TTM Success - Camilo Pasqual

My TTM stack is building back up again, thanks in part to my raiding of my vintage box to add some older cards to my album.  This also has caused me to raid my 1955 set, in order to add a couple more of those guys to my album.  Camilo Pasqual was someone I was surprised that I hadn't sent to TTM in the past.  I'm glad I did, this time around.  He signed my 1955 Topps that I pulled from my set (and upgraded with a less off-centered version).

I also got these two; a 1962 Topps and a 1963 Topps 1962 AL Strikeout Leaders card.  The 1963 was pre-marked before I even had the card, so it would have been something I would have upgraded anyway if I ever went to build that set.

I was surprised that Pasqual added the above 1955 Topps that he inscribed to the package.  That was a really nice gesture, and I will gladly add it to the album.

Pasqual (b. 1934) played in the majors from 1954 to 1971 for the Senators, Twins, Reds, Dodgers and Indians.  He had a record of 174-170 with 2,167 strike outs and a 3.63 ERA.  He was a 7-time All Star (1959 to 1962 and 1964; with two selections in 1960 and 1962).  He won 20 of more games twice (1962 - 20; 1963 - 21).  His best finish in the MVP voting was 12th (1963; AL).He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1977 and 1978, but only received a high of 0.8% (1977).

I mailed to Pasqual on October 17 and got the cards back on October 25, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card and got one card from him for free.

TTM Success - Bud Zipfel

Here is a card that has sat in my TTM box for a long time; I had been holding this Bud Zipfel card until I had some cash to send along with it.  I kept putting other cards ahead of it, until I finally sent it along.  I'm glad I did.  This 1963 Topps looks really nice, and he has a vintage Washington Senators hat on, which looks really cool.

Zipfel (b. 1938) played in the majors from 1961 to 1962 for the Senators.  He had 78 hits, 10 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Zipfel on January 25 and got the card back on February 4, for a 10-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00.

TTM Success - Tim Cullen

I added another signed 1972 Topps to my autograph album with this TTM success from Tim Cullen.  The autograph is as basic as they come; a bunch of swirls with a ballpoint pen, but the card is signed.

Cullen (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1966 to 1972 for the Senators, White Sox and A's.  It's funny that this card has him listed as a Ranger; the Senators became the Rangers after the 1971 season, but Cullen was released by the Rangers in March of 72 and picked up by the A's.  He went on to win the World Series with the A's in '72.  Also, Cullen was traded by the Senators to the White Sox in February 1968 with Buster Narum and Bob Priddy for Ron Hansen, Dennis Higgins and Steve Jones.  He was later traded back to the Senators from the White Sox in August of 1968 for... Ron Hansen.  Kind of a weird series of trades.

Cullen had 387 hits, 9 home runs and a .220 batting average.  I mailed to Cullen on October 21 and got the card back on October 30, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Barry Moore

It took some time (over a year), but I got some nice cards back signed from Barry Moore.  The above 1967 Topps turned out really well.

I had also sent the above 1969 Topps which turned out great.

Moore (b. 1943) was born in Statesville, NC and played in the majors from 1965 to 1970 for the Senators, Indians and White Sox.  He had a career record of 26-37 with 278 strike outs and a 4.16 ERA.

I mailed to Moore on September 12, 2019, and got the cards back on October 1, 2020, for a 385-day TAT,  I paid a fee of $10.00.

TTM Success - Dick Such

I added this 1971 Topps card to my autograph album when it came back signed from Dick Such.  I'm going to take the high road here and move straight to his stats.

Such (b. 1944) is from Sanford, NC and played in the majors in 1970 for the Senators.  He had a record of 1-5 with 41 strike outs and a 7.56 ERA.

I mailed to Such on March 23 and got the card back signed on March 27, for a 4-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ken McMullen

Here is another TTM success that originated from the vintage box from my LCS.  I picked up a couple Ken McMullen cards and sent them out.  The 1966 Topps above turned out really nicely.  I like the old high socks he's wearing in the photo, along with the old Senators uniform.

