TTM Success - Steve Soderstrom

Here are a couple nice 90s cards of Steve Soderstrom that I found in my boxes and sent out TTM. The above 1994 Upper Deck Top Prospects insert was a nice find in the boxes. I remember when 1994 Upper Deck came out, it was all the rage, especially the Electric Diamond parallels.

This 1997 Bowman also turned out nicely.

Soderstrom (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1996 for the Giants. He had a record of 2-0 with 9 strike outs and a 5.27 ERA.

I mailed to Soderstrom on February 25 and got the cards back on March 20, for a 23-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Mangum

This 1997 Bowman of Mark Mangum was my second success from him.  I had gotten him TTM back in 2021, and figured it was time to send to him again to get this one oit of the box.  I had forgotten that I got that 2021 success, but it wouldn't have stopped me from sending this one out, too.

I mailed to Mangum on October 28 and got the card back on December 2, for a 35-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ron Wright

A nice stack of late 90s cards came out of the box wheb I mailed off to Ron Wright.  The above 1997 Bowman Chrome International card turned out great.

I also sent off this 1996 Topps Prospects card.  I'm not sure if I'm going to want to try to get it finished.  I guess it will depend on if I can find a Derrek Lee signing. We'll see about that.

I also sent out Wright's 1996 Bowman, 1997 Bowman, 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars and his 1998 Bowman Chrome. 

Wright (b. 1976) played in the majors in 2002 for the Mariners.  He got into one game and didn't get a hit.  He had been drafted by the Braves in the 7th round of the 1994 June Amateur Draft out of Kamiakin High School in Washington.

He played in the minors from 1994 to 2003 in the Braves, Pirates, Reds, Devil Rays, Mariners, Indians and Tigers.  In his minor league career, he had 773 hits, 145 home runs and a .262 batting average. 

I mailed to Wright on October 2 and got the cards back on November 1, for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Justin Towle

Here is another older Bowman card (1997 Bowman) that came back signed TTM.  This is from Justin Towle.  

Towle (b. 1974) was a 12th round pick by the Reds in the 1992 June Amateur Draft out of Inglemoor High School in Washington. He played in the minors from 1992 to 1998, all in the Reds system.  He reached AA.  He had 446 hits, 49 home runs and a .266 batting average. 

I mailed to Towle on October 11 and got the card back on October 24 for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Geoff Goetz

Geoff Goetz signed several cards for me, which helped create some room in my old Bowman box.

He signed a 1997 Bowman (top of post), 2000 Bowman (top left), 2000 Bowman Chrome (top right) 1998 Bowman Chrome (bottom left) and 1999 Just Minors (bottom right).

Goetz (b. 1979) was a first round (6th overall) pick by the Mets in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida.

He played in the minors from 1997 to 2002 and 2004 in the Mets, Marlins and Yankees systems.  He would reach AA.  He had a record of 21-20 with 302 strike outs and a 3.37 ERA.

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

TTM Success - Jay Tessmer

Here is a random older Bowman card that I got signed TTM recently by Jay Tessmer.  Ive been going through the older Bowman box and condensing down to make room for other stuff.  I've done pretty well in identifying some guys who signed, which helps clear out space.

Tessmer (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1998 to 2000 and 2002 for the Yankees.  He had a record of 1-0 with 14 strike outs and a 7.71 ERA.  He was part of the Yankees teams that won the World Series in 1998, 1999 and 2000.  He didn't pitch in the postseason, though.

I mailed to Tessmer on May 8 and got the card back on May 27 for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Cliff Politte

Here are some older cards that I got out of my boxes and sent TTM to Cliff Politte.  The above 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars card turned out nicely.  I got a bunch of these from the former LCS and have been able to send a few out to get signed.

I also got a 1997 Bowman and 2003 Topps.  Both of these are pretty nice as well.

Politte (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2006 for the Cardinals, Phillies, Blue Jays and White Sox.  He had a record of 22-23 with 342 strike outs and a 4.40 ERA.  He won the World Series in 2005 with the White Sox.

I mailed to Politte on January 18 and got the cards back on April 3 for a 76-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Steve Rain

This 1997 Bowman of Steve Rain came back signed TTM recently.  I pulled some random cards from my box to send out, and this was one that came back fairly quickly.

Rain (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1999 to 2000 for the Cubs.  He had a record of 3-5 with 66 strike outs and a 5.46 ERA.

I mailed to Rain on February 4 and got the card back on February 15 for an 11-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Brady Raggio

Here is a random Bowman card that I hot signed TTM from Brady Raggio.  The card turned out nicely.

