2021 National Pickup - Nellie Fox Signed Baseball

The budget for me for this year's National was fairly substantial.  I had been saving up for two years, pretty much.  So, I found a couple of multi-signed baseballs that would knock off a few names from the Hall of Fame list; and a lot of the names I crossed off turned out to be some pretty tough ones at that.

The first of the two multi-signed baseballs was this 1955 All Star Game signed ball.  It has several Hall of Famers on it, but the awesome, clear signature of Nellie Fox was what drew me to it.  I saw the ball on the first full day of the show (Thursday), but I didn't pull the trigger until Sunday.  As always, Sunday is deal day, and I got the ball for $100 cheaper than what it was listed at.  I feel like I got a steal.  The ball has a full letter of authenticity from JSA, and the other Hall of Famers on it should have pushed it higher (especially one that is very faint, but is noticeable, still - more on that later on).

Still, Fox was the selling point for me, and I was glad to add the ball to my collection at the price I paid.

Fox (b. 1927 - d. 1975) played in the majors from 1947 to 1965 for the Athletics (Philadelphia), White Sox, Colt .45s and Astros.  He had 2,663 hits, 35 home runs and a .288 batting average.  The 15-time All Star (1951 to 1961, 1963; including dual times in 1959, 1960 and 1961) was the AL MVP in 1959.  He was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner.  He led the league in hits in 1952, 1954, 1957 and 1958.  He appeared in the 1959 World Series, losing to the Dodgers, but hit .375 over those 6 games.

Fox was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997 via the Veterans Committee, after just missing the cut on the 1985 Writers ballot with 74.7%.  Fox becomes my 154th Hall of Famer on a baseball.

TTM Success - Gordon Beckham

This TTM success from Gordon Beckham was a pleasant surprise.  He had been signing, but that doesn't always mean I will have success.  So, I gave it a shot, and got 4 cards back signed.  I really like the 2012 Topps above; nothing wrong with a nice action shot on a landscape oriented card.

I also was able to get a 2010 Topps Chrome out of my box, which is always nice, especially since the curved cards take up the space of around 3 or 4 cards.  I also added a 2010 Topps and a 2015 Topps.

Beckham (b. 1986) played in the majors from 2009 to 2019 for the White Sox, Angels, Braves, Giants, Mariners and Tigers.  He had 807 hits, 80 home runs and a .237 batting average.  He finished 5th in the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year voting.

I mailed to Beckham on December 22 and got the cards back on February 16, for a 56-day TAT.

TTM Success - Junior Moore

Here are two older cards that I was able to get signed TTM by Junior Moore.  The card above is a 1978 Topps, and below is a 1980 Topps.  Moore has in interesting signature, and signed the cards vertically.

Moore (b. 1953) played in the majors from 1976 to 1980 for the Braves and White Sox.  He had 204 hits, 7 home runs and a .264 batting avereage.

I mailed to Moore on November 4 and got the cards back on November 30, for a 26-day TAT.

TTM Success - Danny Mendick

I got two really awesome cards back TTM from Danny Mendick.  The above 2020 Topps Fire card looks awesome, even though the signature blends right in.  I like getting these signed, and this one will look awesome in my album.

Speaking of cards I like getting signed, the Topps Silver Pack mojo cards always look great when signed.  I love this one, and it turned out really well.  His signature shows up better on this than it did with the Topps Fire, but I was super excited to get both back, anyway.

Mendick (b. 1993) has played in the majors since 2019 for the White Sox.  He has 38 hits, 5 home runs and a .260 batting average.

I mailed to Mendick on October 5 and got the cards back on November 9, for a 35-day TAT.

TTM Success - Fred Howard

I added another 1980 Topps to my autograph album with this signed card I got back from Fred Howard.  The autograph doesn't stand out a whole lot, but the card is signed, and is in the album.  On another note, how about those collars on those old White Sox jerseys?

