Last Bit of Autos From The National

As far as I know, this is the last of the stuff that I brought home from last year's National.  It only took me about 7 or 8 months to get it all posted.  There were a couple vendors at the show who had some nice, cheap cards signed by deceased former players (and one other), so I figured I would grab a few for my album.  For some reason, I never sent the above 1957 Topps to Virgil Trucks for him to sign.  Whenever I see a Trucks card, I usually pick it up, and this one was no different.

I got the Burke Waldron (above left) cards from the Signatures for Soldiers.  I wanted to send one TTM, but Waldron passed away before I could.  I also liked the Monte Ivrin 1988 Pacific, 1959 Topps Mudcat Grant and 1961 Topps Bill Virdon 1960 World Series Highlight.  These were all cards I would have liked to send out back then, but didn't get a chance (probably because I didn't have extras of said cards).

I'm hoping to signer list for the National comes out soon.  I'd like to start pulling cards for those guys as soon as possible.  The days will be flying away, and July will be here before I know it.

Some Autos From Cal

I got a package from my friend, Cal, last year, and haven't gotten around to scanning the cards until now.  He sent me a stack of Orioles cards that cleaned him out officially, and also the above custom auto of Virgil Trucks.  This is a print of his 1951 Bowman and it looks nice.

Cal also sent back a card that he had gotten signed for me by either Austin Hays or Chance Sisco.  I think I had gotten one of them and Cal finished the card... or Cal got both.  I can't remember.

Thanks for the cards, Cal!  Sorry it took me so long to post them!

Birthday Gift From Andrew

My birthday was back in September, but with all of the TTMs I have backlogged, I have drawn out posting my stuff that I got for my birthday.  My good friend, Andrew, sent me some really great cards that I wanted to show off.  The above 2011 Topps Black Diamond Wrapper Redemption Virgil Trucks auto is just a beauty.  I had one of these, already, but Andrew knew how much I loved these, and picked this one up.  I still am looking for the canary numbered to 10, but have yet to find one.  I'll take as many of these as I can get, though.

Andrew found a few Orioles cards that I needed, which can be tough.  I haven't been able to find much in the way of recent cards, so these come in handy.

He also got me some cards of a couple former Wood Ducks in the Sam Huff and Sherten Apostel seen on the bottom row of this scan.

Thank you so much for the birthday gift, Andrew!

Mom With The Huge Christmas Gift - 1946 Tigers Team Ball

Well now.  My mom really enjoys being able to click on the little "Mom" hashtags at the bottom of my posts (or just search "Mom") and seeing all of the posts that end up being about her.  I'm perfectly ok with this, because it affords me some really cool stuff that she wants to see me write about.

This year's Christmas gift from her was a hige hit for me, as it was this team ball signed by many of the 1946 Tigers.  In the top photo, on the sweet spot, you see that I now own two baseballs signed by the legendary Hall of Famer, Hank Greenberg.  Wow.  Also on the sweet spot are Steve O'Neill (manager) and Frank Shellenback (coach).

I have already profiled Greenberg, which you can read here.

O'Neill (b. 1891 - d. 1962) played in the majors from 1911 to 1925 and 1927 to 1928 for the Indians, Red Sox, Yankees and Browns.  He had 1,259 hits, 15 home runs and a .263 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Indians in 1920.  He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot from 1948 to 1953 and 1958 (7 ballots) but only received at most 4.9% of the vote.  He managed the Indians from 1935 to 1937, the Tigers from 1943 to 1948, the Red Sox in 1950 and 1951 and the Phillies from 1952 to 1954.  His overall managerial record was 1,040-821 (.559) and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.

Shellenback (b. 1898 - d. 1969) played in the majors in 1918 and 1919 for the White Sox.  He had a record of 10-15 with 57 strike outs and a 3.06 ERA.  He was banned to the minors due to the outlawing of the spitball in 1919 and went on to win a record 295 games in the PCL.

Hall of Famer, George Kell has a very nice signature on this baseball.  He joined the Tigers in May of 1946 for Barney McCoskey.  That means the ball was signed after May 18, 1946.  I profiled Kell on a former blog that no longer exists.  Oops.  I'm going to have to fix that.

