TTM Success - Allan Ramirez

An Oriole who had eluded me for some time was finally added to the autograph album when I got two cards back signed TTM from Allan Ramirez. The above 1984 Topps turned out great. I had this card pulled for a while, but I missed a signing and had to hold the card and wait for the next one. I saw that Ramirez was signing TTM, so I located the card and sent it out.

I also sent the above 1991 Crown Orioles card out and got it back. 

Ramirez (b. 1957) played in the majors in 1983 for the Orioles. He went 4-4 with 20 strike outs and a 3.47 ERA.

I mailed to Ramirez on December 15 and got the cards back on January 5 for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Larry Christenson

Six years ago (in 2019) I got a TTM success from Larry Christenson on three cards.  I felt that enough tome had passed, so I sent two more cards that hadn't yet been signed, a 1984 Topps (above) and the 1983 Topps below.

Both cards turned out nicely. I now have five different Christenson cards in the autograph album. 

I mailed to Christenson on October 14 and got the cards back on October 25 for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Doug Gwosdz

Here are a couple 80s cards that came back signed TTM from Doug Gwosdz.  I got a 1984 Topps (above) and a 1982 Topps (below) signed.

I had hoped I could finish this 1982 Topps San Diego Padres Future Stars card, but Mike Armstrong hasn't signed in a while and Fred Kuhaulua has passed away.

Gwosdz (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1981 to 1984 for the Padres.  He had 15 hits, 1 home run and a .144 batting average. 

I mailed to Gwosdz on January 2 and got the cards back on January 11 for a 9-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Scott Ullger

A random 1984 Topps was added to the autograph album when this one came back signed TTM from Scott Ullger.  1984 Topps isn't my favorite set to look through, but it's not terrible.  I just don't find myself drawn to the cards too often.  Still, I was glad to get this Ullger card out of the box and into the album. 

Ullger (b. 1955) played in the majors in 1983 for the Twins.  He had 15 hits, no home runs and a .190 batting average.

I mailed to Ullger on December 17 and got the card back on January 7 for a 21-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Dave Geisel

A TTM success from Dave Geisel came in recently that landed me a couple 1984 cards for the autograph album.  The above q984 Fleer turned out nicely.  I don't have many of these in the album, so it was a nice add.

1984 Topps isn't my favorite set, and they kind of get pushed to the back of the line when sending, so it was nice to get this one in.

Geisel (b. 1955, today) played in the majors in 1978, 1979 and from 1981 to 1985 for the Cubs, Blue Jays and Mariners.  He had a 5-5 record, 144 strike outs and a 4.01 ERA.

I mailed to Geisel on November 21 and got the cards back on December 2 for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Mike Squires

Here are some cards that had been sitting in the to-be-TTMed box for a long time.  Mike Squires charges a fee to sign, so I put off sending to him for a while, but finally got around to it.  The above 1984 Fleer turned out nicely.

I also got a 1980 Topps, 1981 Topps and a 1984 Topps signed.  I'm glad I finally got them out of the box. 

Squires (b. 1952) played in the majors in 1975 and from 1977 to 1985 for the White Sox.   He had 411 hits, 6 home runs and a .260 batting average.

I mailed to Squires on August 7 and got the cards back on August 16, for a 9-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.

Another TTM Success From Jesse Orosco

Several passes through my boxes allowed me to find a handful of Jesse Orosco cards to send to him TTM for a second time.  I got his 1980 Topps Mets Future Stars taken care of.  I know getting Mike Scott is going to be tough.  I haven't looked Dan Norman up at all yet.

I'm getting close to 100 signed 1984 Topps; this one helped me push that number higher.  I also got a 1996 Fleer and a 2000 Topps signed so I'd have some Orioles cards represented in the album. 

I mailed to Orosco on March 18 and got the cards back on April 8, for a 21-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - John Curtis

John Curtis's cards sat in my box for a long time.  I had seen that he signed then it looked like he had stopped. Finally, I got tired of thumbing past them and I checked again to see that he was signing.  So, I finally sent to him and got a great return of several cards, including the above 1984 Fleer.  I lime the simplicity of this set. I don't have many cards from 1984 Fleer in the album, so I made sure this was one that went out.

