A Huge Autograph Haul From The National

Catching up on scans has been tough, and this post had a ton of scans that I needed to get through.

While at this year's National, Michael and I spent a ton of time (and a good bit of money) at the IP autos boxes.  There's a dealer at the show with stacks and stacks of 5,000-count boxes of in person (and I assume TTM) autos.  There are a lot of obscure autos in there, and Michael and I had a blast going through it.

Above are cards of Eugenio Velez, Heath Bell, Ryan Church, Kevin Young, Jeff Reboulet, Lou Frazier, Marc Barcelo and Ty Blach.  I like all of the cards showing the infield dirt for some reason. 

Michael and I also completed a card-for-card trade for autographed cards while we were recovering from a long day at the show. Unfortunately, those autos got mixed up with the ones I had purchased.   Here are autographs of David Segui, Bill Mueller and Akinori Iwamura.  The 2006 Topps card is signed by some unknown Oriole.

I'm pretty sure that this Miguel Rojas came from Michael. Regardless, this 2017 Topps looks pretty cool. I like the Marlins logo here.

Going through the boxes, I pulled every Nolan Reimold and Brandon Waring that I could find. It is always cool finding a Wofford card in the wild at a show.

This Doug Drabek was an upgrade to the personalized one that was in my 1987 Topps set. I will put the personalized one in the autograph album and this one with the set.

I also love finding signed Wood Duck, Kinston Indian and Carolina Mudcat cards in the wild.  I needed the above 2019 Topps Heritage Minors Diosbel Arias, so finding that one was great.  I also found a couple Steve Mintz autos, which was great.  There are also autos of Rick Prieto, Brian Anthony and Macier Izturis.

I found a lot of former Oriole farmlands in thr boxes.  Here are Rick Bauer, Brian Burres, a couple Feeddie Bynum, Howie Clark, Tommy Davis, Cesar Devarez, Eric DuBose and Brian Finch.  I remember all of these dudes.  Several are ones I wish I could have gotten in the past.

This next batch is Jeff Fiorentino x 2, Pedro Florimon, Mike Fontenot, Riley Hornback, Caleb Joseph, Dave Johnson, Jim Johnson and Eugene Kingsale.  A couple of them (Fontenot, Mike Johnson and Joseph) are guys i had gotten before either in person or TTM.

Here are: another Kingsale, a couple Adam Loewen, Val Majewski, Kevin Millwood, Ntema Ndungidi, Ryan Ouellette, Hayden Penn and Keith Reed.  I remember the organization being really high on Penn, but he didn't work out.  Much like a lot of these guys, sadly.  Adding the 2010 Topps Heritage of NCs own Kevin Millwood was also a bonus.

These are: Keith Reed, Matt Riley x 3, Ed Rogers, Luke Scott, Nate Spears, John Stephens and Mamon Tucker.  Stephens was the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year twice, but still didn't do much at the Major League level.  He got into 12 games in 2002, to a 6+ ERA.  He is from Australia, so I don't think I'd ever get a chance to get him TTM.

The last of the Orioles cards are a couple more Mamon Tucker, a 2017 Heritage Gabriel Ynoa and a 1994 Donruss Greg Zaun.  That Ynoa is a cool addition of a guy I forgot was an Oriole.

Now, I get into cards that junped out at me in the autograph boxes and/or the deal with Michael.  Here are: Ladies Alvarez, who I wish I had gotten when I was in Oklahoma City a couple years ago; Phillippe Aumont, Paul Bako, Grant Balfour, Skeeter Barnes, Jason Bay, Rob Bellior and Joe Biagini.

Next are: Cousin Hank Blalock (right, P. A.?), Brainer Bonaci, Julio Borbon, Dusty Brown, Brian Burgamy on a sweet Topps 206, Freddie Bynum, Eric Chavez (not the A's guy) and Ozzie Chavez.

More: Scott Coolbaugh, Callix Crabbe, Will Craig, Rajai Davis, Rick Dempsey (with a 1988 WS Champs inscription; this was from Michael), Chris Denorfia and Justin Duchscherererer.

Here are: Darnell Evans, Josh Fogg, Ray Fosse, Kyle Funkhouser, Esteban German, Fredi Gonzalez, Goose Gossage, KeBryan Hayes and Luis Hernandez.

