TTM Success - Ron Brand

Here are a few more vintage cards that I got back signed recently.  I had the two Topps (1968 and 1971) cards of Ron Brand and also an old Fleer Expos sticker, so I sent them out to Brand.  All of the cards came back looking pretty nice.  The sticker is a bit worn, but will look fine in my album.

I like the 1971 Topps card, but like most others from that year, the edges and corners show wear pretty prominently.  Still, I like adding them to the album, and need to find some more bulk from 1969-1971 to send off for TTMs.

Brand (b. 1940) played in the majors in 1963 and from 1965 to 1971 for the Pirates, Astros and Expos.  He had 322 hits, 3 home runs and a .239 batting average.

I mailed to Brand on October 17 and got the cards back 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ernie McAnally

Here are some more early 70s cards that were signed TTM, this time by Ernie McAnally.  The above 1972 Topps is a really sharp card, and his signature is really nice.

This 1973 Topps is a bit off-c entered, but his signature also turned out really well on it.

McAnally (b. 1946) played in the majors from 1971 to 1974 for the Expos.  He had a career record of 30-49 with 351 strike outs and a 4.03 ERA.

I mailed to McAnally on April 26 and got the cards back on May 21, for a 25-day TAT.

TTM Success - Al Newman

Another private signing came along with a player that I needed for my 1987 set.  This card of Al Newman turned out well.  That is a really classic Expos uniform on that card, and a whole lot of blue.

Newman (b. 1960) played in the majors from 1985 to 1992 for the Expos, Twins and Rangers.  He had 476 hits, 1 home run and a .226 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Twins in 1987 and 1991.  

I sent to the signing on April 2 and got the card back on May 8.  I paid a fee of $15.00.

TTM Success - Vladimir Guerrero

There are a handful of cards that, if I see a signing come up, I'll pay the money to get the card signed.  This 1998 Topps Vladimir Guerrero is one of those cards.  The shot is iconic, even though, I'd be hard pressed to say that any iconic cards came out of the late 90s.  Still, this card looks amazing.  I was really glad to get it done, and I still have a handful of other cards that I want to send off, but I have to allocate the money.

I mailed to the signing on February 2 and got the card back on May 7, for a 94-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $50.00.  Well worth it, in my opinion.

TTM Success - Bob McClure

Here is another 1987 Topps that was crossed off of my list recently when I got it back signed via a private signing featuring Bob McClure.  The card looks great with the old Expos logos and uniform.

McClure (b. 1952) played in the majors from 1975 to 1993 for the Royals, Brewers, Expos, Mets, Angels, Cardinals and Marlins.  He had a record of 68-57 with 701 strike outs and a 3.81 ERA.

I mailed to the signing on January 25 and got the card back on April 5, for a 70-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $16.00.

Another TTM Success From Ed Montague

When I saw that it had been decided that the umpire on this 1987 Topps Expos leaders card was Ed Montague, I raced to get mine in the mail to him.  It came back and I can now say that this card is complete.

There are a bunch of leaders cards in the set that I have been able to complete lately, so I am happy to be able to do so.  There are 4 or 5 of them, however, that I will not be able to finish, like the Red Sox Leaders card (now that Tom Seaver and John McNamara are gone), for example.

I mailed to Montague on January 11 and got the card back on January 19, for an 8-day TAT.

TTM Success - Scott Hodges

This 1998 Bowman was signed TTM by Scott Hodges.  I had gotten a bunch of older Bowman (from 1997 to 2002 or so) in one of the boxes from my former LCS and I decided to send off some of the older ones to try to get them signed TTM.  A lot of the players, I had never heard of before, and Hodges was one of them.

Hodges (b. 1978) was a first round (38th overall) pick by the Expos in the 1997 June Amateur Draft out of Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky.  He played in the Expos/Nations system for 9 seasons, reaching AAA.  He had 768 hits, 55 home runs and a .270 batting average.

I mailed to Hodges on December 22 and got the card back on January 11, for a 20-day TAT.

TTM Success - Larry Broadway

I got a couple 2002 Bowmans out of one of the bulk boxes I got from my former LCS and had them signed TTM by Larry Broadway.  2002 Bowman was a nice set; I like the stripes.  They also look really nice when signed.

