2025 National Pickup - Dick Allen Signed Baseball

Oops. I may or may not have forgotten to post some of last year's pickups from the National. With this year's event days away, I had better catch up.

I found this baseball signed by the late Dick Allen very cheap at the show. It is authenticated, and has a lot of toning on the ball, but that's ok.

Allen (b. 1942 - d. 2020) played in the majors from 1963 to 1977 for the Phillies, Dodgers, White Sox and A's. He had 1,848 hits, 351 home runs and a .292 batting average. He was the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in 1972. He led the AL in hone runs in 1972 (37) and 1974 (32).

I'm pretty sure he is Hall of Famer 176 in my collection.

TTM Success - Cade Crossland

Yet another 2025 Bowman Draft TTM success occurred when this 2025 Bowman Draft Chrome card came back from Cade Crossland. 

I did pretty well this year with my Bowman Draft TTMs. I generally send out aroubd 20-25 or so, and get maybe 60% back. That's actually a pretty good percentage. I haven't sat down and calculated the actual percentage; that's a job for a rainy weekend.

Crossland (b. 2004) was a 4th round pick by the Cardinals in the 2025 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He has played at Low A Palm Beach this season and has a 4-5 record with 96 strike outs and a 4.87 ERA.

I mailed to Crossland on January 28 and got the card back on March 30, for a 61-day TAT.

TTM Success - Conor Essenburg

Another 2025 Bowman Draft came in the mail signed recently. This Conor Essenburg was sent in early February. It came back signed with what looks like a simple C and E. These kids need to learn better signatures.

Essenburg (b. 2006) was a 5th round pick by the Braves in the 2025 July Amateur Draft out of Lincoln-Way West High School in Illinois. He has played at two levels (Rookie and Low A) in the Braves system this season. He has 49 hits, 8 home runs and a .245 batting average. 

I mailed to Essenburg on February 5 and got the card back on March 28, for a 51-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Jacob Waguespack

This Durham Bulls team set card of Jacob Waguespack was sent out TTM during Spring Training this year and came back signed. I had about the same run of luck on Spring Training this year, as I have the past couple of years. Around 10-15% success seems to be what I have to settle for these days. As my good friend Billy says, "the cards aren't getting signed sitting in the box." So, I have to keep taking that chance.

I had sent to Waguespack back in 2020. I usually don't list stats when I get a guy twice. Since he is an active pmayed and his stats have increased, I will update them.

Waguespack (b. 1993) has played in the majors in 2019, 2020, 2024 and 2026 for the Blue Jays, Rays and Tigers. He has a career record of 5-5, with 99 strike outs and a 4.70 ERA.

I mailed to Wagiespack on February 13 via Mariners camp and got the card back on March 26, for a 41-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Travis Adams

A signed 2026 Topps came back TTM from Travis Adams after I sent it to him at Spring Training. There isn't a whole lot going on with his signature, but it is signed and in the album now.

Adams (b. 2000) had played in the majors since 2025 for the Twins. He has a career record of 2-4 with 63 strike outs and a 6.94 ERA.

I mailed to Adams on February 14 via Twins camp and got the card back on March 25, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - Doug Jennings

This 1989 Topps that I got signed TTM by Doug Jennings turned out great. The A's cards in the 1989 set always looked cool. I guess it's how the green and yellow team name and player name ribbon really pop on the card. 1989 will always be a good-looking set in my opinion. 

Jennings (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1988 to 1991 and 1993 for the A's and Cubs. He had 65 hits, 5 home runs and a .202 batting average. 

I mailed to Jennings on October 30, 2024, and got the card back on March 24, 2026, for a 510-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott Ruskin

This 1993 Topps card of Chris Ruskin came back signed looking nice from a TTM submission I sent out not too long ago. I'm surprised that I'm still finding new guys who sign TTM out of some of those Junk Wax Era cards. 

