2023 National - A Couple Random Auto Pickups

Navigating the National is often like looking for a needle in a haystack.  Especially when the show is so crowded, you can barely get to any tables.  Fast forward to the last day of the show, and I finally had time and access to a table with albums of signed cards by set.  There were maybe 3 different dealers at the show with this setup, and the other two had very slim pickings for 1987 Topps.  One of them has a very helpful checklist of signed cards by year; I buy from that guy all of the time, it seems.  This year, his list said he had a signed 1987 Topps Orel Hershiser.  When I asked about it "oh that sold already, I need.to cross that out." Darn.

Well, on Sunday, this table DID have an 87 Topps that I needed, the above Eric King.  So, it took all show, but I did knock an 87 Topps off of my list.

I looked through their other albums and found a couple other vintage Topps cards to add to the album, just for fun.  I missed an opportunity to send to Spook Jacobs before he passed away, so I was glad to find this one, and picked it up.  I also saw the 1956 Topps Enos Slaughter at a good price, and added it to the album, as well.

I probably could have added a lot more vintage cards to the album, but I had to meet up with someone prior to heading over to the autograph pavilion for the list signers at the show.  Still, I'm happy with what I got, and I'm one card closer on my 87 set.

Autographs For Sale At The National

My trip to the 2018 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland was a little different this year, as I was on a mission to knock out as many cards as I could for my 1987 Topps set.  I had autograph vouchers for a few of the signers who were on-hand that were in the set, and also brought some cards for the VIP signers.  I was also on the lookout for anyone who had any of the signed cards  for sale.  I ended up finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack" when I happened upon a table that had the above gem beneath a piece of plexi-glass.

My good friend, Nate, and I were almost through the last row of tables when I saw the above 1987 Topps Astros team card.  Almost forgotten in time, Yogi Berra was a coach on that team.  Since he passed away recently, I pretty much reserved myself to getting Hal Lanier on the card and calling it a day.  I hadn't seen any signed by Berra, and assumed they would be at astronomical prices if I had seen one.

This seller had gotten the card at the Berra Museum for a cheap price, as typically, anyone who wants a Berra auto will want it on Yankee items.  He sold me the card for $20.  I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.  This might have been one of my all-time favorite card show finds.

I had also found a few vendors who had albums and boxes of IP and TTM autos, organized by set.  One such vendor had a ton of 1987s that I needed at on average $2-$3 a piece, with a few being higher.  I knocked off a bunch of guys that I had gotten TTM, but failed to send a 1987 in the bunch.  Guys like Oddibe McDowell (actually, he sent my 1987 back unsigned), Kent Oberkfell, Dale Sveum, Greg Gagne, etc.  I also added tougher sigs like Davey Lopes, Bubby Bell and Mike Laga.

I also saw a couple deceased players in the album, and picked those up.  I was afraid I would have to search a long time for Jim Fregosi, but was able to knock it off of the list easily.

One of the cards that was high up on my list to look for was this Mike Flanagan.  I had searched for one on Ebay for a while, but had no luck in finding one.  The auto isn't the best, but it definitely is Flanny's, and I can say I own one.  It is still a shame that he took his own life; I really wish I had met him when he was living.

While going through the albums, I saw this 1985 Benny Ayala and had to pick it up.  That may be one of the most unique autos I have ever seen, and had to grab one of them.  I also found the above Matt Lipka in a dollar IP auto box that the guy had.

While Virgil Trucks and I corresponded back and forth before he passed, I had never sent him any cards to sign.  I always felt bad that I was keeping track of how many Topps autographs I had, but had no Trucks in any of those years.  I bought each version that the seller had, including the above 1954 Bowman.

In my opinion, the vendor wanted way too much for his Trucks autos, especially this 1956 Topps.  However, I wanted to think that I provided a good home for these signed cards, as I feel I had a decent enough connection to Trucks.

He really was a good man, and I'm sure he probably would have been a little miffed at the guy writing to him a bunch of times for autos, just to sell them.  So, they will be added to my albums and preserved as a true fan should.

