TTM Success - Terry Humphrey

Here are some 70s cards that I got signed by Terry Humphrey TTM.  The cards all turned out really well, like the above 1979 Topps.

Humphrey signed cards from 1972, 1973, 1978 and 1979 for me.  I had started with his 73, which came in one of the boxes I got from Conrad in SC, and the rest were found through some trips through my boxes here and there.

Humphrey (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1971 to 1979 for the Expos, Tigers and Angels.  He had 223 hits, 6 home runs and a .211 batting average.

I mailed to Humphrey on January 20 and got the cards back on February 3, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Sykes

I added some nice early 80s cards to my album with this TTM success from Bob Sykes.  I especially liked the above 1982 Fleer, because I didn't have many in my collection.

He also signed a 1980 and 1981 Topps, but the Sharpie looks like it is dying out.  Still, the cards are fine with me, and I'm glad to have them.

Sykes (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1977 to 1981 for the Tigers and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 23-26 with 215 strike outs and a 4.65 ERA.

I mailed to Sykes on December 3 and got the cards back on February 3, for a 62-day TAT.

TTM Success - Matt Olson

I had forgotten I sent this TTM request out last year, so when it came back a few weeks ago, I was very excited.  I've been working on the 2010 Bowman USA et for a while, and was so excited to be able to cross Matt Olson off of the list.  I had bought a bunch of the USA cards in bulk from a dime box at the 2011 National (my first one), and have seen a few of the players become stars (Alex Bregman, Olson, Albert Almora).  I'm glad Ryan talked me into getting the lot.

Olson has two First Bowman cards, it seems, as this 2012 Bowman has 1st Bowman printed on the front.  I guess they forgot he was in that USA set.

Olson (b. 1994) has played in the majors since 2016 (all for the A's).  He has 323 hits, 89 home runs and a .254 batting average.  He finished 4th in the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year voting (after only playing in 59 games).  He won the Gold Glove Award in 2018 and 2019, and finished 21st in the 2019 AL MVP voting.

I mailed to Olson on February 12, 2019, via A's Spring Training and got the cards back signed on February 3, 2020, for a 356-day TAT.

TTM Success - Justin Masterson

I added some really cool cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Justin Masterson.  I had a ton of his cards in my box, and it was tough choosing what to send him.  The above 2014 Topps mini gold definitely had to be sent, and I love how it looks.  The card is numbered 18/63.

I had Masterson's 2006 Bowman Chrome card in my rookies box for a long time.  I was glad to get it out of there and signed.  Same with his 2008 Topps Heritage RC.

Finally, here are a couple Topps cards that came back, a 2012 Topps (top) and 2014 Topps green parallel (bottom).

Masterson (b. 1985) played in the majors from 2008 to 2015 for the Red Sox, Indians and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 64-74 with 1,004 strike outs and a 4.31 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2013.

I mailed to Masterson on October 22 and got the cards back on February 1, for a 102-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Lemanczyk

I moved some cards out of my box that had been waiting for me to send for a while.  A long time ago, I went through my 1981 Topps cards and pulled guys who I saw that were signing TTM, and slowly, I gathered up other cards of theirs to send along with the 81s.  A lot of those guys kind of sat in the box until I got around to mailing, and Dave Lemanczyk was one of those.

I was able to find his 1979 (left) and 1980 (right) Topps cards, and they all turned out well.

Lemanczyk (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1973 to 1980 for the Tigers, Blue Jays and Angels.  He had a 37-63 record, 429 strike outs and a 4.62 ERA.

I mailed to Lemanczyk on October 23 and got the cards back on February 1, for a 101-day TAT.

Some Cards From Dugan

It took him a while, but my good friend, Dugan, sent me back cards that he had tried to get signed for me last season, and added a couple nice cards in the process.

I love the deckle edge Ryan Mountcastle card from 2018 Heritage.

The above Richie Martin patch auto from Leaf Trinity was really nice.  I didn't know this card existed.

Finally, Dugan was able to get two of the cards I sent to him signed.  Rain cut his trip short, or he would have been able to get a couple Columbia Fireflies done for me.  Oh well, I appreciate the effort.

Thanks so much for the cards, Dugan.

Spring Training Autos From Gerard

Before the world ended, my friend, Gerard was able to get a few autos from Spring Training.  He had gotten to Florida right when things with the Corona Virus were just taking hold.  The Orioles and Twins had just enacted "No Fan Interaction" policies and were tossing pre-signed baseballs into the stands.

Gerard had much better luck with the Pirates minor leaguers that he saw, so thankfully, all of the work I put into getting cards together for him wasn't completely in vain.

The above 2019 Bowman Chrome sparkle parallel of Travis Swaggerty made my day when I saw it.  I pulled it out of a pack and was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it signed.  It looks really cool, and I am so glad Gerard nailed this one.

This 2018 Bowman Sterling insert of Swaggerty also turned out well.  This was another card that I kept seeing in my box, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get signed.

Gerard was able to get every Swaggerty that I sent signed.  He was able to keep a good many for himself, as well.

Gerard was able to hit almost every Pirates prospect that I had sent, with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 guys.  I was especially happy to get some of the Sally League all star and top prospect set cards done, as once those guys have passed through the Carolinas, I have a hard time seeing them.

I had a ton of Conner Uselton.  Gerard got every one of them done.  I like the three above because they look like one of those puzzle images where you have to find the differences in each photo.

Gerard struck out on the Orioles when he saw them, with the exception of soon-to-be Norfolk coach, Sean Berry.  I had been stockpiling Berry cards ever since he was named to Norfolk's coaching staff.  I was glad to get some of these out of my box, for sure.

This 1995 Topps of Sean Berry turned out nicely.

Finally, Gerard hooked me up with a baseball that he signed himself, including a coronavirus hashtag.  I might look back on this ball some day and it could be a pretty huge historical event.  Especially if the season is delayed any farther.

The ticket was from Adley Rutschmann's first Spring hit, I believe.  Gerard told me, but I forgot what he said.

Thanks so much for the autos, Gerard.  I hope you used enough hand sanitizer and are able to get back home safely.