I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
I was just making sure. But you were expecting Posada to charge?? I know a catchers focus isn't on offense, but he's in his mid 30's with 1000ish hits. Not exactly anything to pay for IMO.
Edited to say- but I'm cheap and I don't like the Yankees nice auto though.
<< <i>I was just making sure. But you were expecting Posada to charge?? I know a catchers focus isn't on offense, but he's in his mid 30's with 1000ish hits. Not exactly anything to pay for IMO.
Edited to say- but I'm cheap and I don't like the Yankees nice auto though. >>
Thanks, Goot. It's not one I would have been tripping over myself to pay big bucks for either, but from what I understand, Posada grants through-the-mail autograph requests very, very rarely, especially without a donation to his foundation. That's why it comes as a surprise, and I'm happy there's one less auto I'll have to pay a fee for down the road.
Oh, didn't know that. At least it goes to his foundation and not to his bank account although $10 to him is a penny to me actually make that .0001 pennies. I just always thought that guys don't charge unless they are HOFers or have some big accomplishment.
Did you ever try any Devil Rays or Braves? I can't remember seeing any scans.
I also tried a few ttm autos this spring and have gotten about 5 out of the 15 I sent out back. Although I sent a few out with a week or two left in spring training. Writing those envelopes and getting the addys was such a pain, and then I would think about you doing hundreds of those and wanting to cry. I've never said this and it's a weird time to say it since you're nearing the end but thanks for this thread it's always fun to see the latest.
Goot -- Here's a link to an album of all my successes to date. There are two or three Devil Rays in there, I think, but the only success I've had from the Braves that comes to mind is Bobby Cox.
Thanks for the nice comments. As to "nearing the end," though, unfortunately, I'm not even close. There are 310 living persons featured in the set, so I'm just about one third of the way through at this point.
Thanks a lot for the link, I'm home sick from school so that will help me pass the time. Wow, I guess I underestimated just how many you needed to get signed to complete the set. If someone doesn't mail back the card do you basically have extras for everyone and just try again next spring training or do it during the season?I'm personally a little afraid to send any out during the season because I have heard some stories that most guys just put the mail in the back of their lockers and forget about it.
Edited to say that out of the autos that you have received so far, my favorites are Cal Ripken JR. and Ryan Zimmerman.
<< <i>If someone doesn't mail back the card do you basically have extras for everyone and just try again next spring training or do it during the season?I'm personally a little afraid to send any out during the season because I have heard some stories that most guys just put the mail in the back of their lockers and forget about it. >>
I've sent requests to all but two or three people in the set, and a fair number of them twice already. How long I wait for a return and if and when and where I try them again -- I'll decide those things on a case-by-case basis, largely determined by what I know of a player's signing habits.
<< <i>This is a great thread. I may not post here, but I always check the updates. >>
Thank you, sir. I've said it before, but it IS good to know that people still check in on this thread from time to time.
Speaking of sending requests twice... For whatever reason, Baker never signed/returned the first card I sent to him last October. This one I sent to him at the same address 11 days ago.
I acquired these three in a trade for one of the few extra signed cards I've received (by accident). When I started this project, I didn't foresee that trading with others working on the set would be as readily available as it is. So, with only a couple exceptions, I've always sent just one card along with my requests for players to sign. I wish now that I had sent two along, as others working on the set have done, especailly to the consistent and reliable signers so that I would have some trading material to work with. It was a rookie mistake not to.
Special thanks goes out to my trading partner on this one for being way too generous, really.
Acquired this one via trade to end a long-a$$ drought.
I had a heck of a time getting Pesky. My first request came back Return To Sender. The second came back obviously ghost-signed. After those two failed, I decided to send in a card to a recent signing appearance of his, but spaced the deadline and missed out. So, happy to have this at last.
I sent to Wickman during spring training and never got anything back. Sent this one last Saturday and got it back today.
In other news, I set a record yesterday for a confirmed failure when I received an unsigned card back from Garrett Atkins of the Colorado Rockies -- a 137-day wait for that.
Also, I remember someone once asking what kind of success I expected during the regular season compared to spring training. During spring training, I had 57 successes and 6 cards returned unsigned. During the regular season so far, I've had 6 successes and 13 cards returned unsigned.
Hey, a two-fer. The Garland is actually a spring training return. I sent Pierzynski in ST as well, but gave up on that one and re-sent to him late last month.
Nice. You've been on a little roll after some down time.
Keep up the great work
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
I just received a Garland back that I had sent in Spring Training too! I sent it in the second week of March. We just moved last month, and it still got forwarded with te 39-cent stamp.
Another third-try success... I wonder if it helped that in this last request I congratulated him on being one of only a handful of players ever to win Gold Gloves in both leagues.
