National Free Signer - Von Hayes

One of the VIP signers at the National this year was former MLB player, Von Hayes.  His line was one of the easier ones for me to get in, and I actually was able to use a Wild Card on him.  I was really happy to get this 1992 Topps Stadium Club card signed by him in blue Sharpie.  I thought the card turned out really nice.

I was also able to get this 1992 Topps signed, which will look nice as part of my Topps Autograph Project.  I only have 4 cards out of the 1992 set signed, so there won't be a lot to choose from like other years.

Hayes (b. 1958) played in the Majors from 1981 to 1992 for the Indians, Phillies and Angels.  He had 1,402 hits, 143 home runs and a career average of .267.  He finished 8th in the NL MVP voting in 1986 when he led the league in runs scored (107) and doubles (46) with a .305 average.  He was also an All Star in 1989.

Another Topps Now Pickup - Ichiro Edition

I imagine that when the idea for Topps Now was being proposed, moments such as Ichiro's 3,000th hit were big selling points on the idea.  Well, Ichiro picked up the historic hit on August 7 and I made sure to partake in the 5-pack of the Topps Now card.  I sent one of them off to my good friend, Ryu; I'll keep one for myself, and I gave my wife one, since she loves Ichiro.  The others, I will probably sell at some point at a show.

As of tonight, Ichiro stands at 3,018 hits, 27th All Time.  The Topps Now card is really nice, and I am glad I decided to pick it up.

National Pickup - Brooks Robinson WS Champ Coin Stamp Card

I picked this card up on the first full day of the National from a vendor who had a whole bunch of Orioles stuff.  I was hoping they would have the Chris Davis laser booklet insert from 2016 Topps, but they didn't.  I saw this Brooks, though, and paid their high price for it.  The card was $40, but I really like these coin/stamp cards, so I was ok with it.  The fact that it was Brooks, well, that made it even better!  I want to go back and get the birth year coin/stamp Brooks card sometime.  I have the Ted Williams, and it is one of my favorite cards.  This came from 2016 Topps Series 2.  I opened 3 jumbo boxes of series 2, and didn't pull any of these.  Someone on Instagram told me that the $40 I spent wasn't too bad of a price, so that made me feel better.

National Free Signer - Mitch Williams

One of the first signers that I was able to get at the National was Mitch Williams during the VIP party on the Wednesday of the show.  They were supposed to have Steve Garvey there as well, but he backed out at the last minute and was replaced by Roy White and someone else (I can't remember who).  I got White on a baseball for my good friend, Drew, but since I didn't have any cards of the other guy, I didn't bother.  I did have a bunch of cards of Mitch Williams and ended up getting three signed.  Two of them went to my friend, Max, and I kept the above 1994 Score.

Williams (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1989 to 1995 and 1997 for the Rangers, Cubs, Phillies, Astros, Angels and Royals.  He had a career record of 45-58 with an ERA of 3.65 and 192 saves.  He was an All Star in 1989 while with the Cubs and finished as high as 6th in the NL Cy Young voting in 1991.

I got this 1994 Score out of one of the boxes of cards that Mom picked up for me.  One of them (a 5,000-count box) is almost all 1994 Score.  This was a really nice set back then, but was prone to sticking together if the cards got hot.  Luckily, the cards were well taken care of, and I have been able to use some for graphing.  They look really nice with blue sharpie.

Cheap Shots From The National - Bill Lee Signed Baseball

One of the coolest deals that I got at the National was this signed baseball of Bill "Spaceman" Lee for $5.00,  The ball is a Joe DiMaggio commemorative OAL baseball.  The vendor had cases and cases of them for $10.00 but gave me  a deal for $5.00,  I figure the ball itself is worth a lot more than that.

Lee (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1969 to 1982 for the Red Sox and Expos.  He had a career record of 119-90 with a 3.62 ERA and 713 strike outs.  He was an All Star in 1973 and finished 23rd in the AL MVP voting.

Lee appeared on the 1988 Hall of Fame ballot and received 0.7% of the vote.  He is most widely known for his eccentric personality, which led to his nickname "Spaceman".

National Free Signer - Bobby Shantz

We met free signer Bobby Shantz during the Wednesday Sneak Peek at the National.  Unfortunately, the wait in line was excruciating and it set the tone for most of the other VIP free signers for the rest of the show.

Shantz, himself, was really nice, and did take the time to chat with everyone.  I was afraid I would miss out on him, so I waited in line for over 2 hours to get him.  By the time I got up to him, Andrew had given up and gave me his ticket.  I used both name tickets for my and Andrew's cards.  They both turned out great.

Andrew and I both got 1950 Bowman Shantz cards signed.  This is Shantz's rookie card.  During my chat with Shantz, he noted that this card was an old one.  I asked him if he kept any of his cards and he said no, but fans sent him cards all of the time.  He said that he rarely sees this one, though.  He seemed happy to see and sign it.  The card turned out great.

I am happy to have met Shantz.  He was a really nice, friendly guy.  I'm also glad I was able to help Andrew out and get his card signed as well.  Too bad the line was ridiculous.  I might have to approach the free signers differently next year, because those lines killed my legs and feet this year.

National Pickup - 2014 Bowman Chrome Ryan Ripken Auto

At the time I picked this card up at the National, I was excited.  I saw it in a vendor's showcase and immediately paid his price of $20 for this card and went about my business.  Unfortunately, for me, I probably should have looked a little bit longer while I was there, because on the last day of the show, I saw two of these in a bargain box for $4 a piece.  Dang.  I'm sure that the vendor I got this from saw my Orioles gear and figured he had a sucker.  Oh well.  $20 isn't a bad price to pay when you consider that my goal has been to get Ryan Ripken's autograph so that I can say that I have three generations of Ripken autos (and Bill, as well).

I really want Ryan on a baseball, but at this point, this card works for me.  I have Cal, Sr. and Cal, Jr. on baseballs.  I don't have Bill on one, either, but that shouldn't take me much longer.  Ryan is still in the Nationals system, after being drafted in the 15th round of the 2014 draft out of a Junior College in Florida.

He is scuffling so far in his MiLB career, with a .203 batting average, 3 homers and 47 RBI over 141 minor league games across 3 seasons in Rookie League, Low A and A ball.  I doubt he will pan out much more than having a famous last name, but at 23, he is still fairly young.  I was initally disappointed that he wasn't drafted by the O's (he was drafted by them in 2012 out of high school, but didn't sign), but he probably stands a better chance in DC and not living up to his dad's shadow in Baltimore.

So, I kind of wish I had waited to pick this card up out of the bargain bin, but $20 is still not bad, especially in the grand scheme of things.