Mike's TTM items and other autos - Latest New Additions

Well, I added a white whale to my 71-72 Topps hockey set today. I negotiated a price with khw on eBay and it arrived today. This is the second most I've ever spent on a card. Only my Wilt Chamberlain RC PSA 5 cost more. Hey, I'm not a wealthy guy but everyone has their limits financially. This probably exceeded mine...but I'm very happy with it!

Plante died February 27, 1986 but lived many years after his retirement between Switzerland and Canada and while I'm sure there are a few of these out there, I hadn't ever seen one for sale until this popped up last week. So excited to add it to my set. Just seeing that the package had been delivered was exciting. Looks even better than the scan in person.

Also added 1971 Topps Paul Henderson. Paul scored the winning goal in the famous 1972 Summit Series ($15 donation TTM) and an SCN Membr returned by Tony Esposito private signing cards. So I completed the 1971 Topps Shutout Leaders card with Tony and added his rookie card. Really good day!!

I was on the East Coast visiting my wife's family in Virginia and mine in Mass and came home to the following returns:

NOW AT:
1971 Topps Hockey: 87/132 (65.91%). That's the main focus right now. I have a few big cards from that set coming in over the next 2 weeks. Then it'll be impossible living guys (Charlie Burns/Danny Grant) and dead guys. Goal on the set is 120/132. Slowly starting 69 and 70 Topps hockey too. REALLY fun sets. I highly recommend you start them as long as you don't outbid me for dead guys!

GOLF
1982 Vance Heafner
1982 Donruss and 1990 ProSet Mark O'Meara

BASKETBALL
2010 SP Authentic Billy Donovan
1988 Fleer and 2010 SP Authentic Brad Daugherty
1993 Action Packed BOBBY WANZER
1970 and 1971 Topps Dick Garrett
1972 Topps ABA Championship Game 5 (Bob Netolicky) and Game 6 (Billy Keller)

HOCKEY
1969, 1970 and 1971 Topps Norm Ullman
1971 and 1972 Topps Red Berensen
1969 and 1971 Topps John 'Pie' McKenzie
1969 and 1971 Topps Jim Johnson
1971 Topps Pat Stapleton (eBay Purchase - sending to PSA)
1971 Topps Stan Mikita
1971 Topps Frank Mahovlich (eBay purchase - PSA authenticated)

As a Bruins fan I was super excited to see the UPS package at the door today...

All three 1971 Topps cards signed by one of the Hockey Trinity - Bobby Orr! I still need to add Johnny Bucyk to the Assist Leaders card. It'll be going to a show he's doing in February. Now 90/132 on this set (68%). Also excited by the Jean Ratelle addition. I purchased it on eBay but I'm 99% sure it's legit. Going to PSA next time I submit.

ADDED
HOCKEY
1971 Topps Scoring Leaders - Orr/Esposito/Bucyk - FINISHED
1971 Topps Assist Leaders - Bobby Orr
1971 Topps #100 - Bobby Orr
1971 Topps Jean Ratelle
1969 and 1970 Topps Bob McCord
1970 Topps Gump Worsly (eBay purchase)

BASKETBALL
2010 SP Authentic Rex Walters

<< <i>This thread is fun. Pardon my hockey ignorance, but is there anyone from that 71 set who has passed on who would make completing this difficult? I love those tri-signature cards. Super cool. >>



I don't think the set is completable for someone with my limited resources. The Wayne Maki card may not even exist signed. Who knows. I've only been collecting the set for 8-9 months so I'm not the world's foremost expert on who is tough and who isn't. The impossible ones will be:

Wayne Maki d. 1974
Bruce Gamble d. 1982
Dunc McCallum d. 1983
Bob Woytowich d. 1988
Wayne Hillman d. 1990
Tom Williams d. 1992

There are about 10 other deceased guys that I don't have but all passed after 1997 which makes me think there should be a few signed examples out there. The other tough card will be the final leaders card that I don't have which features Jacques Plante. The other two guys are still alive. I bet there is one out there but who knows. I should probably send it to the other two guys now just for the heck of it. Finally, Charlie Burns is alive but refuses to sign autographs for anyone, ever, period. He's apparently a great guy but doesn't get the whole autograph thing. Who knows!! Been fun so far though.

<< <i>Very nice additions Mike. What did the ORR sig cost ya? >>



3 SCN members and I pooled our items and got them for $100/ea, Doug. It's usually $125.

Couple of hall of famers over the past couple of days.