Mom wasn't even aware that Virgil Trucks makes an appearance on this baseball, as the second signature on this side panel.  Also on this panel are Al Benton, Paul Richards, a signature that looks like George Rehfuss (but I can't find that name anywhere) and Anse Moore.

Benton (b. 1911 - d. 1968) played in the majors from 1934 to 1935, 1938 to 1942, 1945 to 1950 and 1952 for the A's, Tigers, Indians and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 98-88 with 697 strike outs and a 3.66 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1941 ad 1942 and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.

Trucks has been profiled on here more times than anyone else, so just search his name in the sidebar.

Richards  (b. 1908 - d. 1986) played in the majors from 1932 to 1935 and 1943 to 1946 for the Dodgers, Giants, A's and Tigers.  He had 321 hits, 15 home runs and a .227 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  He managed the White Sox from 1951 to 1954, the Orioles from 1955 to 1961 and the White Sox again in 1976.  He had a career managerial record of 923-901 (.506%).  His 517 wins as Orioles manager rank third all-time behind Earl Weaver and Buck Showalter.

Moore (b. 1917 - d. 1993) played in the majors in 1946 (for the Tigers).  He had 28 hits, 1 home run and a .209 batting average.

Here is a better shot of the signature that I think is George Rehfuss.  If anyone can identify him, please let me know.

This panel features George Caster, Jimmy Bloodworth, Dick Wakefield, Dizzy Trout and Art Mills. 

Caster, (b. 1907 - d. 1955) played in the majors from 1934 to 1935 and 1937 to 1946 for the A's, Browns and Tigers.  He had a career record of 76-100 with 595 strike outs and a 4.54 ERA.  He won the 1945 World Series with the Tigers.

Bloodworth (b. 1917 - d. 2002) played in the majors in 1937, 1939 to 1943, 1946-1947 and 1949 to 1951 for the Senators, Tigers, Pirates, Reds and Phillies.  He had 874 hits, 62 home runs and a .248 batting average. 

Wakefield (b. 1921 - d. 1985) played in the majors in 1941, 1943 to 1944, 1946 to 1950 and 1952 for the Tigers, Yankees and Giants.  He had 625 hits, 56 home runs and a .293 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1943 and finished a career-best 5th in the AL MVP voting in 1944.  He had 200 hits in 1943, then left for the Navy.  When the cadet program he was in was canceled, he rejoined the Tigers in June of 1944 and batted .355 over 78 games.  He was recalled to the Navy in November of 1944 and served until January of 1946.  While in the service, Wakefield bet Ted Williams that he would beat him in home runs, RBI and batting average when the war ended, $1,000 for each stat.  He lost all three bets and never regained his form that he had prior to the War.  Wakefield was the first "bonus baby" ballplayer.  He tried out for several teams in 1941 and signed for $52,000, which led to a lot of resentment from other players, fans and the press.

Trout (b. 1915 - d. 1972) played in the majors from 1939 to 1952 and 1957 for the Tigers, Red Sox and Orioles.  He had a record of 170-161 with 1,256 strike outs and a 3.23 ERA.  He won 20 or more games twice in his career (1943 and 1944) and had the AL ERA title in 1944 (2.12).  His best MVP finish was 2nd in 1944 to Hal Newhouser, to whom he lost by 4 vote points.  Trout was an All Star in 1944 and 1947 and is the father of former pitcher, Steve Trout.  He appeared on the 1964 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.5% of the vote.  I know he isn't likely a Hall of Famer, but he needs a better showing than that, come on.

Mills (b. 1903 - d. 1975) played in the majors from 1927 to 1928 for the Boston Braves.  He had a career record of 0-1 with 7 strike outs and a 5.36 ERA.  

The signature at the top of this panel is one I haven't been able to identify at all.  I thought it said Jack something, but I can't figure it out.  The rest of the signatures are Bob Swift, Johnny Groth, Roy Cullenbine and Johnny Lipon.