Keep up the great work and as always, thanks for sharing
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
A few more eBay pickups. Though I'd much rather get these autos through my TTM requests, I think that well is all but tapped out. And, believe me, it's not for lack of pumping. I may still get a few lucky hits now and then, but the rest of the way in will most likely be, for the most part, via eBay purchases, trades, and private signings. (There may be a few in-person successes in the mix as well. I'm shooting for my first one tomorrow). I feel pretty confident these are authentic; otherwise, of course, I wouldn't have bought them.
Speaking of authenticity, I'm scratching Adam Dunn off my list of successes. I got this through-the-mail early on by sending to Dunn's personal P.O. box in Texas. And while it's a nice-looking sig, I've never been able to find a certified version that it compares well to. Most, if not all, look much more like the example on the right.
And that concludes today's installment of "More Than Anyone Wants To Know".
Here's a fresh one. Got it a little over 3 hours ago... in person! That's a first.
Cantu was here in Charlotte with the Louisville Bats (AAA team in the Reds org.) in a game against our Knights (White Sox). I got there as soon as the gates opened and was really a bit surprised to find a small gaggle of some real autograph hounds already there and camped out by the vistiors dugout. One of them was kind enough to show me the ropes (I can count on three fingers the number of autographs I've gotten from athletes in person, including this one.) and, long story short, Cantu signed my card right before the national anthem. It was pretty cool to get the autograph and then watch him at the plate just a few minutes later. He was an A.L. All-Star just a couple years ago, by the way. Tonight he went 0-3 with 2 Ks, one foul out, and one HBP. The Knights won 5-2. I had one hot dog, two Budweisers, and two bottled waters.
Every time you see that card, you'll be reminded of how you got it.
That, my friends, is what collecting is all about
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
Great set. I just joined the board recently and just finished reading this entire thread. I really liked the 06 A & G when it came out bought some of it but not enough to build a set. I am in the process of putting together the 07 A & G though. I've considered trying this set TTM but haven't had enough time or energy (or $$) yet. I am in the process of putting together a 1987 Topps set TTM. That is definitely enough of a challenge for now.
I use Harvey Meiselman's list so far and have done quite well. Almost nothing but successes. I am definitely considering joining the other list you have posted on here though. $15 a year isn't a bad deal, if you are getting things that I can't get on my list. Is that where you got the Jockey and Andy Irons and some of your other non-baseball addresses?
Also, your photobucket isn't coming up for me now, but I have gotten a few in person autos on 06 A & G because I like the way they look so much. I would gladly part with them if they are ones you need. I have Wooden (TTM) which I saw you have already, Scott Podsednik, Clint Barmes, and Matt Holliday.
I'll end by sharing one of my "outside the box" ideas with you for a deceased player you will need. The only deceased player pictured on a 1987 Topps card was Roberto Clemente. I plan to send that card with an explanation, of course, to the Roberto Clemente Sports City and ask his widow Vera Clemente to autograph it for me. Good luck with the completion of your set. Any Chicago Cubs or White Sox you need I will gladly get for you in January at the annual Cubs Convention and SoxFest. My wife and I go to both every year.
Donnie
"WITH GORILLA GONE, WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR MAN?" Daniel Quinn, Ishmael
Congrats on the Helton and on the rest of the collection. I just spent the last hour reading the entire thread in awe of these autos. I am feeling inspired to try something like this myself with Heritage next year, this type of thing is what collecting is all about!
---------------------------------------- Currently working on: 1955 Topps All-American George Brett Master Set 2009 A&G's
they show up great on the allen and ginters to say the least,you sure couldnt do it with alot ofthe pathetic black sets they have out now, topps heritage or bowman would be good to, or52 topps rookies would all stand out good randy
This was an eBay pickup at about a third of the cost of Robinson's usual signing fee... so that helps. I'm not done with him yet, though. Robinson has two cards in the set -- one as a manager and one as a player.
These two are donations to the cause from new board member DonnieD (see his post above). I don't even know what to say about this except that it's an unbelievably cool, generous gesture... and I'm very thankful and absolutely stoked to add these to my collection. Thanks, Donnie!
As I've probably said before, any actual though-the-mail success with these anymore is a big surprise. I sent this one to Cabrera at the beginning of spring training. It's a new personal longevity record for a success at 213 days.
Edited to add that I just noticed this is the third success I've had with players named Orlando. Wish I had a third as much success with players named Roger or Albert or Hideki.
213 days and it looks like it says dexter lol,at least you finally got it i suppose!!!i got a ton of oldies today in the mail,even a old blind negro leaguer signed for me on my thread ! randy
Dont give up hope yet...you may be surprised what shows up...my longest TTM success was Redskins OL Chris Samuels: Sent: 10/05/2001 Rcvd: 05/19/2007 (2052 Days)
I sent an IC to Chris back when I was in college. Received the IC back signed, in my original SASE, with the college mailbox as TO and FROM address crossed out. The college must have got the letter and forwarded it on to the address on file, which was my parents address. Postmark was May 10th 2007. Chris added a 5 cent stamp on it also.
