Graphing Returns From Max

My good friend, Max, hooked me up with a ton of autographs recently, after I sent him a bunch of cards for this past season.  Max helps me move a bunch of stuff out of my boxes every year, and I get rewarded with adding a lot of them to my autograph album.  He and I have had this arrangement for a long time, and he is the person who really got me into switching from getting baseballs signed to cards.

The above 2022 Topps Diamondbacks team card is an orange shimmer parallel numbered 287/299 and Max got it signed by their manager, Torey Lovullo.

Max really came through by getting Bob Brenly on my 1987 Topps Giants leaders card and his base card.  Brenly has been a tough get for me, so crossing these two off of the list was very welcome.  Max told me that Brenly hadn't seen one of the Giants Leaders cards signed by Jim Barr in a long time, so that made me feel good about my project.

Most recently, Max hit me up for Diamondbacks cards, so I was able to fire off a package to him fairly quickly with guys he needed to refill in his autograph books.  He got some nice stuff back signed for me, like the above Geraldo Perdomo cards.  I don't see any Diamondbacks affiliates, so getting these kinds of cards signed can be tough.  This helped me move some stuff that has just been sitting for a while.

I had gotten Daulton Varsho TTM in the past, but I still had a ton of his cards.  I cleaned out most of them in the package to Max, but still got a lot back signed.  I love the 1989 Topps insert; I think those look awesome when signed.  I also love the gold foil 2022 Topps.

There was a good variety of stuff that Max sent back from his Diamondbacks graphing.  I was very happy to get the Jake McCarthy 1987 Topps Chrome mojo card back, as well as the Christian Walkers.  I liked Walker a lot when he was an Orioles prospect.  I am really glad he has stuck with a team in the majors, and has found some success.

Max also was able to get some Guardians cards signed for me, starting with a few Triston McKenzie cards that I had left in my box from when I saw him with Lynchburg.  I know I had a 2017 Bowman Ernie Clement in my autograph album already, so I am also keeping this one, since it was from Max.  I was also really happy that some of my Panini Mosaic cards that I picked up ended up being signed.  I lucked into some boxes of them from my distributor, and now I have some signed versions in my album.

As he always does, Max included some random cards that he either got for me or he has extras of.  I really enjoy these types of additions to any package.  I always try to include some signed cards for Max when I send him packages, and it seems like he enjoys the random stuff as much as I do.

I forgot how many of the shimmer cards I had sent out, but Max got a few of them taken care of for me.  The green Zach Plesac above is numbered 51/499.

I checked and it looks like Steve Lawson will keep me from finishing the above 1973 Topps, but I likely will go after Bob Reynolds.  Maybe I'll get lucky and Lawson will do a private signing sometime soon.  Max got the 2019 Topps Diamondbacks card signed by Luis Frias.  These team cards really come in handy when you see someone you don't have a card of.  Only problem is remembering who signed them.  Thankfully, Max remembered, and I was able to put a post it note on the back with the player's name.

I had gotten Johnny Barbato earlier this year when I went to High Point for a game.  Max came in and got Ben Gamel for me to finish the base and gold of these 201 Topps Update cards.  I was very happy that I had these at the ready to send out when he asked for Gamel.  I'm not usually that well prepared.

Max also got these three for me, by Chase DeJong (on a 2016 Bowman), Mitch Keller (on a 2017 Bowman Chrome mojo) and Ben Gamel (on a 2021 Topps Updare).  I am glad I don't have to run into the DeJong or Keller in my Bowman box anymore.  That is one of the fun parts of all of this.  It seems that Max has a knack of helping out with cards I see oftenin my boxes and think to myself "I need to get these signed and out of here..."

Finally, Max also whittled down the box of Frank Thomas cards I sent him when the former LCS around here closed.  I know I sent him a ton of Frank cards, and signings with him have tapered off a bit, from what Max has said.  I know Max has what would be a fortune's worth of Thomas cards, if he had to cough up the fees to get them all signed.  Still, he had a great assortment to choose from, now, and if Frank can be consistent in signing, Max will not need another Frank card for a while.