Swift (b. 1915 - d. 1966) played in the majors from 1940 to 1953 for the Browns, A's and Tigers.  He had 635 hits, 14 home runs and a .231 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  He managed the Tigers in 1965 and 1966 to a record of 56-43 (.566 %).  He had taken over for Chuck Dressen as Dressen had a mild heart attack during Spring Training in 1965.  He stepped aside when Dressen was able to return later that season.  In 1966, Dressen had another heart attack, and Swift took over, but he, too, had to step aside when he fell ill at the All Star break with what was originally thought to be food poisoning.  It was revealed that Swift had inoperable lung cancer.  Swift died on October 17 of that year (Dressen had died also that season, on August 10).

Groth is the only living player who is on this baseball, and was profiled here.  He signs TTM.  I may get a few pictures of the unidentified signatures and see if he can help at all.

Cullenbine (b. 1913 - d. 1991) played in the majors from 1938 to 1947 for the Tigers, Dodgers, Browns, Senators, Yankees and Indians.  He had 1,072 hits, 110 home runs and a .276 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1941 and 1944 and won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945.  His best MVP finish was 10th in 1941 while with the Browns,

Lipon (b. 1922 - d. 1998) played in the majors in 1942, 1946 and 1948 to 1954 for the Tigers, Red Sox, Browns and Reds.  He had 690 hits, 10 home runs and a .259 batting average.

So, I got 17 of the 19 names for sure.  My guess is the other two guys may be clubbies or someone else.  We'll see what I can figure out.

Thanks so much for the ball, Mom.  You always know how to surprise me. This ball was pretty amazing.  I'm glad I was able to identify and profile so many of the names on the ball.

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.

Christmas Gifts From Jill

My sister, Jill really tried.  She went on my blog, found my wishlist, and tried to knock something off of the list for me.  She found this Chrome reprint of Willie Stargell's rookie card and bought it, thinking it was the one I needed off of my list.  I feel bad that it wasn't the true Willie Stargell RC, like she thought it was, but it sincerely is the thought that counts.

Needless to say, I still love this card.  It is graded PSA-9 and looks really nice in person, much better than the scan.  Jill really tried, and I will always love this card, anyway.

She also surprised me with this 1952 Topps Virgil Trucks for the Trucks PC.  I really regret that I never sent off any of his cards to him TTM, as they would look really nice in my album.  I may go ahead and buy a couple autographs on some of his early 50s cards, just so I can have them in the album.

Jill, you did fine on the Christmas gifts.  I love them, and I love you!  Thank you so much!

Virgil Trucks's 100th Birthday

Even though he passed away in March of 2013, not a day goes by that I don't think about Virgil Trucks.  He was a really good man; one of the best former players to interact with fans.  He afforded me the opportunity to interview him over the phone, which you can read here.

I am doing a giveaway on my Instagram (follow me @wregenthal) in honor of his 100th birthday.  He always gave to me, so I want to give to someone else.  Also, I encourage you to check out my Virgil Trucks collection, here.

Trucks was born on this day in 1917 and passed away on March 23, 2013, at the age of 95.  I enjoyed writing to him and receiving letters back.  He truly was one of the best.

Care Package From My Buddy, Josh F.

I got a nice care package back in June from my buddy, Josh F. after he had let me know I had something on the way.

He is a big Patrick Corbin and Jason Grilli fan, and I have sent him a bunch of their cards for his collection.  I was pleasantly surprised when Josh included one of the cards that he had signed by Grilli.

Josh had found this 1959 Virgil Trucks and remembered that I liked him, so he included it in the package.  I have the card already, but am always happy to take on another Trucks for the collection.

Josh also included a bunch of Orioles cards.  Among them was this Topps Coin of Brooks Robinson.  These are really cool, and I don't really see too many of them, these days.

Thank you so much for the care package, Josh.  I hope I can find more cards for your PC really soon!

TTM Success - Johnny Groth

Another batch of cards came back on April 28 that had some more cards that were picked up during my trip to Columbia.  A few of the guys I picked up charge for TTM, so I had to space out a few of them so I could afford to get all of the guys I picked up.  One of the first guys who charged that was in the first batch I sent out on April 18 was former Brown, Johnny Groth.  I wanted to make sure I had a few former Browns players in this Topps Autograph Project in case I decide later to do an Orioles card from every year of Topps.  This 1953 Topps of Groth turned out really nice, even though he is in a Tigers hat.  The Browns logo will suffice for now.