These are: Ramon Hernandez, Teoscar Hernandez, Richard Hidalgo, Justin Huber, Tyrell Jenkins, two Blaze Jordan, Steve Johnson and Mitch Keller.

Above are: Jon Knott, Ramon Laureano, Wl Ledezma, Matt Lindstrom, Zach Lee, Jordan Lyles, Dillon Maples, Robert Machado and Pratt Maynard.

I got excited when I saw the 2002 Topps Mauer.  Except it was Jake Mauer, not Joe.  That would have been too good to be true, obviously.  The rest are: Kevin Mench, Danny Mendick, Colby Miller, Luke Montz, two Manny Mota, Tomas Nido and Randy Nieman on a 1986 Topps Tiffany.

Next are: John Olerud, Gene Pentz, Felix Pie, Brooks Pounders, Wilfredo Rodriguez, Jojo Romero, Josh Sharpless, Kyle Sleeth and Mallex Smith.

I'm pretty sure I got the above Blake Snell from Michael.  Probably the Dillon Tate, too.  There are also Erick Threets, Jason Tyner, Jordan Weems, Jimy Williams, Matt Williams, Peanut Williams and Vance Worley.  I know i sent TTM to Worley, but the card(s) haven't come back yet.

Whew, finally, here is a 2017 Topps Heritage Minors TJ Zeuch.  I got Zeuch last year, but didnt get the Heritage done, so I was glad to add this one to the album. 

That was a ton of cards.  I'm glad I finally got off of my butt and got them all scanned and filed into the autograph album. 

Thanks for looking through the boxes with me, Michael, and also thanks for the trade.

July 23, 2024, Graphing of the Legends at Dirty Birds

On my way to Cleveland for the 2024 National, I met up with my friend, Michael, in Charleston to catch the Lexington Legends at Charleston Dirty Birds.  Greg Zaun is managing the Legends and Arthur Rhodes is their pitching coach.  These were two former Orioles that I wanted to get to sign some cards. 

I cleaned out the rest of the Charleston cards that I had, including a couple more Delino Deshields, Jr. that I found in a box just a couple days before i left for the show.  I was also happy that I finally got my David Lebron Frederick Keys team set card signed.

It took me a while to find some Zaun cards, but I found enough for both Michael and I.  I found some JT Riddle cards in the same box I found the Deshields cards in.  I also got a Midwest League All Star team.set card signed by Brady Whalen.

When Michael and I were looking at teams to see on the way to Cleveland, I saw that former Wood Duck. Nic Laio was on Lexington.  I was able.to finally get his 2021 Wood Ducks team set card signed.  I'm down to just a couple cards left to complete that set.

While I didn't find a whole lot of Greg Zaun cards, I found a ton of Arthur Rhodes cards. 

I loaded a ton of the cards into my book, then also got some help from my friend, Josh, who lives near Charleston.

Josh and his friend Jimmy came to the game, which was the first time I've seen Josh in person since he and I went to Myrtle Beach during the full throes of COVID.  He has since gotten married and now has a one-year old son.  I wish I could have also seen his wife and son, but the little guy isn't quite old enough to catch a Dirty Birds game.  I'm glad Josh brought Jimmy along; Jimmy isn't a huge baseball fan but enjoyed himself and seems to be turning into a fan.  It really made me happy that Josh went out of his way to get to the game to see me.

In all, I got the following autographs: Delino DeShields Jr x 2, Phil Ervin x 6, David Lebron x 1, Cristofer Ogando x 1, Korry Howell x 2, Nic Laio x 3, Arthur Rhodes x 19, JT Riddle x 2, Brady Whalen x 1 and Gregg Zaun x 4 (41 total autographs).

Ramon Vazquez Signed Cards From Michael

My friend, Michael, arranged a private signing with Ramon Vazquez recently.  I had cards pulled for it, but kept forgetting to send them.  I missed the signing, but Michael hooked me up with two cards anyway.

The above 2008 Topps Heritage is a great looking card.  I was glad this was one of the cards he sent me.

Michael also sent me this 2007 Topps Update.  This was one of the sets I had pulled from to send to him.  That card is still on my desk.