I also knocked off a few Topps issues including the above 1976, 1980, 1981 and 1984 Topps.  I had a few of his cards left over, so I'll spread them out to some friends so that they can send to him, too.

Curtis (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1970 to 1984 for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, Padres and Angels.  He had a record of 89-97, 825 strike outs and a 3.96 ERA.

I mailed to Curtis on October 9 and got the cards back on November 3, for a 25-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Jon Matlack

Another TTM success from Jon Matlack came in after I pulled a few of his cards that I hadn't already gotten signed. The above 1975 Topps Mini was from Conrad's stuff, and turned out great.

The above 1983 and 1984 Topps cards also turned out nicely.  These two sets get overlooked a lot of the time lately because I prefer other years over these.  They're still nice.  I've started pulling more 83s and 84s, so they'll start to fill the autograph album more.

I mailed to Matlack on October 21 and got the cards back on October 31, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - UL Washington

These UL Washington cards have been sitting in my to-be-TTMed box for a long time.  I finally got around to paying his fee, and I'm glad I got them done.  Washington jas a great signature.  I haven't gotten as many 1984 Topps as I have some others from that era, but this one looks really sharp.

I also got 1980, 1983, 1985 and 1986 Topps cards signed with this success. 

Washington (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1977 to 1987 for the Royals, Pirates and Expos.  He had 703 hits, 27 home runs and a .251 batting g average.

I mailed to Washington on September 30 and got the cards back on October 11, for an 11-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $3/card.

2023 National Free Signer - Steve Trout

The next free signer at the National was Steve Trout, a guy who I had gotten as a free signer before at a National a few years ago.  I had a bunch of his cards put aside for a potential TTM at some point.  I had held off sending to him because I didn't want to pay a fee to send to someone I've already met.  I'm glad I waited, because I ended up with 6 of Trout's vouchers.

I got the above 1981 Topps signed, which turned out well 

I also got a 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988 Topps signed.

The above 1989 Topps was one I found while locking for Jim Gantner cards prior to leaving for the show, and it turned out nicely, as well.

Trout is always fun to meet.  He's very friendly and seems to enjoy doing signings. I believe I have most of his Topps run signed, so that's a plus.

Another TTM Success From Bob Bailor

When I started pulling a bunch of 70s and 80s cards out of my boxes for TTMs recently, I pulled several Bob Bailor cards that I would try to get signed through a second TTM attempt.  He signed all of the cards, and they turned out well. The above card is my 1980 Topps.

I also got a 1978, 1979, 1984 and 1984 Traded signed.

I also got this 1991 Crown Orioles card signed.

I mailed to Bailor on November 23 and got the cards back on December 20, for a 27-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Dale Berra

A really cool TTM success that I got back recently was from Dale Berra.  He is the son of Hall of Famer, Yogi Berra.  The cards I sent off turned out great.  I wish I had gotten this 1985 Topps father/son card signed by Yogi, but I was late on that.

I was really happy to get my 1988 Rochester Red Wings card signed.  This was sent to me as a team set in a care package, and I have gotten a couple of the cards from the set signed already.  I also got a 1984 and 1983 Topps signed.

Berra (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1977 to 1987 for the Pirates, Yankees and Astros.  He had 603 hits, 49 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Berra on November 7 and got the cards back on November 26, for a 19-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - Rick Peters

Here are a couple 80s cards that I finally got around to mailing off TTM.  They were signed by Rick Peters in black Sharpie, and turned out nicely.  The above 1984 Topps is a nice enough card.  I don't put a lot of love on the 84 set, but it's not too bad.  It's just not the first card I look for when I got for 80s stuff.

A set that I do look for is 1981 Topps.  This is just a cool design, and I have gotten quite a few signed.  Nowhere near the amount of 1987s that I have gotten, but I do have a bunch of 81s.

Peters (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1979 to 1981, 1983 and 1986 for the Tigers and A's.  He had 255 hits, 2 home runs and a .277 batting average.  He finished 6th in the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Peters on February 4 and got the cards back on March 28, for a 52-day TAT.

2021 National Free Signer - Darrell Evans

Darrell Evans played for a long time, and has a ton of cards.  I brought every card I could find with me to the National, hoping I could get a few of them signed.  After some wheeling and dealing, and the acceptance of Wild Cards through his line, I got every single Evans card I brought signed.