When I was buying the cards at the antique shop, I had a list of guys that signed TTM as close to 100% of the time as possible.  I pulled a few cards of each player on my list, and tried to make sure different years were represented.  I didn't pay attention, at the time, to who charged, and who was free.  So, I ended up with quite a few Groth cards, but couldn't decide which ones I wanted to send and which I wanted to hold back.

In the end, I decided to go ahead and spend the $5 per each card and send them all to him.  I'm glad I did, because each card turned out great.  It was well worth my "investment" in picking up all of these cards,

Groth (b. 1926) played in the majors from 1946 to 1960 for the Tigers, Browns, White Sox, Senators and A's.  He had 1,064 hits, 60 home runs and a .279 batting average.  Groth has a connection with a dear friend of the blog, as well.  Not only was he a teammate of one Virgil Trucks, he was also traded with Mr. Trucks from the Tigers (along with Hal White) in 1952 to the Browns for Owen Friend, Bob Nieman and Jay Porter.

I mailed to Groth on April 18 and got the cards back on April 28, for a 10-day TAT.  Groth charges $5 per autograph, and I believe it is well worth it!

TTM Success - Ned Garver

I got one of the best TTM successes in a while when all of this stuff came in from former pitcher, Ned Garver on April 2.  I sent a check for $25 and two cards in hopes of adding some nice pieces to my Topps Autograph project.

I was really excited about this 1952 Topps, since it showed Garver as a St. Louis Brown.  I think this card looks great, and turned out really nice when he signed it.  It looks better in person.

The card that prompted the TTM, though, was this 1951 Topps Blue Back.  I wanted to make sure I had the Browns represented on the Blue Backs, and Garver fit the bill.  I hope that after I complete my Topps Autograph Project, I can go back and do it again, but with Orioles/Browns cards.  I think it is possible to complete that, as well.

When I got my package in, I was pleasantly surprised that Garver included this card of his own that he signed for me.  Also in a Browns uniform, this card turned out really nice.

The $25.00 check was to order a copy of Garver's book, Catch 20, Too! Which came in a few days afterward.  If anyone is interested in buying a copy of his book, the contact information is above.

The best part of the TTM success, though, was that I was able to tie this success in with an old, dear friend of the blog, Mr. Virgil Trucks.  Garver was a teammate of Mr. Trucks, and he discusses their friendship in the letter that he wrote back to me.  I was really happy to get a letter back from him.  Here is what it says:

William,
Thanks for the book order - hope you enjoy it.

Virgil was one of my best friends.  He was a great guy.  We stayed in touch - by phone - to the end.

I liked being a Brownie - very much!  Veeck was super to play for - I loved it.  Satchel Paige was a very good friend.  Eddie Gaedel was the greatest promotion ever.  Still talking about him 65 years later.  Talked to Satchel's oldest daughter last week.  She is a teacher - very bright!

Sorry I can't write - used to be good - but I'm 90.

Ned

Garver (b. 1925) played in the majors from 1948 to 1961 for the Browns, Tigers, A's (Kansas City) and Angels.  He had a career record of 129 - 157 with an ERA of 3.73 and 881 strike outs.  He won 20 games for the Browns in 1951 and finished 2nd in the AL MVP voting.  He was also named an All Star that season, and was the starting pitcher that year.

His 2nd place finish in the 1951 AL MVP voting was the highest he would finish.  He amassed 157 voting points, but that was not enough to overcome the 184.0 points of MVP winner, Yogi Berra.

I mailed to Garver on March 23 and got the cards and note back on April 2, for a 10-day TAT.  The signed book came in on April 5.

Amazing Christmas Gift From Sam

My good friend, Sam, told me that he was still working on another part of a Christmas gift for me when he sent the first bit of it back in December.  He even told me what he was working on; he was sending an 8x10 to Nolan Reimold TTM to try to get it signed and inscribed to me for Christmas.  Funny thing was, when I was at Fan Fest, I got Nolan to sign a ball for Sam, inscribed "To Sam, Merry Christmas", without knowing that Sam was working on this TTM.

