TTM Success - Roberto Alomar

Pinnacle Aficionado may be one of my all-time favorite sets.  When I was looking for a Roberto Alomar card to send in to a private signing, it didn't take me long to decide what to send.  I've gotten other Aficionado cards signed, but this one was nice because it is an Oriole, and obviously a Hall of Famer.  I'm really happy to add this to my album.

Alomar (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1988 to 2004 for the Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Mets, White Sox and Diamondbacks.  He had 2,724 hits, 210 home runs and a .300 batting average.  He was a 12-time All Star (1990-2001) and a 9-time Gold Glove Award winner (1991-1996, 1998-2001).  His best MVP finish was 3rd (1999).  He won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011, when he was named on 90.0% of the ballot.  He was elected during his second year of eligibility.

I mailed to the signing on September 13 and got the card back on October 5, for a 22-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $40.00.

TTM Success - Karim Garcia

I had seen Karim Garcia's name pop up in a list of recent successes on SCN, but I couldn't remember the significance of why I had been keeping an eye out for his name.  Then, on a pass through my boxes, I saw this card and remembered that was why I wanted to try to get Garcia TTM.

This 996 Pinnacle Aficionado Global Reach insert is a really cool card, and I wanted to try to get one in my autograph album.  Garcia signs through PastPros, so once I figured that all out, it was pretty easy to get this card signed.

Garcia (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1995 to 2004 for the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Orioles, Indians, Yankees and Mets.  He had 352 hits, 66 home runs and a .241 batting average.

I mailed to Garcia via PastPros on April 8 and got the card back signed on May 7, for a 29-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brooke Kieschnick

I have a little bag of failed TTMs that sits beside my desk.  I check it periodically to see if a new address pops up for one of the failures, and have been able to thin the pile down here and there.  One of the players who sat in that bag for almost 3 years was Brooks Kieschnick.  I had some really awesome cards to send him, and originally sent three out in 2016.  They were RTS, so they sat and waited.

Recently, I checked on some of the envelopes, and saw that Kieschnick was signing at a new address, this time for a fee of $10.00/card.  Since the third card wasn't anything special, I sent the other two, along with a $20, and hopes the cards would come back signed this time.

The cards did come back, and I believe they might be some of the coolest cards that I have ever gotten returned.  The above Star Date 2000 from EX 2000 looks amazing.  I was so happy that this one came back signed, and turned out well.  I had prepped it beforehand, and I'm happy I did.  This card just looks awesome.

The other card I sent was a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite sets.  The cards are tough to find, and feature a nice wood-grain nameplate, and the player's face in a stippling design.  When I took art classes way back when, that was my favorite form of artistic media.  I always enjoyed stippling via pen and ink, but it was so time consuming.

Kieschnick (b. 1972) played in the majors from 1996 to 1997, 2000 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2004 for the Cubs, Reds, Rockies and Brewers.  He had 76 hits, 16 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Kieschnick on September 30 and got the cards back on October 8, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00/card.

TTM Success - Paul Wilson

I had to wait a long, long time, but I was able to finally add a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado to my autograph album.  This is one of my all-time favorite sets, and appears to be pretty difficult to find.  I had this card since probably 1996, then thought it might be lost forever.

I finally received it, and these cards back signed from Paul Wilson, after waiting a couple years.  The cards I sent were all really cool, and he signed them with a red Sharpie.

Wilson (b. 1973) played in the majors in 1996 and from 2000 to 2005 for the Mets, Devil Rays and Reds.  He had a career record of 40-58 with 619 strike outs and a 4.86 ERA.  He was the #1 overall pick in the 1994 June Amateur Draft by the Mets out of Florida State University.

I mailed to Wilson on May 6, 2016 and got the cards back on August 24, 2019, for a 1,205-day TAT.

National Free Signer - Marty Cordova

I had gotten Marty Cordova TTM a while back, so when I saw that he was a free signer this year at the National, I had no cards of his.  So, I went on Ebay and bought a couple that I thought would look cool in my album.  The above 2002 Topps Pristine turned out awesome.  It is numbered 21/70 and has perforated edges.  It looks really awesome in person.

I ended up with extra Cordova vouchers, but no enough cards, so I found these two in a dime box and they turned out awesome, as well.  I especially liked the 2003 Topps Opening Day, since I didn't have any in my album.

Back to the cards I ordered; I really have wanted a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado signed for a long time.  I want to build the set and put it in an album at some point, but they are really tough to find.  I'm just happy that I got this one signed, and it is now in my autograph album.

Trade With Ryan From O No Another Oriole Blog

When we went to Orioles Fan Fest last weekend, Ryan was gracious enough to let us stay at his place so I wouldn't have to get a hotel.  I'm really glad he did.  I am always curious to see how others maintain their collections and set up their 'man caves', etc.  Ryan has a very nice house and a dog who is almost a carbon copy of the one we used to have.  After putting my son Christopher to bed Friday night, we both went through each others' Orioles boxes for trades.  Man, he has a lot of awesome stuff that I wish I could get.  A lot of newer inserts of Orioles, etc.  We both picked out the cards that we wanted and pulled off the deal.  Here are but a few of the highlights of the huge stack of cards he let me go home with:

A 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado Roberto Alomar.  Ok, out of the overproduction era, this has to be the most awesome looking set there is.  I really love it.  Sadly, I can't find a box of this ANYWHERE to bust.  If anyone knows where I can get a box of this stuff, please shoot me an email.  I would love to complete this set.

I picked this 1992 Classic Minor League card of Jason Alstead because he was the first ever player I remember meeting in person.  My mom would take us to Ernie Shore Field in Winston-Salem to see the Spirits play the Frederick Keys since she knew the Keys were an Orioles farm team.  I remember Alstead talking to us a couple times before each game.  He was a really nice guy.  I wonder what became of him?  According to Baseball-Reference.com, he made it all the way to AAA Rochester for the Orioles in 1993 at the age of 24.  After that, who knows.  He had career minor league numbers of 218 hits, 8 home runs and a .249 batting average.  I wonder if he got injured or something like that because he only played 4 seasons in the minors.  If anyone has any information, please let me know.

I picked up a LOT of Nick Markakis cards that I didn't have in my collection.  The first is the above Upper Deck X - Xponential.  It looks pretty sweet in person.  I remember being really underwhelmed by Upper Deck X, but this card looks really sharp.

 Here is a 2007 Topps Finest Markakis.  Finest always looks great and this one is no exception.

I picked up this sweet Upper Deck USA Baseball Manny Machado.  I've met Machado several times now, and he has always been nice to us.  He is the Orioles' top prospect now.  I hope he lives up to the hype and gets to the majors really soon.

 I had been watching this Bowman's Best Zach Britton for a long time and finally was able to pick it up.  I like the retro look to these cards.  I'm hoping for a big year from Zach.  The Oriole sure need it.

 Finally, I got this really cool acetate card of Brian Roberts.  Topps Hot Button Baseball.  It looks like a precursor to Topps Attax.  I hope Brian makes it back this year, but concussions are tricky things.  I hope he is doing well.

Thanks again Ryan for the trade and your hospitality.  I definitely want to get together again!