2021 National - Phil Hughes Autographs

Since he retired, Phil Hughes has been very involved in the card collecting hobby.  His Youtube channel, Phils Pulls, is very popular, as is his Twitter account.  Hughes had a table set up at the National this year, and when Andrew and I found out that he was going to be there, I pulled a couple cards to bring along with me, just in case.

We ended up meeting Hughes, and I got him to sign two of the four cards that I brought; I gave the other two to Andrew, which he got signed.  Phil charged $15.00/card, which wasn't a problem for me.  I figured it was so he could keep the lines small around his table.

The above 2007 Topps Turkey Red chrome turned out great.  I was glad I was able to find that one and bring it along.  It is numbered 529/999.

This 2008 Bowman blue parallel is  numbered 279/500 and also turned out well.

Hughes (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2007 to 2018 for the Yankees, Twins and Padres.  He had a record of 88-79 with 1,040 strike outs and a 4.52 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2010, and his best Cy Young Award finish was 7th in 2014.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

TTM Success - Hanley Ramirez

When I saw a private signing pop up for Hanley Ramirez, I got really excited for some reason.  He was never one of my favored players, but I did know that I had some nice cards of his that I would like to get signed.  So, I joined the signing with the intention of getting a card done, and ended up sending two.  I also sent one for my good friend, Gerard.

Both of the cards I sent turned out nicely.  The 2007 Turkey Red (top) may be completed someday with Jose Bautista, but for now, it is in my album.  The above 2008 Piece of History blue parallel was a nice find in my box and also looks great in my album. 

Ramirez (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2005 to 2019 for the Red Sox, Marlins Dodgers and Indians.  He had 1,834 hits, 271 home runs and a .289 batting average.  He was the 2009 NL batting champion and a three-time All Star (2008, 2009 and 2010).  He was the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year.  His best MVP finish was 2nd (2009; NL).

I mailed to the signing on November 14 and got the cards back on March 13, for a 119-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $50.00/card (I think).

TTM Success - Akinori Iwamura

This TTM success from Akinori Iwamura came all the way from Japan.  I had a few international stamps left over and saw that Iwamura was signing, so I took a chance.  I sent him $3 to cover the return shipping, and was really happy to see these cards come back. 

I sent a 2010 Topps, 2007 Topps Rookie 52, 200i Goudey and two chrome 2007 Turkey Red (the one on the right is a refractor).

Iwamura (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2007 to 2010 for the Rays, Pirates and As.  He had 413 hits, 16 home runs and a .267 batting average. 

I mailed to Iwamura on January 27 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 44-day TAT.  I mailed to him via a Fukushima Redhopes.

TTM Success - Gary Matthews Jr.

I was really excited when this TTM success from Gary Matthews, Jr. came in because I wasn't sure that it would.  I had to ask a friend for his Harvey book, because Matthews's address wasn't shown anywhere.  The address he hoked me up with worked, and I got a few really cool cards to show for it.

The above 2007 Turkey Red Chrome was my favorite of the bunch.  I prepped the card before I mailed, and that really made it pop.  Matthews has a nice auto that shows up really well on this card.

The Ticket To Stardom (left) card will be a first for my autograph album.  It looks really nice.  That wasn't the greatest of all sets, but it also wasn't terrible either.  I also don't have many cards from that set left over, so this may end up being the only one that gets signed for my album.

Matthews (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1999 to 2010 for the Padres, Cubs, Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Angels.  He had 1,056 hits, 108 home runs and a .257 batting average.  He was an All Star in 2006, a season where he also finished 30th in the AL MVP voting.  For some reason, the Angels signed him to a 5-year, $50 million contract after the 2006 season, and Matthews didn't really live up to it.  At that time, the Angels must have had money to burn.  Nothing against Matthews, but that contract was crazy from the beginning.

I mailed to Matthews on February 5 and got the cards back on October 18, for a 255-day TAT.

I Am Now Live on COMC

I now have 50 cards listed on Checkoutmycards.com in an attempt to flip some stuff that has been languishing in my box for some money or other cards.

Ryan from O No Another Orioles Blog talked me into giving COMC a shot, and gave me a coupon from the National Card Show for $20 off first time seller fees.

It was interesting getting stuff submitted to them, and surprisingly easy.  They scan everything and give you BV for each card (if available).  You then tell them what you want to list your card at and wait for offers.

The stuff I submitted was some higher end oddball stuff like a 1/1 Nate McLouth sketch card, a couple 2011 Topps Sparkle Cards, a nice 2007 Topps Turkey Red Justin Verlander silk, a couple printing plates, etc.

We'll see if I get any offers, but I am excited to see how all of this plays out.  Here's to hoping I can flip some of that stuff for a few signed baseballs or something.

Check out the stuff I have listed, seller ID is wregenthal.