TTM Success - Mark Grudzielanek

Here are some nice cards that I got back signed from Mark Grudzielanek.  I had held into his stuff for a long time, waiting for him to pick up signing again.  He was coaching somewhere nearby for a while, so it was either try to get him in person or wait for him to sign TTM.  The above 1997 Topps Chrome turned our great.  I don't have many 97 chromes, so this was a great addition to the album.

I also got a 1997 Donruss Studio, 2001 Heritage and 2003 Topps signed. 

Grudzielanek (b. 1970) played in the majors from 1995 to 2008 and 2010 for the Expos, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Royals and Indians.  He had 2,040 hits, 90 home runs and a .289 batting average. He led the league in doubles with 54 in 1997.  He was an All Star in 1996; he finished 27th in the NL MVP race in 2003, and won a Gold Glove Award in 2006.

I mailed to Grudzielanek on September 28 and got the cards back on October 21, for a 23-day TAT. 

A Whole Bunch of Autos From Gerard

My good friend, Gerard, hooked me up with a ton of autos in a recent package.  He knocked 5 cards off of my 1987 set, including this Charlie Leibrandt.  I joined a private signing with Leibrandt a while back and the promoter lost my cards, so I got screwed on that.  I

I'll never use those folks again.

He also knocked off Alfredo Griffin, who for some reason I have missed on several private signings.  I sent TTM to Ray Fontenot, but never got anything back, and also Curt Wilkerson and Domingo Ramos.

Gerard also saw Mickey Tettleton at a recent Cape Cod League game.  He knew in advance, so I was able to send him some cards.  They all turned out great.  This 1994 Upper Deck really looks good.  That really might be an underrated set, in my opinion.  The cards tend to look really sharp when signed.

These Tettletons also turned out great.  I especially like the 1993 Topps Finest.  Those cards really look amazing when signed, especially in person.

I rarely get the opportunity to get any 2001 Heritage signed, as I don't have many, but this one of Tom Goodwin really looks good.  I love Heritage and this one really will look cool in my album.

Gerard also got me a few other Goodwins signed; just a few randoms that I found in my boxes.

He also got me Max Rajcic from the Cape League on a coupld Stars and Stripes.

My green parallels turned out really great.  I was super happy he was able to get Triston Casas for me, since I missed him.  The Feltman also looks awesome.

Finally, Gerard finished off a bunch of cards I had sent him for Portland.  I was glad to be able to get him a few Hudson Potts cards once he got with the Red Sox.  Along with all of these other guys.

Thanks so much for the cards, Gerard!

Another TTM Success From Juan Gonzalez

I sent to Juan Gonzalez a few times already, but I had compiled several cards that I really wanted to get signed, so I finally sent more to him recently.  The above 2019 Panini Prizm is what started me with picking up more Gonzo cards.  This one is numbered 348/399.  I wish he had used a better Sharpie, but it is signed, and I can't really complain.

I really love the 1997 Zenith set (top left).  I looked at picking up a box of it, and it turns out, it is a very small set.  I may pick some more up and try to get a few more signed for my album.  Top right is a 2001 Topps Heritage.  I like that 1952 design, and also a photo of Gonzalez as a Tiger.  The 2002 Stadium Club (bottom left) is the only one from that set that has made it into the album as of yet.  The photo is really nice and glossy.  I might have to look into a box of those, as well, depending on price.  Finally, the 1998 Topps Picture Perfect insert turned out well and finishes off the success.

I mailed to Gonzalez on January 6 and got the cards back on March 17, for a 71-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Mueller

I added some really cool cards to my autograph album with this TTM success from Bill Mueller.  The above 2004 Topps All Star turned out really well. I love this card!

I also added these, which all look great!

Mueller (b. 1971) played in the majors from 1996 to 2006 for the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers. He had 1,229 hits, 85 home runs and a .291 batting average.

He won the World Series in 2004 with the Red Sox.  He was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2003. He was the AL batting champ in 2003 with a .326 batting average.

I mailed to Mueller on 10/15 and got the cards back on 12/14, for a 60-day TAT.

TTM Success - Fernando Vina

I added some cool cards from the early 2000s with this TTM success from Fernando Vina.  I had sent to him before, but those cards never came back.  I saw that he was signing, so I tried again, and these were the ones that he returned signed (he kept a 2002 Topps Chrome that I had sent).

It was nice to get two 2003 Topps back from the partial set that I raided; they both turned out really well.

Vina (b. 1969) played in the majors from 1993 to 2004 for the Mariners, Mets, Brewers, Cardinals and Tigers.  He had 1,196 hits, 40 home runs and a .282 batting average.  He was an All Star in 1998 and a two-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001, 2002).

I mailed to Vina on October 14 and got the cards back on October 31, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Todd Jones

I was able to add a few more recent cards to my autograph album with this success from former pitcher, Todd Jones.  The above 2008 Topps was a nice one to get, since it is a horizontal card.  I didn't mind these cards when they came out, but the over-sized border does take away from the photo, somewhat.

I got a few really nice cards in the success, starting with the celebratory pose on the 2000 chrome Stadium Club.  It didn't scan all tha great, but it looks better in person.  The baby powder really helped that card out.  The 2001 Topps Heritage turned out really nice, as well.  The other two cards are a 1996 Fleer and a 1992 Upper Deck Minors.  I always enjoy the 1996 and 1997 Fleer, due to their Matte finish.

I also added this nice 2002 Topps.  I didn't have a whole lot of these in the album, so anything additional is a bonus.

Jones (b. 1968) played in the majors from 1993 to 2008 for the Astros, Tigers, Twins, Rockies, Red Sox, Reds, Phillies and Marlins.  He had a career record of 58-63 with 868 strike outs and a 3.97 ERA.  His 319 saves rank 19th all-time.  He was an All Star in 2000 and finished 5th in the AL Cy Young Award voting, his only appearance on that ballot.  He was on the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot, but didn't receive any votes.

I mailed to Jones on February 27 and got the cards back on April 10, for a 42-day TAT.