TTM Success - Rick Kester

Here are two cards that came back signed TTM recently that I should be able to complete. Actually, both have been mailed back out for completion, so i really hope they come back. I sent to Ricl Kester with the thought that I had a good shot as getting them done, and am almost there.  He has a nice signature, and signed quickly.

Kester (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1968 to 1970 for the Braves. He had a record of 0-0 with 31 strike outs and a 5.98 ERA.

I mailed to Kester on December 4 and got the cards back on December 15, for an 11-day TAT. 

2025 National Free Signer - Milt Wilcox

The other of Wednesday's free signers at the National was Milt Wilcox.  He wa supposed ti be at last year's show, but had to cancel.  I wanted to get this 1971 Topps previously signed by Frank Duffy completed.  The card looks great now that it is complete.

They called Wild Cards on Wilcox, so Jesse and I used them up to get some more cards out of the box.  I got my well-worn 1972 Topps (left) and this sharp 1980 Topps (right) signed as well.  Both turned out great.

Wilcox (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1970 to 1975 and 1977 to 1986 for the  Reds, Indians, Cubs, Tigers and Mariners.  He has a career record of 119-113 with 1,137 strike outs and a 4.07 ERA.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1984.

I was glad to finally get some of my Wilcox cards (many of which I had pulled last year) signed and put away into my autograph album. 

Another TTM Success From Duffy Dyer

Here is another 1972 Topps that I got signed TTM recently.  I had gotten Duffy Dyer on a couple cards before, but found this 1972 and wanted to send it along.  The card turned out great.  I have a ton of 72s left over from when I was building that set.  I probably ought to build a couple of partial sets and sell them to make some room in that box and a little bit of money on the side.

I mailed to Dyer on October 30 and got the card back on February 3 for a 96-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Braun

Several nice vintage cards came back signed TTM by Steve Braun recently.  I was especially happy that I added another 1972 Topps to the album.  I like the old school All Star Rookie trophy.

I also got back his 1978, 1980 and 1983 Topps.

Braun (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1971 to 1985 for the Twins, Mariners, Royals, Blue Jays and Cardinals.  He had 989 hits, 52 home runs and a .271 batting average.  He won the 1982 World Series with the Cardinals.

I mailed to Braun on October 22 and got the cards back on November 29 for a 38-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jose Cruz

With a $20 in my wallet for some reason, I decided to pull four more cards out of my boxes and send to Jose Cruz again.  He signs for $5.00/card.

I added the 1986 Topps Astros Leaders at the top, and the above 1972, 1978 and 1980 Topps.  All of the cards look nice. 

I met some of the Cruz family this past summer when I saw Jose, Jr. and Trei Cruz in Erie.  I'd liked to have met Jose, Sr., as well, but he didn't make the trip.

I mailed to Cruz on October 10 and got the cards back on October 22, for a 12-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mike Nagy

Finally, another TTM came in, but it was from a player who I had gotten before, Mike Nagy.  I found this 1972 Topps in a box, and sent it out to try to get it into the album. The card looks great.

I mailed to Nagy on March 9 and got the card back on July 11, for a 124-day TAT.

TTM Success - Fred Norman

Finally a couple TTMs have come in, tye first one being this one from Fred Norman.  I added a nice 1972 Topps to the album. I've always loved this design, and this one came out ok.

I also got this 1973 Topps signed, which has a nice empty stadium action shot.  The auto blends into the photo, but still looks nice.

Norman (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1962 to 1964, 1966 to 1967 and 1970 to 1980 for the Cubs, Dodgers, Cardinals, Padres, Reds and Expos.  He had a record of 104-103 with 1,303 strike outs and a 3.64 ERA.  He won the World Series with the Reds in 1975 and 1976.  He finished 6th in 1973 NL Cy Young Award voting.

I mailed to Norman on June 12 and got the cards back on June 24, for a 12-day TAT. I paid his fee of $10/card.

Another TTM Success From Willie Horton

TTMs have slowed to a crawl lately, but one came in yesterday that I was excited about.  I had signed up for another private signing with Willie Horton to get some nice vintage cards signed.  I started off with this 1972 Topps Boyhood Photos of the Stars, which looks really nice. 

I followed up with his 1973 and 1980 Topps, which also turned out well.  I'm not sure if I have any Horton cards left after this signing, but I do know that these three sat in my to-be-TTMed box for quite some time.

I mailed to the signing on April 8 and got the cards back on April 25, for a 17-day TAT. I paid a fee of $15/card.

TTM Success - Rick Renick

While I was out of town for work this week, only one TTM came in.  I got this 1972 back signed from Rick Renick.  He has a really nice signature, and it looks great.

Renick (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1968 to 1972 for the Twins.  He had 122 hits, 20 home runs and a .221 batting average. 

I mailed to Renick on March 26 and got the card back on April 5, for a 9-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Tom Burgmeier

The last time I sent to Tom Burgmeier TTM, I only had two of his cards.  Since then, I got a lot more in my hoard and was able to send off these five, which included the above 1972 Topps.  I love how the 72s look when signed. 

