A Few Set Need Pickups From The National

The National wasn't all autographs.  I also knocked out a few set needs from two of the vintage sets I have been slowly working on.  I've been chipping away at the 1955 Bowman and 1962 Topps sets.  I didn't get any 1964 or 1967 Topps while I was there, mainly because it was so hard to get into any of the tables.

Still, I added around 10 cards, each to the 1955 Bowman and 1962 Topps sets.

I didn't add any huge stars to the sets, but there were a bunch of Yankees in thr 1962 pile like the above Elston Howard, a Bobby Richardson, a Whitey Ford in action, etc.

I have updated my needs list, so they are finally accurate, for now.

TTM Success - Joe Amalfitano

These two vintage cards that I sent Joe Amalfitano TTM really turned out nicely.  I always enjoy adding 1955 Bowman and 1955 Topps to the autograph album. 

Amalfitano (b. 1934) played in the majors from 1954 to 1955 and 1960 to 1967 for the New York and San Francisco Giants, as well as the Colt .45s and Cubs.  He had 418 hits, 9 home runs and a .244 batting average.  He won the World Series in 1954 with the Giants.

I mailed to Amalfitano on November 1 and got the cards back on December 1, for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Charlie Maxwell

It has been a while since I have added some vintage cards from the 50s to my autograph album, but I picked up a few when I saw that I needed Charlie Maxwell from my Orioles Crown set.  So, I picked up his 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1964 Topps to send along with the Crown.

All cards turned out well, and I was really glad I had mailed to him.

 I need to get some more vintage going into my album, but I haven't had much of a chance to pursue any, since I have been spending a good bit of money on private signings for my 87 set.

Maxwell (b. 1927) played in the majors from 1950 to 1952 and 1954 to 1964 for the Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers and White Sox.  He had 856 hits, 148 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He was a two-time All Star and finished in the MVP voting 3 times (best, 18th, 1957).

It's funny that he got a 1955 Bowman card and it lists him as an Oriole.  He only played 4 games for the Orioles, and was purchased by the Tigers on May 9 of that season.

I mailed to Maxwell on May 12 and got the cards back on May 21, for a 9-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

I just looked, and it turns out that I got Maxwell TTM in 2018, as well.

2019 National Pickups - Unsigned Set Needs

I have neglected my sets that I have been working on for quite some time.  While I was at the National, and when I wasn't waiting in line to get stuff signed, I did try to knock a few things off of my lists.

I picked up 18 1955 Bowmans for that set.  The biggest card was the above Gil Hodges for $10.00.  I also upgraded my Ralph Kiner.

I really have left the 1967 set hanging, so I made sure to cross some numbers off of the list.  I picked up 13 1967s, so I made a small ding in the armor there.

Finally, I only picked up two high number 1972s.  I was going to look for more, but by the time I got around to it on Sunday, I had one $100 bill left, and I didn't want to break it.  Oh well.

I probably won't add much to the sets until next year's National, but you never know.  I might get an itch this offseason and pick up some more and cross some more numbers off.

My needs lists are all updated, in case anyone was wondering.

2018 National Pickup - 1955 Bowman Ernie Banks

I believe this is my last post regarding the 2018 National.  I succeeded this year where I have failed in all of the past years.  I got everything posted that I had set aside to post.

I decided to start the 1955 Bowman set so that I would have plenty of cards to look for while at the show.  With my 1969 Topps set winding down, I figured it would be good to go ahead and get rolling on 1955 Bowman and 1972 Topps.  With those two, I also have 1967 Topps and 1995 Topps going.  I plan on wiping out the last few 1995 Topps the next time I sit down to make a Sportlots purchase.

The 1955 Bowman set will be fun.  I have most of the big names already taken care of.  The umpires will be tricky, but that will be a large part of the challenge.

Here's to hoping I can get this one done soon, and not break the bank.

TTM Success - Hal Naragon

I went to a card show here in Greenville a few weeks ago and picked up some nice vintage cards to send TTM.  The first one to come back was this success from Hal Naragon.  I grabbed a few cards of his really cheaply at the show; mostly cards I didn't have many of in my album.

