Art Lopez Return

It looks like I forgot to post this return.  Art Lopez signed his 1965 Topps for me.  Apparently, this is a pretty tough signature to get, but his record on SCN is pretty good lately. I included $10 with my request.

Pat Darcy Two-Year Return and Baseball Purchases

I received one ttm return which had been outstanding for over two years.  Pat Darcy signed his 1975 and 1976 Topps for me.

I also received four baseballs I purchased from Tom Orr via Ebay.  All four are J.S.A. authenticated, including Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Paul Molitor and Vladimir Guerrero.  This is my first Guerrero autograph so I can check another Hall of Famer off my list.  His is the illegible one below.

Mill Creek Purchase - 1972 Topps Bob O'Brien

I think I made a mistake when I bought this card. I believe that I was thinking that Mr. O'Brien had passed away, but it's Mike Strahler that has passed.

I also just got this card back from Charlie Hough, with just his signature on it.

In 2022, I sent this card to Bob O'Brien already signed by the other two, but I never got it back.  I'm not sure I'm going to get this card completed unless my request to O'Brien comes back after 2-3 years of being out.

Dave Giusti TTM Return

It's been a very slow week, but I did get one return today.

Dave Giusti signed his 1966 Topps as well as 1971 and 1975 Pirates team cards.

I bought a whole bunch of unsigned 1971 Topps cards to fill holes in my "second" or "backup" set, despite needing about 50 cards for my primary set.  Those 50 cards are mostly Hall of Famers and high number cards.  The cards I bought were lower grade and almost all under a dollar, with a good chunk under 30 cents.

A Few TTM Returns and a Lot of Purchases

I was gone a few days so I'm catching up from Friday and Saturday.

Reggie Smith signed his 1968, 1971 and 1972 (In Action) Topps in care of J.D. Legends.  It took 40 days to get these back.  The 1968 Topps includes the Topps All Star Rookie trophy.

Frank Kreutzer signed his 1966 Topps and the 1966 Topps Senators team card.  His signature placement on the team card is odd, but maybe his vision isn't so great anymore.

And Jose Cardenal added another Topps All Star Rookie Trophy to my collection by signing his 1966 Topps.  Oddly, he signed it both horizontally and vertically.  Two for the price of one ($10)!

I bought a set of nine 1962 Topps from a fellow SCN member.

And last weekend I won a bunch of eBay auctions from Tom Orr, which are heavily weighted towards the 1980's.  I got interested in the 1982 set, so I added a few more from Mill Creek Sports, including the three Rod Carew cards.  I also purchased a complete, unsigned 1982 Topps set to send out ttm, along with my 1983, 1985, and 1987 set cards.  I haven't sent too many 1980's cards, but I'm running out of players that I need from previous decades.

Wayne Causey TTM Return

I received one nice ttm return today.  Wanye Causey signed his 1963, 1964 and 1965 Topps in blue sharpie, as well as a 1965 Athletics team card in ballpoint.

 

Yesterday's Four TTM Returns and Purchases

Today I didn't receive any ttm successes, but I did receive a nice, handwritten letter from Joan Speake, the wife of the late Bob Speake, who passed away last month.  She apologized for my cards not getting signed and let me know that Bob had passed away peacefully in his sleep from Covid-19, after struggling with his health for the last three years.  He was 94.  She included some of the typed letters he would include with his ttm returns and sent it all in her own envelope and postage, returning my unsigned cards and my sase.  

Yesterday I received four ttm successes.  

Danny Breeden signed his 1970 Topps.  I had intended to send a 1972 Cubs team card, but accidently sent that in my request to Charlie Hough, which thankfully, he didn't sign.

Charlie Hough did sign the 1971 Dodgers team card and his 1972, 1974 and 1977 Topps.

Roger Repoz signed his 1966 and 1971 Topps along with the 1971 and 1972 Angels team cards.

And finally, Camilo Pascual signed his 1955, 1959 and 1960 Topps cards as well as the 1963 Twins team card which now has nine signatures.

I bought a few cards from PastPros, who had a sale a little while ago.  I bought 1971 Topps cards of Cesar Cedeno, Rico Carty and Mike Torrez and a 1973 Topps Boog Powell.  These cards helped fill some holes in my sets.

I've also been working on completing an unsigned 1971 Topps set.  I'm about 50 cards short, mostly the high number cards which I've been trying to add slowly when I see some good deals.  The set is mostly lower grade.  I also have a duplicate set which is getting quite large.  I'm tempted to go fill in the holes in that set where I can find cards for $1 or less, but then I'm really just trying to complete two sets, and do I really need to do that?  Probably.

It's one of my favorite sets since it is from my childhood, and I had a few of them while growing up.  I was only four when the set came out, but I bought a bunch of them at a garage sale when I was a kid from a house a block away that had some older boys.  That lot included a Nolan Ryan, which I finally got signed a few years ago.

That lot from the garage sale also included some cards from 1973, including Pete Rose and a couple Roberto Clemente.  They were the only cards I owned at that time that had any value according to the price guides of the day, so I treasured them as if they were gold.