The other card I sent was this 1974 Topps that also looks really nice.

McMullen (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1962 to 1977 for the Dodgers, Senators, Angels, A's, and Brewers.  He had 1,273 hits, 156 home runs and a .248 batting average.  He finished 26th in the 1972 AL MVP voting.  He appeared on the 1983 Hall of Fame ballot, but did not receive any votes.

I mailed to McMullen on March 3 and got the cards back on March 22, for a 19-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Fischer

I was thumbing through my vintage box when I found another handful of cards that I could send TTM.  One of those cards was this 1960 Topps Bill Fischer.  The card was rough, but turned out pretty nice with his signature.  I've always liked the 1960 set, so I should probably pick up a few more to send out.

Fischer (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1956 to 1964 for the White Sox, Tigers, Senators, A's (Kansas City) and Twins.  He had a career record of 45-58 with 313 strike outs and an ERA of 4.34.

I mailed to Fischer on November 18 and got the card back on December 12, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Pete Richert

I got a few vintage cards signed TTM recently with this success from Pete Richert.  A former Oriole, I also was able to get him on a card showing him as a Washington Senator.  This 1966 Topps came out of my vintage box (I think) and turned out really nice.

Here is the 1968 Topps that I was able to get signed.  The ones I have gotten from this set have turned out pretty good, except for the Ken Holtzman that I got.  This Richert auto looks like it could have been printed on the card.  It blends in flawlessly with the sky as the backdrop.

Finally, here is one of the two 1971 Topps that I was able to get signed by Richert.  So, I have a couple new Orioles cards for the project, so that is nice.

Richert (b. 1939) played in the majors from 1962 to 1974 for the Dodgers, Senators, Orioles, Cardinals and Phillies.  He had a career record of 80-73 with an ERA of 3.19 and 925 strike outs.  He was an All Star twice (1965 and 1966) and finished as high as 25th in the AL MVP voting (1965).  He won the World Series with the Orioles in 1970.

I mailed to Richert on March 12 and got the cards back on June 6, for an 86-day TAT.

TTM Success - Wayne Terwilliger

I got some more cards signed that had been picked up from the Columbia antique shop.  I got this awesome 1952 Topps, and the signature turned out great.  All of the 1952s that I got have all turned out really well.  I'm glad, since I paid a premium to pick them up!

 This 1955 also turned out nicely.  The real signature is the one across his shoulder.

He also included this signed post card from when he was a coach with the Twins.  This was a nice addition from Mr. Terwilliger.

Wayne Terwilliger (b. 1925) played in the majors from 1949 to 1951, 1953 to 1956 and 1959-60 for the Cubs, Dodgers, Senators, Giants and A's.  He had 501 hits, 22 home runs and a .240 batting average.  He played so long ago, four of the five teams he played for are in new cities!  I thought that was interesting.

I mailed to Terwilliger on April 23 and got the cards back on May 3, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Oldis

Some of the best cards to get signed are 1954 Topps, in my opinion.  The above Bob Oldis turned out really great.  I bought it because of the color, and I liked the glove shown on the card.  I have a decent collection of older gloves that my mom has picked up for me, and I always accept others.  I just like how they look.  Oldis's signature is quite modest, but fits nicely on the card.  It doesn't take away anything else from the card and will look really good in my album.

I also had to get this 1955 Topps because it featured Oldis in full catcher's gear (at least, it's supposed to be him, or an artist's rendering).  I like the "old school" gear and also the old Washington Senators logo and hat.

Oldis (b.1928) played in the majors from 1953 to 1955 and 1960 to 1963 for the Senators, Pirates and Phillies.  He had 56 hits, 1 home run and .237 batting average.  Oldis appeared in two games during the 1960 World Series, but didn't register a plate appearance.  No matter, the Pirates won that Series and Mr. Oldis has a ring to show for it.