I really like 1962 Topps, and would like to build that set sometime soon.  I have way too many other sets in the works at the moment, or I would already have started this one.

1955 Bowman is actually a set I could get started pretty quickly.  I already have Mickey Mantle and a few other Hall of Famers, so that one would be a good one to complete, as well.  I have picked up a good many from the 1955 Bowman set and have gotten them signed.  I haven't counted my Bowmans like I do my Topps, but I imagine I have at least 10 cards from 1955 Bowman signed.

I remember a time when I only had 2 signed cards out of 1961 Topps (above left).  Now, I have 11.  Naragon also sent one of his own cards, a custom in the 1968 design (above right).  I like when players include their own stuff, but it is sure not expected.

Finally, Naragon sent a nice note on an index card, and signed that as well.  He went above and beyond with this TTM request.  He seems like such a nice guy.

Naragon (b. 1928) played in the majors in 1951 and from 1954 to 1962 for the Indians, Senators and Twins.  He had 262 hits, 6 home runs and a .266 batting average.  He appeared in one game during the 1954 World Series, an Indians loss to the Giants, but he did not receive a plate appearance.

I mailed to Naragon on October 28 and got the cards back on November 6, for a 9-day TAT.

2017 National Card Show - Vintage Pickups

I picked up some nice vintage cards while I was at the National Card Show in Chicago.  I wanted to pick up some 1955 Bowman Hall of Famers.  The above Mickey Mantle was the prize of what I found at the show, and I got it for a great price.  With that pickup, I decided to try to find a couple other stars, and I feel like I did pretty well.

I liked this Hank Aaron, and picked it up on the final day of the show.  I picked up another Hank Aaron card, but I will have to show that another time.

Finally, I got a nice deal on this Willie Mays.  It is in really good shape.  I liked the price on it.  I went to get another 55 Bowman, but realized that I had blown my budjet, so I stopped with this card.

TTM Success - Frank Lary

One of the last guys I sent to following the February card show finally came through TTM for me with his success from Frank Lary.  I had bought a number of vintage cards at that show to send out, with the focus on 1955 Bowman.  The Bowman came back looking really nice, as can be seen above.

The pink 1958 Topps aren't the best version from that set, but they still turn out nice.  I also love the old Tigers logo.

Here are two cards that I added from my vintage box.  I'm surprised that I can still put my vintage cards in a box, since I have robbed from it so much for TTMs.  The 1964 Topps is especially nice.  The 1963 is a bit beat up, but most of my 63s are for some reason.

Lary (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1954 to 1965 for the Tigers, Mets, Braves and and White Sox.  He had a career record of 128-116 with 1,099 strike outs and an ERA of 3.49.  He won 20 or more games twice in his career, with 1963 being his best season.  He won 23 games that year, finished 3rd in the AL Cy Young Award voting and 7th in the AL MVP voting.  He was also named to his second All Star team that year (his other prior nod was the year before).

I mailed to Lary on February 13 and got the cards back on May 11, for an 87-day TAT.

TTM Success - Vern Law

My mom asked me when I posted my card that Vance Law had his dad, Vern, sign, why I didn't post Vern Law's stats.  Well, I didn't post them because I had a plan to get Vern Law on his own.

I bought the above 1952 Topps off of Ebay, along with the below 1955 Bowman and 1961 Nu Card Scoops.  I wanted to add another 1952 to the autograph binder since I like 1952 Topps so much.  Law included some nice awesome inscriptions to the card, as well.

The 1955 Bowman received the same inscriptions as the 1952 Topps.  This is the card that really made me want to send to Law in the first place.  I passed on buying one at the February card show, but ended up getting this off of EBay instead.

Finally, Law left the inscriptions off of the '61 Nu Card Scoops, I guess since it already pretty plainly says he won the Cy Young award.  I had been wanting to add a Scoops card to the binder for some time now, and finally have it.

Law (b. 1930) played in the majors in 1950, 1951 and 1954 to 1967 for the Pirates.  He had a career record of 162-147 with 1,092 strike outs and an ERA of 3.77.  He received MVP votes in four seasons, with his best finish being 6th in his Cy Young Year, 1960.  He won the World Series that season with the Pirates, and was on the NL All Star team.

