My Greatest TTM Success - Hank Aaron

Sometimes, you take a shot in the dark.  You never know, maybe it'll pay off.  I had those thoughts last year, when on a whim, I sent two cards TTM to the living legend, Hank Aaron.  I sent the cards with low expectations.  Those expectations are actually evident in the cards that I sent.  I had the above rough 1973 Topps card, and the below 2001 Topps Golden Moments.  I figured, if they were lost forever, no big deal, at least I tried.  I would be out two lesser of his cards and two stamps.  I had a 1974 Topps that I probably would have rather gotten back, but I didn't want to lose that card.  This 1973 Topps was a bit rougher, so I was cool with seeing if taking a chance would pay off.  It ended up doing just that!

How my TTM process usually works is, I get the envelopes in and try to organize them by age depending on the type of stamp I used.  I try to buy different stamps any chance I can get, so I can keep a relative age of what comes back.  Then, I sort the envelopes from supposed newest to oldest and let my son, Chris, read off the postmarks and hand me the envelopes to open.  He enjoys "helping" out. I, then open the envelopes one by one, cut the stamps off and put those in a little baggie.  Because, why not?  I, then, post the successes on Instagram and the autos make their way to this blog in the order in which they are received.  I bypassed that last step today, because of how epic this success was.  Hammerin Hank jumped all the way to the front of the line!

When I was opening the envelopes, Chris read off "Atlanta Metro" and I looked at the stamp.  I said "This is a flag stamp from last year. So, this one has been out a while."  I cut the envelope open and say the edge of the back of a 73 Topps.  I told Chris "Well, I bet it isn't Hank Aaron..."  The cards slid out of the envelope and I saw that it was Hank... and they were SIGNED!  I yelled out "Holy S*it" like 4 or 5 times, enough that my wife yelled across the house "What's wrong?" and Chris was just as stunned as I was...  I'm still shaking; my instagram, texts and snapchat are all still blowing up, an hour later!

I have gotten some cool TTM successes over the last 9 years, but this one has to be the biggest.  There are many that I hold dear and have great stories, but this one was amazing.  Also, I paid no fee!

I wrote all of the stuff above, then went and ate dinner.  It didn't take very long at all for someone to comment on my Instagram post that the autos were fake.  I don't think they are.  Yeah, his auto on a ball has gotten pretty shaky, but you can lay a card down on a table and sign it, when it is much harder to sign a ball.  So, that theory goes out the window.

It was one person on Instagram, really.  For some reason, some people enjoy raining on other people's parades on social media, which I have never understood.  I sent the kid a photo of my 73 Topps beside a PSA authenticated signed 54 Topps, and they match.  Of course, he didn't respond.  That's ok, I don't need his validation.

That being said... I'm so excited these came back!  I have profiled Aaron before when I got him on a baseball from Conrad, but I will do it again, because, well, it's Hank Aaron.

Aaron (b. 1934) played in the majors from 1954 to 1976 for the Braves (Milwaukee and Atlanta) and the Brewers.  When he retired, he was (and many believe he still is) the Home Run King.  He has 3,771 hits, 755 home runs and a .305 batting average.  He led the league in homers 4 times.  As the Home Run King, it is very interesting that he never hit more than 47 home runs.  He was also the NL Batting Champ twice (.328 in 1956 and .355 in 1959).  He had 200 or more hits three times (1956, 1959 and 1963).  He was an All Star for 21 straight seasons from 1955 to 1975.  He only won the World Series once (1957 with the Braves) and was the NL MVP only once (1957).  He never struck out more than 97 times in a season, which was probably considered a lot back then, but players are getting close to double that now.  In 1982, Aaron was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame when he was named on 97.8% of the ballot.  I guess those 2.2% of writers really wanted him to have another ring or MVP award.  Sheesh.

I mailed to Aaron via the home address listed on SCN on February 5, 2018, and got the cards back today (3/8/19) for a 396-day TAT.

2017 National Card Show - The Big Pickup

It seems that every year, I have one huge pickup from the National, and this year was no different.  I didn't stop at the 1955 Bowmans that I grabbed for the collection.  I had in my mind that if I could find a decent Hank Aaron rookie at a reasonable price, I would leave the show with one.

I priced Aarons the last few days of the show, and used my memo feature on my phone to log the table numbers where I saw each card and at what price.  I actually did this for several of the cards I ended up buying, and it made the chore of remembering where the heck I saw a card so much easier to manage.  I had also bought portable batteries for my phone in case I ran my charge down.  I was really smart about my phone usage on this trip, and it paid off that Sunday when I got a nice deal on this Aaron.