Ruskin (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1990 to 1993 for the Pirates, Expos and Reds. He had a record of 11-9 with 146 strike outs and a 3.95 ERA. 

I mailed to Ruskin on March 7 and got the card back on March 23, for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Steve Soderstrom

Here are a couple nice 90s cards of Steve Soderstrom that I found in my boxes and sent out TTM. The above 1994 Upper Deck Top Prospects insert was a nice find in the boxes. I remember when 1994 Upper Deck came out, it was all the rage, especially the Electric Diamond parallels.

This 1997 Bowman also turned out nicely.

Soderstrom (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1996 for the Giants. He had a record of 2-0 with 9 strike outs and a 5.27 ERA.

I mailed to Soderstrom on February 25 and got the cards back on March 20, for a 23-day TAT. 

June 23-24, 2026, Graphing of the Brockton Rox at Bird Dawgs

Before I left for vacation a few weeks ago, I caught two games between the Brockton Rox and Down East Bird Dawgs. I caught Tuesday and Wednesday's games, and was able to get a few cards signed.

I was glad to get this card of Derek Bender signed. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, as he is the former Twins minor leaguer who had tipped his team's pitches to his opponent so his team's season would end early. Allegedly.

I got a few Perfect Game cards signed by Hayden Travinsky. I like having the option of getting Perfect Game cards signed; I just hate that they're so cumbersome to find.

I also got a few random team set cards signed. I bailed on the Thursday game since I still had cards to locate for my vacation. This is the last time I'll see the Bird Dawgs until mid-August.

In all, I got the following autographs: Derek Bender x 2, Brendan Bell x 4, Joe Kemlqge x 4 and Hayden Travinski x 6 (16 total autographs).

Another TTM Success From Chance Sisco

A friend of mine reached out recently with another private signing with Chance Sisco. I had gotten him a few times and had answered a private signing before, but i had more Sisco cards, the price was good and I wanted to help out his signing. So, I sent off this 2015 Topps Pro Debut gold parallel, along with a couple others. 

I was going to only send the Bowman card on the right, but I had mentioned to my friend Brayden about the signing, abd he said "I have two Siscos right here". So, he sent them to me. He didn't want one back signed, so I will keep it in my album myself.

Sisco is playing with the Chicago Dogs independent team this year. Maybe I can go check a game out while at the National soon.

I mailed to the signing on February 14 and got the cards back on March 20, for a 34-day TAT. I paid a fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - Mike Hartley

A couple more Junk Wax Era cards came back signed TTM; these.were from Mike Hartley. He signed the above 1993 Topps and the below 1994 Donruss.

Hartley (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1989 to 1993 and 1995 for the Dodgers, Phillies, Twins, Red Sox and Orioles. He had a record of 19-13 with 259 strike outs and a 3.70 ERA.

I mailed to Hartley on February 6 and got the cards back on March 20, for a 42-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Parent

Some more Junk Wax Era cards were added to the autograph album when I got these three cards back from Mark Parent. He signed the above 1990 Topps, and the 1990 Fleer and 1989 Topps below.

He also signed a 1996 Fleer for me, but I sent that along to my friend, Max, for his Cubs collection. 

I had gotten Parent before back in 2020. He had actually signed a 1989 Topps in that return, as well, but that one was in black Sharpie. This one is in blue, so I'll take that as an upgrade.

I mailed to Parent on February 25 and got the cards back on March 19, for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jason Giambi

A private signing for Jason Giambi for an amazing price popped up on Facebook, and I jumped in. I follow some private signings pages on there and they have helped me add some guys to the album. The above 2004 Fleer National Pastime was a card I had pulled a while back and was easy to find so I could meet the short window for the signing. It turned out great. I don't think I have any others of these in the album. 

Giambi (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1995 to 2013 for the A's, Yankees, Rockies and Indians. He had 2,010 hits, 440 home runs and a .277 batting average. He was the 2000 AL MVP. He was a five-time All Star (2000-2004) and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2001 and 2002). He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020 and received only 1.5% of the vote.

