TTM Success - John Raynor

These 2008 Donruss Threads cards look really nice when signed.  I was glad when I saw that John Raynor signed TTM, since I was able to get this card out of my box and into my album.

This is also a nice 2010 Topps that I was able to send to him.  I just happened to find it as I was prepping to mail to him, so naturally, it found its way into the envelope as well. 

Raynor (b. 1984) played in the majors in 2010 for the Pirates. He had 2 hits, no home runs and a .200 batting average. 

I mailed to Raynor on March 6 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 6-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Carl Erskine

Lately, with all of the TTMs that I have been sending out, I have had to double up on some guys that I have sent to in the past.  Partly because I'm trying to keep the mail coming in, and also because I want to continue to add some cool cards to my albums.  The above 2005 Topps All Time Fan Favorites card turned out really well.

I also sent a 2008 Donruss Threads and a 1992 Action Packed.  I remember the Action Packed cards, and realized that I actually like them.  They're kind of odd, but look pretty cool in my album.

I mailed to Erskine on April 20 and got the cards back on April 27, for a 7-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - Don Larsen

I added another really nice TTM success to my album with this success from Don Larsen.  I had two of the cards that I sent off and bought the other two off of Ebay.  The above Allen & Ginter mini was actually a National Card Show exclusive from 2008 that I got for a dollar off of EBay.  I was glad I found this, because I was really hoping I could find a card that showed the historic embrace of Larsen and Berra during the 1956 World Series perfect game.

I also found this 1961 Topps on Ebay and sent it off.  It looks really nice, and I was happy to have found it as well.

I was going to stop at the above 1962 Topps, but then I found the 2008 Donruss Threads, so I went ahead and sent that as well.

Larsen (b. 1929) played in the majors from 1953 to 1965 and 1967 for the Browns, Orioles, Yankees, A's (Kansas City), White Sox, Giants, Colt .45s, Astros and Cubs.  He had a career record of 81-91 with 849 strike outs and a 3.78 ERA.  He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1956 and 1958.  His perfect game in the 1956 World Series also earned him the MVP Award of that series.

Larsen appeared on a surprising 15 Hall of Fame ballots between 1974 and 1988.  He received a high of 12.3% of the vote (1979). 

I mailed to Larsen on November 14 and got the cards back on November 27, for a 13-day TAT.  I sent $5/card to cover his fee.

TTM Success - Don Sutton

I was able to get a Hall of Famer TTM with this success from Don Sutton.  He charges $5/card, but this was well worth the $25 check that I sent along.  This 2008 Donruss Threads turned out really nice.

I added some nice Topps to the binder as well.  The 1968 was in my vintage box, and I thought I had a 1987 Topps in my two boxes of thousands of 87s, but for whatever reason, I didn't have a single Sutton.  I had to get one from my friend, Gerard.  I finally got one, and was able to get the TTM request out.  Finally, I can't remember the last 1988 Topps that I got in, so that's why I added one to this request, or I would have stayed at 4.

Sutton (b. 1945) played in the majors from 1966 to 1988 for the Dodgers, Astros, Brewers, A's and Angels.  He had a career record of 324-256 with an ERA of 3.26 and 3,574 strike outs.  He was a 4-time All Star and his best finish in the Cy Young voting was 3rd in 1976.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998 (5th year on the ballot) when he received 81.6% of the vote.

I mailed to Sutton on May 17 and got the cards back on June 22, for a 36-day TAT.  He charges $5/card.

Bargain Bin Nolan Reimold Pickups From The National

I have a long way to go before I finish up all of my posts about the National.  I'm cool with that, since I had a good, dry spell with very little to write about.  I still am not buying any cards, which is good, but that hurts with trades, since nothing new is coming in.  I still will be a while before I can get my expenses back in line, especially with the unexpected one that arose last week.

Anyway, I wanted to show off two of the bargain bin cards that I picked up while I was at the National.  I got these two Nolan Reimold cards from the same vendor; he had $2.00 (I think) relics and autos, so I made out like a champ with these cards.  They were either $2.00 or $5.00.  I don't remember.

I already had one of these 2009 Topps Triple Threads 7=pc relic/auto cards.  This one, though, has a patch.  Numbered 73/75, I was really happy to add it to the Reimold PC.

I didn't have this 2008 Donruss Threads Diamond King auto, in the PC yet.  I was really happy to spot it in the box.  It is numbered 222/500.  I think I did really well with my Reimold PC while I was at the National.

I learned that it is really tough if you are looking for singular cards while you are there.  However, if you have a couple players in mind, you have a good chance of finding them in the bargain bins, as long as their name isn't Mantle, Ruth, etc.  One of my friends is a big Jack Wilson fan, and another is a huge Nori Aoki fan, and I found quite a few cards of each of those guys while I was there.  I'm sure if I had hit a few more of those bargain bins, I would have come away with more Reimolds.

Mailday From Drew - Surprise Care Package

I got a care package in the mail recently from my good friend, Drew that was full of Orioles cards that he had gotten lately.  Drew and I haven't been able to talk to each other as much as we would like over the last few months, but when we do talk, it's like we have never been apart.  He called me up last week and we talked for a LONG time about his "Ten For Tuesday" posts on his blog (which you should check out).

Drew just finished up the spring semester of college and will have the summer filled with working and saving, which I know how that is!  I really appreciated him taking the time out to contact me, and even more in sending me a care package.

I miss my buddy a good bit, but we all know that life gets in the way of the hobby sometimes.  I'm just glad that he is doing well and has found a school that he is happy at, instead of the other one.  I know we will get together soon to catch up and maybe sometime soon we will be able to catch a show together or something.

Thanks for the care package, Drew!

Black Friday COMC Pickups - Nolan Reimold

So, here are the Nolan Reimolds I was able to get on Black Friday from COMC.  I only purchased two Reimolds and had another one shipped that I had picked up a few months ago.

The first card I got was this 2008 Donruss Threads Diamond Kings.  Reimold is seen here in his Bowie Baysox uniform.  This is pretty cool because it almost matches my Reimold bobblehead.  I got this card for $0.71.

This is the card I had already paid for.  I got it for my 2009 Topps Reimold Rainbow, and as far as I know, I have all of his parallels (except for the printing plate).  I got this one for $1.24  It is numbered 537/2009.

Finally, here is another Reimold RC, this one being from 2009 UD Ultimate Collection.  These were really premium cards back when UD still had their MLB license.  I got it for $1.15 and it is numbered 495/599.  I liked how Ultimate Collection looked, but it still pales in comparison to the Topps Sterling Brooks Robinson that I got the other day.  So far, that one is the sharpest of what I picked up.