Mike De La Hoz Return - 1961 and 1963 Topps

I've worked pretty hard on the 1963 Topps set and to a lesser degree, the 1961 Topps set over the years.

I have 265 signed cards from the 1961 set and about 320 signed cards from the 1963 set.  

Today I added one more to each of these sets with a return from Mike De La Hoz, who signs for $5 per card.  I've had these cards for a long time, but I just avoided sending them out due to the fees.  I have to get over that if I want to add many more cards to my sets since I've already gotten most or all of the free signers.

I didn't include those sets in my goals for the year, but maybe I should take a look and see if any tough signers have started signing.  I'd love to get Juan Marichal to sign his 1961 card, but as it's his rookie card, it's too expensive for me.

There was some discussion on the SCN boards, which I chimed in on, as to whether his recent returns are ghost signed (signed by someone other than himself).  The consensus seems to be that, although they are different than his signatures in the past, the change is most likely due to age or health.  Below is a 1965 Topps that he signed for me back in 2009.  He is 82 years old now.

Another odd thing about today's return is the fact that my sase was postmarked on March 2nd, so it took over two weeks to get from Florida to Minnesota. I sent it on February 27th, so he received it, signed it and dropped it back in the mail in just three days.