Broadway (b. 1980) was a third round pick in the 2002 June Amateur Draft by the Expos out of Duke University.  He played in the minors from 2002 to 2009 in the Expos, Nationals and Pirates systems.  He reached as high as AAA and amassed 749 hits, 104 home runs and a .273 batting average.

I mailed to Broadway on November 16 and got the cards back on December 5, for a 21-day TAT.

TTM Success - Floyd Youmans

I added another card to my 1987 Topps set with this TTM success from Floyd Youmans.  It is getting harder and harder getting these guys TTM without having to pay through a private signing.  I had seen that Youmans was signing and sent the card off.

Youmans (b. 1964) played in the majors from 1985 to 1989 for the Expos and Phillies.  He was 30-34 with 424 strike outs and a 3.74 ERA.

I mailed to Youmans on July 18 and got the card back signed on October 1, for a 75-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bill Stoneman

I've been pulling from a box of 1973 Topps for cards to send TTM.  I've gotten a bunch of them back, and they kind of serve as filler for when I don't know who else to send to on a given day.  I randomly picked from that lot, and sent off this 1973 Topps Bill Stoneman.  I got it back signed in blue, and it looks pretty nice.  You also can never have too many Expos logos in the autograph album.

Stoneman (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1967 to 1974 for the Cubs, Expos and Angels.  He had a career record of 54-85 with 934 strike outs and a 4.08 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1972 and finished 8th in the NL Cy Young race in 1971.

Stoneman also was the GM of the Angels when they won the World Series in 2002.

I mailed to Stoneman on July 30 and got the card back on August 8, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tom Walker

Here are a couple 70s cards that I was able to get signed by Tom Walker via TTM.  The above 1976 Topps turned out really well, and is a sharp looking card.

The above 1973 Topps also looks really nice.

Walker (b. 1948) played in the majors from 1972 to 1977 for the Expos, Tigers, Cardinals and the Angels.  He had a career record of 18-23 with 262 strike outs and a 3.87 ERA.

I mailed to Walker on January 27 and got the cards back on February 7, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Hal Breeden

I waited a while to send these, for some reason, but I finally pulled the trigger and got these two cards signed TTM by Hal Breeden.  I think I waited because I thought maybe I had some more of his cards, but I never found them.  I was just happy to add a 1975 Topps to the album, since it has been a while since I got one signed.

I also got this 1973 Topps signed out of the lot I got from Conrad in South Carolina.  A while ago, I didn't have many signed 73s, but now I have a bunch, and I have Conrad to thank.

Breeden (b. 1944) played in the majors from 1971 to 1975 for the Cubs and Expos.  He had 148 hits, 21 home runs and a .243 batting average.

I mailed to Breeden on January 20 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Peter Bergeron

I added some more early 2000s cards to my album when I got this TTM success back from Peter Bergeron.  I had purchased some partial sets from my LCS that they were just going to toss in the recycling bin, and I ended up getting some good TTM subjects from the boxes.

I had the 2001 Topps already, and the 2002 and 2003 came from the LCS.  They had made a huge purchase of someone's collection.  In the collection was a lot of 2002, 2003 and 2004 Topps factory sets.  A lot of them were fused together from the super gloss, so the shop was just going to trash them.  I talked him into letting me have a couple, and the cards turned out to be in really good shape.  I kind of wish I had saved some more of the sets from the recycle bin.  Bergeron was one of the many players I found in the boxes that I could send TTM.

Bergeron (b. 1977) played in the majors from 1999 to 2002 and 2004 for the Expos.  He had 249 hits, 8 home runs and a .226 batting average.

I mailed to Bergeron on October 16 and got the cards back on October 29, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jim Mason

I received a TTM success from Jim Mason.  I had some older cards that I sent out, and they all came back looking pretty nice.

Mason (b. 1950) played in the majors from 1971 to 1979 for the Senators, Rangers, Yankees, Blue Jays and Expos.  He had 322 hits, 12 home runs and a .203 batting average.  Mason appeared in 3 World Series games for the Yankees in their loss to the Reds in 1976.  He had only one plate appearance, but he made it count, his only World Series hit, a home run and a 1.000 batting average!

