Rod Carew Purchase - 2019 Allen & Ginter

The ttm returns have been pretty slow lately.  But today I received a 2019 Allen & Ginter signed by Rod Carew that I bought from Mill Creek Sports as part of their Black Friday promotion.  At $35, it was an okay deal, especially since they shipped it for free and it's Beckett authenticated and slabbed.

I also received a few unsigned 1973 Topps that I bought on eBay intend to send out ttm.

Joe Crede Private Signing Return

I didn't receive any ttm returns today, but I did receive a return from a private signing.

Joe Crede signed my 2009 Topps Heritage for a fee of $15.  I'm trying to fill some holes in my Twins Topps Heritage and Allen & Ginter sets.  Of course, I need about 15 Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau cards to complete some of these sets, but I'm continuing to get the other players I need in the meanwhile.

I like this set, modeled after the 1960 Topps set.  I still need Denard Span and two Joe Mauer cards to complete the Twins team set.

Jose (Coco) Laboy

Today I received a rather odd return from Jose (also known as Coco) Laboy.

He was kind enough to sign his 1970, 1971 and 1973 Topps for me.  I really like the cards with the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy.  I might start going after those cards specifically.  I'm not sure if there's a list of those somewhere, so I'll have to figure out how to identify those cards.

There were two odd things about this return.  First, it was postmarked September 27th, despite it being November 22nd today.   Where has this been for the last two months?

Second, I sent this request to him at an address in Puerto Rico, and it was postmarked in Memphis, TN.  I guess that's not that odd, people move.  

Anyway, I'm happy to add these cards to my collection.  

Mike Hedlund Return

Just one return today. 

Mike Hedlund signed and personalized his 1971 and 1972 Topps, as well as the 1971 and 1972 Topps Royals team cards.

Stan Bahnsen and Kevin Kobel

I received two ttm returns today.

Stan Bahnsen signed his 1969, 1971, 1973 and 1978 Topps.  I included $10 with my request.

I had sent a 1978 Topps earlier in the year that didn't come back, despite him being a very reliable signer.  It must have gotten lost in the mail or something.  I didn't include any money with that request, but according to the notes on SCN, he will sign one for free.

I also received a (strange) return from Kevin Kobel.  He signed his 1979 and 1980 Topps.  

These were returned in my sase in an old and yellowing top loader, which I hadn't sent.  He also didn't return my 1976 Topps or 1976 Topps team card.  I noticed on SCN that in the last handful of returns, he didn't sign all the cards enclosed, even for a return that only included two cards.  Maybe he's getting too many requests and wants people to reduce the number of cards in their requests.  

Ken Hamlin Return and a Couple 1958 Topps

My ttm returns will really start to slow now, but I did get one back today.

Ken Hamlin signed his 1961, 1962 and 1966 Topps that I sent him last March.

I also received a couple 1958 Topps that I purchased:  Tom Gorman and Jim Hearn.  I haven't added too many cards to this set for a while so I decided to buy a couple that were reasonably priced.

Juan Marichal Return

I continue to send requests to good-signing, HOF players that are a bargain.  Bill Mazeroski, Jim Palmer, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Harold Baines, Ryne Sandberg and Mike Mussina, off the top of my head.

Juan Marichal can also be included in that list.  He signed his 1973 Topps for me for his $10 fee.

Some of the 1973 Topps cards have odd pictures that barely show the player that is supposed to be the subject.  I like that many of these cards have action photos, like this one, but sometimes the player is obscured by other players.  This picture has the bat obscuring part of Marichal's head.

Steve Garvey's card is another example:

This is one of my favorite sets though.  I like the position icon at the bottom of the card, and most of the pictures are great.  It's also one of the first sets that I remember having cards from when I was a kid.  I don't think I bought them new, but I think I ended up with a bunch of these from a garage sale near my home when I was about 8 or 10, from a home that had some older boys.  Included was Nolan Ryan's 1971 Topps that I've had ever since.

Two TTM Returns and Two Purchases

I think I've been spending too much this year.  I'm seeing next year as having fewer purchases and paid signings, and more ttm if I can find players to send to that don't charge.  That's getting harder to do.

Anyway, today I received two ttm returns.

Jose Cardenal signed his 1976 Topps and the 1976 Topps Cubs team card.  I had also sent a 1978 Topps Phillies team card, but he returned that unsigned.  

I checked his signing history on SCN, which shows that he'll sign multiple cards, sometimes add a card, but occasionally not sign all the cards.  He even wrote "too many cards" on the sase of someone who sent him three cards.  He has also returned any cash that people sent him, so it looks like it's best to limit your cards to two, and if there's one of those two you really want signed, it's probably best to just send that one.

I also received a return from Dan Warthen, who signed his 1976 Topps and 1976 Topps Expos team card.

I also received two purchases I made on Ebay from Tom Orr (Atommic Sports, if he still calls himself that).  I added two more 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game signed cards to my collection: Lou Brock and Bob Gibson.  I now have 60 out of the 107 cards.  There are also probably 9 or 10 players in the set that passed away before the sent was released.

Orlando Cepeda Mail-In Signing Return

No ttm returns today, but I did receive a return from an Orlando Cepeda mail-in signing.  I've decided to try to get these cards signed while I can and not regret waiting, like I have with other players.  Plus, an SCN contact had a nice price on getting these done.

I was happy tp be able to add another 1964 Topps Stand Up to my collection, as well as the 1962 and 1971 Topps.

Candelaria, House and Howard

Today I received two ttm returns and a return from a private signing.

First, I received a return from John Candelaria, who signed the 1978 Topps ERA Leaders card.  This was a close one, as it was delivered in the USPS body bag, and my sase was nearly ripped in half.  Luckily, the card survived without any damage.  I had enclosed $15 with my request.

I also received a ttm return from Tom House, who signed his 1976, 1978 and 1979 Topps cards, as well as the 1978 Topps Mariners team card.

I also received a Frank Howard return from a private signing.  I had hime sign his Sports Illustrated from 1964.  This return helped me reach my goal of five signed magazines for the year.

A Few Days of Returns

I received a few returns since Friday, including some ttm returns, a ttm failure, a private signing return, and a couple purchases.

First, I received a note from Bob Kline's wife that he passed away October 26th.  I hate to receive these notes.  I'm sure she had more to worry about than sending me back his 1955 Topps card, but it is much appreciated.

My ttm returns:

Bob Allietta - 1976 Topps and 1976 Topps Angels team card.

Harold Baines - 1983 Topps rookie card with $20.

Steve Garvey - 1973 and 1983 Topps.  The 83 smeared a little.

Hobie Landrith - 1955 Bowman with $5.

Dick Nen - 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 Topps.

Bill Mazeroski - 1957 Topps with $10.

I received a 2009 and 2010 Topps Heritage signed by Orlando Cabrera from a mail-in signing.

Finally, I received two Boog Powell cards, a 1965 Topps and a 1970 Topps All Star card from two different purchases: one from SCN, and the other from Ebay.