Raggio (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1998, 1999 and 2003 for the Cardinals and Diamondbacks.  He had a record of 2-3 with 32 strikeouts and a 8.10 ERA.

I mailed to Raggio on October 21 and got the card back on November 18 for a 28-day TAT.

TTM Success - Onan Masaoka

We care. That's what my sad-looking envelope was wrapped in when I got this TTM success back from Onan Masoaka.  The envelope was ripped in half, but my cards survived.  They were bent pretty badly, but they made it back to me.

I had sent Masaoka a 1996 Bowman (top) and a 1997 Bowman (above).  The cards turned out well when signed, but thanks to the USPS, they're pretty beat up.

Masaoka (b. 1977) played in the majors from 1999 to 2000 for the Dodgers.  He had a record of 3-5 with 88 strike outs and a 4.23 ERA.

I mailed to Masaoka on January 8 and got the cards back on January 31, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Robert Stratton

Some more late 90s Bowmans were added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from Robert Stratton.  The above 1997 Bowman turned out nicely.

I also got a 1999 Bowman and a 1999 Bowmaj Chrome signed.  Both look great.

Stratton (b. 1977) was a first round (13th overall) pick by the Mets during the 1996 June Amateur Draft out of San Marcos High School in California. 

He played in the minors from 1996 to 2006 in the Mets, Rockies, Marlins, Reds, Giants and Yankees systems.  He had 690 hits, 197 home runs and a .244 batting average. 

I mailed to Stratton on January 11 and got the cards back on January 25, for a 14-day TAT. 

TTM Success - James Manias

Here are a couple older Bowman cards that I got signed TTM from James Manias.  The above 1998 Bowman Chrome turned out nicely.

I also got this 1997 Bowman signed.  I like the old Devil Rays hat shown on each card.

Manias (b. 1974) was a 25th round pick by the Devil Rays in the 1996 June Amateur Draft out of Fairfield State University in Connecticut.  He played in the minors from 1996 to 2001 in the Devil Rays and Reds systems.  He had a record of 44-42 with 578 strike outs and a 4.10 ERA.

I mailed to Manias on October 11 and got the cards back on November 3, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Shane Monahan

Here are a bunch more cards that I was able to pull from the boxes I got from the former LCS and get signed TTM. These cards from Shane Monahan are a nice mix of late 90s stuff that was just locked in the boxes and taking up space.  I love being able to move some of the cards and show them off.  The above 1998 Donruss is a nice card that looked pretty good when signed.

I also got a 1996 Topps, 1998 Bowman Chrome (both at top), 1997 Bowman Chrome and 1997 Bowman (both at bottom) signed. The 1997 Bowman Chrome had a little bit of fading, but the card still turned out well. A lot of those cards in that box seem to have gotten hot and the UV coating had gotten fairly cloudy.  The baby powder that I now use has done a great job on cleaning the UV coating off and yields to a great autograph (as opposed to some cards from that same box with the old powder that I used to use).

Monahan (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 1999 for the Mariners.  He had 53 hits, 4 home runs and a .235 batting average.

I mailed to Monahan on October 9 and got the cards back on October 21, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jason Dellaero

Every time I go through my box of late 90s Bowman cards, I enjoy it.  Those are cards that I never would have had I not gotten my boxes from the former LCS.  Recently, I sent cards off to Jason Dellaero.  I had the above 1998 Topps Stadium Club and a series of Bowmans below.

He signed a 1997 Bowman, 1998 Bowman Chrome hometown and a 1999 Bowman Chrome. They all turned out nicely.

Dellaero (b. 1976) played in the majors in 1999 for the White Sox.  He had 3 hits, no home runs and a .091 batting average.  He was a first round (15th over all) draft pick by the White Sox in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of the University of South Florida. 

I mailed to Dellaero on March 17, 2022, and got the cards back on October 6, 2023, for a 568-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brent Butler

Here are several cards I got out of my old Bowman box, as well as a 2002 Topps (above) that all got signed TTM by Brent Butler.

Everything, except for the 2002 Topps, came out of the old box of Bowman and minor leaguers from the former LCS.  Butler has a great autograph, and everything turned out nicely.

I like getting these old Bowmans signed, since most of those guys have moved on.  It would be nice if I could catch a few of them at some games and really knock those boxes down.

Butler (b. 1978) is from Laurinburg, NC, a place that I have done a lot of work in.  He played in the majors from 2001 to 2003 for the Rockies.  He had 137 hits, 11 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Butler on January 13 and got the cards back on February 8, for a 2-day TAT.

