Billy Williams Grand Slam Print

I received this print a couple days ago but forgot to mention it in my post.

Billy Williams signed his Grand Slam print at a mail-in signing.  He signed right where I asked (via sticky notes).

I wish I knew how large a player was going to sign before requesting a location.  If he had signed this in the size he would sign a card, it might have gotten lost in the picture.  On a couple of these, I've asked the player to sign in the white area to one side, and they signed very large so just the end of their signature overlapped the image.  Had I known, I would have requested that they sign across the body.

For example,

Billy Williams is a pretty streaky/spotty signer through the mail.  He has a 71% success rate on SCN.  It appears that if he isn't going to sign, he will RTS the letter, so you won't lose your card(s) or money.  There is no set fee, but $20 per card seems to work. I am 1 for 2 with him.  In 2024, I received my money and card back, but the card got pretty beat up in the mail.

I tried again in March of this year, and he signed a 1963 Topps for $20 in a little under two months.  I don't think I'm missing him in any of the sets I am serious about, but I may try to find a card from the 60's that I like, and give him another shot.

A Couple Purchases and a Mike Schmidt Rookie Card Signing Return

Last month I missed out on getting my Johnny Bench rookie card signed when the Post Office decided to take 13 days to get my cards from Minnesota to Illinois, when it normally takes 4.  I didn't procrastinate sending either, I sent it the day after I received it from eBay.

Anyway, about the same time, I sent this 1973 Topps rookie card for Mike Schmidt to sign. I plan on leaving just Schmidt's signature on the card.  The card was graded 3 by Beckett, the grade level I look for on expensive, vintage cards, depending on the flaws.  This one is pretty nicely centered, which can be tough to find.  I passed on higher grade cards that were not centered as well.  This was the most I've paid for a signed card when adding both the price of the card and the signing fee.  

I've mentioned this before, a lot, but I'm spending a lot of money on signatures that I know I'll regret not having if I don't get them done before the players pass away.  Mike Schmidt is 76 years old, which isn't that old these days and could be with us for a couple decades.  But, we've seen players that receive bad health news and are no longer with us after just a few months after that.  You never know.  Also, the prices aren't getting any cheaper, and the signed card will only go up in value once the player passes away, so trying to buy them later will cost more.

I bought a Hall of Fame plaque postcard signed by Joe Mauer from Fan HQ's Cyber Monday sale.  It's also Beckett Witness authenticated.  

I decided to make sure I have all the Twins Hall of Fame players on their postcards and realized I don't even have Harmon Killebrew's!  How embarrassing.  I'll need to right that wrong soon.  I'm also missing Kirby Puckett and Tony Oliva.

But I do have Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Jim Kaat, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield.  I suppose Winfield and Molitor don't technically count because they aren't wearing Twins gear on their plaque, but they were also born in Minnesota so that helps I guess.

Steve Carlton, Jim Thome and David Ortiz don't count since they didn't play with the team long enough according to my own rules for such things that I'm making up on the fly as I write this.

I bought three more signed Twins cards from Main Line Autographs via eBay, but also have an order on the way that I purchased directly on their web site.

I didn't yet have a Dave Boswell card, despite him having played for the Twins for the second half of the '60's, so I bought this poorly-centered 1969 Topps with a nice blue sharpie signature.

Jimmie Hall's 71% success rate on SCN seems more optimistic than the reality of getting a return from him.  His returns are spotty, especially in the last few years, and he often takes a very long time to respond.  There are at least a couple returns that took over six years posted, and many over three years.

I am just one for three sending to him.  The one success I had with him back in 2009 took just 31 days and he signed and returned the extra 1965 Topps I had enclosed for him as well as a 1969 Topps.

In 2021, I sent him a 1964 Western Oil Nicholas Volpe print and a $20 check.  I never heard back.  I usually send cash, but I didn't want to risk losing $20 on an unlikely request. About two years ago, I sent two cards and $10 cash to sign a 1964 and 1966 Topps.  I appear to have lost that $10 and have since purchased the 1964 Topps and now this 66 Topps.

Finally, a bought a 1966 Topps of former-Twin player and manager, Frank Quilici.  He was a good signer before he passed away and I wish I had sent to him more often.  

I met him once at the 2007 Twins Autograph Party when it was held at the Metrodome, and he signed his bobblehead from the 40th Anniversary of the 1965 World Series team set.

Dalrymple and Dyer TTM Returns - Kurt Suzuki Signing Return and a Julio Rodriguez Purchase

Clay Dalrymple signed his 1967 Topps for me, as well as a 1963 Checklist card.  Unfortunately, it appears he didn't see Dave Giusti's signature on the checklist and he signed right over it.

Duffy Dyer signed a couple 1971 Topps and a 1972 Topps Buy Back as well as a Ron Lewis postcard of the 1969 Mets.

I sent a couple Topps Heritage cards in to a Kurt Suzuki signing before it was announced he was the new Manager of the Angels.  I wonder if he'll sign via Spring Training this season.

Finally, I impulse bought three copies of Julio Rodríguez's 2022 Topps Heritage from Mill Creek's Holiday sale.  It seemed cheap and maybe a good investment.

Dick Stigman and Dick Woodson TTM Returns

I had a failure today from Jack Warner.  There are two Jack Warners that had 1965 Topps rookie cards that they share with another player.  I sent to the wrong one.  Embarrassing.  It's very confusing because even though there are two distinct entries on SCN, people have confused them and noted the wrong address so it's difficult to figure out the correct address.  And the address in my Harvey list doesn't match any listed on SCN. 

Anyway, I did receive two nice returns today from a couple former Twins.  

Dick Stigman signed three of his cards and a 1966 Topps Twins team card nicely in blue sharpie.  Every return I 've received from Mr. Stigman over the last 20+ years has been in blue marker.  Sometimes it's a very fine point and the autograph doesn't always stand out, to be very picky, but these look great.

And Dick Woodson also signed four cards.  All four are Topps Buy Back versions of his cards from the 1970's.  He always signs very boldly, and these are no exception.

Four TTM Returns and a Couple Mail-In Signings

I had a pretty good day at the mailbox today. In addition to my autographs, I received two orders that combined for about 75 unsigned 1954 Topps. I've decided to try to complete an unsigned set and am about halfway there.  It will be a pretty low-grade set, in the VG, VG/EX range.

Paul Molitor signed his 1978 Topps rookie card for his $40 fee ($20 for non-rookies).  I had one already, but the card wasn't in great shape.  It's a really hard card to get in decent grade, as centering is often a problem, and many of them have the exact same printing issue along the red line at the bottom and into the words, "Rookie Shortstops".

Here's my previous one, which I got signed at TwinsFest 2011.

Jose Cardenal signed his 1967 and 1972 Topps.  The 72 is a nice upgrade to my previous one, which he signed in black.

Frank Tepedino signed his 1974 and 1975 Topps.  I sent this request in May of 2022!  When it didn't come back after a year or so, I sent another request in 2023 which came back eight months later in 2024.  This request, meanwhile, was still outstanding and took a total of just under 3.5 years. This was my 5th longest success.

And the ever-reliable Dave Giusti signed three cards for me in about two weeks.

I sent some cards in to a John Castino signing as well as a Fernando Arroyo signing.  They share a 1982 Twins leaders card, and was able to have the promoter get them both to sign it.  I received the other Arroyo cards I sent in, but not the other Castino cards yet.