Added:
1971 Topps Vic Hadfield - what a pretty sig - now 91/132 on this set with 5 out at signings and negotiating for one more deceased guy.
1969 Topps Glenn Hall - mailed out a few more of these today.
1968 and 1970 Topps Eddie Joyal

Also made another addition to 1969 Topps basketball. Picked up a deceased guy on eBay yesterday. Will post when it arrives.

Really good auto collecting week overall.

Monday Night: My favorite show on TV is Inside the NBA. No other show is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud 5 times every week. They were in town Monday for MLK day and I went to Staples Center and hung out behind the set (and was on TV for the whole show). I wanted to get Charles and Shaq to add to my 50 Grestest lithograph but alas, no luck. There were only 20 or so people asking for autos but you really had to squeeze in for the 30 seconds Charles signed and I didn't want to damage my litho. But fortunately, an SCN friend went with me and he was able to get two of my cards done while I backed away. Also picked up a Kenny Smith rookie. Here's how that show works...it's exactly the same off the air as on. When they cut to commercial they just keep going with the conversation. Really cool. Glad I went.

Thursday: Went out to the Humana Challenge in Palm Springs because Dr J, Greg Norman and Bill Clinton were playing in the golf tournament. I was also really trying hard to get 2008 US Amateur champion Danny Lee. He hasn't played in the US very much since his win. No luck with Clinton (never saw him). I asked Dr j to sign my rookie and he was nice enough. Tried to talk to him about UMass (my dad was there at the same time). He clearly doesn't care about the basketball program there. I was a little bummed out that he gave the "Dr J" signature on a rookie instead of the full "Julius Dr. J Erving" one but for free you can't really have expectations. Saw him after the round and he did it to two more cards. Oh well. I'll check them off the list and try to add nicer ones later. Pretty stoked to add Lee and Norman though!

Friday: FINALLY cracked the 75% barrier on 1969 basketball. Now 75/99. Found a Happy Hairston (he's deceased) on eBay over the weekend and put in a big snipe. Only wound up paying $45 for it w/ shipping. I'm happy!

ADDED:
BASKETBALL
1986 and 1987 Fleer Charles Barkley (Now 33/132 - 25% on 86 Fleer)
1972 Topps, 1986 Fleer and 2010 SP Authentic Julius Erving
1969 Topps Happy Hairston
1988 Fleer Kenny "The Jet" Smith

HOCKEY
1968 and 1971 Topps Bert Marshall TTM (now 92/132 on 1971 Hockey - 69.7%)
1971 Topps Bob Pulford (ebay purchase. he personalized my TTM one. I prefer them w/o. Cost $10)
1968 and 1969 Topps Ken Wharram
Molson Export Yvan Cournoyer (took a shot at a 71 Topps TTM and this one came back. Oh well)

GOLF:
2008 US Amateur Champion Danny Lee - on '08 US Am Flag from Pinehurst
2 X major Champion Greg Norman - on Multi Flag w/ winners of Players Championship (I started a 2nd one)

Not a ton of returns this week. Tried to stem that for the next few weeks by sending out 25 requests or so. Here's what came back:

1968 and 1969 Topps Henri Richard
1969 and 1970 Topps Ken Hodge
1969 and 1971 Topps Derek Sanderson (replaces my smudged 71 Sanderson)
1969, 1970 and 1972 Carol Vadnais
1970 and 1974 Don Awrey

CURRENT HOCKEY SET QUESTS:
1969-70 Topps - 17/132 (12.88%) - 14 outstanding in mail or at signings
1970-71 Topps - 20/132 (15.15%) - 13 outstanding in mail or at signings
1971-72 Topps - 92/132 (69.70%) - 14 outstanding in mail or at signings

Not a ton this week but added:

BASKETBALL:
1971 and 1973 Topps Lee Davis (75/233 on 1971-72 Topps BKB - 32.2%) I now believe this sent will be impossible to even approach 200 on. Oh well.

HOCKEY:
1968 and 1969 Topps Ken Schinkel
1968 and 1969 Topps Jean Beliveau
1969/1970 Topps and 1971 OPC Brit Selby

1979 Sonics Media Guide - Lonnie Shelton (need to add Gus Williams, JJ Johnson and Paul Silas and I'll call it a day on this one)

Phil always signs for everyone. He's a great guy. He'll stay as long as it takes after his round to sign one per person. He won't sign before the round though.

