Another TTM Success From Roberto Hernandez

Another pass through my Topps boxes caused me to pull a few more Roberto Hernandez cards out and send them to him TTM for signature. The above 1999 Topps turned out great.

I also sent out the above 1993 Topps and 2004 Topps. Both also turned out well. 

I had previously gotten Hernandez to sign TTM two other times (in 2017 and 2019). 

I mailed to Hernandez on January 3 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Orlando Hernandez

A private signing that I was highly anticipating came about with Orlando Hernandez.  I had two cards from 1999 put aside in the event a signing popped up.  The above 1999 Topps Gold Label is a sharp card.  I had four cards to pick from, and it was tough deciding on what to send.  This one turned out great.  I was afraid the card was too dark, but the scan really shows how awesome it turned out to be (it also lightened up the background).

This 1999 Club K card also looks great.  This was pack pulled when I busted hobby boxes way back at Andrew's house years ago.

Hernandez (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1998 to 2002 and 2004 to 2007 for the Yankees, White Sox, Diamondbacks and Mets.  He had a record of 90-65 with 1,086 strike outs and a 4.13 ERA.  He finished 4th in the 1998 AL Rookie of the Year race.

Hernandez won the World Series with the Yankees in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and the White Sox in 2005.

I mailed to the signing on April 21 and got the cards back on June 14 for a 54-day TAT.

August 5-10, 2025, Graphing of the Sussex County Miners at Down East Bird Dawgs

After getting a lot of the stuff posted from this year's National (with more on the way), I now have to catch up on some graphing that I have done recently.  The Sussex County Miners came through town earlier this month.  I had a bunch of cards for the team pulled and they all got signed.

Former Major League catcher Chris Widger was the manager of the team.  His son CJ used to play in Kinston, so we talked about that while he signed.  He was really nice and signed everything we had. 

Mahki Backstrom was also with the team.  I had a bunch of his cards and got them all signed.  I also got the above card signed by Will Zimmerman.

A couple new Bird Dawgs with cards were on the team, and some of the stuff I had ordered had come in like my Colby Backus University of Tennessee cards (bottom row, above).  My friend Josh also made a few customs, and I got a few of those done.

In all we got the following autographs: Mahki Backstrom x 21, Chris Widger x 13, Will Zimmerman x 2, Kalae Harrison x 2 and Colby Backus x 7, Ryan Sleeper x 10 and David Tiburcio x 1, Emmanuel Tapia x 1, Yassel Pino x 1, Trotter Harlan x 1 and Stephen Ditomaso x 1 (60 total autographs). 

Another TTM Success From Jay Bell

There have been quite a few TTM success recently where I went back and got guys I had gotten before.  This was a result of going through a bunch of boxes during the playoffs and amassing a huge stack of guys to send to.  One of them was Jay Bell.  Bell signs a bunch, and has a ton of cool cards.  The above 1992 Donruss Diamond King was a definite highlight.

The above 2000 Bowman and 2001 Upper Deck were some pretty cool cards.  I like how Bowman updated the classic 1955 Bowman TV Set design.  That's one of my all-time favorite sets and adding this with the updated (now, not so updated) design to the autograph album. 

I also got a 1993 Triple Play, 1995 Finest, 1998 Topps and 1999 Topps signed during this TTM request to Bell.

I mailed to Bell on October 11 and got the cards back on November 15, for a 35-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Danny Klassen

These cards of Danny Klassen had been out for signature for quite a while before finally coming back last week.  I had forgotten that I had mailed to him and had not gotten the cards, so when I opened the envelope, it was a nice surprise.  The TTM return was highlighted by the above 1999 Fleer Brilliants, which turned out great.  These are nice cards, and I have now gotten a few back for my autograph album.

I also got a 1997 Bowman Chrome, 1999 Bowman foil and a 1999 Topps signed by Klassen.  All of the cards turned out well, even with the 1997 Bowman Chrome having the UV issues that the set has.  I've found that the baby powder that I now use helps in reducing the cloudy effect on the cards, so some that I have mailed recently have looked a lot better.