Yeah, the card isn't in mint condition, but neither are my Banks or Kaline rookies.  I could make a nice run at the 1954 set, now.  I might take a look at the bulk cards that I have and see if I can manage it, but in the meantime, I am just going to sit back and enjoy the fact that I finally have this awesome rookie in my collection.

2017 National Card Show - Vintage Pickups

I picked up some nice vintage cards while I was at the National Card Show in Chicago.  I wanted to pick up some 1955 Bowman Hall of Famers.  The above Mickey Mantle was the prize of what I found at the show, and I got it for a great price.  With that pickup, I decided to try to find a couple other stars, and I feel like I did pretty well.

I liked this Hank Aaron, and picked it up on the final day of the show.  I picked up another Hank Aaron card, but I will have to show that another time.

Finally, I got a nice deal on this Willie Mays.  It is in really good shape.  I liked the price on it.  I went to get another 55 Bowman, but realized that I had blown my budjet, so I stopped with this card.

Trade and Christmas Package From Nick S.

I have been talking a lot lately to a really awesome guy in Texas named Nick.  We have traded a few times, and chatted some, but recently, we decided to talk a lot more.

What started the whole thing was when Mark Trumbo was traded to the Orioles, Nick messaged me saying he had this Trumbo signed baseball and he wanted to know if I was interested.  I wasn't too interested at the time, but told him that I would think about it.  A week or so later, Nick messaged me again saying that he really wanted the ball to go to me,   So, I asked him what it would take to get the ball and we reached a deal really quickly.

The ball is really cool, it is a game used foul ball that Nick caught, and it is a commemorative ball of the Astros 50th season.  I am getting to where I really like these commemorative baseballs.  I have been getting quite a few of them, and I think that is really where the appeal was in this one.  That, and Nick was really awesome about the trade.  So much so, we became very good friends following our discussion.

Generally, when I am sending out a trade package, I try to include some extras.  I wanted to do that with Nick, since he was so nice, and also because it is Christmas.  I told Nick that I was going to include some extras for him, and he told me that he had already gotten some together for me.

When the package came in the mail, I was blown away.  Oftentimes, I will get to chatting with someone and feel like we hit it off, and folks would promise tons of stuff, only to have everything kind of die off soon thereafter.  Nick, though, really blew me away with what he "threw in" to the package.  Not pictured was a stack of Topps gold parallels that he included, two of which were 2014 Topps mini golds of Bud Norris and Dylan Bundy.

The above signed ticket  was from a game he attended (I think he said 6/13/15, and also the day Trumbo signed the ball, I believe); the ticket is signed by Carson Smith.  I don't remember who he told me signed the bottom of the ticket.  Maybe he will read this and comment.

Nick included these IP autographs of former Oriole-now current Oriole- LJ Hoes.  Hoes was a pretty decent prospect for the Orioles, but was traded to Houston in 2013 for Bud Norris.  Now he is back and is looking to make the team out of Spring Training.

I don't know if Nick knew this or not, but this Steve Bechler auto is tough to get.  Bechler was the pitcher who passed away in Spring Training 2003.  His death is the reason why ephedrine is now banned in baseball.  I remember when it happened, and it is still a really sad story.  I really appreciate Nick including this in the care package.  I think I have one other Bechler auto, and I was hoping to add some more over time.

Finally, here is a card I really enjoyed that Nick included.  Don't laugh, I'm serious.  This "well loved" 1969 Topps Hank Aaron appears as if someone ran it over a few times, dropped it in a puddle, then kept it as a wallet card for about 10 years.  The card would probably grade lower than a 1.  Maybe a 0.5?  However, since one of my favorite blogs is POBC (Poor Old Baseball Cards), I really think this card is cool.  I have quite a few POBCs, and this one now probably takes the top of the list.  I may actually make an album sometime with the ones that I have.  Nick might have thought sending this was a bit of a joke (and trust me, the kid is so very funny), but really, I LOVE this card.

Thank you so much for a great trade, an amazing care package and beginning of a really nice friendship.  This stuff really blew me away, and I can't thank you enough, Nick!  If you are on the Instagram, you can give Nick a follow as baseballcards035.

