TTM Success - Jack Fisher

A private signing came along that afforded me the opportunity to get the above 1991 Crown Orioles card signed by Jack Fisher.  Of course, I'm not officially going for the set, but it does add some guys I can pursue via TTM and I've been a little more active in going after the older and/or lesser known guys.

A cool thing about this signing was that I paid for the 1991 Crown to be signed, but Fisher included these two signed cards showing that he gave up Ted Williams's 521st and Roger Maris's 60th home runs.  While dubious honors, it's cool that Fisher has accepted his place in baseball history.

Fisher (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1959 to 1969 for the Orioles, Giants, Mets, White Sox and Reds.  He had a record of 86-139 with 1,017 strike outs and a 4.06 ERA.

I mailed to the signing on January 30 and got the cards back on February 16, for a 17-day TAT. 

2015 Topps Series 2 Box Break - A Huge Hit

I busted my three jumbo boxes of 2015 Topps Series 2 and got a ton of really nice hits.  I got one of the manufactured bat knobs, which I will show in another post.  Normally, that (with the player the card was of) would have been one of the best hits, but this birth year coin/stamp card beat it out.

I actually pulled two of the coin/stamp cards, the other being Jose Abreu.  This Ted Williams, though, really did it for me.  I mean, numbered to 50 (44/50) and with a silver Mercury dime.  Oh man, what a cool card.

I collected coins as a kid, long before I got into baseball cards.  My dad would bring me little plastic bubbles home that had a couple wheat pennies in them; my grandfather would show me his coin collection (which I wish I could have gotten my hands on when he passed) on rainy Sunday afternoons, and my mom would always facilitate a trip to the local coin shop (do those even exist anymore?).  I still have quite a few coins and even some paper money that I have hoarded over the last several years, but whenever I go through it, I always stop and admire the Mercury dimes.  I don't know why, but the Mercury dime, along with the Morgan dollar, were always my favorites.

Even more, I also collected stamps for a while.  My grandmother is quite the stamp collector (I see a pattern here), and I became interested in it one of those rainy Sunday afternoons.  So, somewhere around here is my stamp album (yes, I still have it).  I just find this baseball card really funny, in that it kind of reminds me how my collecting has evolved over the years.  Plus, it is a Ted Williams; You can's go wrong with that.

So, I was really excited when I pulled this card.  I probably will sell or trade the Abreu, but this Williams is getting slabbed in a magnetic case, and will be in my collection for a while.  I really like this card!

By the way, I saw the Ty Cobb 1/1 dime/stamp card in Ebay this morning.  For bid, already at $1,200.  Oh man, that would have been a cool pull.

Another Huge Package From Max

I got another huge package in the mail the other day from my very good friend, Max, that was packed full of Orioles stuff and a few other odds and ends.  This package was a result of a trade we worked on which landed him a 2013 Topps Mini Jake Arrieta printing plate.  Since Arrieta is no longer an Oriole, I sent the plate to Max and he hooked me up with some really nice stuff.  The above 2011 UD Goodwin Chapions Manny Machado relic was the cornerstone of Max's end of the deal.  If you look closely at the relic, you can see some dirt on it.

One of the oddball cards Max threw in, because he knows I like Hall of Famers, was this 1959 Fleer Ted Williams card.  I know next to nothing about this set, but I thought the card looked really cool, so I was happy he put it in the deal.

Another nice card he sent along was this 1951 Bowman Vic Wertz.  I have a couple '51 Bowmans and would consider doing the set, except that there is a key rookie card in there that would take me forever to get, the Willie Mays.  There is also a Mantle that is his true rookie, but it doesn't carry the price tag that his '52 Topps carries.

I was so glad to continue to deal with Max.  We have gone beyond just trading by now and talk to each other regularly as friends.  I've advised him on some cards and we chat once a week over Skype.  He's just about the friendliest person I have met over Instagram, and even at his young age, one of the most knowledgeable.  I really wish more of the kids on Instagram could take the lead from him and conduct business the way he does.

Thanks for another great package, Max, as always, it is definitely appreciated.

September 2014 Card Show Haul

Chris and I went the the Inside Pitch Toy and Hobby show in Raleigh, NC today and I sure came home with a haul.  I was able to grab a bunch of cards for a few various sets, a few rookie cards and I even was able to grab a bit of trade bait for a few friends.  I was bargain hunting and found some nice Hall of Famers, albeit rough ones, but I'm still happy with them.

The above 1956 Topps Yogi Berra was something I saw early at the show and I waited to jump on it until later.  It is in really rough shape, but I think it looks cool.  It had a price tag of $10.00 on it, but I got it for $7.00 which I think was a deal, regardless of the condition.

For $15, I got this really nice Ernie Banks 1961 Topps.  I looked at a couple of these over the course of the show and figured that since I had seen so many, maybe it was a sign that I should pick one up.

