More 2025 50-50s and 2026 Cubs Convention Autos From Max

My buddy Max took another box of cards from me and converted a lot of them into signed cards I could add to my autograph album. One highlight was the above Topps Archives signed by Fergie Jenkins. This is a great card. There aren't enough modern sets using the 1957 Topps design. I wish they had done a Heritage Minors set with this design.

Here are cards sigbed by Cody Acshe, Quentin Berry, Trevor Cahill, Travis Chapman, Garrett Cooper, Noah Davis, Ryan Dempster and Jim Deshaies. I thought I had these Topps cards signed by Cahill and Dempster, but I didn't, so that was nice.

These are signed by Kyle Freeland, Jason Hammel, Mike Harkey, Starling Heredia and Jaden Hill. I had sent my Hill cards to someone for a 50/50 a while back, and everything came back signed, except for a Chrome, so that puts it in the album. I was alsi happy to see a 2015 Topps Jason Hammel (middle) and it looks great.

Here are Alex Jacob, Reed Johnson, John Lannan, Ted Lilly, German Marquez, Jack Neely. Those Neelys add some 2025 Topps to the album. I thought I had gotten John Lannan before, but I suppose I was wrong because I was unable to find any.

Now we see Riley Martin, Colin Rea, Mike Remlinger, Ethan Roberts, Jackson Rutledge and Matt Szczur. I sent every Szczur card I ever owned to Max at various points in time. It was nice to get one back signed for the album. Szczur is one of Max's all-time favorite guys, so I know it was tough to part with. He knows it went to a good home.

Here are Anthony Senzatella, Ryan Sweeney, Ezequiel Tovar and James Triantos. A 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts Sweeney at the bottom left really pops. Also that blue 2007 Bowman right beside it looks awesome.

Here are Victor Vodnik, Randy Wells and Jaxon Wiggins. I saw that I had a few more Wiggins in my box, so I'll have to send a few more his way to refill his stock.

Reed Johnson, Shawon Dunston, Hoby Milner, Drew Romo and Jim Palmer are in this bunch. That 1992 Topps Gold Dunston is pretty great. It would have been cool to have been able to get Don Sutton on the card with Palmer, but it was not meant to be.

Finally here are Cubs team cards signed by Justin Grimm and Gavin Hollowell.  

Thank you so much, as always, Max. I'm sorry it took me so long to get these scanned. I have another smaller stack he sent afterward that need to be scanned. I hope to knock those out soon.

Max Helps With An Auto

My buddy Max has been very busy lately with things beyond graphing, so he hasn't been able to take as many cards this year like he had before. Still, i was excited when he asked me to send him some Addison Russell cards for a signing.  I found 4 cards (if I remember correctly), and got this 2016 Topps Opening Day back signed.  Russell has a cool autograph. 

Russell (b. 1994) played in the majors from 2015 to 2019 for the Cubs.  He had 480 hits, 60 home runs and a .242 batting average. He was an All Star in 2016 and finished 19th in the NL MVP race that season.  He won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016.

Thanks for helping me add this card to the autograph album, Max!

2025 National Paid Signer - Billy Williams

For my next paid signer (Billy Williams), I had a 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary card put aside.  It was a nice card, but after discussing with Max, I opted to find a 1961 Topps of Williams to get signed instead.  With what I was paying for the signing, it made sense to find his rookie card and go ahead and get it signed. 

The card turned out nicely.  Williams was really nice, and shook my hand after he signed.  I had heard that he could be very difficult at Wrigley, but he was nice at the show.  I probably should have upgraded my signed baseball, but this 61 Topps will look awesome in the autograph album. 

TTM Success - Julio Zuleta

Take a look at that auto.  Julio Zuleta has a great signature.  I saw that he was signing TTM, so I sent three cards. Only two came back, but that's ok.  Above is a 2000 Topps Gallery.

I also got a 2002 Topps signed.  He inscribed both cards to me, but that doesn't take anything away.

Zuleta (b. 1975) played in the majors from 2000 to 2001 for the Cubs.  He had 43 hits, 9 home runs and a .247 batting average.

I mailed to Zuleta on January 13 and got the cards back on January 25 for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Bobby Scales

This 2009 Topps Heritage was added to the autograph album when I got it back signed from Bobby Scales. 

Scales (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2009 to 2010 for the Cubs.  He had 34 hits, 3 home runs and a .248 batting average.  