I have come to realize that in building any signed set, you can't really turn your nose up anymoe to the "pro" graphers who sell what they get.  I mean, I would have had no shot at some of these guys, so I guess I have to buy the ones that would be tough otherwise.  It can be a bit of a moral dilemma, but in the end, they have the supply, and I have the demand.

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.

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.

TTM Success - Don Ferrarese

Here is the other card that I got when I picked up the Laurin Pepper card that I talked about earlier.  I actually added this one from Don Ferrarese to my Ebay cart first, then saw that the seller was doing a %off special if I bought another card, so I added the Pepper, and still saved money (essentially, with the discount, I got the Pepper card for free.

I wanted the Ferrarese because I wanted to add an Oriole on a 1956 Topps.  I saw that Ferrarese signed pretty quickly, so I went ahead and searched his cards, and found this one.

Ferrarese (b. 1929) played in the majors from 1955 to 1962 for the Orioles, Indians, White Sox, Phillies and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 19-36 with a 4.00 ERA and 350 strike outs.

I mailed to Ferrarese on February 11 and got the card back on February 18, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bob Cerv

I added some more 1950s-era cards to my autograph binder when I got these cards in from Bob Cerv.  I originally mailed to him on April 20, but the cards were sent back, RTS.  However, a new address was printed on the envelope, so I tried again on May 6.  I got the cards back on May 16, for a 10-day TAT.  Cerv signs for $5/card.

This 1953 Topps card was really beat up, but I was happy to be able to re-use it for TTM purposes.  It turned out fine, and will look good in my binder.

This 1956 Topps was in far better condition and looks really nice signed.  I like the 1956 set and will probably try to complete it sometime soon!

Finally, here is a lower grade 1959 Topps that I was able to have Cerv sign.  It is a pretty rough card, but turned out ok.

Cerv (b. 1925) played in the majors from 1951 to 1962 for the Yankees, A's, Angels and Colt .45s.  He had 694 hits, 105 home runs and an average of .276.  His best season was in 1958 when he hit 38 home runs for the KC A's and finished 4th in the AL MVP voting.  That was also the only season in which he was an All Star.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1956.  He was also on several other World Series winning teams, but 1956 was the only season where he actually appeared in the Fall Classic.

TTM Success - Joe DeMaestri

Still, the 1950s cards keep on coming up in my "to be blogged" pile.  This time is a series of cards that I got back from Joe DeMaestri on April 29.  Another signed 1956 Topps made the cut and it turned out really nice.  The card does a good job showing the old Kansas City A's hat and uniform, which I enjoyed.  The background of the card is really nice, as well.  I hadn't really paid attention to the backgrounds of these cards until recently, and they really help the cards in a subtle way.

Here's a nice 1957 Topps that turned out pretty well.  Another good shot of the old A's uniform is shown, which was one of the purposes of looking for the signed Topps cards and trying to add some of the "now defunct" teams.

Finally, here is a 1959.  It turned out ok; it looks like DeMaestri's marker failed a bit in the J in Joe, but in all, the card looks good and I am happy.

DeMaestri (b. 1928) played in the majors from 1951 to 1961 for the White Sox, Browns, A's (both Philadelphia and KC) and Yankees.  He had 813 hits, 49 home runs and an average of .236.  He made the AL All Star team in 1957.

I mailed to DeMaestri on April 18 and got the cards back on April 29, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Daryl Spencer

I got a few more of my 1950s pickups signed recently with this success from Daryl Spencer.  I knew that he signed TTM before I mailed to him since I helped my buddy, Dylan send to him.  When I saw his cards at the Columbia antique shop, I went ahead and got some of my own to try.  The above 1956 Topps is in amazing condition and turned out really nice.

The above 1959 and 1957 Topps look great as well.  I was glad to finally start getting a few 1959s in, considering I had built that set and have a fondness for it.

Spencer (b. 1928) played in the majors from 1952, 53 and 56-63 for the Giants (New YOrk and San Francisco), Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds.  He had 901 hits, 105 home runs and a .244 batting average.

