TTM Success - Dale Berra

A really cool TTM success that I got back recently was from Dale Berra.  He is the son of Hall of Famer, Yogi Berra.  The cards I sent off turned out great.  I wish I had gotten this 1985 Topps father/son card signed by Yogi, but I was late on that.

I was really happy to get my 1988 Rochester Red Wings card signed.  This was sent to me as a team set in a care package, and I have gotten a couple of the cards from the set signed already.  I also got a 1984 and 1983 Topps signed.

Berra (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1977 to 1987 for the Pirates, Yankees and Astros.  He had 603 hits, 49 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Berra on November 7 and got the cards back on November 26, for a 19-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5.00/card.

TTM Success - Gene Tenace

These was a lot of sweating prior to and during this TTM request that I sent to Gene Tenace.  It started with finding a needle in a haystack by seeing this Yogi Berra signed 1987 Topps Astros leaders card at the Cleveland National a couple years ago.  I picked it up for $20 and put it in my 87 album.  When I saw a Hal Lanier signing finally come up, I sent it off to him.  Lanier is spotty lately with TTM returns, so I wanted the assurance of locking in with a paid signing and getting my card done that way.  It is still risky, of course, because things can happen and cards can get wrecked when sending through the mail.  The card came back from the Lanier signing, and I was ready to send it off to Denis Menke, who I have gotten TTM from before.  I believe the guy who ran the Lanier signing told Menke the card was coming, and it got back to me signed really fast (9 days).  Finally, I turned it around and sent to Gene Tenace, who signs through PastPros.  This awesome card is now complete and has its place in my 87 album.

I also sent off this 1973 Topps buyback that I had pulled several years ago.  It also turned out well, but definitely takes a back seat to the Astros Leaders card.

Tenace (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1969 to 1983 for the A's, Padres, Cardinals and Pirates.  He had 1,060 hits, 201 home runs and a .241 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1975 and his best MVP finish was 18th (1975 and 1976, AL).  He won the World Series four times (1972-1974 - Oakland and 1982 - St Louis); he was the 1972 World Series MVP.

Tenace managedthe Blue Jays for 33 games in 1991 and amassed a 19-14 record (.576%)

Tenace appeared on the 1989 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 0.2% of the vote.  I mailed to Tenace on July 23 and got the cards back on July 31, for an 8-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15/card plus PastPros handling fees.  I paid $20 for the card; $15 for the Lanier signing, and Menke was free.  So, I put over $50 into the card to get it completed, and I'm certain it is worth far more than that.  I'm just happy to have it completed.

2018 National Pickup - 1952 Topps Yogi Berra

I've just about wrapped up my posts from this year's National.  Usually, I forget to post stuff, then it gets too far removed from the show, and I just give up posting stuff.  I feel like I did a pretty good job getting stuff on here, so it worked out.

I added this awesome 1952 Topps Yogi Berra to the collection while at the show.  I kind of have a Berra PC going, even though he played for the evil Yankees.  I have wanted this card for a long time, and got a good deal on it.  I need to sit down and see what all Berras I have in the collection, but I'm pretty sure I have a bunch of good ones.  He was an awesome player, and I have no shame in admitting he is one of my favorites.

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.

Awesome Yogi Berra Auto

While I was visiting my good friend, Andrew, last week, he and I met a guy in his area who did a lot of selling of baseball cards on Ebay.  During our meeting with the guy, he pulled out a tub of a bunch of late 90s-early 2000s wax boxes.  He ended up giving each of us a few of the boxes.  One of the boxes that he gave me was a 2001 Topps box.  While busting the box, I hit this Yogi Berra on-card auto.  This is probably the best possible hit I could have gotten out of that box.  The back of the card was slightly damaged due to sticking to the rest of the cards, but you can hardly tell.  The front looks great.

I have already had folks ask me for the card, but I want to keep it since I like Yogi a lot.  I just think it is really awesome that I hit this card in a free box that was given to me while I was on vacation.  Who knew that I would hit something so awesome.