The package with the signed photo came today.  I was still amazed by Sam's generosity, even though he told me a month ago that this was coming.  The photo looks great, and I will get it framed this weekend.

Sam, wasn't done, however.  He said he had picked up a surprise and would include it with the Nolan photo.  When the Nolan got here today, it was in a page protector and some cars stock that served as protection.  I had shown my wife the Nolan photo, and as I was taking it out of the protector, I told her "You know, Sam said he was sending something else, I wonder if he forgot to put it in the package." Then, as I got the photo out of the page protector, I noticed there was another photo behind it.

This awesome black and white 8x10 signed by friend of this blog, Mr. Virgil Trucks.  I had tears in my eyes as I studied this photo that I had never seen of him before.  Clearly taken in Spring Training of 1958, this was something I definitely wasn't expecting from Sam.

I once was really hard on Sam.  He had asked me to find a bunch of cards for him, which I did.  I spent hours of several days going through boxes of cards, pulling out guys he said he was looking for.  He would message me as I was halfway through and ask for additional guys.  I had to stop a coupld times and go through the same boxes again and again.  Finally, I had him a stack of cards, then when he said he wanted them all, I named a modest price.  He balked, and walked away from the deal.  I was upset and didn't talk to him for a while after that.  Sam, would message me a few months later, asking if I had cards of a certain player, to which I jumped on him because he made me go through those boxes of cards for hours, just for him to kill the deal.  I overreacted, and was rude to a kid.  That was something I swore I wouldn't do.  He apologized, and I apologized.  I felt terrible that I jumped all over this kid, all about some cards.

Since then, Sam and I have become really good friends.  I have helped him grow his collection.  I made him a really cool photo book from Shutterfly that he could use for his trips to Spring Training.  He keeps telling me that my blowing up on him wasn't a big deal, but I still regret it to this day.  He has been very generous over the last couple of years that we have been friends, and now he goes above and beyond to get me something he thought I would enjoy for Christmas.  Sam is a really good guy, and I am happy to call him my friend.  Thank you so much for working so hard on getting these photos for me.  I appreciate it, and I will love having them hanging on my wall.  Thank you, little buddy.  You're a great guy!

COMC Pickup - 1979 TCMA Virgil Trucks

It has been a while since I have picked up a new Virgil Trucks card for the PC.  When I was doing my Black Friday shopping, I grabbed this 1979 TCMA Virgil Trucks since it was really cheap.  I wish he was one of those guys that Topps would include here and there in some of their products.  Trucks might not have been a superstar, but the hardcore card collectors would get a kick out of pulling a piece of game used jersey or memorabilia of Trucks from a pack.  I know I would.

He was one of a kind.  To think, it has been over 5 years since I first "discovered" Mr. Trucks.  All because my buddy Drew was helping me figure out which players were good at TTM signing.

I still wish I had taken him up on his offer of paying him a visit in Alabama.  That would have been really cool, but probably still awkward.  I ended up doing a trip like it, meeting someone with old ties to the game, and had a blast.

I wonder if an opportunity like that will ever pop up again.  If it does, I know I will jump at the opportunity without any hesitation.

The Foulbunt Top Ten - No. 1

It all comes down to this.  I have ranked the cards that I consider the tops in my collection.  I feel like I chose all of the cards on this list very well, and they all slot into their different positions nicely.  The card that made No. 1 on the list has much more meaning to me than for it to be just another card in my collection.  It meets a lot of the criteria that landed other cards on the list.  Vintage? Check. Rookie? Check. PC Player? Check.

The thing that pushes this card to the top of my list, ahead of all others is that it was/is the culmination of a PC that I never expected to start in the first place.

Card No. 1 out of my Top Ten is:

My 1948-49 Leaf Virgil Trucks rookie card.  Anyone familiar with this blog knows how I feel about Mr. Trucks.  He was a gem of a man, and a favorite to those in the hobby.  I first discovered him when I was discussing TTMs with my good friend, Drew.  I did a phone interview with him.  I corresponded with him a great deal, and I cried when he passed away.  He was a good man, and a great American.  A hero to many of us in the hobby.  When I bought this card, it was (and still is) the most that I ever spent on one baseball card.  I won an auction on Ebay and got this card for $350.00.  Graded, this one would likely go for a lot more.