Really exciting additions this week:

FB HOFer Willie Roaf RC

1971 Topps Hockey: Tony Featherstone (REALLY tough addition)
1971 and 1972 Topps Walt Tkaczuk
1970 Topps and 1971 OPC Wayne Carleton

NOW 98/132 on 1971-72 Topps Hockey

Also super excited at the next three additions. I sold some things this week so I could make an offer on these...which was accepted:

1969 Topps BKB Walt Hazzard (deceased)
1969 Topps BKB Adrian Smith (tough)
1969 Topps BKB Archie Clark (tough)

NOW 79/99 on 1969 Topps basketball. I'll never finish it but getting to 91-92 would be a win.

Nice couple days in the mail Usually I wait to post until Friday but I wanted to scan and put this stuff away!

Really pleased to have passed the 100 mark on 1971-72 Topps hockey. Of the 31 I'm now missing, 16 are alive. About 6 of them are impossible and I'll have to wait for the others to appear at signings.

I also foolishly decided to start the 2005 All American football set. I like torture.

ADDED
HOCKEY
1970 and 1972 Topps Yvan Cournoyer
1971 Topps Peter Mahovlich (added a Canada Cup Series card of his own)
1971 Topps Tom Williams (deceased! purchase from SCN member)
1969, 1972 and 1972 Topps Ted Harris
1970 Topps Larry Jeffrey
1969, 1972 and 1977 Topps Rod Seiling

BASKETBALL:
1971 and 1972 Topps Bill Hewitt

FOOTBALL:
1957 and 1958 Topps Duane Putnam
2005 Topps All American Bob Lilly
2005 Topps All American and 1986 Topps Marty Lyons

Already having a lot of fun collecting 2005 Topps All American. A few new ones today and hopefully more in the next few weeks since I sent out half the set TTM.

ADDED
FOOTBALL:
2005 Topps All American and 1986 Topps Ozzie Newsome
2005 Topps All American Dan Fouts
2005 Topps All American Mike Rozier
2005 Topps All American and 1973 Topps Dave Foley
2005 Topps All American Mike Montler (it's not him pictured and he refuses to sign the front of the card)
1958 Topps Gino Marchetti

HOCKEY
1969 Topps J.C. Tremblay (ebay purchased with some funds from eBay sales last week!). He died in 1994
1971 Topps Bernie Parent (now 102/132 - no more outstanding. 15 living / 15 deceased. Not finishable but fun)
1977 and 1978 Topps Don Marcotte

Haven't pulled the scanner out in a bit. Here's what's come back recently:

FOOTBALL:
2005 Topps AA John Jefferson
2005 Topps AA Tony Mandarich
2005 Topps AA Johnny Majors
2005 Topps AA Bubba Smith (eBay purchase / Passed Quick Opinion)
2005 Topps AA Wendell Davis
2005 Topps AA Chris Spielman
2005 Topps AA Chuck Long
2005 Topps AA Chuck Cecil
2005 Topps AA and 1959 Topps Alex Karras
2005 Topps AA John Cappelletti (also added his own card)

2005 Topps AA Certified: Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward - there's quite a bit of debate as to whether it's possible to have the regular card signed. Heyward was in a hospice when the set came out and hadn't signed TTM for awhile. He passed away shortly thereafter. Because I couldn't ever be certain that one that shows up on eBay was real, I figured I'd add the certified one as a permanent placeholder

HOCKEY
1969 and 1970 Topps Ron Stewart
1969 OPC and 1970 Topps Serge Savard
1969 Topps and 2 1972 Topps Bill White
1969 and 1970 Topps and 1971 OPC Bruce MacGregor

BASKETBALL
1972 and 1973 Topps Bob Weiss
1986 Fleer Mike Gminski
1971 Topps Cazzie Russell

Awesome 05 All American additions this week. The Dorsett is from a public appearance that an SCN member helped me with. The Van Pelt is eBay (he's deceased) and the rest are TTM

ADDED:
Football:
2005 Topps AA Alan Page
2005 Topps AA Tony Dorsett
2005 Topps AA Mel Renfro
2005 Topps AA Steve Spurrier
2005 Topps AA John David Crow
2005 Topps AA Bert Jones
2005 Topps AA Brad Van Pelt
1957 Topps Perry Jeter

BASKETBALL:
1986 Fleer Paul Pressey
2011-12 SP Authentic Corey Joseph

HOCKEY
1970-71 Topps Mike Laughton

OTHER
2009 Topps UFC Rampage Jackson

BASEBALLS
1997 ASG BALL: Sandy Alomar Jr (MVP): Now 22/33 on this set