2025 National Free Signer - Rich Nye

Back in 2020, I got Rich Nye TTM.  I was out of his cards, but saw that he was added to the autograph lineup early enough in place if Jim Osborn to order cards for the trip.  I hadn't gotten Nye on a 1969 Topps yet, so that was the card that I ordered for myself.  I also ordered a 1970 Topps for Jesse.

Nye was very nice.  I read about him while I was waiting in line.  He is an avian specialist with a concentration in exotic birds.  Prior to that, but following his baseball career, he was a civil engineer and was involved in the construction of the Willis Tower.

2025 National Free Signer - Milt Wilcox

The other of Wednesday's free signers at the National was Milt Wilcox.  He wa supposed ti be at last year's show, but had to cancel.  I wanted to get this 1971 Topps previously signed by Frank Duffy completed.  The card looks great now that it is complete.

They called Wild Cards on Wilcox, so Jesse and I used them up to get some more cards out of the box.  I got my well-worn 1972 Topps (left) and this sharp 1980 Topps (right) signed as well.  Both turned out great.

Wilcox (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1970 to 1975 and 1977 to 1986 for the  Reds, Indians, Cubs, Tigers and Mariners.  He has a career record of 119-113 with 1,137 strike outs and a 4.07 ERA.  He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1984.

I was glad to finally get some of my Wilcox cards (many of which I had pulled last year) signed and put away into my autograph album. 

2025 National Free Signer - Hal Morris

Hal Morris was one of the Wednesday fewe VIP signers at the National.  I had gotten him TTM in the past, but I still had a bunch of his cards that I could get signed.  The above 1994 Topps turned out great.

They called Wild Cards on Morris, so I was able to get s few more cards signed.  The 1997 Bowman Chrome (left) turned out great.  The 1996 Topps Gallery (middle) was from the box of cards I busted a long time ago while visiting Andrew.

Finally, the card on the right is a 1996 Topps Finest.  These are also nice cards but they kind of blur or fade.  This one turned out fine and shouldn't fade since it'll be stored in my album.  By fading, I mean the actual card, not the signature.

Morris was really nice.  I was glad to meet him, and his line.moved pretty quickly. 

2025 National VIP Party Signers

The 2025 National has come and gone.  From Wednesday to Sunday, I searched a lot of boxes, got a bunch of stuff signed, waited in a lot of lines and smelled a lot of B.O.  Still, I had a great time and met some all-time greats.  The festivities started on Wednesday with the VIP Party signers.  I had gotten autographs of Al Oliver and Bill Madlock before.  I was down to a scant few cards of them, and am now pretty much cleared out.  The above 1976 Hostess card came out of a stack that Max gave me a few years ago.  I found it in a box not too long ago and was glad to get it signed.

I also had a 1981 Topps left over of Oliver and got it done, as well.  I also had a few of the 2023 Pro Debut Bill Maslock.  Those are cool cards and this one looks great signed.

Finally, I got Bill Cartwright on this card.  This is a 1995 Topps Stadium Club that I picked up from Sportlots.

The VIP Party was packed, but this year they had food stations in each corner, which made getting food easier.  The autograph lines didn't take too long, which was nice.  The VIP Party was a good precursor to the show and a.sign that we were in for some crowds.  Stick around for recaps from what else I got signed this year.

TTM Success - Dick Estelle

My post about Masanori Murakami was missing one card, my 1965 Topps Giants Rookie Stars card.  I got it back from Murakami and sent it off to Dick Estelle.  The card.came back signed quickly and looks awesome.

Estelle (b. 1942) played in the majors from 1964 to 1965 for the Giants.  He had a record of 1-2 with 29 strike outs and a 3.23 ERA.

I mailed to Estelle on April 16 and got the card back on April 25 for a 9-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Neil Medchill

The older Bowman box helped out with a couple Neil Medchill cards that I sent off TTM.  They came back signed in ballpoint pen.  Above is a 2010 Bowman of Medchill.

As usual, the 2010 Bowman Chrome didn't scan for crap, but rest assured, the card looks nice.  I was pretty satisfied with the autos even though the cards were signed in pen.

Medchill (b. 1987) was an 11th round pick by the Yankees in the 2009 June Amateur Draft out of Oklahoma State.  He played in the Yankees system from 2009 to 2013, reaching AAA.  He had 310 hits, 53 home runs and a .234 batting average. 

I mailed to Medchill on December 4 and got the cards back on April 21 for a 138-day TAT.

TTM Success - Pedro Alvarez

Whoops. I forgot to post last night.  Here is a great TTM success that I got back from Pedro Alvarez.  I got him on this 2017 Topps that shows him in an Orioles uniform. 

I also sent this 2014 Bowman that turned out great.

Alvarez (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2010 to 2018 for the Pirates and Orioles.  He had 704 hits, 162 home runs and a .236 batting average.  He led the NL in home runs (36) in 2013.  That season he was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger Award. 

I mailed to Alvarez on March 22 and got the cards back on April 19 for a 28-day TAT.