Max is and always will be one of my most trusted graphing partners.  He actually taught me about getting cards signed in the beginning, and I have always valued his friendship.  It amazes me that we have been able to keep this going for as long as we have.  It's a great arrangement, and it benefits the both of us.  As long as I have the ability, I am going to keep him loaded with the cards he needs.  He is going to keep helping me move stuff out of the boxes and the house.

Thank you, Max, for all that you do.  I cherish the stuff you help me with, and I look forward to next season, and many more seasons to come.  Happy graphing, buddy!

A Few More Franks From Max

Max was home from school doing some online education, so I went ahead and bought a few more Franks off of him.  These are some pretty nice cards, especially the above 1992 Topps signed in silver Sharpie.

Max chose this 2012 Topps Gold Standard for me, since I couldn't decide on the fourth card out of my lot.  It was a very solid choice, I think.

Finally, here are a 2007 Topps Turkey Red, which always look great when signed, and a 2019 Topps silver pack mojo 1984 Chrome.  The chrome bubbled some.  I just sent a card like that to another Hall of Famer, and I really hope it doesn't come back bubbled, especially given the price I paid.  Fingers crossed on that.

Still, the cards are awesome, as always.  Max is a great guy, and I'm glad I'm able to buy a few of these off of him from time to time.  Thanks Max!

Max Hooks It Up With Even More Signed Franks

My good friend, Max, had another signing session with The Big Hurt, and I was again able to provide a bunch of cards to get signed.  When it came time to claim some of the cards, I got back some nice ones that I sent and the above 1994 Collectors Choice that I wish I could have found and sent.  For whatever reason, I like these cards, and have been wanting to get at least one of them in my autograph album.  I now have one, and it looks really cool.

This 2017 Topps 87 Chrome turned out pretty well.  I love the silver pack cards and am glad to add this one to my album.

Here are the other cards that I got from Max this time around.  The 1994 Topps Black Gold (top right) is one I was really glad to be able to get signed, as it has just sat in my box for probably 25 years.

Thanks, as always, Max!  The cards are great and look awesome in my album!

More Signed Franks From Max

I went ahead and picked up a few more signed Franks out of Max's stash that he has built up.  The cards that I got this time around were the above 1994 Upper Deck Home Field Advantage, the 1996 Topps Gallery below and the 2007 Topps Trading Places.

I also picked up a few extras, so I could spread around some love.  I hope the folks I sent them off to enjoy them as much as I do!  Thanks, as always, Max.

Max Hits it Big

To say that 2020 has been a terrible year for graphing would be an understatement.  I have had almost zero opportunities to graph and get cards signed via 50/50s.  When my friend, Max, messaged me asking me for every Frank Thomas card that I could find, that awoke the 50/50 fire in me that had been dormant for the year.

I went through all of my boxes of cards and pulled every Thomas that I could get my hands on.  I came away with 75 cards, and Max was really happy with the results.  The cards were expedited to him, and he took them to a signing that he was attending.  Max ended up hooking me up with some of the cards I searched for, so I could add them to my album.

The best part is that a few of them actually came from my mom's collection that she had given me in an old tin cigar box.  The cigar box had a bunch of 90s cards, and Thomas was in there quite a bit.  The above 1995 Collectors Choice What's The Call card was my favorite one out of the whole bunch.  If I only had one card to choose from to take back, it would have been this one.  I was really glad to get it signed.

Max was very gracious in the cards he let me pick from.  There were a bunch of great ones, but I was allowed to get some of the best ones in the bunch.  The 1997 Topps (above, top) was the lone Topps base card that I chose.  I definitely loved the 1997 Upper Deck Define The Game (above, middle) and the 1997 Upper Deck Home Run Heroes (above, bottom).

I don't remember where the 97 Ultra Big Shots (left) came from, but it was a really awesome card.  The 1995 Stadium Club Statistical Extreme card came out of Mom's box, and just looks really great signed.  Finally, the 2017 Topps 87 insert had to come back to me, because it is the 87 design.

I'm really happy with how all of the cards came out, but I'm even happier that Max thought of me when he needed to get some Thomas cards fast.  He went above and beyond in hooking me up, and I always appreciate how we have our deals set up.  Thank you so much for thinking of me, Max!