I mailed to him on October 8 and got the card back on October 24 for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Caleb Kilian

The other day I got a nice surprise in my mailbox, an envelope with a stamp indicating I had gotten a return from 2023 Spring Training.  I try to stick with one kind of stamp each year when sending to Spring Training for this very reason.  That way I have an idea how long the request had been out.  The return was from Caleb Kilian on a 2023 Topps.  

Kilian (b. 1997) has been playing in the majors since 2022 for the Cubs.  He has a record of 0-3 with 14 strike outs and a 12.42 ERA.

I mailed to Kilian on February 23, 2023, and got the card back on February 5, 2024, for a 347-day TAT.

Cubs Convention and Christmas From Max

Finding folks who "get me" as far as collecting goes can be tough at times.  One person who really does, is my good friend, Max.  Like me, he enjoys getting stuff signed, and our continued partnership has resulted in me passing off a ton of cards to him; with him returning several back to me signed, so I can add them to the autograph albums.  Max has been a tremendous help in getting my boxes condensed down every season.  I always enjoy his messages asking me for cards of lists of current and former players.  It keeps stuff cycling out of the boxes, and keeps me from being crushed under an avalanche of junk wax era stuff.  Recently, Max sent me the attendance list for this year's Cubs Convention.  I searched my boxes and came up with two large packages (and almost had a third, before we ran out of time) of cards for the event.  Additionally, Max took one of my ROMLBs that I have and got newly minted Hall of Famer, Pat Hughes, on a ball for my Hall of Fame collection.

Max took a lot of cards that I had tried to get signed via 50/50s this summer.  So, it was easy to go through the Box of Shame and try one more time to get a few of the guys that my 50/50 partners may have missed.  Owen Caissie was one of them.  I had held onto the above Panini Prizm for a while, hoping that I would see Caissie via Myrtle Beach.  I think I got this at a card show during COVID.

I pulled several Ray Burris cards (and found even more this week while going through my boxes I just got in from Conrad in Columbia).  I was glad to get some of these random Topps cards signed.

Max has gotten me Bob Dernier a few times before, so I wasn't sure which of these that I already had.  They'll all go into the album together, with the rest of this 2023 Cubs Convention stack.

I thought I would have had a lot more Carlos Marmol cards, but I didn't find nearly as many of them as I would have thought.  I did find a lot of Ryan Sweeney, so it was nice to move those out of the boxes.

Max hit some of the random Cubs team cards I sent; these two were signed by Jon Lieber.  Even though I will put these in the album with each other, they are labeled on the back with sticky notes, so I don't forget who signed them.

I had gotten Lieber TTM in the past, so I need to check and see what cards I already have.  I was glad to see the two older Bowmans in the stack; they are 2006 and 2007 Bowman.

I had tried Reed Johnson TTM, but never got my cards back.  It was nice to be able to pull these out of the TTM leftovers pile and get them out.  I wish the ones I had sent him would have come back, as well.  Still, these are nice.

I was really happy to get the 2005 Donruss Champions card back signed.  This product was one of the first I purchased when I got back into collecting back in 2005.  I don't have many of them left, and even fewer in my autograph album.

Mike Fontenot was another guy who I had gotten TTM in the past, but I had gotten a 2002 Topps Traded Chrome; so these should be new to the albums.  I believe Max had gotten me a Geovany Soto or two in years past, but I think these three are ones I don't already have.

Max sent me a Christmas gift back in December, as well.  Unfortunately, I had no way to coordinate my needs list with my friends who were helping me build the set, so I got doubles of Tim Flannery and Jeff Hamilton.  The Flannery is in blue, so I will upgrade the set with this one, and the other will go in the regular autograph album with the Hamilton that Max sent.

Thank you doesn't say enough for how much Max helps me with the collection.  We are pushing 10 years of knowing each other (next year, I think), and I am very happy that we have been able to keep this thing going.  He is an awesome guy, and it has been really cool watching him grow up.  He has always been one of the best friends that I made during collecting and graphing.  I can't wait til the National this summer in Chicago, when I can see him in person, again.  As always, thank you so much for the cards and the Christmas gift, Max.  Also, thanks for making it so easy to cut these deals, I know there is a mutual give and take with me providing cards and you providing signatures, and it is really appreciated on my end.  Thank you, buddy!

By the way, Hughes is Hall of Famer #168 in my collection.  I haven't added a broadcaster in a while (and I have one that I still haven't posted, or counted.  I need to get on that...).

TTM Success - Hayden Simpson

Here is a random Bowman card that I sent off TTM and was able to get it back signed by Hayden Simpson.  I have a ton of these 2010 Bowmans now, and it was nice getting one of them out of my box.  It didn't even make a dent, but hey, I have a signed card, and that's all that matters.