I mailed to Mason on September 13 and got the cards back on September 23, for a 10-day TAT.

I mailed to Mason on

Expos Fest Autos From Jacob

He has been so busy lately with a new job, so I had to wait a while to get my cards back from my friend, Jacob.  He went to Expos Fest this winter, and was able to help me out with some 1987s for my set, and some other stuff that was laying around in my boxes.

The above 1990 Score Ken Hill looks really nice, and I am glad that this one is the card that Jacob included for me.  Score cards are always pretty bold, so I was glad this one will get into my album.

I was able to cross Mike Fitzgerald off of my list, and Jacob helped me complete the Expos Leaders card that I had previously gotten from another collector.

I had sent Jacob a bunch of Brad Wilkerson cards, and this one is the one he was able to get signed.  It turned out really well.

Finally, here are a few of the older Topps cards that Jacob got done for me.  I forgot that I had a 1980 Topps Steve Renko, so I will check with Jacob and see if he needs it.  If not, I will probably see if anyone wants to trade for it.

Thanks for getting these done, Jacob!

TTM Success - Joe Hesketh

I took part in another private signing on SCN to add another 1987 Topps to my set.  This time, it was for former Expo, Joe Hesketh.

Hesketh (b. 1959) played in the majors from 1984 to 1994 for the Expos, Braves and Red Sox.  He had a career record of 60-47 with 726 strike outs and a 3.78 ERA.

I mailed to the signing on March 14 and got the card back on April 4, for a 21-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $8.00.

TTM Success - Bobby Wine

 I added some nice vintage cards to my autograph album, and also tossed in a 1986 Topps with this TTM success frmo Bobby Wine.  The above 1970 Topps turned out really well.

It is also kind of cool to see the 20-year difference when you put the 1986 next to the 1966.  I think all of the cards turned out well.

Wine (b. 1938) played in the majors in 1960 and 1962 to 1972 for the Phillies and Expos.  He had 682 hits, 30 home runs and a .215 batting average.  He won a Gold Glove Award in 1963.

He managed the Braves in 1985 to a 16-25 record (.390 %).

I mailed to Wine on March 18 and got the cards back on April 4, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Wallace Johnson

Another 1987 Topps was removed from my checklist when I received this card back TTM from Wallace Johnson.

Johnson (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1981 to 1984 and 1986 to 1990 for the Expos and Giants.  He had 145 hits, 5 home runs and a .255 batting average.

I mailed to Johnson on February 27 and got the card back signed on April 1, for a 33-day TAT.

TTM Success - Andy McGaffigan

This TTM success from Andy McGaffigan helped me knock a card off of my 1987 Topps list, and also knocked an item off of my "adulting" list.  After he sent my cards back signed, Andy followed me on LinkedIn and sent me a message wanting to know more about what I do for a living.  It turns out that he is a financial adviser, and I had been putting off getting life insurance for a long time.  So, it worked out, and we have formed a professional relationship, all because I wanted his autograph.

Andy is a really nice guy, and I am glad we were able to do business together.  It would have taken a lot to get me to sit down and get signed up, but I'm really happy that I finally got around to doing it.

McGaffigan (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1981 to 1991 for the Yankees, Giants, Expos, Reds and Royals.  He had a recors of 38-33 with 610 strike outs and a 3.38 ERA.

I mailed to McGaffigan on February 26 and got the cards back on March 11, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jay Tibbs

The cards that I got back from Jay Tibbs all turned out really well.  I really like this 1986 Fleer.  These are cards that I don't have many of, so it is nice to add them to my album.

I had to get my 1987 Topps signed for my set.  It will complete only my second page in my 87 album.  I also got the 1989 Topps signed, since it has Tibbs as an Oriole.

Tibbs (b. 1962) played in the majors 1984 to 1990 for the Reds, Expos, Orioles and Pirates.  He had a career record of 39-54 with 448 strike outs and a 4.20 ERA.

I mailed to Tibbs on November 17 and got the cards back on March 8, for a 111-day TAT.