Another TTM Success From The Original Frank Thomas

I sent off this 1992 Action Packed card, along with the $5.00 fee to get another Frank Thomas autograph for my collection.  I had mailed to him a few years ago, and in addition to the cards I got signed, I paid for a couple signed photos, as well.  He was surprised at the time that I didn't request the signed photo from when he was part of a 4-home run succession feat accomplished by the Milwaukee Braves in 1961.  I kept meaning to pick it up and kept putting it off.

I finally got around to sending to him again, and made sure to let him know that I was including $20.00 for the signed photo.  He included the signed custom card above, and sent the signed photo (below) separately.

Thomas signed and inscribed the photo as follows:

On June 8, 1961, I made baseball history when I hit the 4th home run in succession in one inning by these 4 Milwaukee Braves players.  First time this feat has ever been done in Major League Baseball.  Frank Thomas The Original One.

I just realized that today is the anniversary of the feat, which occurred 59-years ago today.  Funny how that worked out.  The four players are:  Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas.

Finally, Thomas included a hand written note, as always, which reads:

Dear William,
Enclosed is the collectable picture that you ordered.  The kids where the money goes, I thank you for them.  I've enclosed my card with my address and phone number so when you get the picture, call me and let me know you received it.  If I don't answer, just leave your name and phone number and I will call you back, ok?

Sincerely,

Frank Thomas
The Original One
1951-1966

I did call Thomas, and he picked up.  It was just a brief conversation letting him know the photo came, and that I liked it.  It was very quick and to the point.  Still, he is a really nice guy.

I wrote to Thomas on April 20 and got the cards back on April 30, for a 10-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card and also $20 for the photo.

Trade With Joey - Vintage and More In An Easy Deal

I got a nice package of stuff in the mail the other day from my good friend, Joey.  I sent him a bunch of Red Sox cards and a Phil Niekro Sweet Spot bat auto.  In return, Joey sent me a stack of vintage stuff (mostly Bowman) that he had. This 1955 Billy Pierce might be the best card in the bunch.  I took it out of the top loader and was amazed at the shape that the card was in.  There was still a great deal of gloss on the card, and the edges and corners were really sharp.

This 1952 Bowman Gerry Staley is also in great shape.  I love the '52 design.  Once I finish my 1948 Bowman set, I may consider doing another one of their sets.  It will be really tough to decide which one, though.

This Joe Adcock card was a little rough, but still was really cool.  Adcock was a great player in his day, but is always overshadowed by his teammate, Eddie Mathews and later by Hank Aaron.  He had a really good career, clubbing 336 homers, but his other stats don't really stand out.  Doesn't matter, though, this is still a really awesome card.

Finally, I got this quad relic card from Joey pretty cheaply since there is a good bit of damage on the card.  It is a quad bat card of Thome, Thomas, Juan Gone and Delgado.  One of the guys on the card is already a Hall of Famer and another (Thome) will be.  The other two guys could make a case for themselves, but I highly doubt they ever get in.  Oh well.  It still is a really cool card.

Thanks for the deal, Joey!  I really appreciate it and I know we will do a bunch more in the future!

Instagram Trade With Caleb - Frank Thomas Game Used Bat Relic

I completed a trade recently with my friend, Caleb, when I sent him a multitude of Braves cards and in return he sent me this nice 2000 Upper Deck SP bat relic of Frank Thomas.  This is from the early stages of game used relics, and is a very nice card.  I agreed on it pretty fast when Caleb offered it in trade.  I wish I could remember what I sent him, I think it was an Evan Gattis card, but I forget.

In the package with this card was a few cards that Caleb sent along as a Christmas gift.  There were a few Orioles parallels in there, along with a diamond parallel from 2011 Topps of Sandy Koufax.

That actually wraps up the Christmas gifts that I got, well into January.  Thanks for the trade and gifts, Caleb!

Instagram Trade With Ethan

I completed a trade on Instagram with a kid named Ethan a while back that landed me a few Hall of Famer cards in exchange for some stuff that I don't even remember.  I should take better notes.  Anyway, the key to the trade was a few Frank Thomas cards, like the 1992 Donruss Diamond Kings card seen above.  These are still awesome cards and I was glad this was added to my pile.