TTM Success - Richard Hidalgo

When I saw that Richard Hidalgo was signing, I was really excited. This was because I had a ton of his cards in one of the boxes I got when the card shop closed. I sent off four of the cards to him for signature and they certainly back looking great.  Obviously I had to send the above 2001 Fleer Ex.  I really love this set, and have gotten a few of them signed by now. They always look awesome in my album, and I definitely wouldn't mind adding more.

I also added a 1997 Visions Signatures multi sport card and a 1997 Bowman hometown foil parallel. 

This 1998 Fleer Ultra Rocket to Stardom looks great, as well. This is a die cut card, but that is hard to tell from the scan.

Hidalgo (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1997 to 2005 for the Astros, Mets and Rangers. He had  929 hits, 171 home runs and a .269 batting average. He finished 18th in the 2003 NL MVP race. In 2000, he finished 20th in the NL MVP race, after hitting 44 home runs and batting .314.

I mailed to Hidalgo on October 8 and got the cards back on October 28, for a 20-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Chris Gissell

My box with late 90s Bowman has yielded quite a few cards to get signed TTM and I was able to get a few Chris Gissell cards signed recently. The above 1997 Bowman turned out nicely. 

Here are some 1998 and 1999 Bowmans and parallels that I got signed by Gissell. The inserts didn't scan too well, but the cards are fine in person.

Gissell (b. 1978) played in the majors in 2004 for the Rockies. He had a record of 0-1 with 11 strike outs and a 14.54 ERA.

I mailed to Gissell on April 2 and got the cards back on April 22, for a 20-day TAT.

TTM Success - Matt Clement

These cards stayed out in the mail for quite a long time, but I finally received a TTM success from Matt Clement.  I had some older Bowmans and a couple early 2000s Topps cards for Clement, and they turned out nicely.

The 1997 Bowman (above, left) turned out well; I was glad to get one of those out, as I don't have very many of them signed.  They seem to live in my boxes and it was good to get at least one of them into my album.  I also like the early 1st Bowman logo.

Clement (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1998 to 2006 for the Padres, Marlins, Cubs and Red Sox.  He had a record of 87-86 with 1,217 strike outs and a 4.47 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2005.

I mailed to Clement on February 11, 2019 and got the cards back on April 14, 2022, for a 1,158-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jay Bell

Yesterday, a ton of TTMs came rolling in, after not receiving many this past week.  Now, with no mail today, I might be able to catch up a little bit.  Maybe not.  Anyway, I was really happy with this TTM success from Jay Bell.  I was able to get some great cards signed, a few of which I picked up at my LCS.

The above 1994 Pinnacle might be my favorite of the bunch, and I believe it either came from one of the boxes Mom got me, or it may even be from my original childhood collection.  I don't remember, but regardless, it is a great shot.  Horizontal cards always look best when signed, and this one does as well.  The action shot helps also!

I'm pretty sure that these two Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion cards came from my LCS, I believe.  They are from 1998 and 1999 and both look really cool.  I was out of the hobby when these came out, but I think I would have really enjoyed opening packs of this had I stuck around.

Finally, here is a 1997 Bowman.  I guess this is Bowman Chrome, but it is more foil than chrome, so I don't really know.  The card looks great, though.  I'm really happy I found this at the LCS and was able to get it signed.

Bell (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1986 to 2003 for the Indians, Pirates, Royals, Diamondbacks and Mets.  He had 1,963 hits, 195 home runs and a .265 batting average.  He was a two-time All Star, was a Silver Slugger Award winner and Gold Glove Award winner.  He finished as high as 12th in the NL MVP voting (1991) and won the World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001.  He appeared on the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot and received 0.4% of the vote.

I mailed to Bell on October 24 and got the cards back yesterday for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Wes Helms

I received a TTM success today from former player, Wes Helms.  I was able to get him on some nice cards, like the above 1996 All Sports Plus.  I can't remember where this card came from, but it is a set of football, baseball and basketball players, kind of like Classic 4-Sport.  I was glad I was able to turn this into a card for my TTM/IP album.

The 1997 Bowman (top left) came from a box at my local card shop that I have been going through periodically.  I have been able to find some great late 90s inserts and parallels in there that have helped me with my TTM project.  The three other cards are Topps cards from 2005, 06 and 07.  I already had these years represented as far as my Topps Autograph project is concerned, but I was happy to add some more.

Helms (b. 1976) is from Gastonia, NC and played in the majors from 1998 and 2000 through 2011 for the Braves, Brewers, Marlins and Phillies.  He had 694 hits, 75 home runs and a .256 batting average.
I mailed to Helms on October 26 and got the cards back today for a 15-day TAT.