TTM Success - Byron Browne

This 1970 Topps of Byron Browne ended up with some frequent flyer miles after a first trip through the mail resulted in a RTS. It took a second shot at Browne to get his autograph into the album. 

Browne (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1965 to 1972 for the Cubs, Astros, Cardinals and Phillies.  He had 205 hits, 30 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Browne on October 12 and got the card back on January 13 for a 93-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Butler

Here is a nice 1970 Topps that I got back signed TTM from Bill Butler.  I believe my friend Ryan gave me the card.  It turned out nicely. 

Butler (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1969 to 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1977 for the Royals, Indians and Twins.  He had a record of 23-35 with 408 strike outs and a 4.21 ERA.

I mailed to Butler on August 1 and got the card back on August 29, for a 28-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - George Lauzerique

Here is another vintage Topps card that I added to the autograph album when it finally came back from George Lauzerique.  The card was delayed when USPS did a RTS on my return envelope.  The envelope had my address on the sender AND return sections. I don't know how long it sat at USPS, but it amazes me that they slapped the yellow label of shame on the envelope. Come on guys.

Lauzerique (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1967 to 1970 for the Kansas City and Oakland A's, and the Brewers.  He had a record of 4-8 with 73 strike outs and a 5.00 ERA.  

I mailed to Lauzerique on December 7 and got the card back on March 2, for an 86-day TAT.

TTM Success - Larry Burchart

Another card from Ryan came back signed TTM by former pitcher, Larry Burchart.  He has a really nice signature that pops on this 1970 Topps card.

Burchart (b. 1946) played in the majors in 1969 for the Indians.  He had a record of 0-2 with 26 strike outs and a 4.25 ERA.

I mailed to Burchart on January 31 and got the card back on February 17, for a 17-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jack DiLauro

This is another vintage card that came from my friend, Ryan, that he wanted me to send off TTM.  The above 1970 Topps Jack DiLauro card is in rough shape, but still looks nice signed.  The airbrushed cap is a nice touch.

DiLauro (b. 1943) played in the majors in 1969 and 1970 for the Mets and Astros. He had a record of 2-7 with 50 strike outs and a 3.05 ERA.

He was part of the 1969 World Series Champion Mets, but did not pitch in the series.

I mailed to DiLauro on February 1 and got the card back on February 16, for a 15-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tom Tischinski

Here is another 1970 Topps that came back signed TTM. It was among the stack of cards that Ryan gave me. Tom Tischinski signed the card in black ballpoint pen.

Tischinski (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1969 to 1971 for the Twins.  He had 21 hits, 1 home run and a .181 batting average. 

I mailed to Tischinski on January 2 and got the card back on January 25, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jim Shellenback

This 1970 Topps of Jim Shellenback was another card that came from Ryan and is now signed.  Schellenback has a nice autograph and it looks great on this card.

Shellenback (b. 1943) played in the majors from 1966 to 1967, 1969 to 1974 and 1977 for the Pirates, Senators, Rangers and Twins.  He had a record of 16-30 with 222 strike outs and a 3.81 ERA.

I mailed to Shellenback on December 12 and got the card back on January 4, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Skip Guinn

This 1970 Topps that I got back signed TTM from Skip Guinn was the first TTM success of 2024.  I didn't get hardly any mail after Christmas, so I was expecting a bunch of TTM successes on Tuesday. I got two successes back; not nearly as many as I had hoped.  Still, I rang in the new year with this nice vintage card provided by Ryan.

Guinn (b. 1944) played in the majors in 1968, 1969 and 1971 for the  Braves and Astros.  He had a record of 1-2 with 40 strike outs and a 5.40 ERA.

I mailed to Guinn on December 11 and got the card back on January 2, for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Larry Jaster

Here is another card that my buddy, Ryan, sent me to try to get signed TTM. I got this strangely signed Larry Jaster card back recently, and I'm still trying to figure out what he's got going on with his signature. Still, it is a cool card showing a very retro Expos jersey.  These 1970 Topps look very sharp when signed.

Jaster (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1965 to 1970 and 1972 for the Cardinals, Expos and Braves.  He had a record of 35-33, with 313 strike outs and a 3.65 ERA.  He finished 4th in the 1966 AL Rookie of the Year voting. He won the World Series in 1967 with the Cardinals. 

I mailed to Jaster on December 8 and got the card back on December 16, for an 8-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Lowell Palmer

A couple years ago, Pat Neshek recreated this look of Lowell Palmer for the 2019 Topps Heritage set.  I got that card signed TTM back then. Recently, I found the original at a show and decided to get it signed as well. Palmer has a great signature and the card looks awesome. 

Palmer (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1969 to 1972 and 1974 for the Phillies, Cardinals, Indians and Padres.  He had a record of 5-18 with 239 strike outs and a 5.29 ERA.

I mailed to Palmer on November 17 and got the card back on December 8, for a 21-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

TTM Success - John Gelnar

A couple more vintage cards here; these fromma TTM success from John Gelnar.  I picked up the above 1970 Topps from the Virginia Beach show.  The card is pretty beat up, and I think Gelnar felt a little sorry for me because of it. 

I say that because he added this 1965 Topps rookie card, which looks really nice. It is unfortunate that Jerry May is no longer alive. Or I would look to complete the card. 

Gelnar (b. 1943) played in the majors in 1964, 1967 and from 1969 to 1971.  He had a record of 7-14 with 117 strike outs and a 3.78 ERA. 

I mailed to Gelnar on November 18 and got the cards back on December 2, for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bobby Pfeil

Another vintage card that I picked up from one of the recent card shows came back signed TTM.  This 1970 Topps of Bobby Pfeil turned out nicely. I had picked up a handful of 1970 Topps at the two most recent shows that I went to in hopes of adding a few more of them to the autograph album. 