Columbia Antique Shop Pickups - 1953 Topps Hall of Famers

I finally got a chance to visit my brother in Columbia, SC after almost a year.  I try to get down there a few times a year, but last year, I was only able to get down there for the crawfish festival in May.  We went down there to hang out, since it had been a while, and also to get out of town for a bit.  The drive down wasn't bad at all, even though there was a winter storm a little farther west of where I was.  It was cold as crap all weekend, though.

As always, I made sure to visit Conrad at Chic Antiques while I was in Columbia.  I emailed him ahead of time so he would have an idea of what I was looking for.  This time around, though, he wasn't able to locate any of the Hall of Fame baseballs that I had on my mind.  That made it easier for me to focus on cards, however, and I was able to knock a nice chunk out of my 1969 set while I was there (will be shown in a later blog post).

Since I didn't get a ball, I got some nice vintage for a few friends of mine.  Aside from the 1969s, I only took home two vintage cards for myself.  The above 1953 Yogi Berra was one that I have seen there a few times, but haven't bought.  Finally, I took the plunge and added it to my collection.  It is a really cool card and I am glad to have it alongside the rest of my Berras.  I think 1953 Topps is a very underrated set.  I have a couple of the big name cards, with the Satchel Paige, Berra and a couple others.  The Mantle is ridiculously priced, but otherwise, this may be a nice set to work on here and there at some point.

Speaking of 1953 Topps, I added another with this nice Ralph Kiner.  Conrad pretty much did a buy one, get one free on these.  For the price he had the Berra listed, I paid that price for both of these cards.  I don't know which card looks better, Berra or Kiner, but I do enjoy the old school Pirates logo on this one.

I intend to start up another 50s set sometime soon, and Conrad has been enlisted in helping me get started.  I doubt it will be 1953, but I do look forward to the day when I can work on this one.  I think they are beautiful cards.

Rest In Peace, Yogi

While I will never be a Yankee fan, I can gladly say that I was and am a Yogi Berra fan.  I awoke to the sad news this morning that Berra had passed away at the age of 90 yesterday.

He truly is one of the all-time greatest players to ever play the game.  His 10 World Series rings can attest to that.

He is one of a few players that was alive during my time collecting that I really wish I could have met (along with Bob Feller and Mickey Mantle).  I have a lot of friends who are huge Yankee fans that are feeling his loss this morning.  So, Drew, Pete, my thoughts are with you guys.

Rest in peace, Yogi!

Yogi: An Evolving Collection and Thoughts on the Franchise Four

Ask anyone who knows me how I feel about the New York Yankees.  As they run away with the AL East this season, my disdain for the Evil Empire continues to fester and grow, as it has since some little brat interfered with a play in a playoff game back when Bill Clinton was president.

As my collection continues to grow and evolve, I have noticed something happening, especially recently.

I have noticed that I have quietly amassed quite the vintage collection and among some of my favorites are Yankees.  Several of my favorite cards in my collection are Mickey Mantles, and I noticed recently that I have a BUNCH of vintage Yogi Berra cards.  I just have gotten lucky at shows lately and in trades.  I have found a lot of Yogi cardboard and was smart enough to grab them when I could.

It helps that I had a discussion with my good friend, and Yankee fan, Drew, about a year ago which consisted of analyzing stats of some legendary catchers.  Yogi, for the most part, turned out to be the standard bearer when it came to legendary catchers.  He also has 10 World Series rings, which doesn't hurt.

He's Yogi.  He's a legend.  Yet, when it comes time to recognize said legend, Yogi always tends to need some help.  Just recently, Yogi needed an online petition to allow his name to be entered into consideration for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Maybe this will be one time where the president actually performs an act that The People really want, instead of something he thinks they want.

Additionally, Yogi didn't make the cut for the Yankees' franchise four that was announced a few days ago at the All Star game.