Law appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot 7 times between 1973 and 1979, with his highest voting percentage being 2.4% in 1973.  Law is outspoken against his autograph showing up on EBay, so he charges a signing fee of $10/card.  I sent a check along with my request, so I didn't mind paying the fees.  I had gotten Law on a ball back in 2012, which you can read about here.

I mailed to Law on March 14 and got the cards back on March 21, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Hobie Landrith

I had grabbed quite a few 1955 Bowman cards at the Raleigh card show back in February, with the intention of adding a bunch of them to the album through TTMs.  Hobie Landrith is a player that I had considered sending to in the past, but I held off because he charged a fee.  Once I picked up the '55, I knew it was time to come off of the money and send his cards out.

I picked up the 1957 Topps at the show, as well.  Then, when I got home, I checked my vintage box and saw that I had the 1963 and the below 1960.  Since he charged $5 per card, I went ahead with the four so I could send a check for $20.00.  To me, it is worth it, since I can add some nice vintage cards to the album, and one of them being an Oriole card adds a bonus to it.

Landrith (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1950 to 1963 for the Reds, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Orioles and Senators.  He had 450 hits, 34 home runs and a .233 batting average.

Landrith was the second player chosen in the 1961 expansion draft, which filled the rosters of the Houston Colt .45s and the New York Mets.  With Eddie Bressoud being chosen with the first pick by the Colt .45s, Landrith would be chosen by the Mets.  This essentially makes Landrith the first Met.

I mailed to Landrith on February 13 and got the cards back on February 28, for a 15-day TAT.

TTM Success - Howie Judson

I have been adding more and more vintage cards to the autograph album; so much so, I have had to buy a few more 8-pocket pages in order to fit the cards.  This one is another 1955 Bowman, this time signed by Howie Judson.

Judson (b. 1926) played in the majors from 1948 to 1954 for the White Sox and Reds/Redlegs.  Yes he played for the Reds in 1954 where they were referred to Redlegs due to the McCarthyism of the time.  Pretty interesting subtle piece of history.  The back of the Bowman card confirms this.

He had a career record of 17-37 with 204 strike outs and an ERA of 4.29.

I mailed to Judson on February 13 and got the card back on February 25, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Alex Grammas

Here are some nice vintage cards that I was able to get signed by Alex Grammas recently.  This is a 1955 Topps that he signed very shakily beneath the faux autograph.  I believe I picked these cards up from the Raleigh card show in February, but I honestly don't remember.

I think I started with the below 1955 Bowman, checked to see that Grammas signed TTM, then picked up the 1955 and the above 1956 so I could add a few more tick marks to the Topps Autograph Project.

I've been wanting to add more 1955 Bowman (and other Bowman cards for that matter) to the autograph album, so this will be a nice addition, even though Mr. Grammas's signature has seen better days.

Grammas (b. 1926) played in the majors from 1954 to 1963 for the Cardinals, Reds and Cubs.  He had 512 hits, 12 home runs and a .247 batting average.  He was involved in three different transactions between the Reds and Cardinals in a span of almost 5 years.

Grammas went on to manage in the majors in 1969 for the Pirates, and 1976 and 77 with the Brewers.  His managerial record was 137-191 (.418 win %).

I mailed to Grammas on February 13 and got the cards back on February 21, for an 8-day TAT.

A Second TTM Success From Gil Coan

I've said before how I try not to seek additional TTM successes from players.  I usually don't, unless I sent them a ball in the past and now want a few cards, or if I had paid for a signature.  If I pay a fee, I see it as they are selling something, and I feel much better about asking for additional items.  I have, however, sent to a few guys for the specific purpose of having a certain type of card signed if I didn't have it before.  Gil Coan is one example.  When I originally received from Coan, I got a 1953 Topps signed for the Topps Autograph Project.  That post can be read here.  This time around, I wanted to make sure I had an Oriole autograph on a 1955 Bowman.  I'm trying to add more former Orioles to my collection, and I thought Coan would be a good representative on a 55 Bowman.  So, I bought the Bowman card (off of EBay) and sent it off.  It turned out nicely, I think.  I still am interested in completing this set sometime (unsigned, of course).

