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.

Christmas Gift From Nate - Joaquin Andujar Signed 1987 Topps

My good friend, Nate, hooked me up with a really tough auto for the 1987 Topps set, Joaquin Andujar.  The signature on the card looks great, and matches all of the Andujars that I have looked at while shopping for the set.

Andujar (b. 1952 - d. 2015) played in the majors from 1976 to 1988 for the Astros, Cardinals and A's.  He had a record of 127-118 with 1,032 strike outs and a 3.58 ERA.  He was an All Star 4 times (1977, 1979, 1984 and 1985) and a Gold Glove Award winner in 1984.  He was a 20-game winner twice (1984 - 20 and 1985 - 21).  His best Cy Young Award finish was in both of those seasons, where he finished 4th in the NL voting.  His best MVP finish was 19th, in 1982 (NL).  He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 1982.

It was really awesome of Nate to pick this card up for my set.  It was actually fortuitous, because he messaged me asking me what I wanted for Christmas, and I got a notification that this card was posted a few minutes later, so I sent him a link.  Nate jumped on the card, and sent it to me once he got it.  Thanks so much, buddy!

Birthday Gift From Nate - Lee Smith Signed Baseball

My good friend, Nate, sent me this Lee Smith signed baseball for my birthday.  I really appreciated him sending me something I could cross off of my Hall of Fame checklist.  The bad thing is, I could have sworn that I already had Smith, but apparently, I did not.  I had to search this blog and my baseball collection to confirm.

Smith (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1980 to 1997 for the Cubs, Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Red and Expos.  He had a career record of 71-92 with 1,251 strike outs and a 3.03 ERA.  His 478 saves were the all-time record when he retired, but now they rank third (behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman).  He was a 7-time All Star (1983, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995) and finished a career-best 2nd in the 1991 Cy Young Award voting.  His best finish in the MVP voting was 8th, also in 1991.

Smith was elected to the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee for induction in 2019.

Lee Smith is my 146th Hall of Famer.  Thanks for the ball, Nate!

Birthday Gift From Nate

My good friend, Nate, really dug deep, and knocked off some cards that have been sitting on my wishlist for years.  I have wanted the above 2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Cal Ripken since 2011.  I just hadn't gotten around to picking one up.  Nate helped me out, and now the card is crossed off of my list.

Nate also helped me knock off 23 cards from my 2013 Topps Emerald set checklist.  I haven't given up on this set; I just haven't found any of these in any boxes at shows.

Still, I am a long way toward completing it, but I have made a significant dent in the checklist.  People like Nate have really been the ones who have pushed me toward getting this tough set done.

Thanks so much for the birthday gifts, Nate!  I really appreciate it.

Taking Care of Some Set Needs at the National

With the help of my awesome friend, Nate, and a few pickups of my own, I knocked out a ton of 1972 Topps for my set.  I began the set with the belief that I would wrap up my 1969 set, which I did.

Nate had a ton of 72s that he cut me an awesome deal on, and I can't thank him enough.  I am well on my way with this set, and I hope it doesn't take me as long as 1969 did.

2918 National Paid Signer - Reggie Jackson

Each year at the National, I try to meet/get an auto of at least one "big name".  This year, with me concentrating on cards for my 1987 set, I set out to add as many as I could, and also maybe save room for that big name.  So, since he had two cards in the set, I went for Reggie Jackson.

I was torn between Reggie, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson.  Winfield has one card in the set, while Rickey has three.  I figured I ought to wait a bit on Rickey, especially since Don Mattingly is on a card with him.  Maybe I can get Mattingly first TTM, then get Rickey in person so I don't have to mail an already signed card TTM.

Because I had two paid vouchers for Reggie, I thought I would ask my buddy, Nate, if he wanted to go through the line with me.  I figured that Nate was on a much tighter budget than I was, so a free meeting with a legend might be fun.  He jumped at the chance, so he went through the line with me and got my above 1987 Topps signed for me.

I've heard all kinds of horror stories from collectors all around that Reggie wasn't too pleasant to deal with.  He was super nice for Nate and I, so I can only base things on my own interaction.  I was really glad he was cool, because you never want to think negatively about anyone, really.

I was really happy to meet Reggie, and knock these two tough cards off of my checklist.  I'm acually pretty excited at who the next huge names to fall off of the checklist will be.