It is very understandable that Yogi would miss the cut when one is choosing only four great Yankees.  I mean, who could leave Ruth or Gehrig off of the list.  Those two should always be locks on any Yankee Mount Rushmore.  Mantle was a great choice.  I can't argue that at all.  Which leaves us Joe DiMaggio...

DiMaggio made the cut, and Yogi is left out.  A compelling argument can be made to include DiMaggio in the Franchise Four, but I would honestly like to hear the argument AGAINST Yogi.  Seriously, I want to hear it.  Ten rings carry a lot of weight.  Their weight in gold, so to speak.  Yogi and DiMaggio have similar career numbers.  MVPs: Yogi - 3/DiMaggio - 3; Rings: Yogi - 10/DiMaggio - 9; World Series Appearances: Yogi - 14/DiMaggio - 10; Hits: Yogi - 2,150/DiMaggio - 2,214; Homers: Yogi - 358/DiMaggio - 361; Avg.: Yogi - .285/DiMaggio - .325.

DiMaggio and Yogi could probably be swapped and Yankee fans would be ok either way.  I won't go into the travesty that was the "living Franchise Four" that also saw Yogi left off.

I just feel that Yogi is kind of underrated when it comes to legendary players, and could quite possibly have his legend grow far after he is gone.  Lucky for us, at 90 years old, he is still around.  Sadly, it won't be for much longer, but I, for one, am glad I was able to realize and appreciate him before he was gone.

June 2015 Raleigh Card Show - Day 2 Recap

I'm more tired tonight than I was last night, but I managed to get through today's card show without incident.  My wife wasn't able to come and help today, so, I was a one man show, but managed to work out just fine.  I ended up selling a decent amount of stuff today, even though the show itsle fwas pretty slow.

I had plenty of time to get up and move around, so I found a fellow dealer who had some low priced vintage, which I browsed a few times.  In his bargain bin, I found a good bit of well loved vintage that I needed for my collection.  The above Lou Brock is badly creased, but still a nice card.  I got it for a steal (can't remember the price).

You can see that this Yogi is pretty beat up, but one that I needed in my collection.  I like it, and got it for less than $10.

This is now only the second vintage football card that I have.  I never once saw Wahoo McDaniel play a game of football, but I did see him a lot in another venue.  I used to watch Chief Wahoo McDaniel on Mid Atlantic Championship wrestling take on the likes of Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard, Magnum T.A., and of course, the one and only Ric Flair.  I watched a lot of wrestling as a kid, and McDaniel was one of my favorites.  To be honest, I was really excited to get this card for $9.00.

I got this 1959 Topps card from the guy.  This is actually the same guy that I got yesterday's 1959 Topps set needs from, so I ended up with 6 from him.  The back of this Yankees team card is unmarked, so that's a plus.  Also, it is a high number.

An oddball Brooks Robinson card that I didn't have in my PC was this 1969 Nabisco Team Flakes card.  The guy (Kurt) told me that this was a tough find, and I believe him to be right.  I got this one for $10, and others in fat better shape, are commanding a much higher premium on Ebay.

Kurt was a really nice (and patient) guy, and I would find out later after he delivered my cards to my table (since I had to run to attend to a customer, then pay Kurt via PayPal).  I didn't even look through my stuff until a little while later, only to discover that Kurt had added free extras to my stack.  I said yesterday that I had no cards of Hall of Famer, Arky Vaughan; well, I now have TWO.  I have his 1933 and now 1934 Goudey cards.  Pretty cool!

This 1953 Bowman Color Duke Snider was a nice find in the stack as well, then I discovered why it was free...

This appears to have come from the same vendor who I got my Feller from.  I bet the Snider and Feller were part of the same collection, and Kurt must have picked it up yesterday, only to decide to hand it off to me.  I actually think it is really cool that this and the Feller resided a couple pages from each other for countless years, only to find themselves reunited in my collection.  Kind of cool, I think.

