Another TTM Success From Orlando Cepeda

While initially assembling my partial 1962 Topps set, I found this Orlando Cepeda card that my buddy Carson sent me back in 2014.  I thought it would be cool to get the card signed since Cepeda is such a good TTM signer now. 

The card looms great.  I'm glad I could take the card out of a box and put it in my autograph album. It was even better when I realized that Carson had given the card to me so long ago.

I mailed to Cepeda on July 18 and got the card back on August 1, for a 14-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $20/card.

TTM Success - Orlando Cepeda

When a Hall of Famer signs his mail as a decent price, I enjoy taking some cards of his and sending thiem off to be signed.  There are a handful of Hall of Famers who have been very prolific at signing, but one of them that I wasn't aware of was Orlando Cepeda.  It looks like Cepeda has signed a decent amount of mail recently, so when I saw that was the case, I dug out this awesome 2016 Stadium Club and sent it out.  Cepeda has been charging $20/card, which I believe is a great price for him.

Cepeda (b. 1937) played in the majors from 1958 to 1974 for the Giants, Cardinals, Braves, A's, Red Sox and Royals.  He had 2,351 hits, 379 home runs and a .297 batting average.  He was an 11-time All Star (1959 to 1962, when players could be chosen twice a year, 1963, 1964 and 1967).  He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 and the NL MVP in 1967.  He won the World Series in 1967 with the Cardinals.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, when he was selected via the Veterans Committee.

I mailed to Cepeda on October 8 and got the card back on October 24, for a 16-day TAT.

Vintage Instagram Deal With Jet

My buddy, Jet, was strapped for cash recently, so he made me a proposal for a deal involving some nice vintage cards and a sweet 8x10 signed photo.  One of the vintage cards was on my Top 10 Wishlist, so after hearing the price he was looking for, I jumped on the deal.

The above Orlando Cepeda RC is in decent shape, but by no means mint.  That's ok, though, because this card will be well taken care of, and Jet knew it was going to a good home.  This is the first item I have been able to knock off of my Top Ten Wishlist, so that was nice.

Jet also had this Bob Feller signed 8x10.  Although I tend to shy away from 8x10s, I love Feller, and figured at the price in which Jet was selling at, I went ahead and added it to the deal.  I wish this was a "high leg kick" auto, but this photo is still really nice.  I like the old Indians uniform, and also love the sepia photo.

Thanks so much for the deal, Jet!  I really appreciate it.

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!

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Orlando Cepeda

I picked up my 73rd Hall of Fame signed baseball at the National Card Show on Sunday for a steal.  I had made up my mind to pick up a Frank Robinson ball that someone had for $50, but when I went by their table a second time that day, they were in the process of packing up and wouldn't look for the ball for me.  Annoyed (because it was 2PM and the show was scheduled to run until 5, yet they were packing up), I went to another dealer who had this Cepeda listed at $30 and another Hall of Famer I needed for $35 (he will be posted tomorrow).

So, I asked the young man at this booth if he would accept $50 for both baseballs (a discount of $15 bucks) and he said he would have to ask his dad.  He asked, and the dad said that since it was Sunday and I had cash, he would take my offer.  Woo hoo, a nice deal on 2 Hall of Famers, $50 for both.  So, because the one dealer packed up, I was able to use what I would have spent on one ball and got 2 instead.  I also got the first dealer's business card, so I should be able to email them and still get the Frank Robinson for $50.  We'll see about that.

This was the second purchase I 'bundled' on Sunday (I got another signed ball and a bobblehead from another dealer) and this saved me $30, which I was able to take home and re-deposit into the bank account.  Not too bad, I think.

Orlando Cepeda (b. 1937) played in the majors from 1958 to 1974 for the Giants, Cardinals, Braves, A's, Red Sox and Royals.  He was the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1967 NL MVP.  He had 2,351 career hits, 379 home runs and a lifetime batting average of .297.  He won the World Series in 1967 with the Cardinals.  I didn't know this until I looked him up, but he hit 46 home runs in 1961.  I'm sure that was overshadowed by the home run exploits of two certain Yankees that season.

Card Shop Pickups From March 24, 2012

No mail today.  So, I'll show you the cards I got for myself at the Kinston card shop this past Saturday.  Not only did I get myself a few things, but I also found some stuff for my friends Drew, Scott and Andrew.  I picked up a Thurman Munson card for Drew, A 1957 Topps Mel Parnell and a 2004 Playoff Prestige Achievements Carl Yastrzemski for Scott and a 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Lance Lynn auto numbered 570/570 for Andrew.  All very cheaply.

However, I did take care of myself some, too.  I picked up my Week 6 Prime 9 giveaway, Mickey Mantle (which I most likely will show in a later post) as well as the following cards.

I noticed when I got home last week that I had accidentally bypassed the 1969 Orlando Cepeda, so I went back Saturday determined to knock it off of my want list.  I was able to get it to scan fully, and the card looks great.  Another Hall of Famer has been knocked off of the set list.

Not to downplay a good deed I did for fellow bloggers, but the 'gift' cards I got were all in a box of 6/$10 cards I found at the shop.  Lots of autos and relics were in the box, and I found a few things in there that I wanted, so I didn't feel too bad when I spotted some that made me think "Oh, so and so would like this..."  I saw a few things that caught my eye, like the above Alfredo Simon rookie auto.  Not a bad card for less than 2 bucks.  Simon has been a really underrated pitcher for the Orioles, and I hope he can continue that.  He has been a starter, long reliever and closer in his brief Orioles career.

Finally, I found this really nice 2003 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes Bob Feller.  I really like Feller.  I was chatting with a friend on Facebook the other night and the topic of meeting former players came up and he told me how he was able to meet Feller in person.  Oh man, I was so JEALOUS!  I would have loved the opportunity to meet Feller in person.  What an amazing American Feller was.  He will go down as probably my second favorite pitcher of all time, behind the awesome Virgil Trucks.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the stuff I found in the discounted box at the shop.  I hope they replenish the vintage and discount offerings at the shop because I really enjoy finding stuff there.