Klassen (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1998 to 2000 and 2002 to 2003 for the Diamondbacks and Tigers.  He had 59 hits, 6 home runs and a .226 batting average.

I mailed to Klassen on September 1, 2020, and got the cards back on October 6, 2022, for a 765-day TAT.

A Bunch of Signed Cards From Gerard

My good friend, Gerard, spends a lot of time helping me move cards out of my boxes, much like my friend, Max, does.  Gerard graphs the Red Sox sometimes, and also the Sox minor league teams in his area (AAA and AA), so he helps me get a bunch of card signed.  He got Tom Goodwin for me a while back, who is now no longer coaching for the Red Sox.  I'm glad I was able to send out the cards that I had, and Gerard got some nice ones for himself as part of a 50/50.

There were a lot of Goodwin cards; three of which will go onto my Topps legder, 1993, 1999 and 2000 Topps (all bottom row).  The cards on the top row are a 1998 Topps Stadium Club, 1997 Pacific ad a 1997 Upper Deck.  The card at the top of the post is a 1997 Finest.

I was really happy that Gerard was able to get my 2018 Carolina League Top Prospects card and my 2019 Pro Debut green parallel signed by Bobby Dalbec.  I saw Dalbec play when the Salem Red Sox came through Kinston, and got Dalbec on a few cards, but he was gone by the time the Top Prospects card came out.  He has gotten increasingly tougher, so I was lucky that Gerard was able to hook me up.

Here are a few other cards that Gerard sent me, a signed 2000 Bowman of Alex Cora, a 2015 Bowman signed by Tate Matheny and a 2017 Bowman signed by Brett Netzer.

Finally, here's another signed Alex Cora (a 2008 Upper Deck) and a 2016 Heritage Cubs team card signed by John Andreoli.

Thanks for all of the signatures, Gerard.  I hope we can knock out more cards in the 2022 season!

TTM Success - Brian Meadows

These two Brian Meadows cards came back signed TTM from him recently after I rescued a coupld of his cards from my boxes.  Both of the cards turned out well.

Meadows (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1998 to 2006 for the Marlins, Padres, Royals, Pirates and Devil Rays.  He had a record of 47-62 with 454 strike outs and a 5.05 ERA.

I mailed to Meadows on November 10 and got the cards back on November 19, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeff Urban

Here are a few cards I was able to get signed ttm by Jeff Urban. All of these cards came out of the cheap 5k box of cards I got from the card shop.

I'll have to look and see if Chris Jones signs ttm and maybe try to complete this card.

Urban (b. 1977) was a 1st round pick (41st overall) in the 1998 June Amateur Draft by the Giants. 

He played 6 seasons in MiLB and another two in the independent leagues. He had a record of 38-49 with 589 strike outs and a 4.43 ERA. He reached AAA but never cracked the majors.

I mailed to Urban on September 1 and got the cards back on September 12, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dermal Brown

I was able to get some cool prospects cards signed when I got this TTM success from Dermal Brown.  I had found the above 1999 Upper Deck SP Minors in a box at my LCS.  It turned out really well, and will look cool in my album.

I also found the above 1998 SP Minors (above, left) at the LCS and the above 1999 Topps (above, right) was one of mine.

Brown (b. 1978) is also known as Dee Brown.  He played in the majors from 1998 to 2004 and 2007 for the Royals and A's.  He had 190 hits, 14 home runs and a .233 batting average.

I mailed to Brown on January 6 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 31-day TAT.

More 50/50s From Jackson in AZ

My buddy, Jackson in Arizona, sent back some more of the cards that he had gotten signed for me this summer.  He has had to send the stuff back in phases, as he has most of the stuff I sent scattered about his room.

Still, some good stuff got signed, and I am really happy because of it.  Jackson hooked me up, and I was able to add a ton to my album.

I had sent to Eddie Taubensee TTM and got some cards back, but these two above weren't represented, so it was nice to get them out of my box and into the album.  The Donruss Joe Oliver might have been nice to try to get signed myself, but he had gotten really tough last year when he was a coach with Salem.  He didn't return this season, so it was a moot point.

