Another TTM Success From Jerry Koosman

These Jerry Koosman cards resided in my to-be-TTMed box for quite some time until I finally got a little cash together to pay his fee.

The above 1974 Topps actually has some frequent flyer miles on it, as I had previously mailed it to Jon Matlack; the card came back unsigned with a post-it note saying it was Koosman shown on thr card.  I guess I could have figured that out jad I actually bothered to cross reference the uniform number. Oof.

The above 1977 and 1980 Topps i sent out also turned out well.  It appears that Koosman's signature is getting shaky, but thr cards still look good.

I mailed to Koosman on September 30 and got the cards back on October 12, for a 12-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10.00/card.

November 12, 2024, Wilson Hot Stove Event

Last night was the 49th annual Wilson Hot Stove Event in the City of Wilson.  I went last year for the first time, so I was really looking forward to going again this year.  The attendees list came out very close to the event, so it was hard to get stuff here in time.  I also had some cards left over from last year, like the above 1968 Topps John Donaldson.  He missed last year, so i was glad to finally meet him in person.

I was glad to meet a guy who I had gotten TTM twice.  I got Donaldson to sign at the get-together at the North Carolina Baseball Museum prior to the start of the event.  He seemed genuinely happy I was there, and took my graphing book from me to see who else I had cards of.  I thought that was pretty cool.

This year's big guest scheduled to be there to receive the Gaylord Perry Pitching Award was former ECU pitcher and Blue Jays 2024 first round pick, Trey Yesavage.  I didnt have any of his cards, so i got him to sign this 1994 Score Blue Jays card.

Yesavage was really nice, and posed for a picture with me.  ECU coach Cliff Godwin was nice enough to get Yesavage's attention so we could get his autograph.

Jesse and Chris came with me to the event, and we met our friends Billy and John at the Museum.  Jesse gave me this 5 x 7 photo of Mike Caldwell to get signed.  It came out nicely. 

I did find a few cards in my boxes and one of my three packages from Sportlots came in before the event, so I did have a few cards.

Phil Mankowski thanked us several times for coming out and supporting the event.  I was glad he posed for a picture with me.  I jad also gotten him TTM once before, back in 2021.

Finally, event regular John Roper signed a few more cards for me.  I had ordered some nice cards of his, but they didn't get here in time.

In all, I got the following autographs: Mike Caldwell x 4, John Donaldson x 1, Alan Fowlkes x 4, Phil Mankowski x 3, John Roper x 3, Dick Such x 1 and Trey Yesavage x 2 (18)

TTM Success - Dan Warthen

This 1977 Topps was signed TTM by Dan Warthen recently.  He signed it in black Sharpie, and it turned out nicely.  I have to say, though, I thought I had sent to Warthen already.  I'm glad I got this one added to the album.  I think it was a card that my friend, Ryan, sent to me.

Warthen (b. 1952) played in the majors from 1975 to 1978 for the Expos, Phillies and Astros.  He had a record of 12-21 with 224 strike outs and a 4.31 ERA.  

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

TTM Success - Ron Reed

Other than being slightly off-center, the above 1973 Topps card of Ron Reed is pretty sharp.  The card is the driving force behind me wanting to send off to Reed.  His signature is very simple, but it fits the card perfectly.  I have a bunch of signed 1973 Topps, and have some more to send out.  

I also added the above 1977 Topps to the autograph album. I haven't added many of them lately, so this was an easy choice of a second card to send off.

Reed (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1966 to 1984 for the Braves, Cardinals, Phillies and White Sox.  He had a record of 146-140 with 1,481 strike outs and a 3.46 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1968.  He won the World Series in 1980 with the Phillies.

I mailed to Reed on January 6 and got the cards back on January 16, for a 10-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

November 11, 2023, Virginia Beach Card Show Recap

On Saturday, my friend, Josh, and I went to a card show in Virginia Beach.  I had heard about the show from my friend, Ryan, since a couple former Orioles were going to be there doing signings.  I had a very limited budget, but was still able to come away with a few cards for each vintage set I'm working on (lists have been updated). I also picked up a lot of stuff for TTMs.  The coolest thing I found was the above 1983 Donruss Diamond King signed by Hall of Famer, Carl Hubbell.  I got the card for $20. I couldn't pass that up.

The signers at the show were Mickey Tettleton and Rudy May (there were some other signers, but May and Tettleton were the ones we were going after).  I got Tettleton on a nice 1999 Topps Gallery (above).  I had to get May on a card showing him as an Oriole, so the above 1977 Topps fit the bill.

I was going to settle on two May cards, but then found this 1971 Topps that I had to get done.  I loved the action shot on this card, and it looks great in the album. 

The above 1991 Crown Orioles card was the main one that I wanted to get May on, and it turned out great.