I mailed to him on April 18 and got the cards back on April 30 for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Gil Coan

When I went to Columbia to visit my brother a couple weeks ago, he had to work one of the mornings I was there, so I was able to take some time and hang out at the antique shop.  I've been going there for years, but this time was different.  Conrad let me go into the back room where he had all of his boxes of cards stored.  I should have taken some pictures back there, because it was boxes and boxes of vintage cards.  He allowed me to buy a couple unsorted boxes in addition to a stack of cards from 1952 to 1959 that I wanted to use for TTMs.  I spend a good bit of money, but I ended up with a ton of cards.  When I got home, I sent out 25+ TTM requests in the span of two days.

One of those TTM requests was to former player, Gil Coan.  He was the first to come back out of the batch of 50s guys I sent to.  This 1953 Topps card turned out great.  I really liked the scoreboard in the background of this card.  Not only did Coan sign the card, he also signed my note "Sincere Best Wishes, Gil Coan".  I thought that was a really nice touch.

Coan (b. 1922) is a fellow North Carolinian (born in Monroe, but spent a lot of time in Brevard) who played in the majors from 1946 to 1956 for the Senators, Orioles, White Sox and Giants.  He had 731 career hits, 39 home runs and a .254 batting average.  He finished 23rd in the 1951 AL MVP voting when he had 163 hits, 9 home runs and a .303 batting average.

Coan is notable because he was traded to the Orioles for Roy Sievers, another great TTM signer.  Sievers was a St. Louis Brown, but never played on the Orioles.  He was traded before they played an official game.

I mailed to Coan on April 18 and got the card back on April 23, for a 5-day TAT.  Stay tuned for a ton of 1950s guys.  A bunch came in over the last few days, so I plan on getting some posting done to catch up!

TTM Success - Ed Fitz Gerald

On April 4, I got a ton of TTM success, ten to be exact.  One I was really excited about was this return from former catcher, Ed Fitz Gerald.  I picked up this 1955 Bowman at the last card show that I attended with the intention of getting it signed TTM.  This is the only 1955 Bowman that I have attempted, but it sure looks awesome.  I couldn't be sending out all of these requests and not include at least one of these, could I?

I also found this 1957 Topps at the show and included it in my TTM request.  I think this might be one of the best looking cards that I have gotten signed so far.  The signature looks great and there is something to be said about 1957 Topps.

Fitz Gerald (b. 1924) played in the majors from 1948 to 1959 for the Pirates, Senators and Indians.  He had 542 hits, 19 home runs and a career average of .260.

I mailed to Fitz Gerald on March 28 and got the cards back on April 4 for a 7-day TAT.  He even answered my questions by saying he enjoyed watching Buster Posey the most out of today's players and Brooks Robinson was the greatest player he ever saw play.

TTM Success - Darold Knowles

Something I'm really loving about looking through all of these old Topps cards is being able to see all of the old uniforms.  Some of the teams represented in the TTM success I have received are long gone.  I have signed cards of Seattle Pilots, St. Louis Browns, Montreal Expos, etc.  I really enjoy adding some of those to my autograph album.  Here is a 1978 Topps of Darold Knowles that came in on April 4.

Not only does it have him in an Expos hat, it is an airbrushed Expos hat.  Look closely and you'll be able to tell that the logo is painted, instead of on the photo.

My success from Knowles included another defunct team, the second incarnation of the Washington Senators.  They would go on to become the Texas Rangers for the 1972 season.

Knowles (b. 1941) played in the majors from 1965 to 1980 for the Orioles, Phillies, Senators, A's, Cubs, Rangers, Expos and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 66-74 with an ERA of 3.12 and 681 strike outs.  He also had 143 saves in his career.

Knowles was an All Star in 1969 and a member of three World Series teams, the 1972-74 Oakland A's.  He didn't make an appearance in the 72 or 74 Series, but appeared in all 7 games in 1973.  He pitched 6.1 innings, allowed only 4 hits, one unearned run before earning two saves.