I mailed to the signing on February 20 and got the card back on March 19, for a 27-day TAT. I paid a fee of $20.00.

TTM Success - Logan Porter

A nice 2024 Topps Heritage came back signed TTM by Logan Porter from Spring Training. The signature is hard to see on the card, but it's there.

Porter (b. 1995) has played in the majors in 2023, 2025 and 2026 for the Royals, Giants and Angels. He has 8 hits, 1 home run and a .190 batting average. 

I mailed to Porter on February 13 via Giants Spring Training and got the card back on March 19, for a 33-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Harkey

Some older cards from the Junk Wax Era were added to the autograph album when I got these back signed TTM from Mike Harkey. He signed the above 1989 Topps and the three cards below: a 1992 Topps, 1994 Score and 1993 Fleer Ultra. 

Harkey (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1988, from 1990 to 1995 and 1997 for the Cubs, Rockies, A's, Angels and Dodgers. He had a record of 36-36 with 316 strike outs and a 4.49 ERA. He finished 5th in the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year voting. 

I mailed to Harkey on January 31 and got the cards back on March 19, for a 47-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan Pope

Here is another 2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition card that I pulled from my box and sent out TTM. I kept passing this Ryan Pope card in searches through the box, abd I finally got around to sending it out. 

Pope (b. 1986) was a 3rd round pick by the Yankees in the 2007 June Amateur Draft out of Savannah College of Art and Design. He played in the minors from 2007 to 2013 in the Yankees system, reaching AAA. He had a record of 25-34 with 431 strike outs and a 4.34 ERA. 

I took a look to see if anyone else from Savannah College of Art and Design has played professionally; 11 played have played in the minors, and one of them (Charlie Zink) played in the majors (1 game in 2008 with the Red Sox).

I mailed to Pope on December 5 and got the card back on March 18, for a 103-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Ralph Garr

This 1971 Topps Braves Rookie Stars card is now complete, since I added Ralph Garr. I was able to send to him TTM after getting Rick Kester back in March. The card came in, and I turned it right around to Garr.

Garr (b. 1945) played in the majors from 1968 to 1980 for the Braves, White Sox and Angels. He had 1,562 hits, 75 home runs and a .306 batti g average. He was the NL batting champ in 1974 with a .353 average. He was an All Star that season. He had 200 or more hits 3 times in his career (1971, 1973 and 1974). His best finish in the MVP race was 12th in 1974 (NL). 

I mailed to Garr on March 2 and got the card back on March 17, for a 15-day TAT. I paid his fee of $5.00.

Another TTM Success From Mo Vaughn

Mo Vaughn has taken up signing his mail again, so I sent a couple mid-90s Topps cards out, and got them back signed. I like this 1997 Topps (above) due to the landscape position of the photo. 1997 had been a tough set to add to the autograph album, mainly due to the small size of the set and my having very few extra cards from it.

I also sent this 1996 Topps that turned out well. The design is basically, but 1996 is still a decent set.

I mailed to Vaughn on November 24 and got the cards back on March 16, for a 112-day TAT. I had also sent his 1991 Donruss The Rookies card, but he sent that back unsigned.

TTM Success - Sean Youngerman

Another 2025 Bowman Draft cadd came back signed TTM when I got this one back from Sean Youngerman. His signature isn't much, and it's not in the best spot, but it still counts as a signed card.

Youngerman (b. 2004) was a 4th round pick by the Phillies in the 2025 July Amateur Draft out of Oklahoma State. He has played in the Phillies system, beginning this season. He is at Low A Clearwater with a record of 2-4 with 37 strike outs and a 6.25 ERA.