So, I had $15 left to spend from the budget that I had allotted for myself.  I saw this 2008 Bowman Chrome Chris Davis at the table across from me, so for $5, I picked it up.  Only thing was, the vendor didn't have $5 in change, so I asked him if he would sell me the below Andrew McCutchen for an additional $5, so I could just give him the $10 I had in my pocket.

He made the deal, and I got this McCutchen RC that I needed.  I probably had one before, but that was way back in 2005, and I probably let it go in an Ebay lot back then.  Who knows.  I'm just glad to have another.

Finally, as the show was winding down, and I was about to leave, I figured I would go ahead and burn the last $5 I had in my pocket.  I milled about until I saw this framed photo of Bob Feller.  As luck would have it, it belonged to Chandy, a guy that I have known since I was a kid, back when I first began collecting.  Chandy operated one of the two former shops that were in Winston-Salem when I was a kid.  He closed up back in 2005 and strictly does shows now.  I talk to Chandy every time I can when I am at shows, and he is always handy with advice and knowledge.  I asked him if he would take $5 for the Feller photo, and he said he would since it was a larger piece and he didn't was to lug it around.  Score for the Man Cave!!

So, I had a really successful card show, and I am seriously considering signing up for the three day show in July, right before the National.  That would continue to help me clear out room, and maybe raise just that much more money to take with me to Chicago.  We shall see, but I bet I do the July show.  I had so much fun this time, why pass it up?

June 2015 Raleigh Card Show - Day 1 Recap

I am wore out from a long day of selling stuff at the card show.  For a two-day show, I have already broken even, and still have tomorrow to go.  I was able to add to my inventory tonight when I busted my three jumbo boxes of Series 2 Topps, but those hits will come at a later time (the ones that don't sell, at least).

I was really happy with the turnout today, and I hope I can sell a few more things tomorrow.  I didn't take much money with me to spend, but I was still able to get a few deals.  The theme of today's show seemed to be "well loved vintage."

I didn't have a whole lot of time to browse, but I did stop by the Huggins Auction booth where he had some vintage cards for 50% off of his sticker price.  He had a bunch of Hall of Famers, so I figured I would take the opportunity to add to my collection, a few cards that I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise.

The above '52 Bowman Yogi Berra has a really nice front.  Pretty worn, and all, but it looks really nice.

The back, on the other hand, is rough.  The card would probably grade at less than a 1, but it is still a cool card.  I guess you could say that I have a soft spot for the "well loved" cards, and this one fits right in there. I paid $14 for the card, so I think I still did really well.

The next card I grabbed is actually a PC need.  This is a 1953 Bowman Color Bob Feller.  The front is kind of rough, as you can see many creases.

The back is blown all to crap, though.  It looks like the card was taped into an album.  I bet it was a kid from back in the 50's who was really proud showing off his collection.  I can use this card to fill a spot in my PC until I can find an upgrade.  I gor this one for $12.00.

The best of the three Hall of Famers, I got this Arky Vaughan for $24.00.  It is a 1933 Goudey, and the front is in really good shape.

The back has a little paper loss on the bottom right corner, as you can see.  It is still my first card of Vaughan, and I am glad I picked it up.

This 1976 All Star ballot was a really cool find.  That's exactly what it was, too, a find.  As my wife and I were walking out of the show for the evening, I saw this lying on the ground.  No one was around, and there was no way to tell whose it was, so it went home with me.  Check out all of the Hall of Famers on the ballot (you can click on it to enlarge, Mom).

Finally, I was able to pick up 5 high number cards for my 1959 Topps set for $3/each.  The above Stengel is probably the highlight of the bunch.

Anyway, I am really tired, so I am going to close this entry.  I would like it if any NC/SC/VA collectors were able to come by the show and say hello.  That would be really cool.  I will have some new 2015 Topps hits and inserts available in the morning.

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.