I also got his 1973, 1978, 1982 and 1973 Topps signed. This helped me move several cards out of the boxes.

I mailed to Burgmeier on January 3 and got the cards back on March 29, for an 86-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jim Perry

These two cards should be the last of my Jim Perry cards, unless I end up taking on another vintage collection.  I found them while going through boxes and decided to go ahead and send them out to get them signed.  The 1972 had an ink smudge at the top, which is why it got upgraded in my u2 set.  After it was upgraded, it left this card loose, so it made sense to get it signed and let it remain in the autograph album. 

This 1974 Topps came out of Conrad's boxes.  Note Yankee stadium in the background. 

I mailed to Perry on March 7 and got the cards back on March 21, for a 14-day TAT. I paid his fee of $5/card.  He also sent a note back saying he would donate the money to charity.

TTM Success - Alan Foster

These Alan Foster cards have been in my to-be-TTMed box for a long time.  I finally got around to sending to him after putting some money aside for his fee.  I especially wanted to get his 1972 Topps signed, and it turned out nicely.

I also got his 1971, 1973 and 1976 Topps signed with this success. 

Foster (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1967 to 1976 for the Dodgers, Indians, Angels, Cardinals and Padres.  He had a record of 48-63 with 501 strike outs and a 3.74 ERA. I mailed to Foster on February 15 and got the cards back on February 26, for an 11-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

Another TTM Success From George Mitterwald

This 1972 Topps George Mitterwald In Action card had been sitting in my 1972 box for quite a while.  I finally pulled it and sent it out TTM to Mitterwald just to get it signed and into my album.  I had sent to Mitterwald back in 2020, but didn't send this card.  I'm glad I finally got it signed and out of my box.

I mailed to Mitterwald on December 12 and got the card back on December 23, for an 11-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Charlie Hough

A pass through the.bulk 70s Topps box brought the above Charlie Hough rookie to my attention.  I sent to him way back in 2016 among my first TTMs that I had sent.  I figured it was time to send again, so I put the 72 in the mail with the below Marlins cards.

You can never go wrong with early Marlins stuff.  I love their old uniforms, so I was happy to add the above 1993 Stadium Club (left) and 1994 Upper Deck (right).  Both of these are really cool.

I mailed to Hough on November 16 and got the cards back on December 8, for a 22-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jose Cardenal

Jose Cardenal is another guy who's cards I had sitting in my to-be-TTMed box for a long time.  I finally sent off to him and got these cards signed.  The above 1973 Topps is a clean card that turned out great.

I sent off the above 1967 Topps (left) and 1972 Topps (center).  The above (right) reprint is of the 1972 design was sent by Cardenal, himself.  It is a nice reprint.  I'm not sure what set it came out of; maybe Topps Archives or something. 

Cardenal (b. 1943) played in the majors from 1963 to 1980 for the Giants, Angels, Indians, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Phillies, Mets and Royals.  He had 1,913 hits, 138 home runs and a .275 batting average.  He finished 23rd in the 1973 NL MVP voting.  He appeared on the 1986 Hall of.Fame ballot but received only 0.2% of the vote.

I mailed to Cardenal on November 15 and got the cards back on November 25, for a 10-day TAT. I paid his fee of $10/card.

Another TTM Success From Al Downing

These two Al Downing cards had been held for a while until i pulled the cash to send out to him for a second time.  He wants $7.50/card, so I had to get $15 together in cash to send to him.  I finally sent, and am happy that I could add this 1972 Topps and the below 1973 Topps.

Both cards look great.  I had gotten Downing a couple years ago, on a 75 Topps, I think.

I mailed to Downing on November 9 and got the cards back on November 25, for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tom Timmermann

Tom Timmermann's cards sat in my to-be-TTMed box for a long time. Why? I don't even know.  I think I had seen he wasn't signing or something. After a pass through the box, I checked again and saw that he was signing so I finally got the cards in the mail.   They came back signed and look great. 

I got a 1971, 1972 and 1973 Topps signed by Timmermann.  He has a really nice signature. 

Timmermann (b. 1940) played in the majors from 1969 to 1974 for the Tigers and Indians.  He had a record of 35-35 with 315 strike outs and a 3.78 ERA.

I mailed to Timmermann on November 1 and got the cards back on November 20, for a 19-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Toby Harrah

Here are some cards I got back from Toby Harrah TTM recently.  The above 1972 Topps turned out great.

I also sent him a 1973 and a 1980 Topps.  Both look good.  I had sent to Harrah before, back in 2017.  It was time to send again when I found these three cards. 

I mailed to Harrah on October 18 and got the cards back on October 30, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Don Carrithers

Another TTM success that I sent out in 2020 came back recently when I got these cards back from Don Carrithers.  The above 1976 Topps is a nice card that shows his autograph well.

I also got a 1972 and a 1973 Topps signed with this TTM submission.

Carrithers (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1970 to 1977 for the Giants, Expos and Twins.  He had a record of 28-32 with 275 strike outs and a 4.45 ERA.

I mailed to Carrithers on July 30, 2020, and got the cards back on August 22, 2023, for a 1,118-day TAT.

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).