I mailed to Youngerman on February 4 and got the card back on March 14, for a 38-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Shane Andrews

These cards of Shane Andrews had been put aside for a while until I finally put them all together to send out to him TTM. I had seen that he signed and pulled the cards separately and put them in separate places "so I would remember where they were." Yeah, that didn't work. I finally got them all together and am happy with the results.

Andrews (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1995 to 2000 and 2002 for the Expos, Cubs and Red Sox. He had 375 hits, 86 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Andrews on January 29 and got the cards back on March 14, for a 44-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jason Monti

Here is a nice 2007 Bowman Chrome of Jason Monti that I got signed TTM. His signature is basically an @, which is kind of weird. I could have saved myself a couple of stamps and done that one myself. 

Monti (b. 1985) was a 25th round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2007 June Amateur Draft out of Sacred Heart University. He played in the Blue Jays system in 2007 and 2008, reaching Low A. He had a record of 9-1 with 67 strike outs and a 4.42 ERA.

I mailed to Monti on October 6 and got the card back on March 14, for a 159-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Clint Zavaras

This 1990 Topps of Clint Zavaras was a nice addition to the autograph album until I checked and saw that I had gotten him TTM before. Oops. Oh well, another card has been removed from the boxes, and that's always a good thing.

I mailed to Zavaras on February 21 and got the card back on March 13, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Joe Whitman

A couple 2024 Topps Pro Debut cards came back signed TTM from Joe Whitman. The above chrome refractor turned out great.

He also signed a base card that turned out great.

Whitman (b. 2001) was a second round pick by the Giants in the 2023 July Amateur Draft out of Kent State. He has played in the minors from 2023 to 2026 in the Giants system, reaching AAA. He has a record of 16-22 with 333 strike outs and a 4.53 ERA.

I mailed to Whitman on January 14 and got the cards back on March 13, for a 58-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bryan Rekar

Here are a couple Topps cards of former pitcher, Bryan Rekar that came bacl signed TTM recently. He signed a 1996 and a 2002 Topps.

Rekar (b. 1972) played in the majors from 1995 to 2002 for the Rockies, Devil Rays and Royals. He had a record of 25-49 with 383 strike outs and a 5.62 ERA.

I mailed to Rekar on November 25, 2024, and got the cards back on March 13, 2026, for a 473-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Joe Borchard

My friend Ryan sent me a couple older Bowman cards of Joe Borchard that I sent out TTM. They came back signed not too long after. I like this 2003 Bowman. I get them mixed up with 2001, since the designs are so similar (and 2004, too).

I also got this 2002 Bowman signed, and it also looks nice. I'm really glad Ryan sent me these older Bowmans that I didn't have in my boxes.

I mailed to Borchard on March 2 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tony Richie

A nice 2004 Topps of Tony Richie came back signed TTM recently. I found the card in my broken 2004 set that I got from the former LCS and sent it out. Not much to his autograph, but Ruchie did sign it, so that's fine.

Richie (b. 1982) was a 4th round pick by the Cubs in the 2003 July Amateur Draft out of Florida State. He played in the minors from 2003 to 2008, all in the Cubs system, reaching AAA. He had 287 hits, 17 home runs and a .260 batting average. 

I mailed to Richie on February 28 and got the card back on March 10, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Rafe Schlesinger

Another 2024 Bowman Draft was added to the autograph album when I got this card back signed TTM from Rafe Schlesinger. The card turned out nicely.

Schlesinger (b. 2003) was a 4th round pick by the Guardians in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Miami (The U). He had played in the guardians system since 2024, reaching AA. He has a record of 8-13 with 197 strike outs and a 4.28 ERA.

I mailed to Schlesinget on January 10 and got the card back on March 10, for a 59-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trevor Bauer

He's controversial. However, when I saw a private signing pop up with Trevor Bauer, I jumped on the chance to add him to my autograph album. I picked out a 2011 Bowman Chrome to send out... and he missed the card during the signing. I got my card back unsigned, but the promoter sent me two replacement autographs. One was the above 2013 Bowman and the other was the below 2021 Topps.

