Several months ago, I bought this vintage Pirates bobblehead along with a vintage Reds version in what was advertised as a "display lot". Similar terms and phrases ("looks good on the shelf", "displays well", etc.) means it's far from mint, but still has enough eye appeal to enjoy having it. In a vintage car context, these bobbleheads would be "20-footers". Get any closer, and you start to see the flaws.
Anyway, this was the perfect bobblehead to risk sending through the mail to have Bill Mazeroski sign it. Up to this point, I have resisted having the vintage nodders signed, but this one seemed like a good opportunity. This signing was arranged by my collecting friend Chris; the same person who helps Manny Sanguillen handle his ttm requests, as well as Bryan Trottier. I'm not a hockey collector, so I haven't sent any requests to Trottier, but I have sent to Mr. Sanguillen several times, which is how I became connected with Chris. He's a great communicator, takes great care of your items, and is prompt with returning them after they get signed. I feel much better knowing that there's someone like Chris helping out behind the scenes to help out an older player like Manny make sure things don't get mixed up, overlooked, or poorly packaged for the return trip.
He's also not promoting himself in the process like some guys do. He's focused on helping both the collector and the player have a smoother experience and enjoy our hobby a little more.
Maz did a nice job signing what had to be a bit of a challenging item. I try to stuff the inside of the head with tissue paper, and use a slice of pool noodle around the neck to try to stabilize it as much as possible, both during transportation as well as while it is being signed. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and probably wouldn't have bothered to try if it weren't for Chris helping out.
Chris was kind enough to also take a picture of Maz signing it for me, and he gave me permission to post that picture here as well.
1 comment:
Wow, such a cool item to get signed. It's really nice of Chris to help people with this while also staying humble about it. That's awesome!
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