Another TTM Success From Chris Hoiles

Another TTM success from former Oriole, Chris Hoiles came in recently that put some really nice cards into my album. The above 1994 Fleer Ultra All Star card is a great looking card.

I also got a 1998 Topps, 1995 Upper Deck SP and a 1997 Score foil signed.  The SP has the one-off gray Orioles hat that they wore for only one season.  I had one of them then, but it is somewhere at my parents house.  I'd like to find it some day.

I mailed to Hoiles on October 24 and got the cards back on January 8, for a 76-day TAT.

Some 50/50s From Cal

I sent some cards to my buddy, Cal, a while back so he could graph the Lond Island Ducks and Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders.    Cal wasn't able to get much done, as he didn't get to as many games as he had hoped, but he still got a few cards done for me, like the above die cut Edgardo Alfonzo from 1005 Upper Deck SP.

He also got a 2006 Topps Alfonzo and a 2007 Fleer Delwyn Young.

Thanks for getting these cards done for me, Cal!  I'll be sending you some more next season.

TTM Success - Phil Nevin

I got a couple TTMs in recently, after a long dry spell.  This one from Phil Nevin turned out really nice.  The 1994 Upper Deck Minors looks better in person, but didn't scan all that well.

These two turned out really nice.  The Sharpie he used was probably on its way out, but I'm still happy with them.

Finally, I added another 2001 Topps to the album.  This came from the box of cards I got while I was at Andrew's house.

Nevin (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1995 to 2006 for the Astros, Tigers, Angels, Padres, Rangers, Cubs and Twins.  He had 1,131 hits, 208 home runs and a .270 batting average.  His best season was in 2001 for the Padres when he hit 41 home runs and made his only appearance as an All Star.

I mailed to Nevin on June 12 and got the cards back on July 15, for a 33-day TAT.

July 4 Graphing the Salem Red Sox

It was bound to happen.  I have dove headfirst into graphing, and have been really successful so far this season.  Each of the teams that I have worked on has been pretty good, and I usually come away with huge hauls.

I planned a trip to Zebulon to see the July 4 fireworks at Fuve County Stadium, and decided to take a shot at the Salem Red Sox, since I missed them in their only trip to Kinston this year.  What ensued was the worst experience I have had, so far, while graphing another team.

I had picked up a bunch of nice Austin Rei cards from the LCS, only to have him sign one per, and pick the worst card of the bunch.  This 2015 Bowman Chrome is actually a refractor, but it doesn't show up in the scan.  I'm not complaining, though, because I can get Rei through other sources.  Still, I wish I had known he would only do one; I would have handed him the card I really wanted signed.

Salem's manager, Joe Oliver, signed 2 of the 4 cards I had, and they turned out great.  He was actually really nice.  I have a friend who graphs Salem, and he has said that Oliver can be a chore sometimes.  So, I was happy to add a 2001 Topps to my autograph album, and also this 1994 UD SP.

I also helped my friend, Gerard, out with a 50/50 on Roniel Raudes, and I got a Chrome and paper Bowman from 2017 signed.  He was really nice, and I was glad to at least get something done for Gerard.

The worst part was being refused by the rest of the team.  I get it that they are there to do a job, but when they look right at you, ignore you, and keep walking, well, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  I had asked Paul Abbott if he could sign, and he said he couldn't before the game.  So, I politely asked him if he would have time after the game, to which he replied, "Hey, if you get me, you get me."  So, after the game, as he was walking by, I asked him if he had time now, and he looked at me and kept on walking.  Didn't say a word.  So, I won't be worrying about getting his stuff signed.  I will just give them to my friend, Dylan, who sees Salem all the time at home, and he can have them.

I also got passed over by Josh Ockimey, but he was a lot more polite about it.  I had bought a gold chrome Bowman of Marc Brakeman, but apparently, his uniform number has changed, as another player was wearing his number.  So, I was just pretty disappointed in the outcome of this chance to graph them.  I'll chalk it up to a bad experience, but I'll move on and see what happens this weekend.  Maybe it was the stadium, or maybe it being 4th of July.  I just hope I have more successes in the future.

November 10, 2013 Trip to the Card Shop

I took a trip to the Greenville card shop on Saturday because I was bored.  I picked up a few packs of cards and also hit up the bargain bin.  In it, I found a couple Bowman Platinum cards from this year of Kevin Gausman and also some cards for a few fellow bloggers.  I also found the above 1995 Upper Deck SP Vladimir Guerrero prospect card.  It was only a dollar, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad pickup.  It looks really cool and I can't recall that I have seen it before.

The coolest part of the story, however, comes out of the $12 pack of 2013 Topps Update that I got for Chris.  He got the SP of Bo Jackson.  Since I am a fan of Jackson, I thought it might be a good idea for me to take it off of his hands.  I traded him some Tim Lincecum cards for it and have now added it to my collection.  I made sure to make a fair trade with him so he knows how to do it in the future.  He had begun to have more and more trade requests and I want to make sure he knows how to deal fairly.  I didn't take into account with him that I had purchased the pack with my money; That might have just confused him.  I hooked him up, trust me.