TTM Success - Todd Zeile

This TTM success from Todd Zeile was one I was really excited about.  He was someone I grew up watching and hadn't seemed to.be someone who signed a whole lot.  Then, I saw some successes from him and realized he had been signing a good bit recently.  A couple trips through some boxes yielded a few nice cards, and I sent them along.  The above 1994 Topps turned out great.  Any time I can add a 94 to the album, I'm going to take it.  It is an underrated and underrepresented set in my autograph album. 

I also got this nice horizontal 2003 Topps done.  It turned out nicely.

I sent several other Zeile cards, including a 1990 Topps, 1993 Bowman, 1996 Pinnacle and 1990 Bowman.  All of them will look great in my album. 

Zeile (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1989 to 2004 for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, Rockies, Yankees and Expos.  He had 2,004 hits, 253 home runs and a .265 batting average.  He appeared in the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.

I mailed to Zeile on September 30 and got the cards back on January 29, for a 121-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Larry Walker

Back in 2018, when I sent TTM to Larry Walker the first time, he had yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  This time around, I can say that I got a TTM success from Hall of Famer, Larry Walker.  He even inscribed it on my card.

I've had this 1996 Pinnacle Power card since 96, probably.  I kept seeing it in boxes, and finally transferred it to my TTM box.  I thought it would look really cool in my album.  This is just a really cool looking card, and I was glad that I finally was able to get it signed.

I mailed to Walker on July 9, 2020, and got the card back on June 24 2021, for a 350-day TAT.  It almost took a year, but the wait was well worth it.

TTM Success - Chad Curtis

More mid-90s junk was era cards have been removed from my boxes and transferred to my autograph album with this TTM success from Chad Curtis.  He signed my 1996 Pinnacle, which came from a wax box that I busted way back when I was in Illinois for Andrew's graduation (seems like a long time ago, now).

I also got a 1995 Collectors Choice SE and a 1995 Leaf signed.  I busted a lot of 1995 Leaf while searching for Statistical Standouts inserts, and still find the loose cards among stuff here at the house.

Curtis (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1992 to 2001 for the Angels, Tigers, Dodgers, Indians, Yankees and Rangers.  He had 1,061 hits, 101 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He won the World Series 1998 and 1999 with the Yankees.

I mailed to Curtis on May 10 and got the cards back on May 22, for a 12-day TAT.  He signed 3 of 5, keeping 2 of the other cards.

TTM Success - Keith Lockhart

I added an assortment of cards to my album with this TTM success from Keith Lockhart.

The above 1996 Pinnacle came out of a box that I got when I visited Andrew for his graduation several years ago.  I have been able to get some of the cards that I got on that trip signed, which is really nice.

The 1997 Score and 1990 CMC AAA card (left and right) both came out of boxes that my mom gave me, and the 2001 Topps in the middle was from another box I got while with Andrew.

Lockhart (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1994 to 2003 for the Padres, Royals and Braves.  He had 591 hits, 44 home runs and a .262 batting average.

I mailed to Lockhart on January 14, 2019 and got the cards back on March 21, 2020, for a 432-day TAT.

2019 National VIP Free Signer - Ryan Klesko

The first free signer of the National was at the VIP party, Ryan Klesko.  He was listed as a "free signer", so anyone could get him once the show opened to the public after the VIP party.  I got him at the party, and probably could have gotten him on the rest of the cards that I brought, but I was too excited to look at everything at the show.  So, I just settled on the three cards that I had at the party.

I feel like the cards that I chose were all really good choices, and will look cool in my album.  I especially like the 2004 Heritage, as it is the same design as 1955 Topps.  The card on the left is a 1996 Topps Gallery and the one on the right is a 1996 Pinnacle.

Klesko (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1992 to 2007 for the Braves, Padres and Giants.  He had 1,564 hits, 278 home runs and a .279 batting average.  He was an All Star in 2001 and won the World Series with the Braves in 1995.

He appeared on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, but received no votes.  He was really nice when we met him, and seemed genuinely happy to be there.

TTM Success - Matt Williams

This was a TTM request that I had high hopes for, and I ended up with a nice success.  The autographs from Matt Williams didn't turn out like I had hoped, but the cards are still signed, and they have moved from being buried in my TTM box to my autograph album.  I can't complain a whole lot about that.  This 1996 Pinnacle Essence of the Game is an acetate card, and it looks a lot better in person.  I had prepped the card, but I think Williams used an old Sharpie on it.

