Aspromonte, Bordi, Darwin and Kessinger TTM Successes and a Don Zimmer Purchase.

I have an eight-day return streak to begin 2025.  I received four more today, including the return from Houston, which was in my Informed Delivery email, but not my mailbox.  As I guessed yesterday, it was from one of the Aspromonte brothers.  Thursday was not a mail day as the USPS was closed to commemorate Jimmy Carter.

Ken Aspromonte signed his 1958, 1959 and 1963 Topps as well as a 1961 Post.  

Mr. Aspromonte is a very reliable and generous signer who doesn't even charge a fee.  His first return to me, back in 2003, was signed in fine, black pen but every return since then has been signed in blue sharpie. 

My first-ever request to Rich Bordi resulted in four signed cards, including his 1982, 1985, and 1987 Topps as well as the 1987 Topps Orioles Leaders card on which he is pictured.  Also pictured are catcher Rick Dempsey and Manager Earl Weaver.  Weaver has passed, but Dempsey is a pretty reliable signer for a $5 per card fee.  I will send this card off to him next.

My request to Danny Darwin was also my first to the former pitcher.  His history on SCN shows a willingness to sign a lot of cards, so I included five cards, which is more than I usually include.  But this request helps fill some holes in my set collections without having to wait and send to him again.

And Don Kessinger signed his 1967 Topps, a 1969 Topps Deckle Edge, and the 1966 and 1967 Topps Cubs team cards.

Finally, I received a 2007 Topps Heritage Real One Certified Autograph of Don Zimmer.  

Mr. Zimmer passed away over 10 years ago.  When I first started collecting back in 2003, I sent a few cards to him ttm which came back signed.  Unfortunately, I found out later that someone (probably his wife) was signing his mail for him.  These days, it's quite easy to tell the difference.  Mrs. Zimmer's writing was more legible, and Mr. Zimmer's was very jerky and messy.

Here is the 1958 Topps I received ttm in 2003 which I later found out was his wife's signature.

And here is a 1958 Topps that I had signed at a mail-in signing in 2010.

I have about 45 outstanding requests from December through today, so the returns should be pretty steady for a while.  I'm sure I'll have a day coming up without any returns, but for now, I'm enjoying my consecutive-return-days string.  I should be getting back some mail-in signing returns as well.