I got another 1987 Topps taken care of for my set with a private signing of Andy Van Slyke via sportscollectors.net. I paid a fee of $20 for his auto, which someone on Instagram remarked that his auto wasn't worth that fee. Since I am working on this set, and Van Slyke is a tough autograph to land, I think it was well worth the $20. I like how keyboard jockeys like to offer up their opinions on everything. I was happy to get this card back, and knock another name off of my list.
Van Slyke (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1983 to 1995 for the Cardinals, Pirates, Orioles and Phillies. He had 1,562 hits, 164 home runs and a .274 batting average. He was an All Star 3 times (1988, 1992 and 1993), a Gold Glove Award winner 5 times (1988 to 1992) and a Silver Slugger Award winner twice (1988 and 1992). His best finish in the MVP voting was 4th, which he did twice (1988 and 1992). He appeared on the 2001 Hall of Fame ballot but received no votes.
I mailed to the private signing on April 24 and got the card back on June 1, for a 38-day TAT.
He also signed a 1987 Fleer Update (above, left), a 1995 Upper Deck (above, middle) and a 2023 Panini Prizm pink parallel (above, right). The 1995 Upper Deck adds an Orioles card to the collection. That's always a good thing.
