TTM Returns and Card Show Finds

The snow didn't keep us from making it to the card show in Bloomington today.  We attended the auction and bought a few things.  I bought a signed Matt Lawton bobblehead for only $11.  My younger son bought a Johan Santana placque that included an 8x10 and two baseball cards (not signed).  I also bought four 9-card pages filled with 1971 Topps including Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Joe Morgan.  At $3 it was a bargain.  At the tables, my older son bought 22 1958 Topps cards to send out for autographs.  They were only $1 each.

I received more 1972 Topps returns today.  Phil Niekro signed his and added his HOF inscription for his $10 fee.

Monty Montgomery signed his rookie card.

Gerry Moses signed his 1971, 1972 and 1973 Topps.

 

And Dave LaRoche signed his 1972 and 1978 Topps.

I had one failure today.  I received my 1955 Topps back unsigned form Mel Roach with no explanation.  Hopefully he is doing okay.

More Must-Have Autographs - Phil Niekro

Next on my list of autographs that every collector should have is Phil Niekro. Niekro, a knuckleballer, pitched in the majors until the age of 48. Phil and his brother Joe won 538 games combined, beating out Jim and Gaylord Perry for the highest combined wins for brothers. 318 of those wins were Phil's.

Twins fans may remember Joe for the emery board incident in 1987 in which the umptire caught him doctoring up the ball which resulted in being ejected from the game and a ten game suspension. Unfortunately, Joe died suddenly in 2006.

Phil was a 5-time All Star (in three different decades), a 5-time Gold Glove winner and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Phil used to be hit-and-miss through the mail, signing for free about half of the time. I must have sent a dozen requests over5 years and never got a successful return. I purchased a signed ball at a mail-in signing event in 2006.

Recently, he has begun signing ttm for a fee. He charges $10 for cards and $20 for balls. Very reasonable for a Hall of Fame player. I had him sign my 2008 Goudey back in January. I just purchased his 1965 rookie card on eBay, which I'll send out as soon as I get it.