Simpson (b. 1989) was a first round (16th overall) pick by the Cubs in the 2010 June Amateur Draft out of Southern Arkansas University.  He played in the minors in 2011 and 2012, all in the Cubs system.  He reached High A.  He had a record of 5-17 with 120 strike outs and a 6.42 ERA.

I mailed to Simpson on January 15 and got the card back on July 19, for a 185-day TAT.

TTM Success - Doug Dascenzo

I got a few 90s junk wax cards out of my boxes with this TTM success from Doug Dascenzo.  I actually thought I had more of his cards; Dascenzo is one of those guys that you feel like you see his name all the time when looking through cards.  Of course, when it came time to pull his stuff, I only found these three.  Oh well.  They turned out really well, and I'm glad I was able to get them signed.

Dascenzo (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1988 to 1993 and 1996 for the Cubs, Rangers and Padres.  He had 287 hits, 5 home runs and a .234 batting average.

I mailed to Dascnzo on October 27 and got the cards back on November 5, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ben Christensen

Here are some cards that came out of the boxes that I got from my LCS.  The above 2000 Bowmans Best is a beautiful card.  It looks even better in person. I saw it in the box and had to send it to get signed TTM.  All of the other cards followed, and I was really happy with how everything turned out.

He also signed a 2000 Topps Gold Label, 2000 Topps Gallery and a 2000 Topps.  I haven't seen anywhere that Richard Stahl signs, but I will keep an eye out for him.

Christensen (b. 1978) was a first round pick (26th overall) by the Cubs in the 1999 June Amateur Draft out of Wichita State University.  He played 6 seasons in the minors between 1999 and 2004 in the Cubs and Mariners systems.  He reached as high as AA and finished his minors career with a record of 12-19 with 241 strike outs and a 4.64 ERA.

I mailed to Christensen on October 6 and got the cards back on October 19, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Danny Murphy

I got this nice 1963 Topps signed TTM by Danny Murphy.  I had picked the card up at a show in Raleigh a few months ago, and was able to get it signed.

Murphy (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1960 to 1962 for the Cubs as an outfielder and returned as a pitcher for the White Sox in 1969 and 1970.  He had 23 hits, 4 home runs and a .177 batting average.  As a pitcher, he had a record of 4-4 with 58 strike outs and a 4.66 ERA.

I mailed to Murphy on September 23 and got the card back on October 3, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - George Mitterwald

I added a bunch of 70s cards to my album with this TTM success from George Mitterwald.  The above 1975 Topps turned out really well, even though the card is pretty dark.  You can still see the signature, which it all that matters.

I also got a 1974 Topps Traded, 1976 and 1978 Topps signed.  All of them look good.

Mitterwald (b. 1945) played in the majors in 1966 and from 1968 to 1977 for the Tins and Cubs.  He had 623 hits, 76 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Mitterwald on May 13 and got the cards back on May 21, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Prior

This was a TTM success that I was really excited to get back.  I had waited quite a while, but got a couple signed cards back from Mark Prior.  The above 2002 Upper Deck MVP card was added to my mailer by Prior, himself, which was really awesome.  I like this card's design, and if I were choosing cards to send him, I would have definitely sent this along.

This 2004 Donruss World Series card was the one that I did send him.  It was heavily creased in the mail, so that is why Prior included the other card, I think.  I know nothing about this series; I believe the card came out of a repack box that I picked up somewhere along the way years ago.  It turned out really well, and will be a unique addition to my autograph album.

Prior (b. 1980) was a first round draft pick (43rd overall) by the Yankees in the 1998 June Amateur Draft, but didn't sign.  He was, again, a first round pick (2nd overall) during the 2001 June Amateur Draft, this time by the Cubs.  He played in the majors 2002 to 2006 for the Cubs, amassing a 42-29 record with 757 strike outs and a 3.51 ERA.  Never quite realizing his phenom potential, Prior showed flashes of brilliance (he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 2003 and finished 3rd in the Cy Young Voting, 9th in the MVP voting, and was an All Star), but was beset by injuries.

I mailed to Prior on February 5, 2019, and got the cards back on March 23, 2020, for a 412-day TAT.  I sent the cards to Dodgers Spring Training camp.

TTM Success - Chris Krug

I had this 1966 TOpps card of Chris Krug sitting in my "to be mailed" box for quite some time, and I finally got the card sent out.  It came back signed (with the faintest pen), so I am glad to put it away in my album.

Krug (b. 1939) played in the majors in `965, 1966 and 1969 for the Cubs and Padres.  He had 41 hits, 5 home runs and a .192 batting average.

