Reds Caravan 50/50 Return From Kaleb and Josh

My friends Kaleb and Josh went to Reds Caravan last weekend and got me some autographs.  The above 1987 Topps Eric Davis was actually something Kaleb had extra from a Reds Caravan from years past.  I actually had provided him this card to get signed, before I was working on the 1987 set, and before I was doing 50/50s with people.

Kaleb had a bunch of stuff that he wanted to get signed, so he had my friend, Josh, get my cards signed, which was really nice.  The above 2016 Heritage Minors Lucas Sims was one I had left over from my trip to Louisville last year.  I'm glad it finally got signed.

The Aristides Aquino was one I found recently at my LCS, but it was the only card of him that I could find.

Thanks for getting these signed, Kaleb and Josh!

Lyon Richardson Consignment Autos From Parker

A kid named Parker saw me bust 2019 Bowman on my Instagram livestream and offered to get my Lyon Richardson cards signed.  I sent him the base card, which was the only one I had at the time, then I followed up with this Bowman Mojo refractor that I found later on in a Target Mega box.

The autos came out great, but since I only had one Richardson at a time, Parker agreed to take them as a consignment instead of a 50/50.  So, I sent him a couple signed 2018 Heritage Minors autos in exchange for him getting me these two cards.

A 50/50 would have meant that I send Parker 2 Richardsons, and he gets them signed, keeps one and sends the other back to me... you split 50/50.

A consignment works by either trading something or paying straight up for an auto.

TTM Success - Raisel Iglesias

I found these two cards at the National, and knew I would be able to get them signed TTM, so I picked them up.  Raisel Iglesias has been signing all season, so I knew these two cards would be good pickups out of a quarter box.

Both of them turned out great, and were prepped with baby powder before I mailed.

Iglesias (b. 1990) has played for the Reds since 2015.  He has a record of 14-28 with a 3.16 ERA and 443 strike outs.  He also has 96 saves.

I mailed to Iglesias via the Reds on August 14 and got the cards back on August 26, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sal Romano

I got this TTM success from Sal Romano via Reds Spring Training.  The cards look really nice with his signature on them.  The above 2018 Topps Update turned out really nice, I think.

This 2019 Topps also looks nice.  He did a really good job on the cards for me.

Romano (b. 1993) has played in the majors since 2017 with the Reds.  He has a record of 13-19 with 178 strike outs and a 4.99 ERA.  He was a 23rd round pick by the Reds in the 2011 June Amateur Draft out of a Connecticut high school.

I mailed to Romano on February 6 and got the cards back on March 4, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mike Siani

I added another prospect's autograph to my collection with this TTM success from Mike Siani.  I saw that he was signing when 2018 Bowman Draft came in, so I sent the two cards that I had.  They came back looking really nice.

This one was really cool.  I saw that Jonathan India was signing prior to Spring Training, but I didn't get this card out to him in time.  I may see if he is signing during the season and try to complete this dual.

Siani (b. 1999) was a 4th round pick by the Reds in the 2018 June Amateur Draft.  He played in 46 games in the Appalachian League (rookie level) and had 53 hits, 2 home runs and a .288 batting average.

I mailed to Siani on January 14 and got the cards back on February 22, for a 39-day TAT.

Some RedsFest 50/50s

It took him a while to send them back, but I got some nice 50/50s in the mail from a kid in Illinois who went to RedsFest.  He contacted me a while back about taking some stuff for this upcoming season, then we got to talking about RedsFest.  I had a ton of Buddy Bell stuff, so it was easy to get him a package together.

I was all excited because I would knock Bell off of my 87 list, except I realized that I picked him up at the National last year.  Oh well, I'll replace that one with this one, since it looks so nice.

I had a bunch of these Father/Son cards, both from 1985 (top) and 1976 (bottom).  I won't be able to get Gus on these cards, but still, it was nice to get some of them signed.

I actually received a TTM success from Sal Romano recently that had the 2018 Update in it (left), but I'll give that one to Chris for his album.

I had a bunch of Cody Reed cards that I had sat aside for when I saw Louisville play at Norfolk, so those were also easy to find and add to the mailer.

I was really glad to get all of these signed, and Andrew, the kid who did the 50/50 for me, got a bunch done for himself also.  He was upset that he forgot to mail the cards back, but it's all good.  Those things happen.

Thanks for taking the 50/50, Andrew!

RedsFest 50/50 From TTMGraphs

I love when other teams' fan fests come up.  Teams other than the Orioles have it where you can get a ton of stuff signed, and it helps me clear out some old stuff when folks send me their lists of cards that they need.  I helped out someone new this year, a kid with the handle TTMGraphs.  He went to RedsFest, and worked hard to knock two 1987 Topps off of my list.

He wasn't able to rack like some folks I know, but he did do well enough to where he was able to send a few other cards back my way.

Tom Hume was one of the players he was able to get for me, and this 1981 Topps is the result.  I have had a bunch of 81s for a while, so it was nice getting this one out of my box and into my album.

Even better was being able to get these two Chris Welsh out of my Donruss/Fleer box and getting them signed.  The Donruss/Fleer box is at the bottom of my tower of 5,000-count boxes, so it is hard to get into it on a regular basis.  Anytime I can ger cards out of it is good.

