2026 National Free Signer - Steve Lyons

The last free signer that I was getting at this year's National was Steve Lyons. His line took the longest, but it was because he made a point to talk to everyone. I appreciated that, even though I really wanted to get back to the bargain boxes that Nate and I were looking through.

I did make it back to the bargain boxes with about 30 minutes to spare.

Lyons (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1993 for the Red Sox, White Sox, Braves and Expos. He had 545 hits, 19 home runs and a .252 batting average. 

2026 National Paid Signer - Eddie Murray

This card that I found in my collection of Eddie Murray was somewhat of a mystery to me. I had no idea where I had gotten the card from, and I had no idea what it even was. I'm glad you can lens search on Ebay, because I was able to figure out that this is a 1983 KG Glossy blank back card. It's thinner than most baseball cards, so I had to handle it carefully. I liked the clean design and thought it would be a good addition to the autograph album. It definitely stands out.

I had met Murray a couple times before, and he was just as nice this time. He even shook my hand as I was leaving. Very classy guy. I still need to get him on the 1991 Crown Orioles card, but I keep putting it off.

He was the last paid signer I got on a card. There were two others I got on baseballs that I'll show later on. Also, there's one more free signer to go, then I need to catch back up on graphing and TTM posts.

2026 National Free Signer - Chris Sabo

The one free signed at this year's National that I looked forward to the most was former Oriole, Chris Sabo. I was glad to finally get him to sign some Orioles cards. The above 1994 Score Rookies and Traded card is pretty cool. I like that design, and don't have many of them in the autograph album. 

He signed a 1992 Topps and a 1994 Upper Deck. I tend to forget how good the 1994 Upper Deck set looks. They look great signed.

I also got a 1994 Fleer Ultra signed. They also look sharp. This is such an underrated set.

Sabo (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1988 to 1996 for the Reds, Orioles, White Sox and Cardinals. He had 898 hits, 116 home runs and a .268 batting average. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1988. He was a three-time All Star (1988, 1990 and 1991). He won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.

2026 National Free Signer - Reid Simpson

The free signers from the 2026 National are drawing to a close soon, with just a few to go. Tonight, I share another hockey player, Reid Simpson. I didn't have anything for Simpson, but the same vendor who had the other signers hooked me up with a few Simpsons. I also took some of his to get signed, which helped me get a few cards for free of Simpson and Geovany Soto.

Simpson (b. 1969) played from 1991 to 1993 and 1994 to 2004, missing the 1993-1994 season. He played for the Flyers, North Stars, Devils, Blackhawks, Lightning, Blues, Canadiens, Predators and Penguins. He had 18 goals and 18 assists, for 36 points.

Simpson was pretty cool. I didn't know much about him, but he jad some nice cards, and it was nice to add them to the autograph album.

2026 National Free Signer - Geovany Soto

Geovany Soto was the next free signer at this year's National. I had sent most of his cards to Max over the years, but was still able to find a couple to take with me to the show. The above 2010 Topps Heritage was one of them. This is such a good looking card and I'm glad I got it signed. 

I worked out a deal with the vendor I had been talking to all show; I took a bunch of his Soto cards and some wild card vouchers and went through the line for him so he wouldn't have to leave his booth. We split the cards, so I ended up with several extras.

I also got the other card I brought from home (this 2017 Topps) signed. Since I already had one in the album, I got this one done in red paint pen.

Soto (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2005 to 2017 for the Cubs, Rangers, A's, White Sox and Angels. He had 619 hits, 108 home runs and a .245 batting average. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was also an All Star that season and finished 13th in the NL MVP race.

2026 National Free Signer - Ron Kittle

At this year's National, I got to see Ron Kittle as a free signer for the third time. He had been a signer at the 2021 and 2023 Nationals as well. I was surprised that I even had any cards of him left, but I did. The above 1988 Fleer turned out great. I have a partial set of 88 Fleer somewhere, but I haven't located it in all of my mess.

I did raid a partial set of 1989 Upper Deck. I didn't realize that Kittle had two cards in that set. I also had him sign a 1989 Score and a 1989 Donruss.

I had several vouchers for Kittle (obviously), so I got several cards out of my slider box. I think I have a couple left, in case he shows up at next year's National. 

2026 National Paid Signer - Barry Sanders

At every National, I try to pick up paid vouchers for at least one marquee signer. This year, it was one of the greatest football players of all time, Barry Sanders. I had thought about getting him a couple years ago, but decided against it. He, then, had a health scare, and I felt like this was going to be a repeat of when I passed on meeting Jim Brown several years ago. I could have paid for Brown, decided against it with the thought "He will be there next year..." and he never showed back up to a National. So, this year, when I saw Sanders on the list again, I paid the fee and brought this awesome 1994 Classic Pro Line Live card along. The card turned out great. Sanders was awesome to me, he asked my name, where I was from and shook my hand. He was such a great guy. 

Sanders (b. 1968) played professionally from 1989 to 1998 for the Lions. His career 15,269 rushing yards are 4th all-time and his 99 rushing touchdowns are 11th. He was a Pro Bowler in each season he played. He was the 1989 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the UPI, PFWA and Sporting News Rookie of the Year. He was the 1997 AP and PFWA NFL MVP. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. His number 20 is retired by the Lions and his number 21 is retired by Oklahoma State. He also won the Heisman Trophy in 1988.