I would have been fine with just one card, but the promoter went above and beyond to keep me happy.

Bauer (b. 1991) played in the majors from 2012 to 2021 for the Diamondbacks, Indians, Reds and Dodgers. He had a record of 83-69 with 1,416 strike outs and a 3.79 ERA. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 2020. A polarizing figure even before the allegations levied against him, he probably will never pitch in the majors again.

I mailed to the signing on February 11 and got the cards back on March 9, for a 26-day TAT. The promoter also offered me a refund, which I declined. The extra auto was more than enough. 

TTM Success - Mike Dyer

This 1995 Topps of Mike Dyer came back signed TTM in March after waiting for a while. However, the card turned out nicely. I still rather like the 1995 Topps set; that was definitely in my heyday of collecting as a teenager.

Dyer (b. 1966) played in the majors in 1989 and from 1994 to 1996 for the Twins, Pirates and Expos. He had a record of 14-18 with 154 strike outs and a 4.60 ERA.

I mailed to Dyer on October 4 and got the card back on March 9, for a 156-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bryce Meccage

2025 Topps Pro Debut is a really nice set. The 2025 design itself is great, but there's just something I like about Pro Debut from that year. I got a couple more 2025 Pro Debut signed when these two (a base and a chrome) came back TTM from Bryce Meccage.

He had posted online that he would accept fan mail at his place at Spring Training, so I jumped on the chance to add more of his cards to the collection. I had gotten him in person at a Mudcats game.

Meccage (b. 2006) was a 2nd round pick by the Brewers in the 2024 July Amateur Draft out of the Pennington School in New Jersey. He has played in the Brewers system since 2025, reaching High A. He has a record of 2-5 with 84 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.

I mailed to Meccage on February 14 and got the cards back on March 6, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - John Parrish

Another former Oriole signed some cards for me TTM. John Parrish signed three cards for me: a 2001 Upper Deck, 2001 Topps and a 2007 Upper Deck. The above 2001 Upper Deck is a really sharp card. I really like this set, and when the cards get signed, they usually turn out great.

Parrish (b. 1977) played in the majors in 2000, 2001, 2003 to 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010 for the Orioles, Mariners, Blue Jays and Royals. He had a record of 14-14 with 225 strike outs and a 4.51 ERA.

I mailed to Parrish on November 26 and got the cards back on March 5, for a 99-day TAT.

June 20, 2026, Graphing of the Jumbo Shrimp at Bulls

On Saturday, Jesse and I made the trip to Durham to try and get a few more Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp out of my boxes. We also wanted to get more Durham Bulls done as well, but it was a tough night, since there weren't many people there graphing who knew the faces of players on either side.

Still, we did really well. We were able to get a couple guys on rehab, Griffin Conine and Graham Pauley. We also got Karson Milbrandt, who wasn't with Jacksonville the last time they came.

We missed most of the Durham guys we needed, but it was ok, we had a good time and will head back up there soon.

Something sweet happened to me, too. I was wearing my Alien Face hugger shirt that says "Free Hugs" that Mal got me a while back. A woman walked by us as we were graphing outside and saw it and said "I'm going to put your shirt to the test." Of course, I had forgotten what shirt I was even wearing, and as I realized "oh yeah, that shirt", she had pulled her little boy aside and told him to read it. He read it out loud "Free Hugs... oh!" and threw himself at me, much like my niece Ada does. It made my night. Little guy was probably her age, 4 or so. It was a pretty cool moment. All I could say was "Aww, thank you buddy".

In all, we got the following autographs: Griffin Conine x 2, Braxton Garrett x 5, Karson Milbrandt x 7, Gage Miller x 9, Graham Pauley x 3, Jared Serna x 11, Josh White x 1, Henry Bonilla x 2, Mason Englert x 1 and Cooper Kinney x 4 (45 total autographs).