Autographs For Sale At The National

My trip to the 2018 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland was a little different this year, as I was on a mission to knock out as many cards as I could for my 1987 Topps set.  I had autograph vouchers for a few of the signers who were on-hand that were in the set, and also brought some cards for the VIP signers.  I was also on the lookout for anyone who had any of the signed cards  for sale.  I ended up finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack" when I happened upon a table that had the above gem beneath a piece of plexi-glass.

My good friend, Nate, and I were almost through the last row of tables when I saw the above 1987 Topps Astros team card.  Almost forgotten in time, Yogi Berra was a coach on that team.  Since he passed away recently, I pretty much reserved myself to getting Hal Lanier on the card and calling it a day.  I hadn't seen any signed by Berra, and assumed they would be at astronomical prices if I had seen one.

This seller had gotten the card at the Berra Museum for a cheap price, as typically, anyone who wants a Berra auto will want it on Yankee items.  He sold me the card for $20.  I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.  This might have been one of my all-time favorite card show finds.

I had also found a few vendors who had albums and boxes of IP and TTM autos, organized by set.  One such vendor had a ton of 1987s that I needed at on average $2-$3 a piece, with a few being higher.  I knocked off a bunch of guys that I had gotten TTM, but failed to send a 1987 in the bunch.  Guys like Oddibe McDowell (actually, he sent my 1987 back unsigned), Kent Oberkfell, Dale Sveum, Greg Gagne, etc.  I also added tougher sigs like Davey Lopes, Bubby Bell and Mike Laga.

I also saw a couple deceased players in the album, and picked those up.  I was afraid I would have to search a long time for Jim Fregosi, but was able to knock it off of the list easily.

One of the cards that was high up on my list to look for was this Mike Flanagan.  I had searched for one on Ebay for a while, but had no luck in finding one.  The auto isn't the best, but it definitely is Flanny's, and I can say I own one.  It is still a shame that he took his own life; I really wish I had met him when he was living.

While going through the albums, I saw this 1985 Benny Ayala and had to pick it up.  That may be one of the most unique autos I have ever seen, and had to grab one of them.  I also found the above Matt Lipka in a dollar IP auto box that the guy had.

While Virgil Trucks and I corresponded back and forth before he passed, I had never sent him any cards to sign.  I always felt bad that I was keeping track of how many Topps autographs I had, but had no Trucks in any of those years.  I bought each version that the seller had, including the above 1954 Bowman.

In my opinion, the vendor wanted way too much for his Trucks autos, especially this 1956 Topps.  However, I wanted to think that I provided a good home for these signed cards, as I feel I had a decent enough connection to Trucks.

He really was a good man, and I'm sure he probably would have been a little miffed at the guy writing to him a bunch of times for autos, just to sell them.  So, they will be added to my albums and preserved as a true fan should.

I have come to realize that in building any signed set, you can't really turn your nose up anymoe to the "pro" graphers who sell what they get.  I mean, I would have had no shot at some of these guys, so I guess I have to buy the ones that would be tough otherwise.  It can be a bit of a moral dilemma, but in the end, they have the supply, and I have the demand.

Set Complete - 1969 Topps

It has been a while since I have completed a set, let alone a vintage one, but I finally can cross 1969 Topps off of the list.  I know I have been saying for the last several years that I needed to go ahead and complete the 1969 Topps set.  I went to the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland this year with that goal in mind.  The best part was, I met that goal during the first day of the show.

I walked around the show with my good friend, Nate, and he helped me find the last eight cards for the set.  The above World Series highlights card was the last card I needed to finish off the set.

While I was slowly working on this set, I started three new vintage sets: 1955 Bowman, 1967 Topps and 1972 Topps.  I feel like 1967 Topps will take me a while.  Nate actually helped me knock a huge chunk out of 1972, which I am grateful.  I also have a bunch of 1955 Bowman already, and I feel like that one will be fairly easy, since I knocked out most of the tough cards already.

Christmas Gift From Nate - 1969 Topps Set Needs

My buddy, Nate, sent me a few 1969 cards for my set over the course of a couple weeks.  Apparently, he ordered a few and had them all shipped to me directly.  They were some pretty notable cards, starting with the above Denny McLain.

He also picked up two of the World Series Highlights cards and the Charlie Smith card on the right.

Nate has done more this year in helping me with this set than I have.  I really haven't done a whole lot, and I really want to close it out sometime soon and concentrate on other sets.  I just haven't had the time to sit down and search for some of the missing cards.  Maybe at the 2018 National.  Who knows.

Thank you so much for the cards, Nate!  I appreciate it, and they are about to be filed away into my set box.

