It was a slow week for autographs, but I got some action today.
Jim Merritt was kind enough to sign a couple team cards as well as his 1969 and 1971 Topps. In the past, he has signed in ballpoint which usually looks okay on older cards, but last fall and this time he signed using a nice, fine blue marker.
I received a plain white envelope in the mail today that I assumed would be a card purchased from eBay. But it included one of my unpostmarked sases badly torn, three signed cards and a note from Greg S. in Michigan.
I don't know Greg, but his note explained that he received these cards and my sase in error from Mr. Oldis, and was simply forwarding them on to me. What a kind gesture, thank you Greg! The request included a 1954 and 1955 Topps, which I'd hate to lose, but it also included a 1962 Pirates team card already signed by Bob Skinner, Elroy Face, Bobby Shantz, Vern Law and Bill Mazeroski. I'm really happy to get these back. It would have been very easy for Greg to just keep them, but he took the time to get them to me as well as paying for the postage. I have his address so I can write him a thank you note, but I'll also see if he's an SCN member and let folks there know how kind Greg is.
Also, I completed the 1991 Minnesota Twins World Series poster set I've been working on with a return from Greg Gagne. After seeing he had no history of private signings on SCN, I decided to try to send it directly to him. I started with a letter explaining the poster, and the work and hassle that would be involved in signing it. I asked if he was willing to sign it, and if so, how much I could include to compensate him for his trouble.
His return note simply said, "Send It!". The poster is oddly sized, at about 7" x 18" and is printed on a heavy card stock that requires it be shipped flat because attempting to roll it up would bend it. I packaged it up and included a blue sharpie, a return shipping label from Pirate Ship, a roll of shipping tape, and a $50 check. He didn't ask for any money, but this really was a hassle for someone to deal with, and I wanted to make it worth his time.
He did a very nice job, and I appreciate that he was willing to do this for me. The funny thing is, five days after I mailed the poster to Mr. Gagne, a signing was posted for him on SCN! And the price for him signing this poster will be only $20!
I actually might send him another if I have a blank copy. I might have him sign it towards the top with a silver paint pen/sharpie, to see which one looks better. There are going to be other Twins players from both World Series championship teams so I might even send other posters if I think I can improve on the ones I have.
Like I mentioned, Gagne's poster was the last I needed to complete the 14-poster set. All of them were signed via mail-in signings, with the exception of Gagne and the Puckett and Erickson posters. I bought the Puckett from my collecting friend Randy, who also threw in the Erickson for me!