Instagram Trade With Jet - 1954 Topps Extras

I completed a trade on Instagram with my good friend, Jet, for some extra 1954 Topps cards that he had left over from when he put his set together.  I can't remember what I sent him, but in return he sent me 6 1954 Topps cards, and a few other things.  I plan on hoarding these 1954s until I can begin the set sometime in the future.  I don't know when that will be, but hopefully it will be soon.

One of the extras Jet sent was this 1973 Topps Hank Aaron.  It is a bit lower grade, but still a nice card.

Jet also included this beat up Barry Bonds rookie card.  It has some creases, but is still a cool card.  Funny how small Bonds's head was back then.

Thanks for the deal, Jet, I really appreciate it!

Ebay Pickup - 1959 Topps Hank Aaron All Star

Another high numbered All Star has been removed from my needs list for 1959 Topps.  I picked up this Hank Aaron for $25 on Ebay after watching a few lower grade ones go by.  I wanted to go ahead and pick one up and liked the deal I got on this one.  It is in great shape, so I feel like I did a good job.

This card puts me at 93 cards to go for my set.  I really believe I can get it wrapped up soon.  I'm watching a few other All Stars and will probably make a huge dent in the list at the next card show I go to (probably later this winter, more toward spring).

When this set is done, I will concentrate harder on the 1969 set and I will also officially begin (even though I've been chipping away at some cards already) the 1967 set.

Some Nice Vintage Pickups From This Weekend

I was in Clemmons, NC this weekend for my youngest brother's high school graduation this weekend.  Let's reflect on that for just a second.  Pete, P. A., you guys remember me taking Andy to the card shop every Saturday so he could play Yu Gi Oh while I managed the card shop several years ago, right?  I started doing that in October 2006 when he was about to turn 11 years old.  Now, he is 18 and has graduated high school.  My, how time flies.  Anyway, Andy's school drew the short straw and was scheduled to hold graduation at 8:45PM Saturday night, so Saturday morning, my mom and I rode around town and decided to stop by one of the two card shops that are in their area, Lucky Dog Collectibles.

There, I found some nice vintage cards for my collection and a couple pieces of trade bait for later use.  The card above is an oversized card, a 1977 Sertoma Stars Brooks Robinson.  I had never seen these before and I loved the sepia coloring, so I picked it up for $5.00.  A pretty sweet deal.

For another $3.00, I picked up this 1969 MLB Photo Stamps Brooks Robinson.  This card is paper thin and is in really great shape, considering.  I need to get it into a top loader FAST.

Finally, I got a nice deal on this 1967 Topps Hank Aaron.  I don't know what it is, but I feel like the coloring on this card, with the blue of Hank's hat/sleeves and the Braves name really looks good on this card.  The corners are a bit soft, but in the end, it's a really awesome card.  I'm glad I picked it up!

If you're in the Winston-Salem area, be sure to stop by Lucky Dog collectibles (located in Clemmons, actually) and check out all of the stuff they have.  I was really happy to hear that they opened, especially since the shop I helped out at had closed.  Folks around there will still be able to get cards.

Ebay Pickup - 1959 Topps Hank Aaron

I got a great pickup for my 1959 set of of Ebay recently when I got this Hank Aaron at a great price.  I had sold some of my cards, gotten my payments and also got a $10 off coupon from Ebay for selling, so I ended up paying only $12 for this card.  Hooray for extreme couponing, foulbunt edition!

The Aaron is a major pickup, especially since I already have the Gibson RC and the Mantle.  I'm slowly, but surely knocking these out, though.  I counted today and after I post another card tomorrow and get in a trade from a really awesome guy on Instagram named Keton, I will need only 304 cards to complete the set. The toughest ones will be the All Stat cards, since they are stars (obviously) and high numbers.  We're getting them moving though.

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - The Parade

Whitey Ford

One of my favorite parts of the Trip to Cooperstown during Hall of Fame Induction Weekend (other than spending time with my son, brother, best friend and best friend's dad, of course) was the parade of Hall of Famers.  There weren't a ton of Hall of Famers present for this year's induction, but the stars definitely came out.  Missing altogether were legends such as Yogi Berra, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, etc.  The parade led off with Dr. Frank Jobe and Tommy John in a convertible 1960s Mustang.  Jobe was to receive an achievement award.  Jane Forbes Clark and Jeff Idleson rode by in the back of a truck.  Then came the Hall of Famers themselves.  They came along in order of their induction, so Whitey Ford (inducted in 1974) was the first legend we saw.  Drew's Dad and I were camped out along the barricade next to one of the Hall's interns, Bill, who was a really nice guy.  The three of us chatted for a good while before the parade started and between legends.

