ago.  I had taken a buch of junk wax cards and made gift bags that I gave out for Halloween.  Now, I kind of wish I had kept some of those, because I wasn't doing TTM back then.

Amaro (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1991 to 1998 for the Angels, Phillies and Indians.  He had 218 hits, 16 home runs and a .235 batting average.

I mailed to Amaro on July 31 and got the cards back on August 24, for a 31-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Craig Paquette

I had a bunch of Craig Paquette's cards in my box that had been sitting there for a couple years, so I decided to send TTM to him again.  I had some good ones, but just held onto them while I sent other folks out.  I finally got around to sending these, and am glad I went ahead with it.  The above 1993 Upper Deck SP turned out really well.  I have no idea where I got the card.  It could be a remnant of the collection I had when I was younger, of course, or it could have come out of a repack box a while back.  Who knows.

These cards all came out of various 5,000-count boxes that I have acquired over the years.  I've been trying to thin that stuff out and cycle more stuff in, but it definitely is a chore.  The 2002 Topps Chrome and 2002 Topps (top left to right) both look great.  The 1994 Score and 1994 Donruss (bottom left to right) ae both cards that usually get left out when I am choosing what to send to players.  I was glad to get those two sets in this request and add them to the album.

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

Another TTM Success From Dave Fleming

I had gotten Dave Fleming TTM a few years ago, but I found a bunch more of his cards in various boxes, so I sent to him again.  The cards are spectacular or anything, just random stuff that I had and wanted to move into my albums.

This was pretty much a card dump; get some stuff out of the way so I could clear room in the boxes for other stuff.

I mailed to Fleming on July 20 and got the cards back on August 1, for a 12-day TAT.

Mystery TTM From Gerard - Joe Oliver

My friend, Gerard, came up with a cool idea; We would send off a mystery TTM for each other each month, to help get rid of extra cards and to help each other add to our collections.  The TTM success from Joe Oliver was one of the ones that Gerard sent off for me.

I had sent the cards to Gerard to get signed during either Spring Training or the minor league season, but the hadn't gotten signed.  So, Gerard tried them TTM, and got them signed for me.

Oliver (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 to 2001 for the Reds, Brewers, Tigers, Mariners, Pirates, Yankees and Red Sox.  He had 831 hits, 102 home runs and a .247 batting average.  He won the World Series in 1990 with the Reds.

Thanks for getting these cards done for me, Gerard!