Pfeil (b. 1942) played in the majors in 1969 and 1971 for the Mets and Phillies.  He had 68 hits, 2 home runs and a .242 batting average.

I mailed to Pfeil on November 17 and got the card back on November 30, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Buzz Stephen

Here is a nice 1970 Topps that I found at a recent show.  I sent it off TTM to Buzz Stephen and it came back signed nicely in blue pen.

Stephen (b. 1944) played in the majors in 1968 for the Twins.  He went 1-1 with 4 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.

I mailed to Stephen on November 13 and got the card back on November 27, for a 14-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mike Paul

Back in 2018, I received a TTM success from Mike Paul. It was time to send to him again after I found the above mis-cut 1974 Topps.  It was a cool card to get signed, with the markings on the left side of the card. 

I also got the 1969 Topps (above left) and 1970 Topps (above right) signed after finding them in some boxes.

I mailed to Paul on October 10 and got the cards back on October 30, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Paul Popovich

Paul Popovich was one of the free signers at the National, but before I knew that, I had sent to him TTM.  I got the cards back before I left and forgot.  I, then, had to scramble to find other cards of his to take to the show.

I was able to get stuff to take to the show that I hadn't gotten signed with this TTM success, so it worked out.

I'm pretty sure that I have all of Popovich's Topps cards signed now. 

August 26, 2023, Hope For The Warriors Johnny Bench Signing

The annual Hope For The Warriors celebrity meet and greet came around again this weekend, and Johnny Bench was back.  He missed last year, so it was nice being able to go and get some more of his cards signed.

The above 1968 Topps rookie card was given to me by an old friend, Joey, who had upgraded the one in his collection.  Because I had helped him long ago when he was first getting started, he gave me this card for free.  It was in rough shape, but I was happy to get it signed nonetheless. 

I got a bunch of Bench cards signed this time around.  The price was really good, and I enjoy helping this charity.  So, I got 20 Bench cards done.

I held back a select few from my album so I could give some to a couple friends.  I'm really happy with the ones I kept, though.

I had a friend send me some photos of some Bench cards that he would like to have signed, and I am already excited about going again next year.  I hope Bench keeps coming out this way.

Doug Flynn was also along for the signing. He signed a couple of my cards with a donation to the cause, and then signed a few more for my friend, Jesse, who finished off what I had brought with me.  Flynn is always super nice when we have been able to meet him. 

In all, we got the following autographs: Johnny Bench x 20 and Doug Flynn x 8 (28 total autographs).

2023 National Free Signer - Larry Hisle

The next free signer at this year's National was Larry Hisle.  I had cards put aside to try him TTM, but I had kept putting it off.  I was happy to see that he was on the list this year and get my cards signed.  The above 1970 Topps turned out great.

Hisle was really nice.  He looked up at me and said "Young man, what advice would you give a 77-year old on slowing down the aging process?" I said "Umm, that's a tough one, let me think." He replied "I'm just kidding" and I said "You could start counting in reverse." He laughed and said "actually, I feel pretty good for 77, almost 78. I'm doing fine."  I really liked talking with him.

Hisle (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1968 to 1971 and 1973 to 1982 for the Phillies, Twins and Brewers.  He had 1,146 hits, 166 home runs and a .273 batting average.  He let the AL in RBIs with 119 in 1977 and was an All Star in 1977 and 1978. He finished 3rd in the AL MVP race in 1978. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1988, but received no votes.

TTM Success - Ron Stone

Here are a couple nice vintage cards that I got back signed from Ron Stone.  The above 1970 Topps turned out really well.  You can tell Stone had an A's jersey on, although the card has him listed with the Phillies.

I looked to see if Stone was in the 1991 Orioles Crown set, then learned that he never played a game for the Orioles, so that search didn't last long.  This 1968 Topps was pretty nice, anyway. 

Stone (b. 1942) played in the majors in 1966 and from 1969 to 1972 for the A's (Kansas City) and Phillies.  He had 194 hits, 6 home runs and a .241 batting average.

Stone's connection to the Orioles was that he was originally signed by the Orioles prior to the 1963 season as an amateur free agent.  He was selected by the A's in the 1965 Rule 5 draft, returned to the Orioles I'm July 1966 then traded by the Orioles to the Phillies in 1969 for Clay Dalrymple.

I mailed to Stone on October 17 and got the cards back on November 18, for a 32-day TAT.  Stone also included a signed post card.

2022 National Free Signer - Rico Petrocelli

Rico Petrocelli was another of the free signers who was at this year's National that I had seen before.  So, I had no loose cards left of his.  I raided my 1970 Topps set to find this one so I would have at least one cars with me.

The 1966 and 1971 Topps cards were found at the show, since I ended up with two extra vouchers.

Petrocelli was nice, as usual.  His line took a while but that was because he would tell stories to everyone.  It was fine with me, because his stories were interesting.  I'm glad I got to see him again.

TTM Success - Terry Crowley

This 1973 Topps of Terry Crowley turned out really well, and it was one of the reasons I went ahead and paid the fee to get his autograph TTM.  The card looks awesome.  That is a cameo of Thurman Munson guarding the plate, if you didn't already know that.

I got Crowley to sign his 1970 Topps rookie card and also this 1983 Topps.

Finally, he signed my 1991 Crown Orioles card, which looks really nice.

Crowley (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1969 to 1983 for the Orioles, Reds, Braves and Expos.  He had 379 hits, 42 home runs and a .250 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Orioles in 1970 and with the Reds in 1975.

I mailed to Crowley on December 22 and got the cards back on January 19, for a 28-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.