I had someone I chatted with in line who used a ton of Wild Cards, in conjunction with what I had left over; he kept only 3 or 4 of my cards and gave the rest back to me.  I think he was just happy the Wild Cards didn't go to waste.

I was disappointed that I couldn't find my 1981 Topps of Evans (or a 1980); I think those had gone out on an unsuccessful TTM request.  I did finish the two 1972 Topps, a 1978, 1983, 1984 and 1986 (along with the other Donruss, Upper Deck and Fleer cards that I found).

I had even found the mini 1986 and 1988 Topps Leaders cards (one of which was floating around on my desk for who knows how long).

Evans was super nice, and very accommodating, especially since I had found so many of his vouchers in my travels at the show.  I was so glad I was able to get all of these cards signed and not have to put them back in my boxes.  I just hope I don't have to dig for his cards any time soon.

Evans (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1969 to 1989 for the Braves, Giants and Tigers.  He had 2,223 hits, 414 home runs and a .248 batting average.  He was the AL home run leader in 1985 with 40 home runs; he had also hit 41 in 1973.  His best MVP finish was 12th (1987; AL) and was an All Star in 1973.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1984.  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1995, but only received 1.7% of the vote.

TTM Success - John Rabb

I got a couple mid-80s cards out of my box and into my album with this TTM success from John Rabb.  He signed a 1984 Topps (above) and a 1985 Topps (below).

Rabb (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1982 to 1985 and 1988 for the Giants, Braves and Mariners.  He had 46 hits, 4 home runs and a .225 batting average.

I mailed to Rabb on December 4 and got the cards back on December 19, for a 15-day TAT.

TTM Success - George Bjorkman

I got an 84 Topps out of my boxes and into my album with this TTM success from George Bjorkman.  The card turned out great, and I was glad to move it along.  Bjorkman also sent a signed note thanking me for writing to him.

Bjorkman (b. 1956) played in the majors in 1983 for the Astros.  He had 17 hits, 2 home runs and a .227 batting average.

I mailed to Bjorkman on August 17 and got the card back on August 24, for a 7-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott McGregor

It's always good to get a former Oriole TTM, and even better if it is one who signs a lot of cards in one return.  I got a bunch of cards back from Scott McGregor, and am happy with the return.  I was able to get this 1981 Fleer that my good friend, Max, gave me a while back.  The card got a little beat up, but it still looks fine.

I also got the 1991 Crown Orioles card signed.  Again, I'm not going for the set, but...  I may be going for anything I can get out of my box.  Take that for that it's worth.

Finally, I got McGregor on (top left to right) a 1977 and 1978 Topps, and also (bottom left to right) 1980 and 1984 Topps.

McGregor (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1976 to 1988 for the Orioles.  He had a career record of 138-108 with 904 strike outs and a 3.99 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1981 and his best Cy Young finish was 6th (1980 and 1983).  He won 20 games in 1980 and won the World Series with the Orioles in 1983.  He appeared on the 1994 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to McGregor on June 4 and got the cards back on June 13, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Marty Barrett

It took a while, but my Marty Barrett cards finally came back TTM.  While these were out for signature, I had obtained a Barrett for my 1987 set, so the one below is an extra, now.

Barrett (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1982 to 1991 for the Red Sox and Padres.  He had 938 hits, 18 home runs and a .278 batting average.  He finished 17th in the 1986 AL MVP race.  He was the MVP of the 1986 ALCS.

I mailed to Barrett on March 16, 2018, and got the cards back on December 6, 2019, for a 630-day TAT.

TTM Success - Barry Bonnell

While searching my boxes, I came across a bunch of Barry Bonnell's cards.  He signs a lot, so I went ahead and sent him 6 cards; they all came back signed.

He has a really nice signature.  I thought that the above 1983 Topps looked the best out of the whole bunch, though.  It must be all of the blue on the card.

In all, I sent Topps cards from 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986.  I was able to get some stuff moved out of my boxes, and that it always a plus.

Bonnell (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1977 to 1986 for the Braves, Blue Jays and Mariners.  He had 833 hits, 56 home runs and a .272 batting average.

I mailed to Bonnell on October 28 and got the cards back on November 4, for a 7-day TAT.