2023 National Paid Signer - Chipper Jones

My next paid signer was Chipper Jones.  I had pulled this nice insert out of 2022 Topps Heritage Minors showing Jones in a Durham Bulls uniform.  The card looks amazing. 

Jones liked the card. He thought it was older, but that's ok.

I had met him before, but I really wanted to get that card signed, so I added him to my list this year. I'm glad I did.

TTM Success - Chipper Jones

I saw on the Private Signings group page on Facebook that there was going to be a private signing with Chipper Jones that would benefit charity, so I jumped in with this 2019 Topps silver pack 84 Chrome.  I got a couple friends to sign up for the signing as well, and we were all satisfied with how it went.  I think I'll do it again if they have a signing this year.  This card turned out great, and I am glad it was the one that I sent along.

I sent to the signing on September 28 and got the card back on November 5, for a 38-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $60/card, which was a steal for Jones, in my opinion.

2019 National Pickup - Chipper Jones Signed Baseball

Every year that I go to the National, I try to add baseballs to my Hall of Fame collection.  The collection started in 2010, when I added Stan Musial and Bob Feller to the small collection I had from when I was growing up (Cal Ripken, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer).  From those first five baseballs, I had added some huge names and now I can proudly say that I have added two more to the collection.  Additionally, I picked up a ball of a surefire Hall of Famer, so there is the potential that this National could add three baseballs to the tally.

I added Chipper Jones to the list on Saturday at the show, after I had looked aroud and priced several baseballs.  This one was a little more expensive than the others, but it was on a brand new OMLB ball and came with the Hall of Fame inscription.  Because I bundled this baseball with another big name, I got this at a nicely reduced rate.

Jones (b. 1972) played in the majors in 1993 and from 1995 to 2012 for the Braves.  He had 2,726 hits, 468 home runs and a .303 batting average.  He was the 1999 NL MVP and finished second (to Hideo Nomo) in the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year voting.  Jones was an 8-time All Star and won the World Series in 1995.

Jones was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018 (his first ballot) when he was named on 97.2% of the vote.

Jones becomes my 144th Hall of Famer on a baseball.

Set Complete - 1994 Topps

My last mailer from Sportlots came in today, from an order I put in last week.  I was filing away cards that I had gotten from two different packages and realized that I was missing one more card than I had on my wishlist (the above card number 777).  I also learned that card number 379 did not exist (and that there were two card 370s).  So, I picked up the remainder of what I needed and can finally mark this set off of my list.

I now need to sort what I have of 1995 Topps so I can get moving on that set.  Once it is complete, I will have an entire run of Topps sets from 1973 to 2016.  Add in 1951 Red Back, 1955, 1959, 1970 and 1971 Topps, and I am doing really well with my set building.  I also picked up a few 1969s in the Sportlots order, so keep an eye on the wishlist for an update soon.

Set Pickups From Sportlots

I knocked off a bunch of set needs from Sportlots recently when I picked up several cards for 1959 and 1997 Topps, 2013 Topps Chrome and 2014 Topps Update.

I made the biggest dent in my 1997 set (which I still haven't posted my needs on my wishlist, but I plan on getting around to it, I promise).  I got 40 cards that I needed, the most prominent ones being this Chipper Jones and also Greg Maddux.  I like this set, but I have really neglected completing it since I have been concentrating on 1959 and 1969.  I plan on finishing this up really soon so it will be out of the way, then all I will need to finish from the 90s will be 1994 and 1995.

Another set I completely neglected was 2013 Topps Chrome.  I just stopped looking for them right after they came out and the box has been languishing in my closet.  My intention was to complete this set (and also 2014 Topps Update), but one Sportlots seller apparently failed to send multiple orders so everything I requested from him was canceled.  This means that my 2013 Chrome and 2014 Update set completions will have to wait.

I also added 3 1959 Topps cards that I needed, bringing me down to 94 that I need for completion.  Those high numbers are still tough, but I got the biggest ones out of the way with the Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays All Stars.

Maybe in the coming weeks you'll see that I actually finished a couple of these sets.  Man, I hope so, because I need to relocate some of these set boxes so I can move others in their place.

Facebook Trade With Zach - 2004 Topps Heritage

I completed a trade over Facebook the other day with a new collector, Zach.  Zach is young, but already has a nice collection.  He collects Mets, Reds and Tigers, so I offered him a few relics in exchange for a stack of 51 different 2004 Topps Heritage cards.  You might recognize the design.  I have intended to build the 2004 Heritage set for some time now, but haven't pulled the trigger.

Zach hooked me up with the cards very quickly.  He seems like a really good kid.  I helped him set up a blog, so give him a follow, why don't you?  Like I said, he collects Mets, Reds and Tigers.

This stack of cards puts me well on my way for this set.  The highlight of the set (for me at least) is the Nick Markakis RC.  I've got one in my Nick The Stick PC, so now I need another for the set!

Thanks for the trade, Zach!