This 1988 Topps Big was the other card that I got Tettleton on.  I wanted to continue to fill out some of the 8-card pages that I have, so this helped that cause. 

I didn't realize, but May has been living in NC.  I heard him talk about being near Edenton, so I naturally had to talk to him about the sandwiches at Westover General Store.  It was so cool that he knew where I was talking about and had lunch there last week.

Tettleon was really cool, as well.  He commented on my Hartford hat.  The hat made me stand out at the show, which is why I bought it.

I got the following (in person) autographs: Rudy May x 5 and Mickey Tettleton x 2 (7).

TTM Success - Don Stanhouse

This is another TTM success that was initiated because I wanted to add a former Oriole to my autograph album. Of course, Don Stanhouse played for a few other teams, and I got more of those cards signed than Orioles.  Still, I got some good stuff signed and I am happy with how all of the cards turned out.

I had sent to Stanhouse back in 2016, but never got those cards back. I wonder if I used the wrong address or did the envelope just get lost.  Such is life when you send out hundreds of TTM requests in a year.

Stanhouse (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1972 to 1980 and 1982 for the Rangers, Expos, Orioles and Dodgers.  He had a record of 38-54 with 408 strike outs and a 3.84 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1979.

I mailed to Stanhouse on September 29 and got the cards back on October 14, for a 15-day TAT.  I had only send two cards (the 1973 Topps at the top and 1991 Crown Orioles card at the bottom). It was really cool of Stanhouse to include the extras.

TTM Success - Jack Heidemann

Several more cards from Conrad's boxes and one from the Winston-Salem card shop got signed in this TTM success from Jack Heidemann.  I sent off the above 1975 Topps Mini, which turned out great.

I also sent off a 1971, 1975 and 1977 Topps to get signed.  All of them look nice.

Heidemann (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1969 to 1972 and 1974 to 1977 for the Indians, Cardinals, Mets and Brewers.  He had 231 hits, 9 home runs and a .211 batting average.

I mailed to Heidemann on May 15 and got the cards back on May 30, for a 15-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Bill Lee

When I took the boxes from Conrad to loom through, I found a few more cards to send out to Bill "Spaceman" Lee.  I sent off the above 1975 Topps Mini shown above, and the 1974 and 1977 Topps cards shown below. All of the cards turned out great.

Recently, Lee collapsed at a Worcester Red Sox game where he had been scheduled to throw out the first pitch and sign autographs. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation where it was reported that he had a brief health scare.  Last year, he collapsed on the field while pitching for the Savannah Bananas.

I mailed to Lee on January 20 and got the cards back on May 15, for a 115-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Steve Hargan

Another TTM success came in from former pitcher, Steve Hargan, when I raided Conrad's boxes for some vintage cards.  The above 1975 Topps Mini and the below 1975 Topps came out of Conrad's stuff. 

I had found the 1967 Topps in my collection (left), as well as the 1977 Topps (right).  The 67 came about because I filled a few set needs for my 1967 set, and this one was a filler card that had been upgraded.

The silver Sharpie that Hargan used was different.  The signatures don't stand out too well, especially in the scans. Still, the cards are signed and now have a home in my album. 

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

Another TTM Success From Tom Murphy

Here is another TTM success that was started with my searching of the boxes I borrowed from Conrad.  I had gotten Tom Murphy TTM back in 2020, and decided to send to him again when I found all of these cards.

The above 1971 and 1975 Topps cards came out of Conrad's stuff; the 1977 Topps above and 1978 Topps at the top of the page were mine.

Conrad also had a bunch of 1974 and 1974 Topps Traded.  I thought it was cool to get both of Murphy's 74s signed.

All of the cards look great.  I mailed to Murphy on January 23 and got the cards back on February 16, for a 24-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Steve Brye

Here is another player who I got to sign TTM a while back, Steve Brye.  I found some more of his cards and sent to him again.  The above 1975 Topps Mini turned out really well.

I also got a 1975, 1976 and 1977 Topps signed by Brye.

I mailed to Brye on February 1 and got the cards back on February 13 for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Wallace

Check out the awesome airbrush work on the Yankees hat that Mike Wallace is sporting on this 1975 Topps Mini.  I got this and three other cards signed TTM by Wallace recently, and just now realized that the two photos used on the cards are airbrused.  Pretty obvious ones, at that.

The airbrushing of older Topps cards is an interesting thing to catch, if you are able to do so.  There are some really good ones and some that are so bad they're good.

Wallace (b. 1951) is from Gastonia, NC.  He played in the majors from 1973 to 1977 for the Phillies, Yankees, Cardinals and Rangers.  He had a record of 11-3 with 105 strike outs and a 3.91 ERA.

I mailed to Wallace on January 31 and got the cards back on February 9, for a 9-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Ken McMullen

Ken McMullen signed two cards for me TTM back in 2018, so when I found these five cards in my boxes, I thought it would be a good time to send to him again.  I had McMullen sign this 1975 Topps Mini, which turned out great.