I mailed to Spencer on April 20 and got the cards back on April 29 for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Rivera

I added another nice TTM success recently when I got a few signed cards back from former outfielder, Jim Rivera.  I mailed to him on April 18 and got the cards back on April 28 for a 10-day TAT.

The cards I sent were more from my trip to Columbia, the top 1953 Topps was probably the worst conditioned card that I picked up.  Most hardcore collectors probably would have left it there since it was in that condition, but I thought it was perfect to send TTM.  It did turn out nicely.

The background photo on this 1956 Topps is really cool, and even got a few comments on my Instagram post.  This is a pretty underrated set that I could probably put together rather quickly, as I have several stars already.

Finally, this 1957 Topps caps off the Rivera success.  This is another really nice set that loks great when signed.  I have added quite a few to my TTM/Auto project, and choosing which single card will represent the set will be tough.

Rivera (b. 1921) played in the majors from 1952 to 1961 for the Browns, White Sox and A's (KC).  He had 911 hits, 83 home runs and an average of .256.  He led the league in triples in 1953 (18) and stolen bases in 1955 (25). He had 11 at bats in the 1959 World Series with the White Sox, but did not collect a hit.

TTM Success - Johnny Groth

Another batch of cards came back on April 28 that had some more cards that were picked up during my trip to Columbia.  A few of the guys I picked up charge for TTM, so I had to space out a few of them so I could afford to get all of the guys I picked up.  One of the first guys who charged that was in the first batch I sent out on April 18 was former Brown, Johnny Groth.  I wanted to make sure I had a few former Browns players in this Topps Autograph Project in case I decide later to do an Orioles card from every year of Topps.  This 1953 Topps of Groth turned out really nice, even though he is in a Tigers hat.  The Browns logo will suffice for now.

When I was buying the cards at the antique shop, I had a list of guys that signed TTM as close to 100% of the time as possible.  I pulled a few cards of each player on my list, and tried to make sure different years were represented.  I didn't pay attention, at the time, to who charged, and who was free.  So, I ended up with quite a few Groth cards, but couldn't decide which ones I wanted to send and which I wanted to hold back.

In the end, I decided to go ahead and spend the $5 per each card and send them all to him.  I'm glad I did, because each card turned out great.  It was well worth my "investment" in picking up all of these cards,

Groth (b. 1926) played in the majors from 1946 to 1960 for the Tigers, Browns, White Sox, Senators and A's.  He had 1,064 hits, 60 home runs and a .279 batting average.  Groth has a connection with a dear friend of the blog, as well.  Not only was he a teammate of one Virgil Trucks, he was also traded with Mr. Trucks from the Tigers (along with Hal White) in 1952 to the Browns for Owen Friend, Bob Nieman and Jay Porter.

I mailed to Groth on April 18 and got the cards back on April 28, for a 10-day TAT.  Groth charges $5 per autograph, and I believe it is well worth it!

TTM Success - Carl Erskine 2nd Success

I have said before, but when I started this Topps Autograph Project, there were a few guys that I have gotten TTM before that I really wanted to try again.  Carl Erskine was one of my best TTM successes back when I was sending out baseballs.  He loaded a ball with inscriptions for me, which was awesome.

This time around, the only inscription I got was #17, but it fits nicely on both of the cards I sent.  The above 1956 Topps really looks nice.

I was able to get a 1957 Topps signed as well.  I didn't have a lot of them to start with, so I had to resort to Ebay to pick a few up to send out.  I have since picked up some more guys, and sent them out, so you should be seeing some more 50s cards coming in soon.

Erskine also wrote me a note on the letter that I sent, and signed it as well.  Here is his response:

William,
Thanks for writing and for the $5.00 donation to Special Olympics.

Carl Erskine #17
'48 Dodgers '59

Erskine (b. 1926) played his entire career for the Brooklyn and L. A. Dodgers.  He went 122-78 with an ERA of 4.00 with 981 strike outs.  He finished 9th in the 1953 NL MVP voting after going 20-6 with an ERA of 3.54 and 187 strike outs.  He was an All Star in 1954.  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1955.  The Dodgers also won the World Series in 1959, but Erskine didn't appear in that Series, having thrown his last game on June 14 of that season.  Erskine also threw two no hitters in his career.

