Late last week I received three more TTM successes: author of a 1972 no-hitter and near perfect game, Milt Pappas; 2009 American League Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey; and 1960 National League Most Valuable Player Dick Groat.
The Pappas card is signed on his 1958 Topps rookie card, which makes for a cool addition to my collection. I do own two of these rookies, so this seemed like a reasonable card to have signed. Very happy to see the return, but the signature is pretty odd when compared to others I have seen. As for the use of ballpoint pen, I actually don’t mind it at all on vintage cards. It gives it an old, authentic feel … even if this one appears to merely be scribbled.
The Bailey signature is the latest in my not-yet-announced Rookie of the Year autograph project. Earlier this month I received Chris Coughlan, the National League ROY, so my 2009 set is complete. Of note, this card, which was returned within eight days, was signed during the week that was he off during Spring Training resting his elbow. Kind of a neat story.
And perhaps the coolest card returned this week is this 1955 Topps Dick Groat. I bought this single at my local card shop from the bargain bin for a buck, and then realized when I got home that I already had this card from a lot I bought on eBay. Days later learned that Groat was a great TTM signer, so I sent it his way with a request to add the MVP inscription. He obliged. Awesome success.
I still have another 40 or so requests out to current and former players. You can see the entire list of requests and success — with pictures — in this original post. I’ll be using that thread for all of my 2010 TTM requests, even after Spring Training ends.
cardboardicons.com 