I mailed to Knowles on March 28 and got my cards back on April 4, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sam Mele

I got a TTM success last Monday from former big leaguer, Sam Mele.  I was really excited to get this one back, because I really liked the 1952 Topps that I had picked up for him to sign.  I didn't have to pay much for it, since it had the evident creases on it, but that made it easier to send TTM.

I really wish I could put a 1952 set together, but the Mantle really makes it tough to even consider.  Let alone the other premium cards like Eddie Mathews, Andy Pafko, etc.  I do have a couple other 52s that I have gotten signed, and a couple others that I have out pending signature.  I think they will look really cool in my auto album.

Mele (b. 1922) played in the majors from 1947 to 1956 for the Red Sox, Senators, White Sox, Orioles, Reds and Indians.  He had 916 hits, 80 home runs and a career average of .267.

I mailed to Mele on March 18 and got the signed card back on March 28, for a 10-day TAT.

Mail From Michael - Mickey Vernon Signed Baseball

I made a deal recently with my good friend, Michael, when I purchased this baseball off of him a few weeks before my wife's surgery (back when I had money).  The ball is signed by Mickey Vernon and is a Rawlings Gold Glove baseball.

Vernon (b. 1918 - d. 2008) never actually won a Gold Glove award during his playing days (1939 to 1943 and 1946 to 1960).  He played for the Senators, Indians, Red Sox, Braves and Pirates, the latter during their championship season in 1960.  Vernon never played in the post season.  He was a two-time batting champ (1946 - .353; 1953 - .337) and finished as high as 3rd in the AL MVP voting (1953).

Vernon closed his career with 2,495 hits, 172 home runs and a career average of .286.  One would think that he would have gotten more support for the Hall of Fame, had he not missed two seasons to World War II.  He was on the ballot for 15 years and got no more than 24.9% of the vote (in his final year on the ballot).

Thanks for the deal, Michael.  I was happy to add this ball to my collection, especially since Vernon was a former batting champ.

Purchased From Rob - 1959 Topps Set Needs

For $35, I got 5 cards off of my friend, Rob, for my 1959 Topps set.  The cards are all decent names, two of which are Hall of Famers.  I got the above Harmon Killebrew, which is in great shape, along with Norm Cash, Bill Skowron All Star, Frank Malzone All Star and Bill Mazeroski All Star.

Malzone has a bit of wax staining across his face, but otherwise, the cards are in great shape.  Rob always hooks me up with great vintage set needs.  If you have Instagram, check him out, @vintagebaseballcardsforsale.

Thanks for the deal, Rob, I appreciate it.  I now need 85 cards to finish my 1959 set.  The end is near!

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 Signed Baseball - Harmon Killebrew

The first thing we did in Cooperstown was check out a card show that was in one of the buildings we saw as we were walking from our car.  I remembered the place from the last time I visited Cooperstown, so when Drew suggested we check it out, I knew it would be a great place for us to get started.

The first vendor we saw as we made our way into the building was a guy that Drew knew really well from his times at the White Plains, NY shows.  The guy had a bunch of nice signed baseballs.  The first thing the guy did when we walked in was notice Chris and give him a free ball.  Chris picked out a signed Boog Powell ball.  Because he did this, I figured I should at least buy SOMETHING from the guy, so I really concentrated on the stuff he had.

He had a ball of a non-Hall of Famer that he wanted only $20 for (which I bought and will show later) and then I picked up the above Harmon Killebrew that I needed for my Hall of Fame collection.  I got it really cheap (for $70 I think), so that was nice.  It is a really good-looking ball with slight toning, but a great signature and HOF inscription.

Killebrew (b. 1936 - d. 2011) played in the majors from 1954 to 1975 for the Senators, Twins and Royals.  He had 2,086 hits, 573 home runs and a career .256 batting average.  He was the 1969 AL MVP and appeared in the 1965 World Series (which the Twins lost to the Dodgers).

Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 (his 4th year on the ballot) when he received 83.1% of the vote.  He is my 88th Hall of Famer.