This assortment was also nice.  I was informed later that Jim Gott was not the pitcher on the Giants leaders card, even though he signed it.  I will need to send to the proper pitcher on the card.  Someone told me, but the name escapes me.

Thanks for getting these signed, Jackson!  I really appreciate it.

TTM Success - Steve Woodard

Here are some nice late 90s cards that I was able to get signed by Steve Woodard.  The above 1999 Topps turned out really well.  I liked the horizontal card and the shot of the dirt of the pitcher's mound.

Here are the other cards that I got signed.  I liked the 1998 Bowmans that I found at my LCS.  The rest came out of random card boxes that I have laying around.

Woodard (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1997 to 2003 for the Brewers, Indians, Rangers and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 32-36 with 464 strike outs and a 4.94 ERA.

I mailed to Woodard on February 11 and got the cards back on February 23, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lee Stevens

I added some late 90s/early 2000s cards to my autograph album with this success from Lee Stevens.  I had a lot of cards to choose from, so I picked one from what is probably my favorite Upper Deck set (2002), and some Topps issues.

I selected his 1998, 2000 and 1999 Topps cards (yes I know they're not in order).  I thought they looked cool with the silver card in between the two gold ones.

Stevens (b. 1967) played in the majors from 1990 to 1992 and 1996 to 2002 for the Angels, Rangers, Expos and Indians.  He had 847 hits, 144 home runs and a .254 batting average.

I mailed to Stevens on January 14 and got the cards back on January 22, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - AJ Hinch

I got a really cool TTM success from Astros manager, AJ Hinch.  I really wanted to get this Topps Now card done that I got at the end of the World Series.  It was a free card from Topps Now when I ordered a few cards from the World Series for my friend, Nick.

I also sent off this 1999 Topps, which turned out really nice.

Hinch (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2004 for the A's, Royals, Tigers and Phillies.  He had 209 hits, 32 home runs and a .219 batting average.

He managed the Diamondbacks from 2009 to 2010 and the Astros from 2015 to 2018.  His career managerial record is 397-362 (.523 win %).  He won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.

I mailed to Hinch at Spring Training on February 10 and got the cards back on March 30, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Clark

I added some nice cards with this TTM success from former pitcher, Mark Clark.  The above 1992 Fleer Ultra turned out really nice.  I have a ton of these, but never get around to searching that box.  I hang closer to Topps stuff, but I may have to grab a few more and send them out.

Speaking of Topps, I added these three, from 1999, 2000 and 2001.  Those three sets are under-represented in my album, so it is nice to get a few in there.

Clark (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1991 to 2000 for the Cardinals, Indians, Mets, Cubs and Rangers.  He had a career record of 74-71 with 728 strike outs and a 4.61 ERA.

I mailed to Clark on March 14 and got the cards back on March 23, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ellis Burks

I participated in another private signing on sportscollectors.net when I sent off this 1999 Topps Ellis Burks.  Originally, I wanted to get Burks on a 1987 Topps, and could have sworn he was in that set.  BEFORE I checked the checklist, I searched my box, but couldn't find his 87.  It turns out, he has a card in 1987 Topps Traded, but not in 1987 Topps.  Instead of giving up on Burks altogether, I decided to go ahead and send a card anyway, so this 1999 Topps made the cut.

I always liked Burks.  I thought he was a really underrated player, and ususally could be counted on when playing baseball on Sega.

Burks (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1987 to 2004 for the Red Sox, White Sox, Rockies, Giants and Indians.  He had 2,107 hits, 352 home runs and a .291 batting average.  He was an All Star twice (1990 and 1996).  He finished 3rd in the 1996 NL MVP voting when he led the league in runs (142), had 211 hits, 40 home runs and batted .344.  He was aided by Coors Field, but those are still very impressive numbers.  He was also a Gold Glove Award winner in 1990.

I mailed to the private signing for Burks on February 16 and got the card back on March 22, for a 34-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15/card.

