Ray Crone Return

I feel like I was lucky to get this one back.  Mr. Crone returned it in his own envelope and stamp with a note that the flap on my envelope was torn off.  I'm not sure if it got destroyed in the mail, or when he opened it.  Regardless, it was very nice of him to take the time to send it back.  I had enclosed an extra 1956 Topps for him to keep, which he did.

In addition to signing my 1956 Topps, 1958 Topps and 1958 Topps Giants team cards, he included his own picture of him and Babe Ruth at the Miami airport.  He didn't sign this picture, but he did write the description on it.  I might send me a small box with some stamps, envelopes and pens as a thank you for this return and for all of his returns.  He's a very generous signer.

He signed some Johnston Cookies cards for me in the past.  Despite their cost, I like getting these oddball cards signed.

Carl Erskine and Bob Henrich TTM Returns

I received a couple more ttm returns today.

Carl Erskine signed a 1970 Fleer McLaughlin card commemorating his performance in game three of the 1953 World Series, in which he struck out 14.

 And Bob Henrich signed his 1958 Topps and the 1958 Topps Reds team card.  Oddly, he signed his card in red, and the team card in green.  It's different, but the red looks pretty good on his card.  Probably because it matches the color of his printed name.  And the green on the team card doesn't look that bad.

Mr. Henrich just turned 85 years old last month.  The handwriting on his card looks very similar to the card he signed for me about 18 years ago.  At that point, he signed his name "Bob", and this time, "Bobby".  And my first request to him took nearly two years to get back!  I sent it in February of 2004 and received it in January of 2006.  This request took just 23 days.

A Few More Purchases

Today I received three cards I purchased from a fellow SCN member via his eBay account. 

I bought a couple 1960 Topps, including Jerry Lumpe and Bill "Moose" Skowron, and a 1961 Topps signed by Larry Sherry.

Lumpe was a very generous signer and I sent to him several times over the years.  I just never got around to sending out this card to him.

I sent to Bill Skowron a few times as well.  He was also a generous signer and I wish I had sent to this six-time All Star and five-time World Series Champ more often.

Mr. Skowron has two cards in the 1958 Topps set, which is the "primary" set I collect, meaning I prioritize it above all the others when deciding how to spend my available funds.

I only sent a request to Larry Sherry once, and the 1965 Topps I sent came back smeared.  I wish I had tried again, and also sent the 1961 Topps card of both him and his brother, Norm. 

Happy New Year!

I'm already on the board for 2024, with a return from Brian Asselstine who signed his 1978 and 1979 Topps that I sent to him over 2.5 years ago.  He has a 90% return rate on SCN, but often takes a long time to respond.  Not usually this long, but often over three months.  I think my return was the second longest listed, with some fellow collector sending to him just a few days before I did.

I also received a couple eBay purchases to add to my 1971 Topps set.  Both the Ron Santo and Bob Lemon cards are JSA authenticated with a basic certification, which means there's a sticker on the back with a numbers-matching card.

I also received a return from a Mike Lum private signing.  I decided I might as well get all the cards I need for my sets, as well as his rookie card that he shares with former-Twin Larry Hisle.  I'll be watching for signing for Hisle to complete it.  He signs ttm, but it a bit spotty and I'd rather not risk losing this card.

Felix Torres Private Signing Return

I sent three cards to a Felix Torres private signing that took place in Puerto Rico.  I had to wait to send this until I received the 1962 Topps I bought on Ebay.  I thought I'd still have plenty of time, but my package took 10 days to get from Jacksonville, FL to Puerto Rico.  Luckily, the signing didn't occur on the exact date the promoter had listed on SCN, so my cards got signed.  They charged $12 per card.

I sent to him ttm back in 2015, when he signed a 1963 Topps for me.  The pen he used wasn't the best, so the card I just got signed is a nice upgrade.  

Looking at his ttm history on SCN, he has an 87% success rate. His most recent return was over three years ago, with only a couple requests since then.  The most recent request was sent in February of 2021.  I don't think I have any other cards to get signed by him, otherwise I'd try a ttm request again.  He has a 1963 Jell-O card, which is very similar to the Post card.  The Jell-O card has a slightly different crop on the photo, and shows part of his hands on the bat.  I might see if I can find a cheap Jell-O card and try a ttm request.

The 1962 Topps is a high number card, so it's hard to find one for less than $20.  Mine has a bigger crease than I was expecting based on the scan in the Ebay listing, but it was listed as Poor/Fair, so I guess I got what I paid for.  I didn't have any time to try to upgrade the card either, as time was already running short getting my cards in.

More Purchases

I didn't receive any ttm returns today, but I did receive a few purchases that I splurged on and justified as Christmas presents to myself. 