Howard (b. 1956) pitched one season in the majors (1979) for the White Sox.  He had a 1-5 record with 36 strike outs and a 3.57 ERA.

I mailed to Howard on May 4 and got the card back on July 6, for a 63-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nate Jones

I added some recent cards to my album with this TTM success from former White Sox, now Reds, pitcher, Nate Jones.  The above 2019 Topps gold turned out really well.  I like being able to get inserts and parallels signed, and this one will look really good in the album.

I also got Jones's 2013 Update, 2017 Topps and 2018 Topps signed.  All look really nice, I think.

Jones (b. 1986) has played in the majors since 2012 for the White Sox.  He has a career record of 22-13 with 318 strike outs and a 3.12 ERA.

I mailed to Jones via Reds Spring Training on February 10 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 31-day TAT.

TTM Success - Russ Morman

I had a small batch of 1987 Topps cards that I mailed out last year to try to cross some names off of my 1987 checklist, and one of them was Russ Morman.  The card turned out really well and he is now crossed off of the list.

Morman (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1986, from 1988 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1997 for the White Sox, Royals and Marlins.  He had 117 hits, 10 home runs and a .249 batting average. 

I mailed to Morman on September 17, 2019, and got the card back on March 7, 2020, for a 172-day TAT.

TTM Success - Reid Nichols

Another private signing helped me land a card for my 1987 set.  This time, I was able to cross Reid Nichols off of my list.  The card turned out well, and I can add it to my album.  I am now at almost 72% complete, which is far better than I thought I would ever be when I started.

Nichols (b. 1958) played in the majors from 1980 to 1987 for the Red Sox, White Sox and Expos.  He had 308 hits, 22 home runs and a .266 batting average.

I mailed to the private signing on February 5 and got the card back on March 2, for a 26-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $12.00.

TTM Success - Ken Williams

Here are some nice late 80s cards that I got back signed from Ken William.  The above 1988 Score is really nice.  That is a pretty good year of cards if you like bright, bold colors on your borders.

Actually, every card I picked of Williams was pretty bold in color.  A lot of blue on this post.  The 1987 Fleer Update and 1988 Donruss both look really cool when signed.

Williams (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1986 to 1991 for the White Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays and Expos.  He had 252 hits, 27 home runs and a .218 batting average.

I mailed to Williams on May 9, 2019, and got the cards back on February 1, 2020, for a 268-day TAT.

White Sox Fest 50/50s From William

I submitted some White Sox cards to a kid named William who goes be the handle "memorabiliamadness" on Instagram.  He was attending this year, and since my friends Max or Anthony weren't going, I went ahead and hooked William up with some cards.

He took a bunch of my White Sox base cards off of my hands, and instead of paying me for them, he offered to get a few cards signed for me.

I was especially excited about the above 2019 Topps Pro Debut Luis Robert gold parallel that William got signed for me outside of the event, before it even started.  He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get it signed, and he was able to knock it out early.

He also took care of some team set needs that I had.  The above Dane Dunning Dash card actually used to belong to a kid Chris and I knew from Wood Ducks games.  Since the kid has since unfollowed us and is no longer talking to either of us, I guess the card is mine.  He ended up becoming too cool for cards anyway, so I'll happily add another Dunning to my album.

William also got two 2017 Carolina League Top Prospects Zack Collins cards signed for me.  I have several cards left from this set, so I was glad to get two of them out of my box.  Chris got the other one.

Thank you so much for getting these cards taken care of for me, William!

TTM Success - Bobby Thigpen

I regretted not starting the set sooner, and I regretted not going to minor league games in the past, but I could have gotten this card signed IP a while back.  Instead, I had to go through a private signing and get this card signed by Bobby Thigpen. 

Thigpen used to be the pitching coach of the Winston-Salem Dash, but that was back before I was graphing much at minor league games.