I made the mistake of giving a Billy Williams RC away to a Cubs fan that I used to know, so when I saw this one for $10.00, I jumped on it.  It has a crease that runs across the card, near his elbow, but it still is a sweet RC and I'm glad I have it.

I liked how this 1973 Pro Super Stars Willie Stargell looked, so I grabbed it.  I had never seen any of these before, so I made sure to pick it up.  I got this card from a vendor who was really nice to Chris.  The guy sold Chris a 1962 Topps Hank Aaron All Star card for $10.  Chris brought his own money and came away with a few cards as well.  Maybe he will get around to posting them sometime soon.

Another vendor had a great deal on vintage Bowman at $3.00 a piece, and when I saw this and another 1950 Bowman Virgil Trucks, I went ahead and grabbed them.  I already had one, but it's ok.  It's Mr. Trucks, so you know I can't have too many of his cards.  I'm not sure what I'll do with these, but I was happy to pick them up.

Getting into my set needs, I picked up 23 1959 Topps for my set.  Along with the above Sparky Anderson RC, I got Hall of Famers Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and Orlando Cepeda.

I looked at a few of these Baseball Thrills cards and picked up one of them, this Stan Musial.  I still need a couple of them, but didn't want to pay the premium that a lot of the sellers had going on these.

I was glad I waited to get this Cepeda.  One guy had this at $20, and another had it at $15.  I got this one for $5 from a guy who didn't necessarily deal with a lot of vintage.  Overall, I was fine with the pricing on the 1959s that I saw, with the exception of the high numbered All Star cards.  I saw a few of them that I wanted to grab, but they were all $15 - $25 or so.  I saw a Mays for $90, and I know I can do better than that.  I didn't see a single Mantle, but I was ok with that.  I know had it been there, someone would have been asking $200 or more for it.

My mail goal for this card show was to pick up cards for my 1959 set, but I did add two cards to my 1969 set.  For some reason, I thought I already had this Ted Williams, but I guess I didn't, since it was still listed in my notebook.  This is a great card of the Splendid Splinter and it also is a high number.  I got it for $9.00.

I saw this Johnny Bench at one table for $50, and passed on it.  Good thing I did, because I found this one in a bin for $15.  I definitely was happy that I used patience in walking around this show.  I did what I always do, I did one walk around the whole venue, picking up only a couple relics and autos out of $3.00 bins and recent cards out of 4/$1/00 boxes.  After I looked around and got a feel for what all was available, I made the rounds again with my notebook in hand, knocking off cards while remaining budget conscious.  I actually came home with money in my pocket, which was a bonus, since I usually leave once my wallet is empty.

I saw only two 1948 Bowman cards at this show, and of the two, I needed one of them for my set. This is card number 48, Dave Koslo.  It is in really good shape, but cost me a premium, at $30.00.

Vintage wasn't the only thing on my mind.  When I walked by a table that had this Christian Walker relic from this year's Pro Debut Heritage, I had to get it.  I was even more willing to pick the card up when the vendor told me he would take only $5.00 for it.  Awesome!

Finally, I noticed that one seller had busted two boxes of Bowman Chrome and left his commons out for sale at 4/$1.00.  I was able to pick up a few bucks worth of cards, a few for some friends, and a few Orioles for me.  I got Adam Jones, Chris Davis and this really cool Sebastian Vader.  I don't have to tell you all how excited I will be when Vader makes the majors and his jerseys become available for sale.  I'm a nerd.

Anyway, that is my look at my haul from the card show.  Not shown is the cheap stack of 13 cards from 1954 Topps for my buddy Jet's set.  I also picked up a good many Cubs cards for my buddy, Max S.

This will probably be my last major buying venture until after Christmas.  I need to save some money just in case the Orioles decide to start playing better once the playoffs start and they advance to the World Series.  I also need to start working on a couple birthdays that are coming up, as well as Christmas.

Trade From The Quarry

I have been working out a trade with Johnny, who authors the blog, Cards From The Quarry.  He will be getting the Troy Tulowitzki auto/relic that I got out of my box of Museum Collection.  In exchange, he hooked me up with a bunch of set needs.  The highlights of which I have scanned to show here.

Above, I got the 1959 Topps highlights card discussing Al Kaline winning the batting title for 1958.  I like these highlights cards.  I've been looking at the Willie Mays catch card for some time now and will probably jump on it soon.

How I missed that this Ted Williams card was a part of the 1969 set is beyond me, but I'm glad Johnny added it to the trade.  I know my brother, John, would love to have it.

I like seeing the pic of Williams teaching a younger player the art of hitting.  Williams wasn't successful at all as a manager, but you just can't teach greatness.

Thanks for the trade, Johnny.  I really appreciate it and I hope you like the Tulo.

Make sure you check out Johnny's blog here.