I mailed to Coan on February 10 and got the card back on February 16, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Friend

I was able to add some really nice vintage cards to my autograph binder recently when these Bob Friend cards came in.  I picked up this 1955 Bowman from the Columbia antique shop.  This is a really great set, and I keep telling myself that I'm going to try to put it together one day.  I still have a ton of other sets to complete, so I'll keep dreaming for now.  As you can see, this card is trimmed a bit (see the right side), so getting it signed helps me put it to some use, since trimming of cards is never good.

This 1961 Topps is the first from that set that I have been able to get signed.  I found it in my vintage Topps box, and decided to make sure I had the year represented, so I sent it off.  I'm glad I did, since it came out great.

This 1964 Topps was also in my vintage box, so I figured, why not, and sent it as well.  It also turned out really nice.

Finally, here is a 2002 Topps Super Teams card that I got from my good friend, Max.  He sent me a couple cards from this set to try TTM, and they both turned out great.  You'll have to wait to see who the other one is.  This card is numbered 288/1960.

Friend (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1951 to 1966 for the Pirates, Yankees and Mets.  He had a career record of 197-230 with an ERA of 3.58 and 1,734 strike outs.  In 1958, he finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young Voting and 6th in the NL MVP voting after going 22-14 with an ERA of 3.68.  He was the NL ERA leader in 1955 and was a 3-time All Star.  He was a member of the 1960 World Series champion Pirates.

I mailed to Friend on May 21 and got the cards back on May 28, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ed Fitz Gerald

On April 4, I got a ton of TTM success, ten to be exact.  One I was really excited about was this return from former catcher, Ed Fitz Gerald.  I picked up this 1955 Bowman at the last card show that I attended with the intention of getting it signed TTM.  This is the only 1955 Bowman that I have attempted, but it sure looks awesome.  I couldn't be sending out all of these requests and not include at least one of these, could I?

I also found this 1957 Topps at the show and included it in my TTM request.  I think this might be one of the best looking cards that I have gotten signed so far.  The signature looks great and there is something to be said about 1957 Topps.

Fitz Gerald (b. 1924) played in the majors from 1948 to 1959 for the Pirates, Senators and Indians.  He had 542 hits, 19 home runs and a career average of .260.

I mailed to Fitz Gerald on March 28 and got the cards back on April 4 for a 7-day TAT.  He even answered my questions by saying he enjoyed watching Buster Posey the most out of today's players and Brooks Robinson was the greatest player he ever saw play.

Trade With Joey - Vintage and More In An Easy Deal

I got a nice package of stuff in the mail the other day from my good friend, Joey.  I sent him a bunch of Red Sox cards and a Phil Niekro Sweet Spot bat auto.  In return, Joey sent me a stack of vintage stuff (mostly Bowman) that he had. This 1955 Billy Pierce might be the best card in the bunch.  I took it out of the top loader and was amazed at the shape that the card was in.  There was still a great deal of gloss on the card, and the edges and corners were really sharp.

This 1952 Bowman Gerry Staley is also in great shape.  I love the '52 design.  Once I finish my 1948 Bowman set, I may consider doing another one of their sets.  It will be really tough to decide which one, though.

This Joe Adcock card was a little rough, but still was really cool.  Adcock was a great player in his day, but is always overshadowed by his teammate, Eddie Mathews and later by Hank Aaron.  He had a really good career, clubbing 336 homers, but his other stats don't really stand out.  Doesn't matter, though, this is still a really awesome card.

Finally, I got this quad relic card from Joey pretty cheaply since there is a good bit of damage on the card.  It is a quad bat card of Thome, Thomas, Juan Gone and Delgado.  One of the guys on the card is already a Hall of Famer and another (Thome) will be.  The other two guys could make a case for themselves, but I highly doubt they ever get in.  Oh well.  It still is a really cool card.