Thigpen (b. 1963) played in the majors from 1986 to 1994 for the White Sox, Phillies and Mariners.  He had a career record of 31-36 with 376 strike outs, 201 saves and an ERA of 3.43.  His 57 saves in 1990 was the MLB single-season record until it was broken in 2008 by Francisco Rodriguez.

I mailed to the private signing on November 6 and got the card back on December 2, for a 26-day TAT.

From Stefan - Signed 1987 Topps Russ Morman

I got a message on Instagram a couple weeks ago from my buddy, Stefan.  He had bought a 1987 Topps set for cheap and was working on getting autos of guys that he knew I needed for my set.  His words were "I like to see sets completed."  So, he bought the set and got to work on it in order to help me out.  That really meant a lot to me.

Morman (b. 1962) played in the majors in 1986, from 1988 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1997 for the White Sox, Royals and Marlins.  He had 117 hits, 10 home runs and a .249 batting average.

Thanks so much for working to help me out, Stefan!  This card puts me at 539/792 or 68.1% of the set.

2019 National Free Signer - Gary Peters

Another of the free signers at this year's National was someone who's card I was able to find in my vintage box, former pitcher, Gary Peters.  This 1968 Topps All Star card turned out really well.  I was surprised that I had it, but was glad to be able to get it signed.

Peters (b. 1937) played in the majors from 1959 to 1972 for the White Sox and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 124-103 with an ERA of 3.25 and 1,420 strike outs.  He was the 1963 Rookie of the Year, and an All Star in 1964 and 1967.  He won 20 games in 1964, as well, which landed him 7th in the AL MVP voting.  He was the AL ERA leader in 1963 (2.33) and 1966 (1.98).

2019 National Free Signer - Jack McDowell

I have gotten Jack McDowell TTM a few time, so when I saw he was signing at the National as one of the VIP signers, I scrambled to find some cards.  Luckily, I was able to find some, including the above 2013 Panini USA card that has been floating around in my box for what seems like forever (6 years actually).

I found these three cards in the same box that I found my Cory Snyders in, so I was able to move some old stuff out of some of the closet boxes.  That is always a plus for me.

I had help in getting these cards signed.  Michael went through the line while I was waiting for Jim Perry, and my friend, Vince, went back through with some of my Wild Cards.

TTM Success - Tom Egan

Here is another TTM success that includes a 1972 and 1973 Topps.  I feel like there have been a ton of these lately, and that is probably true.  I got the two boxes at the same time, and sorted them by players who sign.  Then, I sent off a bunch, and waited for the results.

This time around, I received signed cards from Tom Egan.  He signed in blue Sharpie, and the cards look great.

Egan (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1975 for the Angels and White Sox.  He had 196 hits, 22 home runs and a .200 batting average.

I mailed to Egan on February 4 and got the cards back on June 13, for a 129-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Winn

More names have been crossed off of my 1987 Topps list, this time I got a TTM success from Jim Winn that helped my cause.  I also sent him two other cards to sign, one of which was this nice 1985 Topps.  I like the Pirates uniform on this card, so it was an easy one to pick out to send.

With the 1987 Topps being an obvious send, I also included the 1988 Topps that is next to it.  All of the cards turned out great, so I was happy with this TTM success.

Winn (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1983 to 1988 for the Pirates, White Son and Twins.  He had a record of 12-17 with 159 strike outs and a 4.67 ERA.

I mailed to Winn on January 19 and got the cards back on February 8, for a 20-day TAT.

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Harold Baines

All I had to do today to add a new baseball to my Hall of Fame collection was tune into MLB Network and watch the results of the Today's Era Committee vote.  I was surprised to see that both Harold Baines and Lee Smith were elected by the committee to be enshrined in Cooperstown.  I'm really excited to see that Baines made it.  He had a very long career, and some of his numbers were hurt when he was traded away from the White Sox into a part-time role with the Orioles late in his career.  Otherwise, he might have made 3,000 hits, which would have had him enshrined a lot earlier.

Baines becomes my 142nd Hall of Famer on a baseball.