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - Trading With Drew

Wow, I'm so ridiculously behind.  It's a good thing though.  I have gotten a ton of trades in the mail lately, and I also attended a card show.  So, I have a ton of stuff to show off.  I've pretty much ended my run talking about my vacation, except there may be 3 or so more posts that I want to do on it.  However, since I am talking about trades, I will begin with the in person trade I made with Drew.  You may have heard of Drew on this blog before.  Maybe?  Anyway, check out his blog as well.  Because he's a great dude and a good friend.  So, the first night I was at Drew's place, we busted a box of 2011 Lineage and then he gave me a huge stack of stuff he had been collating for me for quite some time.  He also let me go through some album pages of cards that he had gotten in his amazing binder from a couple years ago.  I needed the above Harvey Haddix for my 1959 set.

I grabbed this 1967 Topps Mark 'The Blade' Belanger RC for my Orioles collection.  Belanger was a slick fielding shortstop for the Orioles in their 70's heyday.

Ok, so, I have no idea how this card had eluded my 1971 set for so long.  I could have sworn I had this card already.  I need to check, but it was on my needs list.  Maybe I had a beat up one that I wanted to upgrade.  Anyway, Drew was nice enough to let me have it, and for that, I am thankful.  This really is a cool card of The Splendid Splinter.  His time in Washington was forgettable, leading to the theory that some great players just don't make good coaches.

Drew threw in some nice RCs into my box as you can see with this 1973 Topps Goose Gossage and the below 1993 Topps Derek Jeter.  Look how young Jeter is.  Yikes!  I'm feeling old!

Yes, I am working on the 1993 set, but I have been lazy and haven't put my needs on my wishlist yet.  I'll get around to it.

We pulled off a trade for one of the relic cards in the Lineage box for the above 2009 A&G McLouth relic.  Nate is becoming one of my favorite Orioles and I was happy to take this one off of Drew's hands.

Finally, Drew threw in this cool coupon from Memory Lane, Inc.  It is kind of a hideous portrait of Jimmie Foxx, but it will still go into my Foxx PC.

So, thanks for all of the awesome stuff, Drew!  I love this in-person trading.  I would really like to do more of it.  I guess I may have to consider a Foul Bunt World Tour for 2014.  Haha.  Stranger things have happened.

My Reward For Passing The Exam - Ted Williams Signed Baseball

As you all hopefully know, I passed the second half of the ASBOG exam, thereby making me a licensed geologist.  The ASBOG exam is akin to the Bar exam, but for geology.  I can now become licensed in most states as long as I meet their criteria.  At this point, I am pursuing licenses in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.  My fees for NC have been paid and I should get my stamp in a couple weeks.

What this means is that I can now stamp and seal reports, giving my own professional opinion, when in the past, I was only doing the technical writing and project management.  This is a professional certification that makes my resume so much better.

So, seeing as how important it was to me that I pass the exam, I told my supervisor last year when I passed the first half of the exam that if I passed the whole thing, I would reward myself with a Ted Williams signed baseball.  If you recall, I rewarded myself pretty well when I passed the first half.  I got myself a signed Brooks Robinson bat, a Pete Rose ball and a Phil Rizzuto ball.

I have been wanting a Ted Williams ball for a long time now.  Since I am knocking off as many Hal of Famers as I can, he is definitely one of the big names I needed and is my biggest name that I have so far.

One of the greatest hitters of all time, Williams (b.1918 - d.2002) played for the Red Sox from 1939-1942, 1946-1960.  He was a 2-time MVP.  He was the last hitter to bat over .400, when he hit .406 in 1941.  He won the batting title six times and the home run crown 4 times.  He had 2,654 career hits, 521 home runs, 1,839 RBIs and a career average of .344.

Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966 (his first year on the ballot) when he was named on 93.4% of the ballot.

Williams is my 52nd Hall of Famer.

1955 Topps #2 - Ted Williams

Our first Hall of Famer! The Splendid Splinter, Mr. Theodore Williams!!!!

Isn't it amazing (just a bit) that Williams only had 1,937 hits and 366 home runs as of the time this card was printed? Williams is one of the biggest names in the set.

The reason the set is only 206 cards (and there are several notable onmissions) is because of the competition at the time between Bowman and Topps. Missing from the set are: Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe.

Ted Williams (born 1918 - died 2002) is regarded as one of (if not THE) greatest hitters of all time. He finished his career with 2,654 hits, 521 home runs and a .344 career batting average. All of this while missing time while fighting in two different wars! He also served as a manager (our first future MLB manager!) for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers from 1969-1972.

Williams' death was also quite controversial. I was vacationing in Catalina (trust me, I was lucky to be able to go on that trip) when I heard about his passing. Apparently, during his last few moments alive, he signed on a napkin that he wished to have his head cryogenically frozen upon his death. There was a huge issue between his children after his death due to the questionable nature of his 'final wishes.' Since then, it has been reported that his head was mishandled at the facility which housed it. Wow. I have nothing to add to that.

HALL OF FAME (1)

MANAGER (1)

DECEASED (2)

Completing the Mail Day trifecta...

I got this in the mail today. I can't afford the mint version, so this one will do for my 1955 set. What do you guys think??