The price was so high, mainly because this card was a short print.  It was the last of Mr. Trucks regular series cards that I needed for the PC.  I added some more later on, like the 2011 Topps Black Diamond auto, but this one was the last of his regular issue cards from his playing days.  It caps my Trucks PC nicely.

Furthermore, this, like a lot of the older cards with minimal color, it really pops.  The picture of Trucks on the card is a blurry, but he still looks cool.  I also love the old school Tigers jersey.

This card made No. 1 on my list for a lot of reasons.  To me, it most represents what Mr. Trucks meant to me as a person and my desire to have a nice PC built around him.

Thank you all for checking in to see my Top Ten posts; for all of the comments here on my blog, or my Facebook or Instagram.  This has been a lot of fun to do.  I plan on revisiting this in a few years to see if the numbers still stack up.  Who knows, I may add some awesome pieces between now and then, and the list will get a good shake-up.  For those that are interested, I created a page among my tabs (at the top of the blog) so you can go back and look at the Top Ten.

I always hated the Top Watever countdowns that VH1 would have, because there was always some current song or artist that just didn't quite fit in with whatever the countdown was.  Like, they would always try to find a way to sneak Celine Dion into the countdown.  Like, Slash would be the Number 3 guitarist on their list, followed by Celine Dion at number two.  Stuff like that.  I tried my best to make sure that the list was comprehensive of my entire collection, and it didn't reflect any bias toward anything that was obtained last week versus last year.  Thanks for reading!

Top 10 Wishlist Pickup - 2011 Topps Black Diamond Virgil Trucks Auto

This is one of those cards that really should be seen in person to be truly appreciated.  When the Black Diamond Wrapper Redemption cards came out, I missed the boat and failed to submit my wrappers.  I didn't catch on to the wrapper redemption thing until the next year with the Topps Gold Rush cards.  Man, did I miss out.  I had seen that Virgil Trucks was a subject in the autograph offerings of this set, but I hadn't bought one because the price was way too much for me.  I had seen several of these sell for $100.00, so I held off.  The prices were really all over the place, then poof, none were to be seen for a while.  I would search for one here and there, never to find any, but autos of the other guys in the set were plentiful.  Trucks was so elusive.

Finally, I remembered to add the search "2011 Topps Black Diamond Trucks Auto" to my Ebay saved searches, and kept checking my phone daily to see if any ever would pop up.  As luck would have it, I signed in to Ebay one day, just to look around, and one was listed right in my Home feed.  Why did it not show up on my app?  Well, as I would find out, I hadn't checked my app that day, and this card was newly listed.  With a Buy it Now price of $29.99, I immediately bought it.  I didn't want to let another one go by without me picking it up, and the price was well below any of the other cards I had seen.

Numbered 56/60, the card is in amazing shape.  Once I scanned it, I put it in a magnetic case and will re-use the brand new toploader that the seller included.  The card is just beautiful, and will now be one of the top cards in my collection.

This is one of those cards that I have been watching for so long, I am excited to add it to the collection.  New Virgil Trucks cards don't show up often, or ever, really, so my Trucks collection is virtually complete.  I may find an oddball card here or there, but in all honesty, I have just about everything I can find that pertains to him.

Not a day goes by that I miss receiving letters from him telling me how his family is doing, or him asking me about my son.  I would have loved sending him a letter a couple weeks ago to tell him that Chris got his first two hits of the season, or that he aspires to be a pitcher.  All of this for a man that I never met once in my life.

Mr. Trucks was amazing to all of his fans, and I am really happy that I can now say that I have this card in my collection.

September 2014 Card Show Haul

Chris and I went the the Inside Pitch Toy and Hobby show in Raleigh, NC today and I sure came home with a haul.  I was able to grab a bunch of cards for a few various sets, a few rookie cards and I even was able to grab a bit of trade bait for a few friends.  I was bargain hunting and found some nice Hall of Famers, albeit rough ones, but I'm still happy with them.

The above 1956 Topps Yogi Berra was something I saw early at the show and I waited to jump on it until later.  It is in really rough shape, but I think it looks cool.  It had a price tag of $10.00 on it, but I got it for $7.00 which I think was a deal, regardless of the condition.