Ralph Kiner

Ralph Kiner must have finally finished with his line of autograph seekers, because he was atop this truck.  Unless the guy beside him is the list autograph seeker.

Hank Aaron

Chris was camped out right between me and Bill the intern, right against the corner of the barricades.  He jumped and screamed as we told him who each Hall of Famer was.  The first one to acknowledge us was Hank Aaron.  That was surreal because the real Home Run King waved at us as he passed by.  I would have loved to have met him and talked with him, but I probably would be a quivering mess due to severe star struck-ness.

Frank Robinson

I had my 'Buckle Up Birds' shirt on and as Frank Robinson passed, I screamed "Go O's!" to which Chris continued, while jumping up and down.

Frank (he is on a first-name basis among Orioles fans, much like Earl, Cal, Jim, Brooks and Eddie are) heard us and said "That's right, go O's!" and waved at us.  The above picture is frank's reaction to Chris.

Brooks Robinson

I got really emotional about the next Hall of Famer, none other than Brooks.  As he passed, I yelled "I love you Brooks!"  He heard me and said "I love you too, thank you so much for coming out!"  I was speechless.

Drew shot this picture as Brooks was acknowledging me.  That man means so much more to Oriole fans than other sports fans can ever fathom.  He is always courteous and gracious to fans and I can't get enough opportunities to express my fandom and love to the greatest defensive third baseman in the history of baseball.  I was so happy to be able to shout to him what I felt and to have him respond was so awesome, I teared up a bit during that moment.

Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro was really cool as he passed by.  Chris was jumping and yelling.  Niekro noticed and waved, using his knuckleball grip.  That was pretty awesome.  He has been working with the Orioles lately, teaching two of their minor leaguers how to master the knuckleball.

Ozzie Smith

This was a great shot I took of Ozzie Smith.  He is one guy who seems genuinely happy to be a Hall of Famer and I think this photo captures that.  I'm really proud of myself for this shot, actually.

Cal Ripken

Finally, there was Cal.  He also acknowledged us as he passed by.  This shot is from Drew who got Cal as he was pointing and waving to Chris.  I doubt Cal remembered that he met Chris last year in Greenville.  Chris remembers it though.

One thing I did want to point out about the parade that was disappointing was seeing Tony Gwynn.  He has been battling mouth cancer over the last fer years and seeing him atop that truck, you could tell the cancer has returned.  I had read about it returning recently, but seeing his swollen face, definitely confirmed it.  He has also regained a lot of the weight that he lost during his last bout with cancer (which took him down to his early career weight).  It was really sad to see and it put a little bit of a damper on the parade.

That being said, I really enjoyed the parade.  I know Drew and his dad did as well.  Adam (my brother) told me that he enjoyed it as well.  It was so awesome being able to see some of the Hall of Famers that I have only read about or seen on TV.  Being able to have Frank, Brooks and Cal acknowledge us was really cool as well.  Also, being able to say that you were waved at by Hank Aaron is pretty cool too, I'm just saying.

So, make sure you stay tuned to Drew's blog for his take on the parade and a look at some of the guys I didn't feature as well.  His dad got a really cool reaction from one of them, but you have to keep an eye on his blog to see it because I'm not going to be the one to spoil it!

April 7, 2012 Card Show - 1969 Topps

At last weekend's card show, I picked up 6 cards for my 1969 set.  I got the below Hank Aaron for a mere $20.  It is SHARP!  I was amazed that the guy was wanting only $20 for it, so I had to jump all over it.

The Aaron is definitely a sweet card.  I got a few other Hall of Famers as well, such as the below Harmon Killebrew:

This Fergie Jenkins:

And This Walter Alston:

I didn't knock off near as many 1969s as I did '59s, but it was because I found all of the 1959s first and then didn't have time to look for '69s.  I plan on adding more at the May show, which will be here before you know it.

I still have a long way to go for both sets, so hopefully I will be able to get on the ball so to speak and knock them out.  I know there are some expensive cards still to come, both Mantles for sure.

Thoughts on 2012 Heritage

I have picked up maybe 9 packs of Heritage so far and I have to say, I like it.  As always, Heritage delivers.  Of course, the 1963 design is a nice one.  Lots of vivid colors, a cool look.  I have always thought of 1963 as a really solid looking set.  It isn't my favorite, but I would probably consider it in my top 6 or 7.  I really can't wait til next year's offering, which will feature the 1964 design.