A Second TTM Success From Ron Gant

I sent off a bunch of TTM requests to start the new year, and a few of them were of guys I had gotten in the past.  Sid Bream, for example, was someone I needed on some 1987 Topps cards.  I sent a few 87s out to a few other guys to see if I could get them back.  Ron Gant doesn't have a card in the 1987 set, so I thought I was done sending to him.  That is, until I found the above 2014 Stadium Club Firebrand insert at my LCS.

The card floated around my card room for about a year, until I finally put it in my "to be TTMed" box.  I ended up sending it out earlier this month, and am glad I did so.  It is made of wood, and turned out pretty well.  I was afraid it would break in transit, but it turned out ok.

I added a few other cards to the request, including this 1996 Gallery that I picked up while I was visiting Andrew back in May.

I also wanted to add a couple Topps cards to the pile, so I sent a 1989 and a 1999.  What a huge difference 10 years makes.

I mailed the cards out to Gant on January 2 and got the cards back on January 11, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Loretta

I added some more recent cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Mark Loretta.  I had found quite a few cards of his and sent them all off.  I wasn't expecting him to sign them all, but I was really happy to see that he did.

This Goudey turned out pretty nice.  I have a few of these, and wanted to get one of them out of my boxes and into my album.  The card is really colorful and scanned really well.

You can never go wrong with getting an Allen & Ginter signed.  They always look great, and this one is no exception.  I have so many Ginters from 2006 to 2010 taking up space in boxes.  I really need to get some out into the world for signature and see what comes back.

Here are the other Loretta cards that I sent out.  The bottom right Topps Gallery came out of a box I busted while up at Andrew's for his graduation.  I also added three Topps cards to the album, 1998, 1999 and 2005.

Loretta (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1995 to 2009 for the Brewers, Astros, Padres, Red Sox and Dodgers.  He had 1,713 hits, 76 home runs and a .295 batting average.  He was an All Star in 2004 and 2006.  He finished 9th in the NL MVP voting in 2006 and won the Silver Slugger Award that season.

I mailed to Loretta on October 20 and got the cards back on November 30, for a 41-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jeff Reed

I added a nice range of cards from the late 80s to early 2000s with this success from Jeff Reed.  This 1987 Donruss Opening Day turned out really nicely.  I like the different variations of the Donruss cards from this era, and I have been able to add a few to the album.

The auto on this 2001 Topps didn't stick too well, but I was still happy to be able to put one of the cards I got while visiting Andrew to use.

I also added four other years of Topps, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999.  The 99 was from my trip to Andrew's as well.

Reed (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1984 to 2000 for the Twins, Expos, Reds, Giants, Rockies and Cubs.  His 2001 Topps shows him in an Astros uniform,  but he didn't make the squad that season.  Interestingly enough, his baseball-reference page makes no mention of him signing with the Astros.  It says he signed with the Cubs on January 16, 2001, but the back of his 2001 Topps card says he signed with the Astros on January 17, 2001.

He had 774 hits, 61 home runs and a .250 batting average.  He appeared in the 1990 NLCS with the Reds, but did not make it into a game during the 1990 World Series that they won.  I assume he got a ring with them anyway.

I mailed to Reed on August 5 and got the cards back on August 26, for a 21-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan Minor

I added some cool cards of a former Oriole with this TTM success from Ryan Minor.  He is currently the manager at Single A Delmarva in the Orioles system.  He was once a prospect for the Orioles, who's claim to fame was that he started at third base for the Orioles on the day that Cal Ripken ended his streak.

I had quite a few of Minor's cards in my Orioles box, so it was easy finding some to send out for the TTM request.  I pulled this 1999 Topps out of the box I got while I was at Andrew's last month.

I really like the 1999 Bowman set.  Those are really cool-looking cards.  The Topps Finest turned out really nice, as well.

Minor (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2001 for the Orioles and Expos.  He had 56 hits, 5 home runs and a .177 batting average.

I mailed to Minor via the Delmarva Shorebirds on May 10 and got the cards back on June 15 for a 36-day TAT.