For $15, I got this really nice Ernie Banks 1961 Topps.  I looked at a couple of these over the course of the show and figured that since I had seen so many, maybe it was a sign that I should pick one up.

I made the mistake of giving a Billy Williams RC away to a Cubs fan that I used to know, so when I saw this one for $10.00, I jumped on it.  It has a crease that runs across the card, near his elbow, but it still is a sweet RC and I'm glad I have it.

I liked how this 1973 Pro Super Stars Willie Stargell looked, so I grabbed it.  I had never seen any of these before, so I made sure to pick it up.  I got this card from a vendor who was really nice to Chris.  The guy sold Chris a 1962 Topps Hank Aaron All Star card for $10.  Chris brought his own money and came away with a few cards as well.  Maybe he will get around to posting them sometime soon.

Another vendor had a great deal on vintage Bowman at $3.00 a piece, and when I saw this and another 1950 Bowman Virgil Trucks, I went ahead and grabbed them.  I already had one, but it's ok.  It's Mr. Trucks, so you know I can't have too many of his cards.  I'm not sure what I'll do with these, but I was happy to pick them up.

Getting into my set needs, I picked up 23 1959 Topps for my set.  Along with the above Sparky Anderson RC, I got Hall of Famers Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and Orlando Cepeda.

I looked at a few of these Baseball Thrills cards and picked up one of them, this Stan Musial.  I still need a couple of them, but didn't want to pay the premium that a lot of the sellers had going on these.

I was glad I waited to get this Cepeda.  One guy had this at $20, and another had it at $15.  I got this one for $5 from a guy who didn't necessarily deal with a lot of vintage.  Overall, I was fine with the pricing on the 1959s that I saw, with the exception of the high numbered All Star cards.  I saw a few of them that I wanted to grab, but they were all $15 - $25 or so.  I saw a Mays for $90, and I know I can do better than that.  I didn't see a single Mantle, but I was ok with that.  I know had it been there, someone would have been asking $200 or more for it.

My mail goal for this card show was to pick up cards for my 1959 set, but I did add two cards to my 1969 set.  For some reason, I thought I already had this Ted Williams, but I guess I didn't, since it was still listed in my notebook.  This is a great card of the Splendid Splinter and it also is a high number.  I got it for $9.00.

I saw this Johnny Bench at one table for $50, and passed on it.  Good thing I did, because I found this one in a bin for $15.  I definitely was happy that I used patience in walking around this show.  I did what I always do, I did one walk around the whole venue, picking up only a couple relics and autos out of $3.00 bins and recent cards out of 4/$1/00 boxes.  After I looked around and got a feel for what all was available, I made the rounds again with my notebook in hand, knocking off cards while remaining budget conscious.  I actually came home with money in my pocket, which was a bonus, since I usually leave once my wallet is empty.

I saw only two 1948 Bowman cards at this show, and of the two, I needed one of them for my set. This is card number 48, Dave Koslo.  It is in really good shape, but cost me a premium, at $30.00.

Vintage wasn't the only thing on my mind.  When I walked by a table that had this Christian Walker relic from this year's Pro Debut Heritage, I had to get it.  I was even more willing to pick the card up when the vendor told me he would take only $5.00 for it.  Awesome!

Finally, I noticed that one seller had busted two boxes of Bowman Chrome and left his commons out for sale at 4/$1.00.  I was able to pick up a few bucks worth of cards, a few for some friends, and a few Orioles for me.  I got Adam Jones, Chris Davis and this really cool Sebastian Vader.  I don't have to tell you all how excited I will be when Vader makes the majors and his jerseys become available for sale.  I'm a nerd.

Anyway, that is my look at my haul from the card show.  Not shown is the cheap stack of 13 cards from 1954 Topps for my buddy Jet's set.  I also picked up a good many Cubs cards for my buddy, Max S.

This will probably be my last major buying venture until after Christmas.  I need to save some money just in case the Orioles decide to start playing better once the playoffs start and they advance to the World Series.  I also need to start working on a couple birthdays that are coming up, as well as Christmas.