The other big piece was this 1990 Topps Frank Thomas rookie card.  I think I have one around here somewhere, but who knows where I sat it, so I had Ethan throw it in the trade.

The card that started the trade was this numbered 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Brooks Robinson, which, surprisingly, I didn't have.  I had unnumbered ones, but none of these that were numbered to 99.  Weird, right?

Another weird thing was that Ethan kept saying that the card was damaged.  I see no damage to the card, so I don't know what he was referring to.  Oh well, the trade is complete and I like the cards.  That's all that matters.

Instagram/Youtube Trade With Jake

I have met a lot of interesting people while trading on Instagram since I started on there back in November.  A good many of them, I call friends.  Apparently, in my "just being me", I have earned a reputation as being one of the nicest traders on there.  I do my best, for sure, but I act on there the same way I act everywhere else, respectful, professional, friendly.  One of the guys I've met on there who has struck me as one of the most appreciative and genuine is a kid named Jake Ignaszewski.  He is primarily a YouTuber, but also does some trading on Instagram as well.  I traded with him before and got a Derek Jeter minor league card.  In return, I sent Jake some Red Sox and Astros cards, his favorite teams, along with a Bryce Harper RC (the original piece of my end of the deal).  Jake posted a really awesome YouTube video recap of the trade, which made me really happy.

So, I added Jake to my regular roster of trade partners and when he asked me for a couple Kris Bryant cards, I didn't hesitate to oblige him.  In return, he sent me some Orioles base cards from 2005 and the above 1991 Topps Frank Thomas second year card.  Jake mistakenly thought this was the Big Hurt's rookie card, but that card is 1990 Topps.  No big deal to me, I still like the card and am glad he sent it.

The monetary value of the card is probably far less than what I gave up, but that wasn't my reasoning behind making the deal in the first place.  Jake is a young guy who has a great enthusiasm for cards.  He might not be able to go out and buy cases of Topps, but the cards he has, he cherishes.  So, for me to be able to dip into my Bowman stash and give him a couple cards he was looking for, well, that was reward enough for me.

I really enjoy helping young folks grow their collections and I also enjoy being a mentor of sorts for them in the hobby.  I have been surprised by the amount of questions I get from people on a daily basis, from which sets to build, how to build sets, how to do TTM, who to send to TTM, etc.  I suppose you could call me a grizzled veteran of the hobby now, and I figure that's about right.  I started in 1990, stopped in 1996 and then started back up in 2005.  That makes about 15 years experience in the hobby, so I guess I know what I'm talking about from time to time.  I just enjoy helping people and making this hobby grow by providing a positive example, because, we all know there are bad elements in the hobby.  From certain card buyers who you see being used as the face of the hobby (you all know who I'm talking about) to some card/memorabilia shop owners who make you feel like you are inconveniencing them by setting foot in their stores, the hobby needs better people in it.

So, I appreciate Jake, and all of the other young folks I have met while trading on Instagram.  I feel like the hobby has a bright future.

Thanks for the trade, Jake, I know we will do many more.  Also, if anyone would like to check out Jake's YouTube, here is a link.

Maddux + Thomas = 98

Today's election of Frank Thomas (above) and Greg Maddux (below) pushed my total of Hall of Fame baseballs up to 98.  I figured Maddux and Thomas would get in, and among the other guys eligible between Jack Morris and Jeff Bagwell, I thought that Morris had an outside chance.  Now, since Jack Morris didn't get in on his 15th try, he will have to wait until at least 2016 to have a shot.  This is when he will be first eligible for the Veterans Committee.

Maddux was named on all but 16 ballots.  I can't believe that 16 people who claim to be writers with a knowledge of baseball would leave someone like Maddux off of their ballot.  I won't go into a rant about idiots who have the honor of a vote, yet, leave their ballot blank because "no one should be unanimous" but if I had the honor of a vote, I definitely would use it.

That being said, it doesn't matter.  Maddux, Thomas and Glavine are in and join Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa on a very crowded 2014 induction class.  I would love to be there to hear the speeches, but I doubt I will be able to attend a second year in a row.

