Pete Richert TTM Return and Dwain Anderson and Tommy John Purchases

The ttm returns are trickling in, which I like.  There's something in the mailbox most days, but not 10 returns that takes a long time to record and post about.

Today's trickle came from Pete Richert, who signed four cards for me.  He used the dreaded fine, black marker that easily smears, as shown on the 64 Topps.  The other three turned out okay, but I'm tempted to just throw away the 64.  Who would want it?  His signature isn't rare, so if you're looking to add it to your collection, this isn't a card you would choose.  But I suppose I'll just throw it in a card holder and throw it in the box with the rest of them and some day in 30 years my kids can decide what to do with it.

I'm finding myself sending out more requests that include a pen to try to avoid this.  I bought a box of blue Staedtlers which are kind of expensive at over $2 each.  Sharpies are great, of course, but can sometimes seem a bit thick.  It's also much more expensive to mail a request with a pen.  Rather than 73 cents each way in a regular envelope, I pay about $4.00 to $4.50.  That adds up quickly.  I've also had a couple players not use the sharpie that I included with my request for some reason.  Maybe they didn't see it until after they signed my cards?  Or maybe the sharpie itself is too large to use if they're older and have difficulty holding a pen.  That's why I tried the Staedtlers, which are smaller in diameter, very close to a regular pen or pencil.  I've also started trying to make the pen more visible, buy putting it in a regular envelope along with my letter, and putting that inside the bubble envelope.  I've also put a sticky note on the card on top of the stack asking them to use the enclosed pen.  We'll see if that helps or not.

I also received a purchase from Millcreek Sports today.  I bought a 1972 Topps signed by Dwain Anderson, who is deceased, and will send it off to Floethe to complete it.  I already have this card completed, but I couldn't resist the chance to get another one.  Dwain was a pretty reliable signer.  I'm not sure why I didn't also send hm his 1973 Topps when I send him his 72.  The 73 has the Topps All Star Rookie Trophy on it.

I also bought three Tommy John cards.  I am extremely confused about Tommy John autographs.  For a long time, I have read warnings that sending to a certain address would result in his ex-wife signing your cards and keeping the money.  But people continue to send to that address.  (Just like Joe Coleman, don't get me started on Joe Coleman).  I can't confirm this myself, as I never sent him a request ttm.

You can now send cards to his agent, who also represents Jim Kaat, and for $50, he'll sign your card.  He also has a signing coming up, where you can get a card signed for $129!

So, when I saw these cards at Millcreek, and compared the signature to certified examples and decided they looked legit, I bought them for about $8 each for the 1983 cards and about $13.50 for the 1982.  I am very confident in Millcreek Sports as well, but that doesn't mean that a card or two can't slip through, as with any seller.  I just can't wrap my head around the price differences.  I guess I can't see myself paying $129 unless I had some multi-player card that I needed him to complete, or some oddball card that would be nearly impossible to find already signed.  Both those reasons are exactly why I paid a lot for my recent Joe Torre cards.

I sent two of his cards to a signing in 2021 and at that time, I paid just $20 per card.  You can see that his signature was quite shaky at that time. So, these signatures were probably obtained quite a while ago.    I'm not sure why his signature is shaky.  I haven't heard about him having any type of health issues.  Perhaps it's just old age.  He'll be 82 in just two days.  Happy Birthday Mr. John! 

At the beginning of this year. I bought a Beckett-slabbed 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game signed by Tommy John.  The autograph was graded a 10.  I paid about $35 for this one.  Still considerably less than the fee through his agent, and it was slabbed as well.

He also has many versions of his signature, so that makes it even more difficult to determine if they're real or not.  Maybe I'll have one of these recent purchases authenticated.  Not that it passing Beckett or PSA proves 100% that it's real, but it's a more informed opinion than mine, and would make me feel better, as well as make the card more marketable if I ever decide to sell it.  Anyway, I'm happy to add another star player to my 1982 and 1983 sets.