These are the two 1987s that he got signed for me.  I have Welsh out TTM, but if that one comes back, it'll be trade bait.

TTM Success - Ron Robinson

Another SCN private signing yielded me another 1987 Topps for my set, this time from Ron Robinson.  The card turned out really well.

Robinson (b. 1962) played in the majors from 1984 to 1992 for the Reds and Brewers.  He had a career record of 48-39 with 473 strike outs and a 3.63 ERA.

I mailed to the private signing on September 8 and got the card back on October 6, for a 28-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15.00.

TTM Success - Gary Nolan

I still am way behind on posting TTM successes, so here is the next one in line.  I used some 70s cards and sent to Gary Nolan.  I got 4 cards signed with the success.

Nolan has a nice signature, and it was pretty consistent across all of the cards I sent.

Nolan (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1967 to 1973 and 1975 to 1977 for the Reds and Angels.  He had a career record of 110-70 with 1,039 strike outs and a 3.08 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1972 and his best Cy Young finish was 5th that season.  He won the World Series with the Reds in 1975 and 1976.  He appeared on the 1983 Hall of Fame ballot, but didn't receive any votes.

I mailed to Nolan on August 30 and got the cards back on September 10, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bronson Arroyo

I was really excited to receive a TTM success from fellow Pearl Jam fan, Bronson Arroyo recently.  I had heard he was signing TTM, so I sent these two 2014 Topps, which turned out really great.

Arroyo (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2000 to 2014 and 2017 for the Pirates, Red Sox, Reds and Diamondbacks.  He had a career record of 148-137 with 1,571 strike outs and a 4.28 ERA.  He won the World Series in 2004 with the Red Sox.  He was an All Star in 2006 and his best Cy Young Award finish was 12th in 2010.  His best MVP finish was 23rd in 2006.

I mailed to Arroyo on May 23 and got the cards back on June 16, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Johnny Edwards

I robbed from my vintage box again with the cards I sent TTM to Johnny Edwards.  I'm glad I did, as the above 1965 Topps turned out really nicely.  He has a really good signature, and it shows up well on this card.

This 1973 Topps also looks great.  This was one of the many that I got from Conrad from Columbia in my May purchase.  I bought a ton of 1972 and 1973 Topps off of him, and used a bunch for TTMs.

Edwards (b. 1938) played in the majors from 1961 to 1974 for the Reds, Cardinals and Astros.  He had 1,106 hits, 81 home runs and a .242 batting average.  He was a three-time All Star (1963 through 1965) and a two-time Gold Glove Award winner.  He finished 36th in the 1969 NL MVP voting.  He appeared on the 1980 Hall of Fame ballot, but did not receive any votes.

I mailed to Edwards on May 29 and got the cards back on June 5, for a 7-day TAT.  He also included the below signed photos, which was a really nice touch.

2018 National Free Signer - Tom Browning

Another of the free signers at the National was someone else I needed for my 1987 set.  I had also picked up some other cards for Tom Browning that weren't 1987 Topps.  The above 1987 Topps All Star Glossy Mail-In actually was a pleasant surprise.  I powdered it before the show (with the 9-pound bottle of baby powder I picked up in a Cleveland grocery store), and it turned out really well.

I also got a 1991 Studio signed for my good friend, Jacob (it isn't pictured), and of course this 1987 Topps.

Browning (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1984 to 1995 for the Reds and Royals.  He had a career record of 123-90 with 1,000 strike outs and a 3.94 ERA.  He won 20 games in 1985, the season in which he also finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting (to Vince Coleman) and 6th in the NL Cy Young Voting (Dwight Gooden).  He was an All Star in 1991 and won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.  He appeared on the 2001 Hall of Fame ballot and received 0.2% of the vote.

2018 National VIP Signer - Jose Rijo

One of the free VIP signers during the 2018 National was Jose Rijo.  He was a pretty dominant pitcher when I was growing up, and I was happy to get his autograph on a few cards.

I was even happier that he was one of the signers there who was in the 1987 set, so this was another card I could knock off of my checklist.

Rijo (b. 1965) played in the majors from 1984 to 1995 and 2001 to 2002 for the A's and Reds.  He had a record of 116-91 with 1,606 strike outs and a 3.24 ERA.  He led the league in strike outs in 1993 (NL) with 227.  He won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.  His best finish in the Cy Young Award race was 4th in 1991.  He was an All Star in 1994 and finished 19th in the 1990 NL MVP voting.  He was the MVP of the aforementioned 1990 World Series when he went 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA.  He appeared on two Hall of Fame ballots (2001 and 2008) but only received a high of 0.2% of the vote.

TTM Success - Kal Daniels

Another private signing, another card knocked off of my 1987 set.  This time around, I got Kal Daniels, and it was actually with the same private signing as Dave Concepcion.

Daniels (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1986 to 1992 for the Reds, Dodgers and Cubs.  He had 666 hits, 104 home runs and a .285 batting average.  He finished 27th in the 1990 NL MVP voting.