Thanks for the deal, Joey!  I really appreciate it and I know we will do a bunch more in the future!

Recent Ebay Pickups

I did some buying on EBay recently and a few of the items have come in over the last few days.  Instead of burying them in my "to be blogged pile", I figured I would combine them and try to move a few things along.

The above 2014 Topps Mini printing plate of Chris Davis was on my watch list for a while, so I went ahead and picked it up for $16 shipped.  Not bad for a plate.  I wish it was the checklist version, though, since I have the platinum 1/1.  Oh well, I'm hoping I find it, or the platinum 1/1 of this card.

For a couple bucks, I grabbed this Irv Noren from 1959 Topps.  This is card #59 and was actually very hard to search for until I figured out who was actually on the card.  It's in great shape and will go nicely into my set.  I am under 100 cards remaining for this set, and I really would like to finish it off this year.

I bought this 1955 Bowman Chuck Bednarik football card with the hope of sending it to him for a TTM autograph, but he sent it back to me RTS.  Oh well, I went to the well too many times on him, since I was successful a few years ago.  He has been up and down health-wise lately, so that is more important.  I hope he is doing well, as he is 89 years old now.

Finally, I needed this 2014 Topps Stadium Club Chris Davis for my PC, so I got it when I bought a few of his other cards a while back.  It was at the bottom of my pile, so I was happy to go ahead and get it scanned and posted.  I love Stadium Club, and this card of Davis is a real nice one.  I just wish he would stop with the chewing tobacco.

Instagram Trade With Sportscards10 - 1955 Bowman Orioles

I completed a trade with a guy named James on Instagram who's handle is @sportscards10.  I have completed a few trades with James already and this one was just as easy.  All I had to do was pick up an Andrew Luck 2-color patch for him off of Ebay (since his Ebay doesn't work) and send it to him.  He offered me a bunch of Orioles cards, but the highlights of the deal were these 1955 Bowman cards of Eddie Waitkus and Don Johnson.

I have always liked 1955 Bowman (and when James showed me these were in the deal, I jumped on Ebay and bought the card he wanted, no questions asked). This set is one of those sets that I want to give serious consideration to completing once I finish 1948 Bowman.  I like to have a few irons in the fire, so to speak.

Thanks for the deal, James.  I also want to thank you for your kind words in the letter that you sent, as well.  It means a lot to me and I enjoy getting the letters as much as I enjoy getting the cards!

Christmas From Drew

My good friend, Drew, always sends great stuff for birthdays and Christmas.  This year was no exception.  He had already warned me that my Christmas package wasn't going to include a ball, but would still be pretty awesome.  I wasn't worried about the awesome part, because, really, it's the thought that counts.

That being said, when I opened my package, I was very happy with the cards that were inside.  Drew took the time to read my wishlist and knocked two Bob Feller cards off that I needed for my PC.

The top card is Feller's 1954 Bowman.  It's a really cool card, with a smiling Feller posing in the dugout.  A really good shot of him.  I like the old school uniform and patches on his sleeves.  the card is in great shape, too.  There are a couple of creases across the middle of the card, but you have to really look for them.  I like it, that's for sure.

The other card comes out of one of my favorite sets, 1955 Bowman.  This card is in really good shape.  Feller is shown here gripping the ball across the seams.

I really liked the cards that Drew sent.  It's a shame that he has been so busy lately preparing for college because regular posts on his blog have become a thing of the past.  Once a stalwart in the blogosphere, Drew has kind of taken a few steps back into the shadows.  I'm hoping when things calm down for him, he will find his blogging voice again and we will see more posts.

Ok, enough of my shameless plugging.  I spent yesterday's post talking about one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game and was able to follow it up today with who I have always believed was the greatest.  He is definitely my favorite pitcher of all-time (of which I have many).  One regret I do have, however, is that I was never able to meet Feller in person.  I do want to go to his museum in Iowa one day.  Maybe I'll be able to convince Drew to go on a road trip in the future.  Who knows.

So, thanks for the awesome Christmas present, Drew.  You've always been a class act and I am glad we have been able to collaborate on our blogs for the past 5 years together.  Thanks so much!