Some of the TTM success I have sent off have a little more meaning than others. Not taking away from any success, really, but there are a few where I will send off a card because it looks cool or it has a little more meaning than some others. Today's TTM success post is one of those cases. You see, I don't know Jim Essian at all. I have never met the guy, but he has been a fixture in my collection for a long time. The reason why is that a card similar to the above 1977 Topps, at one point at the very beginning of my collecting days was the oldest card that I owned. I used to keep all of my baseball cards in a Nike shoe box, and this card was always out, lying on the top of the cards inside the box. I was always fixated on getting "old" cards, so the 1977 Essian was really cool in my mind. Soon after, I picked up a 1975 Topps Dave Winfield, which also still is in my collection. Now, the oldest cards I have in my collection are three 1909-1912 T-206 cards.
The 1977 Essian of which I speak is still a part of my collection, it was assumed into my 1977 set when I was building it, and it now resides in that box, probably not to be disturbed until some rainy day where I decide to open the set and look at the cards inside.
When I saw that Essian signed TTM, I picked up this card off of Sportlots so that I could have it represented in my autograph album. Thankfully, he signed it and I got it back.
Essian also signed the above 1981, 1979, 1985 and 1983 Topps cards. All of them turned out really nice, but none hold the story that the '77 did.
Essian (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1973 to 1984 for the Phillies, White Sox, A's, Mariners and Indians. He had 453 hits, 33 home runs and an average of .244. I mailed to Essian on March 28 and got the cards back on April 25, for a 28-day TAT.
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