I mailed to Krug on January 20 and got the card back on January 28, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nate Schierholtz

I got a different card back than what I sent, but I did get a TTM success from Nate Schierholtz recently.  He also signed the card with a dead Sharpie, but it is still signed.  I was more disappointed in the signature itself than my card being switched out, but I do like the photo on this 2014 Topps.  The card I sent was a 2014 Topps red foil parallel, so I at least got a similar card back.  Still, the red foil would have looked a lot better; even with the dead Sharpie.

Schierholtz (b. 1984) played in the majors from 2007 to 2014 for the Giants, Phillies, Cubs and Nationals.  He had 529 hits, 52 home runs and a .253 batting average.  He won the World Series in 2010 with the Giants.

I mailed to Schierholtz on September 20 and got the card back on October 12, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brooke Kieschnick

I have a little bag of failed TTMs that sits beside my desk.  I check it periodically to see if a new address pops up for one of the failures, and have been able to thin the pile down here and there.  One of the players who sat in that bag for almost 3 years was Brooks Kieschnick.  I had some really awesome cards to send him, and originally sent three out in 2016.  They were RTS, so they sat and waited.

Recently, I checked on some of the envelopes, and saw that Kieschnick was signing at a new address, this time for a fee of $10.00/card.  Since the third card wasn't anything special, I sent the other two, along with a $20, and hopes the cards would come back signed this time.

The cards did come back, and I believe they might be some of the coolest cards that I have ever gotten returned.  The above Star Date 2000 from EX 2000 looks amazing.  I was so happy that this one came back signed, and turned out well.  I had prepped it beforehand, and I'm happy I did.  This card just looks awesome.

The other card I sent was a 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite sets.  The cards are tough to find, and feature a nice wood-grain nameplate, and the player's face in a stippling design.  When I took art classes way back when, that was my favorite form of artistic media.  I always enjoyed stippling via pen and ink, but it was so time consuming.

Kieschnick (b. 1972) played in the majors from 1996 to 1997, 2000 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2004 for the Cubs, Reds, Rockies and Brewers.  He had 76 hits, 16 home runs and a .248 batting average.

I mailed to Kieschnick on September 30 and got the cards back on October 8, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00/card.

TTM Success - Justin Steele

I had a few cards left over of Justin Steele that I hadn't gotten signed while he was with Myrtle Beach, so I sent them off TTM.  They came back looking great, especially this 2014 Bowman Chrome blue refractor.  The card is numbered 158/399.

I also got a black parallel and a silver ice signed.

Steele (b. 1995) was a 5th round pick by the Cubs in the 2014 Amateur Draft.  He is currently playing at AA Tennessee.  Across 6 minor league seasons, Steele is 16-22 with 314 strike outs and a 3.63 ERA.

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

TTM Success - Thomas Hatch

I missed Thomas Hatch when he came through with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, so when I saw that he was signing TTM with the Tennessee Smokies, I went ahead and sent this card to him.

The card turned out really well!

Hatch (b. 1994) was a 3rd round pick in the 2016 amateur draft by the Cubs out of Oklahoma State.  He is 17-23 with 311 strike outs and a 4.07 ERA.

I mailed to Hatch on April 4 and got the card back on April 13 for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Keegan Thompson

I was able to get one of my 2018 Carolina League Top Prospects cards signed when I got this TTM success back from Keegan Thompson.  I had missed getting it done last year, and I saw that Thompson was signing TTM with the Tennessee Smokies.

I also had this 2011 Bowman Chrome Refractor of Thompson that turned out really well.

Thompson (b. 1995) was a Cubs 3rd round pick in the 2017 Amateur Draft out of Auburn.  So far, he has a 10-8 record with 146 strike outs and a 3.34 ERA over 3 minor league seasons.

I mailed to Thompson via the Smokies on April 4 and got the cards back on April 13, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM SUccess - Jim Bolger

I added a couple more 50s cards to my autograph album with this success from Jim Bolger.  I wanted another 1955 Topps represented, so I picked this one up.  It turned out nicely with Bolger's signature.

I also liked this 1959 Topps, and thought the green card would pop pretty well in the album.  I'm really glad that I completed both of these sets, and am now adding some of them to the autograph album.

Bolger (b. 1932) played in the majors from 1950 to 1951, 1954 to 1955 and 1957 to 1959 for the Reds, Cubs, Indians and Phillies.  He had 140 hits, 6 home runs and a .229 batting average.

I mailed to Bolger on March 5 and got the cards back on March 21, for a 16-day TAT.