Looking to have some custom cuts or plain custom cards built? PM me.
alifaxwa2 -- Those kind of stories always amaze me... How does an athlete (or whoever) manage to hang onto their unanswered mail for that long, and what inspires them to sit down one day and answer it after that much time has past? ... Also, I just checked out your TTM gallery. Nice work! Lots of great pieces in there. I especially like the old Steelers stuff, but my favorite may actually be the Billy Crystal sig on the Monsters, Inc. poster(?)... my 2-year-old daughter is a big fan of Mike Wazowski.
Comments
<< <i>That's Posada right?? >>
Yep, that'd be Posada.
Edited to say- but I'm cheap and I don't like the Yankees
<< <i>I was just making sure. But you were expecting Posada to charge?? I know a catchers focus isn't on offense, but he's in his mid 30's with 1000ish hits. Not exactly anything to pay for IMO.
Edited to say- but I'm cheap and I don't like the Yankees
Thanks, Goot. It's not one I would have been tripping over myself to pay big bucks for either, but from what I understand, Posada grants through-the-mail autograph requests very, very rarely, especially without a donation to his foundation. That's why it comes as a surprise, and I'm happy there's one less auto I'll have to pay a fee for down the road.
Did you ever try any Devil Rays or Braves? I can't remember seeing any scans.
I also tried a few ttm autos this spring and have gotten about 5 out of the 15 I sent out back. Although I sent a few out with a week or two left in spring training. Writing those envelopes and getting the addys was such a pain, and then I would think about you doing hundreds of those and wanting to cry. I've never said this and it's a weird time to say it since you're nearing the end but thanks for this thread it's always fun to see the latest.
Thanks for the nice comments. As to "nearing the end," though, unfortunately, I'm not even close. There are 310 living persons featured in the set, so I'm just about one third of the way through at this point.
Edited to say that out of the autos that you have received so far, my favorites are Cal Ripken JR. and Ryan Zimmerman.
<< <i>If someone doesn't mail back the card do you basically have extras for everyone and just try again next spring training or do it during the season?I'm personally a little afraid to send any out during the season because I have heard some stories that most guys just put the mail in the back of their lockers and forget about it. >>
I've sent requests to all but two or three people in the set, and a fair number of them twice already. How long I wait for a return and if and when and where I try them again -- I'll decide those things on a case-by-case basis, largely determined by what I know of a player's signing habits.
<< <i>This is a great thread. I may not post here, but I always check the updates. >>
Thank you, sir. I've said it before, but it IS good to know that people still check in on this thread from time to time.
Speaking of sending requests twice... For whatever reason, Baker never signed/returned the first card I sent to him last October. This one I sent to him at the same address 11 days ago.
I acquired these three in a trade for one of the few extra signed cards I've received (by accident). When I started this project, I didn't foresee that trading with others working on the set would be as readily available as it is. So, with only a couple exceptions, I've always sent just one card along with my requests for players to sign. I wish now that I had sent two along, as others working on the set have done, especailly to the consistent and reliable signers so that I would have some trading material to work with. It was a rookie mistake not to.
Special thanks goes out to my trading partner on this one for being way too generous, really.
Been a while since I got one of these... a spring training return.
Shane
<< <i>I am still amazed at these. How many do you guys have now? >>
Blalock is number 105 for me. Only 205 more to go!
Acquired this one via trade to end a long-a$$ drought.
I had a heck of a time getting Pesky. My first request came back Return To Sender. The second came back obviously ghost-signed. After those two failed, I decided to send in a card to a recent signing appearance of his, but spaced the deadline and missed out. So, happy to have this at last.
I sent to Wickman during spring training and never got anything back. Sent this one last Saturday and got it back today.
In other news, I set a record yesterday for a confirmed failure when I received an unsigned card back from Garrett Atkins of the Colorado Rockies -- a 137-day wait for that.
Also, I remember someone once asking what kind of success I expected during the regular season compared to spring training. During spring training, I had 57 successes and 6 cards returned unsigned. During the regular season so far, I've had 6 successes and 13 cards returned unsigned.
Hey, a two-fer. The Garland is actually a spring training return. I sent Pierzynski in ST as well, but gave up on that one and re-sent to him late last month.
My third try with Nathan proved to be the charm. A pretty sig, really... even almost legible.
Shane
Keep up the great work
really enjoyed reading through all this
good luck with the rest
<< <i>awesome collection
really enjoyed reading through all this
good luck with the rest >>
Thanks. I'll need the good luck. The first third of the set was the easy part, I'm afraid.
