TTM Success - George Lombard

I got another TTM success back from the batch I sent to Spring Training, this one being from Dodgers camp.  I had some nice late 90s, early 2000s cards of Lombard that I sent off, but he ended up keeping two of the better cards that I sent.

The ones I got back turned out well, so I can't complain.  I just wish I had gotten the other two cards back, because they would have looked cool.

Lombard (b. 1975) is exactly 5 years older than I am.  It isn't often that I find a player with whom I share a birthday, but it is cool that Lombard and I do.  He played in the majors from 1998 to 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006 for the Braves, Tigers, Devil Rays and Nationals.  He had 77 hits, 8 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Lombard via Dodgers Spring Training on February 5 and got the cards back on June 22, for a 137-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bret "The Hitman" Hart

Sometimes, I get TTM success from folks other than baseball players.  This one, in particular, I was really excited about, because it was from one of my favorite wrestlers growing up.  I saw the Bret Hart was signing TTM, so I picked up these cards out of a quarter box at a card show in January.  I, then, researched how I could send to Canada, and get the return mail back.  It took buying Canadian stamps online and having them sent to me (thanks, Google), and I was all ready to get them mailed out.

I'm really happy with the cards I sent, and how they turned out.  The card at the top of the page is a bit rougher, but I remembered that set from when I was a kid, and wanted it in my album.

Hart (b. 1957) is a member of the legendary Hart Family of wrestling.  Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Harts have been a fixture in Canadian wrestling for decades.  Patriarch, Stu Hart, ran Stampede Wrestling in Canada and showcased his sons (most notably, Bret and Owen), along with his sons-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and The British Bulldog, the Hart Family was a fixture in wrestling in the 80s ad 90s.

Bret made his wrestling debut in 1978 and retired in 2000.  His retirement was due to a concussion he received when he was mule-kicked in the head by Bill Goldberg in a WCW match.  In all, he was a World Champion (WCW and WWE) 9 times, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice (individually in 2006 and as a member of the Hart Foundation in 2019).

I mailed to Hart on March 25 and got the cards back on June 15, for an 82-day TAT.

July 2019 Graphing Recap of Hillcats at Wood Ducks

Running low on Wood Ducks card, I was glad that I got my 2019 Carolina League All Star and Top Prospects sets in from my friend, Michael.  Additionally, I was able to add Noah Bremer back to my autograph album, since he was activated from the DL recently.

The coolest thing about his card in this year's team set is that I actually own the jersey that he is wearing on the card.  Also, my dog is on the jersey, so my dog now has a baseball card.  When I asked Noah to sign this, I told him about the jersey, and he remembered me getting it that night, which was cool.

My friend John, in Texas, sent me some Frisco team set cards that I was able to get done by Jairo Beras.  Tim Brennan was called up from Hickory, so I got his card done; Diosbel Arias has an All Star card, and Bubba Thompson took care of his Top Prospects card.

I was able to get Yanio Perez on his team set card, as well.  Of the Wood Ducks left on this team (and not out injured), that leaves me with JP Martinez to get for my set.  The rest are waiting on returns from the DL, and the stack I sent out to John.

I had a few Hillcats that I needed to get, especially this relic card from 2019 Pro Debut of Will Benson.  Benson was one per, but he was really nice.  I had him sign this card first, and it looks awesome.

I also got these done, a 2019 Midwest League All Star card, 2017 Bowman Chrome and a 2017 Heritage Minors.

Oscar Gonzalez was in the Carolina League All Star set, and the Top Prospects set, so those got done.  Tyler Freeman was really tough but I did come away with these two cards, so I was happy with the results.

Justin Garza was really nice, so I got the die cut Elite Extra Edition and a Stars and Stripes completed.

Finally, I hit Juan Hillman for quite a few cards, but the only ones I needed were the Elite Extra Edition and Carolina League All Star.

TTM Success - Bob Knepper

Another private signing got me this Bob Knepper card signed for my 1987 Topps set.  I have slowed down a bit on getting these, only because there haven't been as many TTMs coming in, and definitely not many private signings that I need are popping up.

Knepper (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1976 to 1990 for the Giants and Astros.  He had a career record of 146-155 with 1,473 strike outs and a 3.68 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1981 and 1988.  He appeared on the 1996 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to the private signing on May 20 and got the card back on June 13, for a 24-day TAT.  I paid a $20.00 fee.

TTM Success - Pete Incaviglia

Another private signing on SCN brought me another signed card for my 1987 set.  This Pete Incaviglia card may have been able to get signed, had I gone to a Sugar Land Skeeters game this season, but I didn't have the chance to see them when they were in High Point.

Incaviglia (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1986 to 1994 and 1996 to 1998 for the Rangers, Tigers, Astros, Phillies, Orioles and Yankees.  He had 1,043 hits, 206 home runs and a .246 batting average.

I mailed to the private signing on May 20 and got the card back on June 13, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Gantner

I saw that Jim Gantner was going to be available through a private signing on SCN, and from what I understand, he is tough to get.  So, I made sure to sign up for the event, and get my 1987 Topps card out of the way.  His signature looks amazing on the card, and I am happy that I got it taken care of.

Gantner (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1976 to 1992 for the Brewers.  He had 1,696 hits, 47 home runs and a .274 batting average.

I mailed to the private signing on May 20 and got the card back on June 13, for a 24-day TAT.  I paid a $7.00 fee.

TTM Success - Tom Egan

Here is another TTM success that includes a 1972 and 1973 Topps.  I feel like there have been a ton of these lately, and that is probably true.  I got the two boxes at the same time, and sorted them by players who sign.  Then, I sent off a bunch, and waited for the results.

This time around, I received signed cards from Tom Egan.  He signed in blue Sharpie, and the cards look great.

Egan (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1975 for the Angels and White Sox.  He had 196 hits, 22 home runs and a .200 batting average.

I mailed to Egan on February 4 and got the cards back on June 13, for a 129-day TAT.