I haven't really pulled anything major, yet.  I plan on buying a few packs here and there.  I doubt I will buy a box.  Of course, I could change my mind if I see some on sale at the card show, or Blowout or something like that.  The above Koji looks really cool.  I also like the below Hank Aaron that I pulled.

I got a J. J. Hardy Chrome that I didn't scan/  The other two Orioles I got so far are Buck Showalter and the below Adam Jones.

The Jones is a nice looking card, as well.  As you can tell, I got my scanner to cooperate with the white borders by putting a wrapper behind the card.  You can see a tiny bit of the yellow showing that I was unable to crop off.  Anyway, overall, I like Heritage.  I won't be building the set (as far as I know) due to the ridiculous short print and variation cards.  I do plan on getting more packs in hopes of pulling some more Orioles or maybe a Sandy Koufax auto.  You never know.

2012 Topps Series One - The Hits

I busted my 3 jumbo boxes of 2012 Topps Series One tonight and here are the hits I pulled:

Out of the three boxes, I got only one Black Parallel.  Luckily, it was an Oriole!  I'm very glad to have pulled this Matusz, even though, I would have loved a Nolan Reimold.

I got three jersey relics.  This Travis Wood which is up for trade.

I got this Dan Uggla, which is my first piece of lersey with dirt on it!  I don't think I'll be trading this just yet.

I got this Justin Verlander jersey which has already been claimed by Dustin for trade.

 I got three autographs, all of which are for trade.  Gordon Beckham.

 Madison Bumgarner

Johnny Cueto

 I thought the manufactured patches have outlived their usefulness so I was pleased to see something different this year, the retired rings series.  This Frank Robinson is the first I pulled, which I would be willing to trade for an Orioles ring, if anyone has one.

 In my second box, I got this Hank Aaron ring.  This one I will not be trading.

Finally, out of my third box, I got this Johnny Bench Golden Pin.  I really really really like this card.  I would consider trading it if there is a Brooks Robinson or Cal Ripken one.  Otherwise, I'm glad to have it in my collection.

What do you all think?  The relics and autos are kinda same old same old, except for the Uggla which had dirt and the Verlander, who is a marquee player, the others are kinda bleh to me.  Good trade bait, I suppose.  I really like the rings and pins.  Definitely an upgrade from last years leather nameplates.

Stay tuned as I run through some of the inserts I pulled.

Thoughts on 2011 Topps Marquee

It is rare when I can afford one of the higher end packs of cards, so when I am able to, it is a good day for me.  The bad thing about spending so much on one pack of cards is that if I get some scrub, it is really hard for me to want to take that kind of plunge again.

So, that being said, I went to the local card shop today to load up on supplies for this weekend's card show (come out and see me, I will be the guy wearing a bright orange Orioles shirt) and decided to get some packs.  I got 2 packs of Lineage (will post those in a later post), a pack of 2011 Finest and a pack of 2011 Topps Marquee (for $50 a pack...).

I opened the box and got base cards of Adrian Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz and the Clayton Kershaw pictured at the bottom of this post.  I had looked up hits from marquee on Ebay before I busted the box; some of it was impressive and some of it was underwhelming.  When I saw what my pull was going to be, I was pleasantly surprised:

A Titanic Threads #6/99 Hank Aaron.  I'm not sure if I want to part with this card; I think I want to keep it in my personal collection.  That is unless someone were to blow me away in a trade or cash.  I'm so glad I pulled Hank, as opposed to pulling a Pedroia or something...

Here is the base Kershaw.  The base cards are really sharp.  They kind of remind me of the Stadium Club cards that Topps put out in 2008 or so.

Thoughts on 2011 Topps Lineage

 Yeah, I'm a bit late for this, but money has been tight lately, so I haven't been able to pick up any packs.  I went to the card shop here in Greenville a few weeks ago and picked up some 2011 Topps Lineage.  I have to say, the design was pretty nice.  I also liked the rookies as it was a take on the glossy All Star cards of the 80s which reminded me of my childhood and junk wax...

Overall, the set seemed to me like a cousin of the Topps Base set.  I only opened 2 packs so I didn't get any mega pulls, but I did get this sweet Hank Aaron sticker.

It looks really old school and is a pretty cool card.  I liked the concept, but of course, I'll never use it as an actual sticker...

By the way, the Strasburg was pulled from a pack and is definitely up for trade if anyone is interested.