He also signed a 1964 Topps, 1973 Topps, 1976 Topps and a 1977 Topps.  All of the cards look awesome.  I am glad I found what I did and sent them along.

I mailed to McMullen on January 25 and got the cards back on February 2, for an 8-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Johnny Grubb

Johnny Grubb was an early TTM subject back in 2016.  I waited a while and compiled a bunch of his cards until I finally pulled the trigger on another request back in January.  I really liked the above 1976 Topps, and I think it turned out great.

The biggest reason I was excited to send to Grubb again was that I would be able to add a 1974 Topps "Washington" card to my autograph album.  It was thought that the Padres were going to move to Washington prior to the 1974 season, but it never came to pass.  Topps tried to get the jump on the move, releasing several players' cards with Washington depicted on the front.  They recalled many of them and replaced the cards with San Diego issues, but some Washington ones still remain.

Finally, I rounded out the submission with a 1977 Topps and a 1980 Topps.

I mailed to Grubb on January 23 and got the cards back on January 28, for a 5-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Moates

Another 1977 Topps was added to the autograph album when I got this card back signed TTM from Dave Moates.  The faux signature is toward the bottom of the card, and Moates signed the card to the right.  In case there was any question about which was which.

Moates (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1974 to 1976 for the Rangers.  He had 81 hits, 3 home runs and a .260 batting average.

I mailed to Moates on January 17 and got the card back signed on January 24, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Steve Foucault

Some 1970s cards came back signed TTM recently with this success from Steve Foucault.  He has a nice signature, which turned out well on all of these cards that I sent.  The above 1974 Topps looks really cool in my album.

He also signed a 1976, 1977 and 1978 Topps for me.

Foucault (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1973 to 1978 for the Rangers, Tigers and Royals.  He had a record of 35-36 with 307 strike outs and a 3.21 ERA.

I mailed to Foucault on October 17 and got the cards back on October 27, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jack Kucek

Here is a 1977 Topps that I got back signed TTM from Jack Kucek.  The card turned out nicely, signed in blue Sharpie.

Kucek (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1974 to 1980 for the White Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays.  He had a record of 7-16 with 121 strike outs and a 5.12 ERA.

I mailed to Kucek on October 17 and got the card back on October 27, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Plummer

TTMs are flowing back into my mailbox, after what felt like a long dry spell.  I have sent off all sorts of different types of cards, even venturing back into the box of vintage football cards that my friend, Max, gave me.  This TTM success, however, was from Bill Plummer on some nice 70s cards and a 1992 Topps from when he was a manager.

Plummer's signature is neat and compact, but looks great on the cards that I sent.  I mailed out a 1973 Topps, 1976 Topps, 1977 Topps and a 1992 Topps.  All of the cards turned out great.

Plummer (b. 1947) played in the majors in 1968 and from 1970 to 1978 for the Cubs, Reds and Mariners.  He had 168 hits, 14 home runs and a .188 batting average.

He managed the 1992 Mariners to a 64-98 record (.395 win %) during his only stint as a manager.

I mailed to Plummer on November 8 and got the cards back on January 14, for a 67-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Maury Wills

Among my stack of cards that I really wanted to get signed was this 1977 Topps Turn Back The Clock of Maury Wills.  I missed sending this out when I initially sent to Wills earlier this year, because I had put the card in a different box a while ago and found it recently.  I got the card done, finally, and it looks great.

I mailed to Wills on October 12 and got the card back on October 25, for a 13-day TAT.  I paid Wills's fee of $10.00.

2021 National Free Signer - Stan Bahnsen

A common theme among the free signers at this year's National was that most of them were guys I already had, either due to them signing TTM, or I got them through past paid signings.  I'm not complaining, but the past successes made it tough to find cards in my boxes, such was the case with Stan Bahnsen.  I cleaned up a bunch of cards I had for him once I got him TTM.  So, at a card show in Raleigh back in June, I picked this 1975 Topps up.  I figured it would be nice to add a 75 to the album, since it has been a while, and the card looks really nice.  Even with my bad crop job.

I also got these cards, a 1977 and 1978 Topps signed.  I also had him sign a 1980 Topps, but I realized I already had one signed by him, so that one will go in my trade bait pile.  One of these days, I'll make a list of the cards I have extras of and may be able to pull off some trades.

Bahnsen was nice, even though he was questioning whether or not my wife really did approve of all the cards I have in my collection.  If he knew about the signed movie memorabilia she had; or her signed hockey stuff, maybe he would have understood a little better about the dynamic of our relationship.  It was funny, though, and I definitely didn't take offense.  That being said, I tried to have conversations with every signer that I met at the National, and all of the conversations were great.  I didn't meet a single signer at the show who didn't seem to want to be there.