Birthday Gift From Nate

I got a huge package in the mail a while back from my good friend, Nate, that was an early birthday present.  In it was this Chris Davis 2017 Panini Diamond Kings Sketches Swatches card.  I had no idea it was coming, of course, so when I saw one of these cards on Ebay, I had to buy it, then I found another at the National.  So, now I have 3 of these.  They look awesome, so that's ok.

Nate also included a bunch of Altoona Curve signed cards that he was able to get in person a long time ago, which was pretty nice of him.  They will go in my autograph album like the other IP cards that I have.

The most interesting card was this Jose Bautista auto that Nate had.  It is THE Jose Bautista.  The one I can't stand.  Still, it is a pretty cool signed minor league card, nonetheless.

Thank you so much for the birthday package, Nate!  I loved everything, even though I can't stand Bautista.

Lots of Incoming Autographs For The Album

With the National, some Wood Ducks games, a concert and just being really busy, I have fallen behind on some 50/50s that I have gotten recently.

I'll start it off with these two Matt Manning 2016 Bowmans that I got back from my friend in Connecticut, Dylan.  He has offered to do 50/50s for me, but I have only been able to send him Manning cards.  Thankfully, he has been able to get those done.  I just need to sit down and try to find some of the other guys he has said he can see.

Max hooked me up with a nice stack of signed 1987 Topps cards while we were at the National.  He wanted to see me push my total of signed cards for that set up.

As of a TTM that came in yesterday, I have 70 signed cards from the 1987 set.  This is by far the most signed cards I have in any set.  I don't know if I will ever get all of them (likely not), but it is fun to push that total up.

Andrew hooked me up with some 50/50s that he did for me after I left his place.  I really wanted to get the blue 2015 Bowman Chrome back (bottom right).  He still has a couple cards left that he might be able to finish up before the season is out, but even if he doesn't, he did really well this season.

I was really happy to see that Andrew was able to get this one signed.  I had ordered it for my trip, but it came too late.  I'm glad to see that it is done and can take its place in my album.

My friend, Jackson, got a ball (to be shown later) and this 1990 Topps card signed by Bill Ripken.  My friend, Michael, got this card and a ball (to be shown later) signed by Ryan Ripken (Cal's son).  I had completely forgotten that I asked Michael to get the card and ball signed, as I had also sent a ball out for TTM.  It hasn't come back yet, but I still expect it to.

My good friend, Nate, hooked me up with a TTM return that he got back from drag racing legend, Kenny Bernstein.  I have met Bernstein in person a few times, but that was way back before I was getting any kinds of cards signed.  I do have a signed t-shirt somewhere.

My friend, Gerard, always hooks me up with awesome 50/50s.  I had sent him a bunch of Pawtucket Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs cards, and he got a bunch taken care of.

I ended up with some extra of the coaches, so I will probably do a giveaway or something.

I'm just glad to be able to get a lot of these cards out of my boxes and out to people to get signed.

Gerard always does a great job in getting my stuff signed.  I feel bad that I missed two of the Wilmington Blue Rocks games this past weekend, or I would have been able to finish everything he sent me for that series.  It is also looking like I won't be able to catch the Buies Creek series this next weekend as well.

A lot of stuff is going on lately, and the minor league season is winding down.  I have really enjoyed getting all of the autos and doing 50/50s this seaon, though.

Finally, here is a card that I missed a few months ago when I posted about some autos that Max gave me.  This is a 2013 Topps Orioles team card that Max had gotten signed by Dan Duquette, the Orioles general manager.  I thought it was really cool, but didn't realize it was signed at first glance, so it ended up in my to be blogged pile and was kind of forgotten.

Thanks for all of the cards, guys!  I really appreciate all of the hard work this season!

Christmas Gift From Nate

March is almost over and with that, I am at a point where I can say that I am posting my last Christmas gift from 2016.  I apologize for the delay, but TTMs are backlogged, and other cards that aren't TTMs are backlogged further than that.

I got this 2015 Topps Tier One Chris Davis relic from my buddy, Nate, who I have been chatting with for a few months, now.  He is a really nice guy from Pennsylvania who I met when he sent me a random DM about a box break that he was hosting.  I rarely buy into box breaks, but I decided to join, then he and I hit it off.

Nate surprised me with this nice Davis card for the PC.  I wasn't expecting him to spend any money on me, but when he did, it was much appreciated.  The card is numbered 186/399.

Thanks so much for the Christmas gift, Nate!