I mailed to him on March 24 and got the cards back on April 4, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Roy Face

On April 4, I received a TTM success from one of the most prolific signers out there when I received these cards from former pitcher, Roy Face.  Getting this success helped my Topps Autograph Project a bunch, because I was able to add a couple years that I didn't already have.

This 1954 Topps turned out really nice.  I have seen a couple of them come back so far, and they all look great.

This 1956 Topps was already a cool card, but Face's signature makes it look that much better.  I've picked up quite a few more '56 cards, so there should be some more coming in really soon.

I didn't have any signed 1967 Topps cards yet, so getting this nice one in helped the project.  Since I am currently working on that set (albeit at a snail's pace), I don't have very many extras to putt for TTM.

Another set that I'm working on that has kept me from having any extras is the 1969 set.  I don't have a single duplicate card from that year, so I have to go to Ebay and pick this one up, just so I could send it out.  It turned out great, so I'm glad I picked it up.  This card is also cool because Face was a Tiger at the time, but here he is clearly in his Pirates uniform.  I guess they said to heck with airbrushing this one.

Face (b. 1928) played in the majors from 1953 and 1955 to 1969 for the Pirates, Tigers and Expos.  He had a career record of 104-95 with an ERA of 3.48 and 877 strike outs.  An early closer, Face also had 191 saves in his career, leading the league 3 times.  He was a member of the 1960 World Series Champion Pirates.  His best season was 1959 when he finished 18-1 with an ERA of 2.70 and 10 saves.  He was named an All Star that season, the first of three times he made the Midsummer Classic squad for the NL.  He also finished his highest in the NL MVP voting, at 7th place.  At that time, the Cy Young Award was awarded to only one pitcher, won by the ALs Early Wynn.  Had the award been separate at that time, Face would have made a strong case to win, his most stiff competition being Sam Jones who had a 21-15 record with a 2.83 ERA.

I mailed to Face on March 28 and got the cards back on April 4 for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Rance Pless

April 1st was no Fool's Day for me.  I received 7 TTM success that day, putting me way behind on posting.  A couple days later, I would receive 10 more TTM successes, so I really need to get on the ball (so to speak) and catch up.

The next to last TTM success I received on April 1 was this 1956 Topps from Rance Pless.  Pless is a great TTM signer, and I had to add him to my project.  Especially since the 1956 Topps is his only card.  I bought it off of Ebay for a couple bucks for the specific purpose of getting it signed TTM.

Pless also responded in a few words to my note that I sent, saying that in 1956, Kansas City was HOT.

Pless (b. 1925) played for the Kansas City A's in 1956, his only season in the majors.  He made his debut that year at the age of 30 and had 23 hits, no home runs and a .271 batting average.

I mailed to him on March 25 and got the card back 7 days later.

Raleigh Card Show - Day 3 Recap

I have to say, I had one of my most successful card shows to date.  Not only with selling, but with the overall atmosphere of the show.  It was by no means busy, which would have been even better, but sales each day were pretty good for me.  I was able to meet up with several people throughout the show, and also got a couple new blog readers out of it.  That was really cool.  I hope it sticks.

I met up with a fellow blogger, Tim from I Love The Smell of Cardboard In The Morning.  He came by my tables at the end of the show and introduced himself.  We chatted for quite a while, and he was nice enough to hand deliver a care package.  I'll post that tomorrow.

Also, my buddy Tyler was able to have his own table today and did pretty decently selling.  Better yet, my son Chris got HIS own table, and actually sold a few cards himself so he would have a little spending money for the National.  In all, it was a really fun and successful day.

I did break my rule again (rules are made to be broken, right?  Or is it supposed to be records?  I forget) and buy a few "well loved" vintage cards from fellow dealer, Kurt.  I bought from him at the last show, and figured I would see what he was offering today.

The above Mike Cuellar rookie is a card that I already had in my collection, but I also needed one for my '59 set.  This one is in really good shape, and will fit nicely into the set.

