Another TTM Success From Luis Tiant

Here is a nice TTM success from Luis Tiant.  I found the above 1994 Upper Deck Ken Burns Baseball card that I wanted to get signed.  I had a little cash and sent it out, along with the 1971 Topps shown below. 

Both of the cards look great.  I'm glad I sent them out.

I mailed to Tiant on October 11 and got the cards back on October 28, for a 17-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

TTM Success - Luis Tiant

I saw that Luis Tiant was signing TTM, so I jumped on the chance to add more signed cards of his to my autograph album.  I had gotten Tiant at the National a couple years ago, and my buddy, Gerard sent me some signed cards a while back, as well.  Also, my friend, Drew, sent me a Tiant signed ball way back when.

So, I found two cards that Tiant hadn't signed, and sent them on their way.  The above 1981 Fleer turned out really well.  I don't have many from that set in my album, so it was nice to add this one.  The card at the top of the post is a 1974 Topps.  On both of the cards, Tiant is rocking an amazing mustache.  Can't miss it.

Tiant (b. 1940) played in the majors from 1964 to 1982 for the Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates and Angels.  He had a career record of 229-172 with 2,416 strike outs and a 3.30 ERA.  He was an All Star three times (1968, 1974 and 1976).  His best finish in the Cy Young voting was 4th (1974, AL) and in the MVP voting was 5th (1968, AL).  1968 was the year Denny McLain won the MVP and Cy young awards by posting 31 wins and a 1.96 ERA.  Tiant's 21-9 and 1.60 ERA didn't stand a chance.  Tiant was a 4-time 20-game winner (1968 - 21, 1973 - 20, 1974 - 22, ans 1976 - 21), bur he also lost 20 games when he went 9-20 in 1969.

Tiant appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot 15 times between 1988 and 2002.  His highest vote percentage was 30.9% (in 1988), leaving him well short of the required 75% to gain election to the Hall.

I mailed to Tiant on October 19 and got the cards back on November 2, for a 14-day TAT.

2018 National Card Show VIP Party Free Signers

This year, the free signers for the National Card Show were pretty decent.  Luis Tiant is a legend, and I was happy to add him on a few nice cards.  I especially wanted this 1969 Topps Deckle Edge in my album, and got one done.

I also had this 1968 Topps that I got done, since Tiant was signing multiples.  Nate got me the above 1979 Topps, since he only wanted one card.

Since I don't collect basketball cards, I picked up a few Calvin Murphy cards for myself, and my friends.  He was really cool, so I am glad I went ahead and met him.

Finally, I met former player and manager, Mike Hargrove.  He was also really nice, and we talked about his time with the Orioles, briefly.

I had to make sure I got one of his Orioles cards signed, and this 2004 Topps was the one I picked.  I have only a small handful of 2004 Topps cards in my album, so I am glad another one was added.

Gerard Hooks It Up With Some Red Sox Autos

My good friend, Gerard, recently went to Red Sox Fest, or whatever it is called.  I get all of the names mixed up.  Anyway, he hooked me up with a bunch of autos while he was there.  I wasn't expecting this 2015 Topps Opening Day mascot card back signed, but Gerard got it done.  Now, I have a mascot in my binder.

Gerard was able to get two cards signed for me from the legendary Luis Tiant.  I have Tiant on a ball, but needed a couple cards for the albu,.  I think they both look great.

Here are a couple of the other cards that Gerard got me.  I think I provided the Marrero, but I don't remember if I sent him the other two or not.  Still, I like them.  I'm not sure what Vazquez signed his card with, it looks like a paint pen.

Finally, I have a huge stack of these Topps Spring Fever Baseball entry cards for some reason.  Instead of recycling them, I figured I would send some out to my graphing friends who do Spring Training, and Gerard was the first one to send one back.  These will go in my album just like any other signed card.  I feel like it is a nice way to commemorate some of my friends who contribute to my album.

Thanks for the autos, Gerard!  Have fun at Spring Training.

Birthday Gifts From Carson

Wrapping up the birthday gifts that I got (see what I did there?), here is a look at what I got from my buddy Carson.  He, his brother and his dad are all great traders on Instagram.  I've made deals with each of them, but Carson is the one I talk to the most.  He is a Pirates fan and when I am able (since I have another friend who likes the Pirates), I try to send him cards.

He hooked me up for my birthday.  I got the above 1962 Topps Orlando Cepeda, which is a great card.  I've picked up a few cards from this set here and there.  I already have Mays and Mantle, so I could take a look at building this one at some point in the future.  Not right now, though, since I already have 1959 and 1969 on my plate and 1967 looming over the horizon.

Speaking of 1969. Carson hooked me up with a card I needed for my set, this Luis Tiant.  I have done a good job on this set so far and plan on really kicking it into gear when 1959 is completed.  After those two are done, 1967 will take the forefront, along with a set like 1972 or something like that.

I also got a bunch of Oriole and PC needs from Carson in this package.  This Jimmie Foxx 2008 Topps Turkey Red is one that I needed for my Foxx PC.  A lot of the Orioles were base cards that I need to go through and sort, but they were all nice.

Finally, in what was a nice touch, Carson sent me this "cut auto" that he made for me.  Sometimes the hand made gifts are the best and I thought this one was really cool.

I appreciate the birthday gifts, Carson.  Thanks so much!

More Sportlots Pickups - 1970 and 1971 Topps

I'll go ahead and tell you, I'm sick of looking at 1970 Topps cards.  As you can see from the below Al Kaline (who was the last big name I needed for the set), my scanner seems to be tired of them, too.  In that vein, I went on Sportlots the other day and wiped out my 1970 Topps needs.  Done.  Complete.  Except, when buying off of Sportlots, you have to wait for all of your packages to come in before you are done...  I still have two sellers who I am waiting on, so that means my 1970 set is yet to be completed.  Dang.  Oh well, that pretty much guarantees another post on the 1970 Topps set.  I am curious to see which card becomes the completer card of the set.

I also knocked out a handful of 1971 Topps while I was filling my cart on Sportlots.  In total, I added 9 of them, the biggest names being Manny Mota and Luis Tiant.

I have a lot more 1971s that I need, but I will be able to get low numbers from card shows pretty cheaply.  It is when I run into the high numbers (as i have seen with 1970), that is when my set building comes to a crawl.

I really like how the 1971s I got turned out, all of them are sharp, with no (or very little) color loss at the corners.  This set was the one I got off of a guy at a small show for $80 (a partial set), but a number of the cards needed upgrading.

This one will take some time, but I imagine I will make a serious dent in it when the April card show comes to town.

More Mail From Drew - Luis Tiant Signed Baseball

Drew is so lucky. He knows it, too. He is able to meet a ton of former players at the White Plains (NY) card shows, while I have yet to see any big names at the Raleigh (NC) shows... He has met countless former players (several Hall of Famers, too!!) at past shows. Another good thing about Drew, though, is that since he is a really good friend, he will agree to get a signature or two for me if I ask nicely enough. The last show he went to was no different, where he got 2 signatures for me. Here is the first:

Former pitcher, Luis Tiant. Tiant pitched in the majors from 1964 to 1982 amassing a record of 229-172 with 2,416 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.30. He played for the Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates and Angels.


Tiant was a good pitcher, winning 20+ games four times in his career, but he also lost 20 games in one season as well. He never won a World Series, or the Cy Young Award. He managed to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot every year he was eligible (1988 to 2002) but never got close to the 75% approval needed to gain election.

Once again, Drew helped me out and I am very grateful. I think the ball looks great!