Vazquez (b. 1976) played in the majors from 2001 to 2009 for the Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, Indians, Rangers and Pirates.  He had 496 hits, 22 home runs and a .254 batting average.

Thanks for the cards, Michael!

Some Storm Davis Autos From Michael

My friend, Michael, took some Orioles cards from.me recently to try to get signed, but they weren't delivered in time. I was disappointed, since USPS said they'd be there.  He ended up getting some Storm Davis cards signed anyway, so these were added to the autograph album. 

Michael sent me a 1991 Crown Orioles card, a 1986 Topps and a 1987 Donruss.

Thanks for sending these to me, Michael!

Private Signing Return From Michael - Drew Butera

My friend, Michael, contacted me recently about joining in on a private signing with Drew Butera.  I couldn't locate any of his cards, which is a shame because I had a black parallel of his at one point.  Not to worry, Michael hooked me up with the above 2020 Topps Chrome sapphire.  The card looks awesome!

Butera (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2010 to 2021 for the Twins,  Dodgers, Angels, Royals and Rockies.  He had 262 hits, 19 home runs and a .196 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Royals in 2015.

Thanks for doing the signing, Michael!

TTM Success - Will Middlebrooks

My friend, Michael, approached me about a private signing with Will Middlebrooks, so I signed up. I had wanted this 2014 Topps Chrome orange refractor signed for a while, so once I was able to find the card, I sent it off.

I also sent a couple Topps cards (a 2015 and a 2017); both turned out well. 

Middlebrooks (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2012 to 2017 for the Red Sox, Padres, Brewers and Rangers. He had 262 hits, 43 home runs and a .228 batting average. He won the World Series in 2013 with the Red Sox.

I mailed to the signing on April 15 and got the cards back on June 18, for a 64-day TAT.

2021 National Free Signer - Greg Luzinski

This turned out to be more of an ordeal that I wanted it to be.  Full disclosure, I have been working on this post for the last 4 hours; since my scanner decided to end its life today.  For some reason, it wouldn't connect anymore to my laptop, and after troubleshooting for hours, redownloading drivers and knocking a bunch of stacks of cards over, the printer ended up in pieces and in my trash can.  As my boss, Justin would say, it won't bother anyone anymore.

So, all cards scanned now, will be with my new Epson scanner that takes up 1/3 less space on my desk.  So much room for activities.

At the National, I had to bail on the Friday signing of Greg Luzinski in order to get to the Horror Con to get some autographs there.  Thankfully, Michael stood in line for Luzinski and got my three cards signed.  I had met Luzinaski at the National a few years ago and only got one card signed.  This time, three were taken care of.  I intend to get the card at the top of the post signed by Johnny Bench next week, which will be cool.

These two, a 1972 and a 1973 Topps, both turned out great.

Thanks for standing in line for these, Michael!  I think I made up for it on Sunday, though!

2021 National Recap

Another National Sports Collectors Convention is in the books, and while it got off to a rocky start (sort of), it was a really great National.  The card collecting hobby is booming, for better or worse, and that caused the crowds and prices to soar to ridiculous levels, in my opinion.  Still, by the end of the show, I had come away with some really great stuff, and actually brought a little bit of money home with me.

The trip started great; I was flagged down as I was getting onto the plane in Greenville by none other than Down East Wood Ducks catcher, Cody Freeman.  He recognized me, and chose to change his seat so he could sit with me on the flight from Greenville to Charlotte.  Antonio Cabello was also on the flight, which was really cool.  I enjoyed sitting with Cody and chatting with him for a bit.

I also ran into this guy who was signing some baseballs for someone at the end of one of the days at the show (I think it was Thursday).  I spoke with Pete Rose for a bit about when we met him at the Hall of Fame, and thanked him for being so nice to my son, Chris.

I also met Ari Lehman, the actor who played Jason (the first actor to play Jason) in Friday the 13th.  He was really nice, and I talked with him for about 15 to 20 minutes while he signed autographs.  He was one of two non-sports signers at the show (the other was Scott Schwartz from A Christmas Story).  There was also a HorrorCon happening the same weekend as the show, and I was able to attend that Friday evening and get a few autographs there, as well.  More on that in a later post.