I added Wally Post to my 1958 Topps set.  This is a tough card since the background is black.  Every card I've seen that he has signed looks just like this:  blue ballpoint across his body.  There are several around eBay right now where the pen appears to have skipped a bit in the last name.  There was one about a third less expensive than this one, but it looked like he only wrote the "P" in his last name.

I also bought a 1954 Topps signed by Clem Labine.  He passed away in 2007 and I had only sent a request to him once (in 2003).  I'm not sure why I didn't send at least one more request to him since he has a 61 Topps and this card that I would have loved to add to my collection.

Finally, I bought a Hall of Fame postcard signed by Rick Ferrell.  This was a relatively low-cost way to tick off this Hall of Famer for my collection.  I don't specifically collect these postcards, and have never sent one out ttm, but I enjoy it when players include one for me with my request (such as Brooks Robinson and Bobby Doerr sent me).  I have also purchased a few that I thought were good deals.

Justin Morneau Return and Jackie Jensen Purchase

I received a very nice surprise in the mailbox today!

Justin Morneau signed both his 2011 Topps Heritage cards for me in beautiful, blue sharpie.  I sent this request on July 1, 2021, so it took about 2.5 years.

I knew this was an old request when I saw the sase in my Informed Delivery with a C-3PO stamp on it.  I don't even remember ever using these Star Wars stamps, but the droid series was released in May of 2021.  

I also received an Ebay purchase of a 1958 Topps Jackie Jensen card.  

I already have his All Star card from this set.  Only 98 more cards to go to complete this set.

Oops! Chili Davis 1991 Twins World Series Poster

I was getting ready to package up a Chili Davis poster for a private signing when I discovered I already had one signed! 

So, I've messaged the promoter to see if it's okay if I send in a baseball with inscription request instead.  It's roughly the same cost ($2 less), so I don't see it being a problem.

I sent this poster in earlier this year for a February signing.  I have no idea why I didn't log it in my records, web site or this blog!  I also have a handwritten list of players I need for this set on my desk, and I didn't cross his name off that either.

Jim Palmer TTM Return and Some Purchases

This was my second attempt of a 1978 Topps to Jim Palmer.  My first attempt didn't turn out great because there were gum stains on the card that I didn't notice before sending it.  So, the ink wasn't very strong in that area:

My latest attempt turned out better, but still not great.  This time, I think it was just the pen that wasn't super strong, and was a little streaky.  It's better, and probably good enough.

I also received a few purchases, including a 1961 Gene Mauch, a 2022 Allen & Ginter Byron Buxton and 2023 Topps Heritage Bobby Darwin Real One autograph.  This is my first Darwin autograph.  He doesn't sign ttm and did a couple private signings this year for the first time in a very long time.  The cost of this purchase was less than his fees were at those signings.

Sandy Alomar Sr. Private Signing Return and a Dave Winfield Purchase

I think I'm full up on my Sandy Alomar Sr. needs now, after receiving four more cards signed by him from a mail-in signing earlier this month.  The 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979 Topps cards I got back today join the 1965, 1971, 1972 and 1973 Topps cards I had signed by him in January of 2021.  

Maybe I missed a leader's card, or someone else's card on which he happens to appear.  I only sent in cards for the sets that I work on.  For some reason, I've never decided to collect any of the sets from 1966 to 1970.  I have gotten a few Twins players on their 66's, but never decided to pick one of the entire sets from those years.

And I received a 2022 Allen & Ginter signed by Dave Winfield, mostly because he is pictured as a Twin on this one.  Tom Orr was having a Holiday Sale on SCN, and I got this for a pretty reasonable $30 shipped.

Hopefully, Joe Mauer will soon join his fellow St. Paulites in the Hall of Fame, including Winfield, as well as Molitor and Morris.

Tim Foli Return After 1199 Days

I received a nice surprise in the mailbox today.  I received a return from Tim Foli after a three year and three month wait.  I never mark a request as a failure, and this is why.  You never know when a request may be returned. 

He has a 71% success rate on SCN, but he has a very spotty return record for the length of time he takes.  He was very consistent until about 2010.  Since then, many SCN requests are still outstanding, while some are returned in a couple weeks, and others are returned after a few years.  I'm really happy to get this one back!

I had sent my request to an address in Tennessee, but this return came from Florida.

He was also kind enough to enclose a signed magazine-like page with photos on one side and some career information and a religious message on the other. 

I would like to add him to my 1971 and 1972 sets!  He has two cards in the 72 set, and both are high numbers.  I'll see if I can get some affordable ones and give him another try ttm.  There was a mail-in signing this summer.  That would have been a good time to send to him and I'm not sure why I didn't.