Baines (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1980 to 2001 for the White Sox, Rangers, A's, Orioles and Indians.  He had 2,866 hits, 384 home runs and a .289 batting average.  He was a former #1 overall pick in the amateur draft (1977) out of high school.  He becomes the third #1 overall pick to make the Hall of Fame behind Ken Griffey, Jr., and Chipper Jones.  He was an All Star six times (1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1999) and finished a career-best 9th in the AL MVP voting (1985).  He was also a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1989.

Baines did not receive much support on the Hall of Fame ballot by the BBWAA.  He only appeared on 5 ballots, and received a maximum of 6.1% of the vote (2010).  In his defense, he appeared on some bloated ballots back then, and finally can say that he is a Hall of Famer.

In the all-time rankings, he ranks 46th in hits, 65th in home runs and 20th in games played.  He holds a 38.7 career WAR, if that stat means something to you.

Baines spent 7 seasons in Baltimore where he had 638 hits, 107 home runs and a .301 average.  My money is on him being inducted as a member of the White Sox, however.  I'll have to continue to wait for a new Oriole to be inducted.

Another TTM Success From Ryan Burr

Last year, I received a TTM success from Ryan Burr when I sent to him via the Visalia Rawhide.  He was then traded to the White Sox, and I saw that he would be with Winston-Salem this season.  He wasn't with Winston-Salem for long, but I was stuck with a bunch of extra cards that I had picked up for the games.  I decided to send them TTM to Birmingham, and was lucky enough to get them back signed.

Burr didn't actually play for Winston-Salem this season, but was on the roster to start the year, which is why I had sat a bunch of stuff on my dest for him.  He actually made the majors this year, which is pretty cool.

Burr (b. 1994) pays for the White Sox and has appeared in 7 games so far this season.  He is 0-0 with a 3.12 ERA.

I mailed to him on May 5 and got the cards back on Jue 21, for a 47-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ozzie Guillen

The private signings on SCN really have helped me get a few tougher 1987s out of the way, like this Ozzie Guillen.  I don't know when I would have been able to get him on a card, so this really was my only hope.

Guillen (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1985 to 2000 for the White Sox, Orioles, Braves and Rays.  He had 1,764 hits, 28 home runs and a .264 batting average.  He was the 1985 AL Rookie of the Year and was a 3-time All Star (1988, 1990. 1991).  He won a Gold Glove in 1990.  His best (and only) MVP finish was 17th in 1990.

He went on to manage the White Sox from 2004 to 2011 and the Marlins in 2012.  His overall managerial record is 747-710 (.513 win %).  He won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005.  He was the AL Manager of the Year in 2005.

Guillen appeared on the 2006 Hall of Fame ballot, but received only 1.0% of the vote.

I sent off for the private signing on May 29 and got the card back on June 19, for a 21-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $25.00.

TTM Success - Dane Dunning

I missed graphing Dane Dunning early this season, then he was moved up to Double A Birmingham, so I ended up sending a few cards TTM for him to sign.  Luckily, I got them all back signed.  I had hoped to get a few cards signed in person this season, but he moved up so fast, I had to settle for these four.

I'd say that this 2016 Bowman Chrome draft day insert was the card I wanted most to get done, but really, the below team set cards were the ones I wanted the most.

The Carolina League Top Prospects sets came out at the tail end of the season last year, so I missed out on a bunch of players.  I had also bought the South Atlantic League set, since there were a few Delmarva guys in there.

Dunning (b. 1994) was originally drafted by the Nationals in the first round of the 2016 draft (29th overall) out of the University of Florida.  He was then traded to the White Sox as part of a deal for Adam Eaton.  So far, Dunning has a record of 17-13 with a 2.74 ERA and 300 strike outs.  He has reached Double A in only three seasons, and is poised to make the White Sox sooner rather than later.

I mailed to Dunning on May 5 via the Birmingham Barons and received the cards back on May 21, for a 16-day TAT.