I mailed to the private signing on April 18 and got the card back on May 10, for a 22-day TAT.

TTM Success - Dave Concepcion

I was really looking forward to this private signing for Dave Concepcion.  He doesn't sign TTM, so I knew I would have to send to him via a private signing or catch him at a show.  I saw the signing and jumped for it, even at $40/card.

Concepcion (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1970 to 1988 for the Reds.  He had 2,326 hits, 101 home runs and a .267 batting average.  He was a 9-time All Star (1973 and 1975 to 1982) and a 5-time Gold Glove Award winner (1974 through 1977 and 1979).  He was also a Silver Slugger in 1981 and 1982.  His best finish for the NL MVP award was 4th in 1981.  He won the World Series as part of the Big Red Machine in 1975 and 1976.  Concepcion appeared on 15 Hall of Fame ballots between 1994 and 2008, but could only muster a high of 16.2% of the vote.  I wonder if he gets a better shot at the Hall via the Veterans Committee now that Alan Trammell was elected this year.

I mailed to the private signing on April 6 and got the card back on May 10, for a 34-day TAT.

TTM Success - Vic Correll

The TTM successes kept on coming, and I keep on posting.  This one was from Vic Correll that saw me add three signed cards to my album.  I have a good many 1981 Topps in the album, so this one was a good addition.

I also was able to add his 1980 and 1979 Topps, which are shown above.

Correll (b. 1946) played in the majors in 1972 and from 1974 to 1980 for the Red Sox, Braves and Reds.  He had 259 hits, 29 home runs and a .229 batting average.

I mailed to Correll on April 11 and got the cards back on April 23, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kyle Waldrop

I added a couple cool recent cards wih this success from Kyle Waldrop.  I had hoped to be able to add a Diamond Kings to my album, and this one is pretty nice.  I mean, I have some older Donruss Diamond Kings, but this is a Panini.  I like the oil painting feel to these, and the signature turned out pretty nice.

I also added a 2015 Pro Debut.  I really enjoy Pro Debut, especially 2015.  They are nice cards, and I am glad I was finally able to put one in the album.  I always feel like I miss out when searching through the ones that I have.

Waldrop (b. 1991) played in the majors in 2015 and 2016 for the Reds.  He had 5 hits, no home runs and a .217 batting average.  He was granted Free Agency in November 2017, and has yet to sign anywhere.

I mailed to Waldrop on February 15 and got the cards back on March 2, for a 15-day TAT.

Autos From Max Part 2 - George Foster

Max picked up another auto for me while he was at his show in Chicago, George Foster.  I paid for this one, which was $25.00, I think.  I also raided my 1972 Topps set for this card, but I was glad to get it signed.

Foster (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1969 to 1986 for the Giants, Reds, Mets and White Sox.  He had 1,925 hits, 348 home runs and a .274 batting average.  He won the NL MVP Award in 1977, the season in which he hit 52 home runs.  He was also a 5-time All Star (1976 to 1979 and 1981) and won the World Series with the Reds in 1975 and 1976.

Foster appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot four times, but was only able to receive as much as 6.9% of the vote.

TTM Success - Dave Parker, again

I had gotten Dave Parker TTM way back in 2010 or 2011 on a ball.  Recently, I decided I would try to get as many 1987 Topps as I could, so I figured I would send these two cards off and try him again.  Since Parker has Parkinson's Disease, I wanted to get these out while he was still signing.  Rumor has it, he won't be signing for much longer.

Parker (b. 1951) played in the majors from 1973 to 1991 for the Pirates, Reds, A's, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays.  He had 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and a .290 batting average.  The 1978 NL MVP was also a 2-time batting champ (1977 and 1978).  He finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting 6 times and was an All Star 7 times (1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986 and 1990).  Parker was also a Gold Glove Award winner in 1977, 1978 and 1979 and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1985, 1986 and 1990.  Parker won the World Series with the Pirates in 1979 and the A's in 1989.

For some crazy reason, Dave Parker is not in the Hall of Fame.  Jim Rice is in with similar awards and similar stats.  Parker lasted 15 years on the ballot, the then maximum that anyone could remain on the ballot.  He only received at most 24.5% of the vote.  His last chance was in 2011, and he only received 15.3% of the vote that year, well short of the required 75%.  Now, Parker's only chance at the Hall is via the Veterans committee.  He will be eligible this December for the Veterans Committee vote, but with other popular players such as Alan Trammell, Jack Morris and Lou Whitaker on that ballot, it doesn't look like Parker will make it this time, either.

I mailed to Parker on October 26 and got the cards back on October 23 for a 7-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $20/card.

TTM Success - Billy Hatcher

This week has been really busy with the 4-game series against the Mudcats at Wood Ducks.  I have been getting home late every night, so I haven't had time to get caught up on the blog (story of my life).

I wanted to fire off a post really quickly on these cards that I got back from Billy Hatcher.  I mailed to him via the Reds on May 12 and got the cards back on July 24, for a 73-day TAT.

Hatcher (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1984 to 1995 for the Cubs, Astros, Pirates, Reds, Red Sox, Phillies and Rangers.  He had 1,146 hits, 54 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.