I try to avoid skipping days of logging my returns, because I can fall behind very quickly. I like to keep my blog up to date so readers continue to come back. Who like landing on a blog that hasn't been updated in months? Those blogs very quickly fall off my reading list.
In addition to this blog, I really need to keep up with logging my returns and purchases on my web site and on SCN, so I keep up with the accuracy of my request/return records. If I fall behind more than a couple of days, it can be a lot of work to catch up.
While I logged yesterday's additions to my collection (https://www.thedroidtrader.com/, I forgot to update this blog.
Gary Bell signed his 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1969 Topps. The 66 is new to my collection, while the others are nice upgrades signed in blue. I hadn't sent the 66 before simply because it's a high number card and relatively expensive compared to other, similar players in the set. I decided to add it to my collection to complete Mr. Bell's Topps run, (1959 - 1969).
Wes Stock signed his 1961 and 1962 Topps as well as the 1963 Orioles team card.
I also received a return of 10 cards from a Leo (Chico) Cardenas mail-in signing. This signing charged a couple dollars per card more than his normal ttm fee, but I was happy to get some promoter oversight to help get these signed in a nice pen and in a good spot, and to get a bunch done all at once instead of breaking it up into 3 or 4 separate requests. I had a bad experience in a previous mail-in signing where his signature looked pretty bad, probably from being tired from signing so many at once. I was a little worried about that with this signing, but I think they all turned out very nice, including Twins team cards from 1970, 1971 and 1972. This completes his Topps run in my collection (1960 - 1976). He didn't have a card in the 1974 set for some reason.
Today, I received two ttm returns.
Galen Cisco signed the 1973 K.C. Royals Manager/Coaches card already signed by Manager Jack McKeon. He also signed 1963 and 1965 Mets team cards. This is volume ii for the 1965 Mets card as the first one got pretty filled up.
Twin's infielder and generous ttm autograph signer Jose Miranda signed his 2022 and 2023 Topps Heritage cards as well as his 2022 Allen & Ginter. I'm only complaining a little when I note that all four of my requests were returned signed in black sharpie. There aren't many current players this consistently generous, with the possible exception of another Twin: Royce Lewis.
As I watch the returns coming in from spring training on an SCN thread, the Twins seem to stand out as a generous team, thanks in large part to Miranda and Lewis, but a few others as well.
I am now 5 for 25 with my spring training requests. I think there are two or three requests that could still come back during the season or next year, but many of my requests, all current and former-Twins, were longshots such as Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, Miguel Sano, etc.
I received a few cards I purchased from a fellow SCN member, including a 1949 Bowman Frank Gustine, a 1950 Bowman Walker Cooper and a 1975 Topps signed by Dick Groat.
Finally, I purchased a lot of Twins pictures and programs on Ebay which included this signed Jack Morris photo.
I mainly purchased this lot for the 1965 Twins/Dodgers World Series program, which is the home version for the Twins. It's in better condition than I thought it would be based on the pictures. I will probably send this out for at least one signature. I'll do some more reading before deciding who to have sign it. Maybe a pitcher that won a home game? Or a player with a standout hit or defensive play. I guess if I can't decide, I may go for multiple signatures, but I'd want at least five signatures as a goal or else I think it will look better with just a single, prominent signature.
One odd ad in the World Series program is for Duff's (any Simpson's fans?), a restaurant/bar, which is upside down. This has to be on purpose, right? The image loaded upside for some reason, with the upside-down ad for Duff's appearing upside right, but as you page through the physical program, the Duff's ad page is the only one that is upside-down.
(You can click on each image below to open a larger, more detailed image).
The price I paid for the lot was about 10% - 15% higher than what I would have had to pay for the World Series Program alone. So, this means I got the Morris signature and the first two yearbooks in Twins' history pretty cheaply. The yearbooks are fun to look through and see the blurb about each player. I also like the ads for the local businesses. There are surprisingly few ads that are for national brands, and those include cars and beer mostly.
Inside the 1961 yearbook was this postcard for the Cloverleaf Motel in South Minneapolis. The cars in the photo appear to be from the 50's. When I tried to search for this motel, to see if it happened to still exist in some form, I only came up with ads selling postcards such as this one!
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