Lee Smith Autographed Baseball

I received a purchase I made on the SCN boards yesterday.  I bought a baseball signed by Lee Smith with his Hall of Fame inscription from a signings promoter (Tom Orr) for less than his ttm signing fee, which included the ball as well.  So, probably about half of what I would have to pay if I paid retail for a ROMLB.

I've kind of given up trying to get all the Hall of Famers on baseballs, but at this price, I couldn't resist this one.  It's also Beckett in-person authenticated.

Another 1993 Nabisco Card - Brooks Robinson

This week I received another 1993 Nabisco card I purchased on Ebay.  This one is Brooks Robinson.  I paid almost exactly the same as if I had sent it to him ttm with his fee and postage both ways.

I have just two cards left to get from this set: Jim Catfish Hunter and Willie Stargell.  Neither are hard to come by, but I'm waiting to get a deal on them.

Frank Kostro TTM Return

I was wrong yesterday when I said I had probably received my last return of 2020.  Frank Kostro signed his 1963 and 1968 Topps for me in a little over three weeks.

Mr. Ruiz passed away, but the other two players on the 1963 Topps have been signing recently so I'll send it along to one of them next.

Bobby Pfeil Return

I received what I'm guessing is my last return for the year.

Bobby Pfeil signed his 1970 and 1972 Topps, as well as his Ron Lewis 1969 Mets postcard (which got a little smudged).

I'm starting to think about my goals for 2021.  I'm seeing so many of the players from the 1950's and 60's pass away which is really sad.  I'll probably focus on some more cards from the 1970's, but I'd really like to spend some more effort on getting some baseballs, magazines and other non-card items signed.

Bill Wynne Return and Don Drysdale Purchase

I received one through-the-mail return today from Bill Wynne, who signed his 1971 Topps for me.

I also received an Ebay purchase.  I added another 1993 Nabisco card to my collection.  This time, it's Don Drysdale.  Again, I'm amazed at how cheap these cards are.  I paid under $30 for this one, including shipping.

Danny Murphy TTM Return

Today I received a return from Danny Murphy, who signed his 1962 Topps in about two weeks. He also signed my letter.

Eddie Watt

One return today: Eddie (Ed) Watt signed his 1967, 1968, 1969 Topps and 1975 Topps mini for me in about 12 days.

Jim Gosger Return

 Jim Gosger signed his 1966, 1967 and 1970 Topps for me.

I only have about four requests out that I can reasonably expect to receive back by the end of the year.  Any returns other than those four will be a long shot or a return that took a few months to come back. Maybe I'll be surprised.

More Nabisco Cards - Bob Gibson and Jim Palmer

I received my Ebay order yesterday that contained two more signed Nabisco cards from 1994.  I paid just over $25 for the pair.  You can get a Palmer autograph for $10 ttm, so it's as if I paid $15 for the Gibson.

I think there were only the four cards in 1994: Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson and Duke Snider. 

Lou Piniella Return

I received a return today from Lou Piniella, who signed his 1971 Topps, 1972 Topps and 1972 Topps Boyhood Photos cards in a little over two weeks for $15.

Gil Garrido and Ted Kubiak Returns

I didn't receive the Nabisco cards I bought on Ebay.  They seem to be stuck at the post office about 30 miles from my house.  The mail has been a bit sketchy lately, and for that reason I'm going to hold off sending out more requests for a while.  Probably until the new year.

I did receive a couple returns today though.

Gil (Gill) Garrido signed his 1970, 1971 and 1972 Topps in about nine months.

And Ted Kubiak signed his 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1977 Topps.

Another Nabisco Hall of Famer - Frank Robinson

 Today I received an Ebay purchase of another signed Nabisco card.  This time, it's Frank Robinson on a 1994 Nabisco All Star Legends card.  I paid just over $14 for this, including tax and shipping.  I really don't understand why they're so cheap!  Obviously, they aren't in high demand, but I like them.  Most of his signed cards on Ebay start at about $50.

I also ordered the last two I need from this small set and hope they will be arriving tomorrow.

Al Fitzmorris and Jim Kern Returns

It's been a little slow lately, partly because my request-sending has really slowed down.  I've sent out a few here and there, so hopefully I get at least 2-3 returns per week.

I received two returns today:

Al Fitzmorris signed his 1971, 1972, 1976 and 1979 Topps for me.

And Jim Kern signed his 1978, 1979 and 1980 Topps.  He also included a business card for his outdoor guiding service.

Nabisco All Star Autographs - Ernie Banks, Phil Niekro and Duke Snider

 After posting about the Hillshire Farms cards I have in my collection, I started looking for other, similar cards.  I came across some Nabisco cards from the early 1990's and bought a few already.

I bought two from the 1993 All Star Autographs set, including Ernie Banks and Phil Niekro.  I paid about $15 for Banks and about $8.50 for Niekro.  With more patience, you can get them cheaper.

I also bought a 1994 Nabisco All Star Legends card of Duke Snider for about $11.50.  Not bad for a deceased Hall of Famer, like the Banks.  And the Niekro was less than his current signing fee.

One of the cards also came with an order form from Nabisco.   These cards were $5 each back then, along with a couple proofs of purchase from Nabisco products.  The Drysdale was already sold out.  I hope to get a Drysdale card as well.  They seem to go for about $30-$35, so I'm hoping to get one a little cheaper.

I can't imagine there are any concerns about the authenticity of these cards, and they are signed on the card, not on a sticker and then applied to the card.  I'll be keeping my eye out for deals on the others in these sets including Brooks Robinson, Catfish Hunter, And Willie Stargell.

Mike Garcia Purchase and Paul Reuschel Return

 I saw a post on SCN about a week ago pointing out that Mill Creek was having a sale (Black Friday or something).  I checked it out and was able to find a 1958 Topps signed by Mike Garcia at 20% off.  It was pretty reasonable to start with and isn't authenticated.  There aren't too many cards from that set that I need that can still be found for under $50, and most are much more than that, so I'm happy to add this one to my collection.

I also received a return from Paul Reuschel, who signed his 1978 and 1979 Topps for me in just under two months.

Ken Szotkiewicz

I was able to add another 1971 Topps to my collection thanks to Ken Szotkiewicz, who signed his card in about a little under two weeks.

I had originally gotten an RTS with a bad address for Mr. Szotkiewicz, but someone there was kind enough to write the correct address on the envelope despite the forwarding time having expired.

Bill Short Return

 Bill Short signed three cards for me in about a month, including his 1962, 1968 and 1969 Topps. 

I haven't sent out many requests lately. I was too busy sorting all my existing signed cards.  That took about a week, spending an hour or more each day on it.  I'll probably start sending out some more early next week.

Jim Price and Bobby Shantz Returns

 A while ago a bought a few very inexpensive signed 1971 Topps, but then realized one of those players is also a reasonably good signer.  Jim (Jimmie) Price signed his 1971 Topps for me in about a month.

He sometimes take a few months to sign according to the requests logged on SCN, but I got mine back pretty quickly.  I always prefer to have an autograph via ttm rather than a purchase if I can, so I'm happy to get this one.

My other return was from Bobby Shantz.  Definitely a ttm hall of famer.  About a week after I sent this request, I read on SCN that he had fallen and broken his hip and elbow!  Mr. Shantz is 95 years old and must be pretty tough because he got back home very quickly and his signature still looks great!  He signed his 1955 Bowman for me.