I do quite enjoy the 1949 Bowman set, so when I saw this Dom DiMaggio for a couple bucks, I figured I would pick it up.  It is pretty rough, but still looks so cool.

The last of the vintage cards was this 1956 Topps Bob Feller for the Feller PC.  I will probably upgrade it at some point, but for now, this one will do just fine.

Something really cool that happened at this show started on Friday and continued into today.  I met a guy named Kevin on Friday evening.  He saw that I had a lot of Orioles stuff for sale, so he mentioned that his son would like what I had and would be back on Saturday.  They did, in fact, come back and his son, Brian, bought a couple cards from me.  They were really looking for some Chris Davis rookies, but I didn't bring any of the extras that I had with me.  So, I promised Kevin that I would send them a few in the mail since he didn't think that they would be back today.

Well, Kevin made a point to come back today, and was kind enough to give me a gift after he had checked out my blog.  He gave me the above 1983 Orioles World Series Champions Coke Bottle, which I really appreciated.

The bottle is something that Kevin has hung onto since it was produced, and now I have it.  That was really cool of him to hook me up.  In return, I will be hooking Brian up as well.  Pay it forward, as they say.

So, I would like to thank everyone who came by my tables this weekend, and I hope you know that the time I spent talking cards was something I truly enjoyed.

Yogi: An Evolving Collection and Thoughts on the Franchise Four

Ask anyone who knows me how I feel about the New York Yankees.  As they run away with the AL East this season, my disdain for the Evil Empire continues to fester and grow, as it has since some little brat interfered with a play in a playoff game back when Bill Clinton was president.

As my collection continues to grow and evolve, I have noticed something happening, especially recently.

I have noticed that I have quietly amassed quite the vintage collection and among some of my favorites are Yankees.  Several of my favorite cards in my collection are Mickey Mantles, and I noticed recently that I have a BUNCH of vintage Yogi Berra cards.  I just have gotten lucky at shows lately and in trades.  I have found a lot of Yogi cardboard and was smart enough to grab them when I could.

It helps that I had a discussion with my good friend, and Yankee fan, Drew, about a year ago which consisted of analyzing stats of some legendary catchers.  Yogi, for the most part, turned out to be the standard bearer when it came to legendary catchers.  He also has 10 World Series rings, which doesn't hurt.

He's Yogi.  He's a legend.  Yet, when it comes time to recognize said legend, Yogi always tends to need some help.  Just recently, Yogi needed an online petition to allow his name to be entered into consideration for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Maybe this will be one time where the president actually performs an act that The People really want, instead of something he thinks they want.

Additionally, Yogi didn't make the cut for the Yankees' franchise four that was announced a few days ago at the All Star game.

It is very understandable that Yogi would miss the cut when one is choosing only four great Yankees.  I mean, who could leave Ruth or Gehrig off of the list.  Those two should always be locks on any Yankee Mount Rushmore.  Mantle was a great choice.  I can't argue that at all.  Which leaves us Joe DiMaggio...

DiMaggio made the cut, and Yogi is left out.  A compelling argument can be made to include DiMaggio in the Franchise Four, but I would honestly like to hear the argument AGAINST Yogi.  Seriously, I want to hear it.  Ten rings carry a lot of weight.  Their weight in gold, so to speak.  Yogi and DiMaggio have similar career numbers.  MVPs: Yogi - 3/DiMaggio - 3; Rings: Yogi - 10/DiMaggio - 9; World Series Appearances: Yogi - 14/DiMaggio - 10; Hits: Yogi - 2,150/DiMaggio - 2,214; Homers: Yogi - 358/DiMaggio - 361; Avg.: Yogi - .285/DiMaggio - .325.

DiMaggio and Yogi could probably be swapped and Yankee fans would be ok either way.  I won't go into the travesty that was the "living Franchise Four" that also saw Yogi left off.

I just feel that Yogi is kind of underrated when it comes to legendary players, and could quite possibly have his legend grow far after he is gone.  Lucky for us, at 90 years old, he is still around.  Sadly, it won't be for much longer, but I, for one, am glad I was able to realize and appreciate him before he was gone.