1930s Signed Baseball - Jackie Hayes and Wrap-up

This is the only signature on the baseball that I am not sure of.  Jackie Hayes (b. 1906 - d. 1983) played in the majors from 1927 to 1940 for the Senators (1927 to 1931) and White Sox (1932 to 1940).  He had 1,069 hits, 20 home runs and a .265 batting average in his career.

The signature is on the top of the side panel, above Bill Sherdel.  Something that doesn't make sense is that this signature is with all Boston Braves players, so it would make sense if it was a Braves guy, but I couldn't find anyone who matched up with the signature.  I looked at comparable signatures of Hayes and it doesn't quite fit.  Kind of like when you are putting a puzzle together, you think you have the right piece, but you have to use a hammer to get it where you think it should go.

Here is a look at the signature, a bit closer than the other pic and I still can't really tell with great certainty if it is or is not Hayes' signature.  I guess I will call it his until proven otherwise.

This is the last signature on the ball.  I figured out that it was signed between 1930 and 1931 by players form both the Boston Braves and Washington Senators.  I don't know if it was signed at a Spring Training game (since the Braves were NL and the Senators were AL and there was no Interleague play those years and those teams didn't meet in the World Series.

The only Hall of Famer on the ball that I know of is Joe Cronin and his signature doesn't completely match his later offerings, but it is reasonable to assume that his signature could have evolved over time and you also have to account for any fading that could have occurred in the 80+ years since the ball was signed.

The ball came with an auction LOA fro JSA Authentication, and the Cronin signature was listed as authentic, so I don't doubt it.  I can take this ball now and have JSA certify the rest of the signatures as well as try to confirm with them the Hayes signature.  I feel that if I did this, and after doing all of the leg work identifying the other guys on the ball, I have increased the value of the ball substantially.

I had a lot of fun figuring out who all was on the ball and learning about players from that time.  There were a ton of Hall of Famers who COULD have been on the ball, but it was kind of nice to take a look at some of the other guys who played then.

I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I did.  I hope it wasn't as boring as it could have been.

Players Identified:
Joe Cronin
Lance Richbourg
Randy Moore
Bill Sherdel
Sam West
Joe Kuhel
Ossie Bluege
Ed Gharrity
Fred Maguire
Wes Schulmerich

1930s Signed Baseball - Ed Gharrity

The next player on my 1930s signed baseball is another Washington Senator, Ed 'Patsy' Gharrity.  Gharrity (b. 1892 - d. 1966) played in the majors from 1916-1923 and 1929-1930, all for the Senators.  He was a coach for then manager, Walter Johnson, in 1929 and 1930 and again later from 1933 to 1935 while Johnson managed the Indians.

In his career, Gharrity had 513 hits, 20 home runs and a .262 batting average.

As far as I can tell, Gharrity now becomes the oldest player (born in 1892) that I have an autograph of on a ball, as well as the person who played the longest ago, his career beginning in 1916).

As far as the baseball goes, Gharrity only matches up well with the other Senators I have featured for the 1930 season.  That places the time the ball was signed maybe late 1930 or possibly early 1931, if Gharrity happened to be with the Senators for Spring Training in 1931.

Taking a look at the 1916 Senators on which Gharrity debuted, the team finished the season 76-77 (7th in the AL).  The team was managed by Hall of Famer Clark Griffith and featured two other Hall of Famers, Walter Johnson and Sam Rice.  The team's hits leader was Clyde Milan (154); batting average was Milan again (.273); RBIs was Howie Shanks (48) and the Home Runs leader was Elmer Smith with 2.  On the pitching side, Walter Johnson led the way with 25 wins (and also led with 20 losses), ERA with 1.90 (WOW!!!) and 228 strikeouts.  Imagine if Johnson had gotten more run support that year, he would have probably won 40 games.

Players Identified:
Joe Cronin
Lance Richbourg
Randy Moore
Bill Sherdel
Sam West
Joe Kuhel
Ossie Bluege