I had several paid vouchers for signers, and met all of the free baseball players.  I walked through the Felix Hernandez line with my friend, Michael, and met King Felix.  The biggest paid signer I had was David Ortiz, but he had a death in the family, and couldn't attend.  Tristar refunded me my money, which will be put toward the hotel costs that I have left over.

I paid to meet Ric Flair, since I had the dual card of him and Arn Anderson that I could finish up.  Flair was super cool, as always and maybe was the best dressed of all the signers there.

While I was in line to meet Flair, I got this nice shot of the legend, Hulk Hogan, who always draws a crowd at the National.  I didn't pay to meet him this time, but it was nice getting close to him, still.

In all, I added 7 Hall of Famers to my collection.  I'll break those down in separate posts.  I also added, I think, 10 signed cards to my 1987 Topps set, including finishing a team leaders card.  I also got two antique baseballs (and got two more, which were part of the Hall of Fame autographs I referenced earlier).  Several cards were knocked off of my 1972 set, and one card was crossed off of my 1955 Bowman set.

I'll break a lot of this down in subsequent posts, but as can be seen in the photo above, I left there with a decent haul.

My biggest complaints regarding the National were that it was way too crowded, and there was a lot of redundancy.  You could tell who the "noobs" were; and most of them spent their allowance/budget within the first two days, leaving Saturday and Sunday a lot less crowded than in the past.

The redundancy was evident in that maybe 40% of the tables were the exact same stuff: a ton of graded [stuff] that I wouldn't buy, nor could afford; Yankees stuff and/or the usual suspects of "big names".  Of course, the big names are Ohtani, Ronald Acuna, Juan Soto and Wander Franco.  After the first two rows of tables, Andrew and I looked at each other and said that we had seen enough Acuna cards to last us a lifetime.  I can also complain that it was really hard to find dime boxes (actual dime boxes, not just boxes of 80s-90s junk disguised as dime boxes) and I couldn't find many folks who had Bowman parallels for graphing that I could look through.  Oh, and I really wanted to find some Perfect Game lots, Leaf Valiant or Elite Extra Edition cards of Cody Freeman, but found none, just big name guys like... Acuna, Soto and Wander.

In all, though, I had a great time in Chicago this year.  I spent a lot of time with my good friend, Andrew, and also my buddy Nate.  I spent time with Nate's friend, Kyle, as well, and also Michael.  I got to see my awesome friend, Max, for a short bit, too, but not nearly as much as I would have liked to.  I would say that this was a very successful National, even though the first few days were over-crowded.  I look forward to next year, in Atlantic City, which, if I'm able, I'll be there.

TTM Success - Ryan Dempster

My friend, Michael, contacted me recently and told me he was hosting a private signing with Ryan Dempster, so I sent two cards his way and participated.  I had a bunch of Dempsters set aside for TTM, but hadn't sent to him.  I figured these two cards would be good; I sent a 2001 Upper Deck SP and a 2010 Topps Heritage.

Dempster (b. 1977) played in the majors from 1998 to 2013 for the Marlins, Reds, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 132-133 with 2,075 strike outs and a 4.35 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2008, when he also finished 6th in the NL Cy Young voting.  He won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2013.

I mailed to the signing on December 14 and got the cards back on January 28, for a 45-day TAT.

A Bunch of Signed Cards From Michael

I got a bunch of signed cards in a deal recently from Michael, which helped push me to get some of that stuff out of my box, scanned and into my album.  I had this 2017 Donruss silver parallel of Jonathan Villar that he got signed for me a couple years ago just sitting and waiting to be scanned.  I finally got around to it, and it is now in my album.

I love this JJ Hardy certified auto from 2004 Topps.  Hardy was a great pickup by the Orioles.  I wish he could have stayed healthy there at the end, as he was a huge part of their defense that was sorely missed once he was gone.

Michael sent a ton of signed cards to clear out some extras that he had.  I needed all of the ones I scanned, as far as I could tell.

A few of these save me some stamps on what would have been future TTM requests.

This is the first signed soccer card that I've gotten.  I'm not a soccer fan, but the card will still go into the album.

I sent to David Hale fairly recently, and got a nice return.  I didn't have this card, though, but now I do.

Thanks for all of the cards, Michael!  I apologize for how long it took to get the Villar posted.