This 1994 Fleer Ultra Homerun King card also looks a lot better in person.  I had this card floating around several piles of cards in my office/card room.  It seemed to be jumping out at me every time that I looked through cards, so I finally put it aside in my TTM box and ended up including it with my TTM request.  I am actually really happy to see this one make its way into my autograph album.

Williams (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1987 to 2003 for the Giants, Indians and Diamondbacks.  He had 1,878 hits, 378 home runs and a .268 batting average.  He was an All Star five times (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999).  He led the NL in home runs in the strike-shortened 1994 season with 43 homers.  He was a four-time gold glover and a four-time silver slugger.  His best MVP finish was 2nd (NL), in 1994 (to Jeff Bagwell).  He won the World Series in 2001 with the Diamondbacks.  Williams appeared on the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot, but only received 1.3% of the vote.

I mailed to Williams on February 15 via A's Spring Training and got the cards back on February 25, for a 10-day TAT.

On a personal note, Williams was a huge name in our house back in the 90s.  My older brother, Philip, was a huge Giants fan.  He loved Will Clark and Matt Williams.  Maybe Philip will send some cards off on his own and get back a few autos.  Maybe?

Another TTM Success From Andre Dawson

My quest for signed 1987 Topps has led me back to a few players who I got TTM years ago when I was sending out baseballs.  One of those players is Andre Dawson.  Knowing what I know now, I probably should have done cards all along.  It is so much cheaper to send a few cards than it is to send baseballs.  Add in the fact that back then, I was sending out the cheap Target balls, and a good many of them have failed to hold autographs over the last eight years.  Oh well, you live and learn.

Dawson charges $10/card, so I sent a check for $40 and these 4 cards.  I was almost set at three, but I liked the 1996 Pinnacle Zenith (top of page) so much, I added it in.  I started off with the 1987 Topps, but I wanted to get a 96 in the album, since I have very few of those.  I also loved the Expos uniform and hat on the 1981, so that one had to be sent out as well.  In the end, I think I did well.

Dawson (b. 1954) played in the majors from 1976 to 1996 for the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins.  He had 2,774 hits, 438 home runs and a .279 batting average.  He was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NL MVP.  He was an 8-time Gold Glove Award winner (1980-1985, 1987 and 1988) and an 8-time All Star (1981-1983 and 1987-1991).  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010 (his 9th ballot) when he received 77.9% of the vote.

I mailed to Dawson on January 2 and got the cards back on February 2, for a 31-day TAT.

TTM Success - Hal Morris

This success from Hal Morris turned out really nice.  Especially the above 1997 Flair Showcase.  The card scanned really well, with all of the glitter in the card really showing up.

These 1996 Pinnacle Museum parallels also look really nice when they are signed.  The cards don't really stand up all that well to time, as some of them, the foil will begin to peel.

Finally, here are the two other cards, a 1997 Finest Competitors and a 1994 Studio.  Both of these turned out really great.  I enjoyed each of the cards that I had sent Morris.  Each of them was a really nice example to put into my album.

Morris (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1988 to 2000 for the Yankees, Reds, Royals and Tigers.  He had 1,216 hits, 76 home runs and a .304 batting average.  He finished third in the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year voting, and 15th in the 1994 NL MVP voting.  He won the World Series in 1990 with the Reds.  Morris appeared on the 2006 Hall of Fame ballot and received 1.0% of the vote.

I mailed to Morris on February 9 and got the cards back on May 2, for an 89-day TAT.

Tons of Mail From Alex

I got a couple huge packages from my buddy Alex from the blog "Chavez Ravining" which contained a ton of Orioles.  Inside were scores of cards I needed for various PCs.  One of which I really wanted to highlight was the above 2014 Donruss Diamond Kings Chris Davis.  The card looks awesome.  It is numbered 388/400.  I think it looks awesome, especially with the metallic finish and the red, white and blue.

I had hoped the hologram on this one would have scanned a little better, but oh well, it's still cool.  I'm not sure whether I had this Denny's Cal Ripken hologram yet, but I'll find out sooner or later when I go to organize my Cal cards.  It's on my bucket list, you know, organize my Cal cards before I die.  We'll see if I ever accomplish that goal.

Anyway, thanks for the cards, Alex.  You've fast become quite a good trade partner for me and I really appreciate it.  Keep up the awesome work on your blog and let's keep the trades coming!