2025 National Free Signer - Roland Harper

Here is another free signer from this year's National.  Roland Harper was really cool.  I ended up with a couple extra vouchers of his, so I got the cards I bought off of Sportlots signed.  I also got an 8 x 10 signed in gold paint pen.  I think I'm going to give that one to a coworker.

Harper (b. 1953) played professionally from 1975 to 1978 and 1980 to 1982 for the Bears.  He had 3,044 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his career.

Harper was really nice.  I'm glad I took the time to pick up the non-baseball guys' cards for the show.

2025 National Free Signer - Keith Van Horne

The next free VIP signer was delayed a day.  Keith Van Horne missed his scheduled appearance due to lingering back pain.  He was there the next day and apologized to a lot of people for missing out.  He was really nice. 

Van Horne (b. 1957) played professionally from 1981 to 1993 for the Bears.  He a National Champion with USC in 1978 and won Super Bowl XX with the Bears.

I'm glad Van Horne was friendly.  He took his time talking with everyone and was very apologetic for missing the day before.  He is also not to be confused with former basketball player, Keith Van Horn.

2025 National Free Signer - Ben Eager

The next free signer was former hockey player, Ben Eager.  I got him to sign this 2006 Parkhurst card that I found on Sportlots and an 8 x 10.  The photo has already been put away.

Eager (b. 1984) played in the NHL from 2005 to 2014 for the Flyers, Blackhawks, Thrashers, Sharks and Oilers.  He had 43 goals in his career.  He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010.

2025 National Free Signer - Mark Bortz

The next free VIP signer at the National this year was former Bear, Mark Bortz.  He was really cool; he kind of reminded me of the guy from Ted (Sam Jones) that played Flash Gordon.  I had picked up a few of Bortz's cards from Sportlots for the trip, and they turned out great.

Bortz (b. 1961) played professionally from 1983 to 1994 for the Bears.  He was a two-time Pro Bowler.

He won the Super Bowl with the Bears in 1986 (Super Bowl XX).  That's the first Super Bowl that I remember watching.  That was the year of the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle.

2025 National Paid Signer - Michael Busch

The first paid signer this year at the National was Cubs first baseman Michael Busch.  I needed to complete the above 2019 Bowman Chrome Franchise Futures card that I had already gotten signed by Kody Hoese.

I was only going to go for the dual, until I found the above purple chrome parallel from 2024 Topps Heritage. This card looks great.

Busch (b. 1997) has played in the majors since 2023 for the Dodgers and Cubs.  He has 231 hits, 44 home runs and a .249 batting average so far in his career.  The Cubs got Busch in January 2024 along with Yency Almonte in a trade for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope.

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.