I'm starting to get frustrated now. I sent a pretty expensive card to Brooks Robinson, a 1964 Topps Stand Up, along with a $10 fee (which is the bargain of the century, of course), and his signature got a little smeared. Not as bad as the Pascual cards from a little while ago, but still enough to be noticeable.
I'm not frustrated with Mr. Robinson, who is not only a Hall of Fame player, but also a Hall of Fame autograph-signer (if there were such a thing). I'm just frustrated that it happened. I'm trying to think if there's a way I can send the cards and ask for their return that might reduce the likelihood of them getting smeared.
I don't normally include card holders, index cards for protection, penny sleeves, etc. In this case, because the card was a little spendy, I used a semi-rigid holder and sent it in a bubble envelope with a piece of cardboard to help prevent the envelope from being bent.
Oh well. It still looks pretty good. I'm not going to spend the money on another card at this point.
I also received two cards from Manny Sanguillen, who signed the 1972 Topps cards commemorating 1971 World Series games #3 and #6. I included $10 with my request.
Finally, Tim McCarver signed the 1961 and 1965 Cardinals team cards for his $10 per card fee. I'm not sure why he signed the '65 so small and immediately next to Bob Skinner's autograph, when the whole rest of the card is open. Maybe his vision isn't what it used to be, or maybe he's trying to help cram as many signatures on there as possible.