Keep up the great work and as always, thanks for sharing
A few more eBay pickups. Though I'd much rather get these autos through my TTM requests, I think that well is all but tapped out. And, believe me, it's not for lack of pumping. I may still get a few lucky hits now and then, but the rest of the way in will most likely be, for the most part, via eBay purchases, trades, and private signings. (There may be a few in-person successes in the mix as well. I'm shooting for my first one tomorrow). I feel pretty confident these are authentic; otherwise, of course, I wouldn't have bought them.
Speaking of authenticity, I'm scratching Adam Dunn off my list of successes. I got this through-the-mail early on by sending to Dunn's personal P.O. box in Texas. And while it's a nice-looking sig, I've never been able to find a certified version that it compares well to. Most, if not all, look much more like the example on the right.
And that concludes today's installment of "More Than Anyone Wants To Know".
Here's a fresh one. Got it a little over 3 hours ago... in person! That's a first.
Cantu was here in Charlotte with the Louisville Bats (AAA team in the Reds org.) in a game against our Knights (White Sox). I got there as soon as the gates opened and was really a bit surprised to find a small gaggle of some real autograph hounds already there and camped out by the vistiors dugout. One of them was kind enough to show me the ropes (I can count on three fingers the number of autographs I've gotten from athletes in person, including this one.) and, long story short, Cantu signed my card right before the national anthem. It was pretty cool to get the autograph and then watch him at the plate just a few minutes later. He was an A.L. All-Star just a couple years ago, by the way. Tonight he went 0-3 with 2 Ks, one foul out, and one HBP. The Knights won 5-2. I had one hot dog, two Budweisers, and two bottled waters.
Every time you see that card, you'll be reminded of how you got it.
That, my friends, is what collecting is all about
This one only took 196 days and a $25 check to the Coloroado Rockies Foundation... and I can sorta make out a T and an H.
I use Harvey Meiselman's list so far and have done quite well. Almost nothing but successes. I am definitely considering joining the other list you have posted on here though. $15 a year isn't a bad deal, if you are getting things that I can't get on my list. Is that where you got the Jockey and Andy Irons and some of your other non-baseball addresses?
Also, your photobucket isn't coming up for me now, but I have gotten a few in person autos on 06 A & G because I like the way they look so much. I would gladly part with them if they are ones you need. I have Wooden (TTM) which I saw you have already, Scott Podsednik, Clint Barmes, and Matt Holliday.
I'll end by sharing one of my "outside the box" ideas with you for a deceased player you will need. The only deceased player pictured on a 1987 Topps card was Roberto Clemente. I plan to send that card with an explanation, of course, to the Roberto Clemente Sports City and ask his widow Vera Clemente to autograph it for me. Good luck with the completion of your set. Any Chicago Cubs or White Sox you need I will gladly get for you in January at the annual Cubs Convention and SoxFest. My wife and I go to both every year.
Donnie
I am feeling inspired to try something like this myself with Heritage next year, this type of thing is what collecting is all about!
Currently working on:
1955 Topps All-American
George Brett Master Set
2009 A&G's
randy
Thanks for the nice comments, guys. It's so cool that you read through the whole thread. That's a task.
Donnie -- PM sent, buddy!
This was an eBay pickup at about a third of the cost of Robinson's usual signing fee... so that helps. I'm not done with him yet, though. Robinson has two cards in the set -- one as a manager and one as a player.
Acquired via trade...
These two are donations to the cause from new board member DonnieD (see his post above). I don't even know what to say about this except that it's an unbelievably cool, generous gesture... and I'm very thankful and absolutely stoked to add these to my collection. Thanks, Donnie!
Five purchases via the buy/sell/trade board at sportscollectors.net ... Hernandez sure has a gruesome sig.
randy
Edited to add that I just noticed this is the third success I've had with players named Orlando. Wish I had a third as much success with players named Roger or Albert or Hideki.
randy
Sent: 10/05/2001
Rcvd: 05/19/2007 (2052 Days)
I sent an IC to Chris back when I was in college. Received the IC back signed, in my original SASE, with the college mailbox as TO and FROM address crossed out. The college must have got the letter and forwarded it on to the address on file, which was my parents address. Postmark was May 10th 2007. Chris added a 5 cent stamp on it also.
Commissions
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alifaxwa2 -- Those kind of stories always amaze me... How does an athlete (or whoever) manage to hang onto their unanswered mail for that long, and what inspires them to sit down one day and answer it after that much time has past? ... Also, I just checked out your TTM gallery. Nice work! Lots of great pieces in there. I especially like the old Steelers stuff, but my favorite may actually be the Billy Crystal sig on the Monsters, Inc. poster(?)... my 2-year-old daughter is a big fan of Mike Wazowski.