I'm really happy to now be able to say that these three guys that I watched growing up are Hall of Famers.  I believe that next year's class has the potential to be almost as big, with Biggio seemingly on his way to enshrinement and the additions of Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez to next year's ballot.  We'll see, though.

Auction Winnings - Big Hurt

At some point, I will be able to move this baseball into my HOF collection, but as of right now, it will have to reside on a different shelf.  The ball is signed by Frank Thomas, future Hall of Famer and 2-time AL MVP.  I got the ball from Collect Auctions in an auction lot that actually contained 2 baseballs.

Thomas (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1990 to 2008 for the White Sox, A's and Blue Jays.  He had 2,468 career hits, 521 home runs and a .301 batting average.  Thomas was the 1993 and 1994 AL MVP.  His total of 521 home runs ties him for 18th all time with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams.

He was a member of the 2005 World Series champion White Sox, but an injury caused him to miss the playoffs.

Thomas will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this January and is likely to be elected on his first ballot.

Checking Out Another Card Shop

Chris and I were bored this morning and decided that after we ate some lunch, we would take a ride out to Kinston and check out a card shop we had heard about.  The shop is located in Vernon Park Mall in Kinston, which is about 30 minutes away from our house.  I didn't go there with any expectations as I have driven around to check out card shops in the past only to find that they either had closed down or didn't have much of anything to offer.  I remember when I came out here to Greenville 3 years ago, I was happy to see that an actual card shop was in town and was a great place to get most of what I needed.  The only drawback about the Greenville shop is that the shop owner has pretty much sold out of his vintage stuff.

The Kinston shop we went to today is a candy store/card shop.  Interesting combination.  They had plenty of supplies as well as a nice assortment of all kinds of cards.  I took my time looking through the boxes they had set up and found a few things for myself and a couple cards for Chris.  They also had a nice selection of vintage Topps from 1955 to 1970.

I found the above Pineda/Britton dual relic in a 3/$10.00 box.  Since I didn't get 3 cards out of it, it ended up costing me $4.00, which still wasn't bad.  They had a lot of Team USA relics which I know a certain blogger would like.  I also found a nice vintage Yankee card for my buddy Drew.  I just wish there was a nice vintage Red Sox card for Scott.

 They had a box of $0.50 stars, and I was fairly sure I didn't have this Cal Ripken.  I went ahead and picked it up.

 Chris and I also bought 90s junk wax, he got a pack of 1991 Leaf for $0.50 and I got a pack of 1994 Studio for $1.00.  The Barry Larkin and Frank Thomas cards pictured are trade bait if anyone would like them.

In all, I was very satisfied with the shop.  The shopkeeper was a really nice guy who was patient with Chris and I as we searched his boxes.  Chris was able to come away with two Tim Lincecums that he didn't already have.  I also bought him a new baseball card album and a box of 100 sheets.  He and I are going to take his Lincecum cards and are going to put all of them together in one album.

My Son Gave Me Some Minor League Cards

At our last card show in December, as we were leaving on the final day, one of the few vendors remaining gave my son a box of minor league cards from the early 90s.

Chris and I weren't expecting much, as many of the packs had been busted.  Several had been opened, so I figured that whomever had the box got the card they wanted out of the box and left the rest to anyone who took it.  I was surprised at some of the cards that Chris and I pulled.

The card that I thought would definitely be gone was, in fact, in one of the unopened packs.  Here, you see a minor league card of Big Hurt.  Frank Thomas is a definite Hall of Famer, and pulling this card from a pack was a nice surprise for Chris and I.  Well, more for me, because Chris didn't know who Frank Thomas was.

 Another good card was this Jeff Bagwell.  Like Frank Thomas, I think it is a matter of time before Bagwell gets into the Hall.  Many people forget that he was once a Red Sox prospect.

 I got a couple Orioles, the highlight being this Chris Hoiles card.  I have met Hoiles on several different occasions and he has always been awesome.

Another former Oriole is Curt Schilling.  Another possible Hall of Famer, too.  I wonder how Schilling's career would have gone if he had remained an Oriole instead of being shipped to the Astros in the ill-fated Glenn Davis trade.  Yuck.

So, I will put these cards aside to one day give back to Chris.  They were a nice product to open a while ago on a rainy Sunday.  He sure enjoyed it.