TTM autograph received: Wayne Causey

I don’t remember when I bought his 1967 Topps card, but unfortunately the adhesive on the lip of a team set bag got briefly stuck to the card and caused paper loss - I sent it out just to get some ink on it and it was signed nicely in blue ink in about a week or so.

Go figure, Causey was actually a one-time California Angel, playing in 4 games with the team in 1968 - so I can use the signed card for my Angels all-time autograph collection.

The 30-Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 22

A card of a common player that always seems to elude you.

1967 Topps Claude Raymond #364 - I don't know if this card has eluded me in a traditional sense [maybe fruitlessly busting pack after pack, never to pull it] since it was printed long before I was born.

Maybe I don't really have a story behind my interest in this card - but this is the only card left on my first list of my Top 10-15 most wanted cards [like I've seen other card bloggers have] I made up a couple of years ago.

I just haven't taken the time to spend the $3 or so online to find a copy of this card - there is weird, juvenile draw to cards that have quirky qualities like Raymond pictured with his fly open.

Raymond strikes nearly a similar look for his 1966 Topps card [#566], with his zipper faux pas a little more noticeable - it would be nice to pick up the 1966 and 1967 Topps cards as a pair, though the 1966 is short printed and is a little more costly than the 1967 card pictured.

2016 Topps Heritage 35-card hanger box

I'm not exactly a fan of Topps Heritage because it's a played out card product to me - it's not like I don't appreciate 'old school' elements in baseball cards, but Heritage is just kind of bland and lacks imagination.

The images used are boring for the most part with no action shots - these Heritage cards either show the players from the waist up and/or boring poses from spring training photo shoots.

The images on the cards look like they are grainy, maybe part of a process [scanned newspaper effect?] - trying to make these new cards look old-timey.

The card backs seems like they are easier to read - so that is probably a good thing.

It’s probably not a consideration for strictly baseball card collectors but the images used and the facsimile autograph - makes the cards seem a little too cluttered to get a random in-person/TTM autograph on.  

For in-person / TTM graphing, I’m mostly an Allen and Ginter guy [until the Topps Heritage Minors product comes out] - going through these cards, I’m not exactly excited to get the guys’ cards I think I can get autographed.

#77 Evan Gattis

#247 Hector Santiago

#179 2016 Diamondbacks Rookie Stars - feat. Godley/Brito

#348 Detroit Tigers team card

#381 Arodys Vizcaino

#193 A.J. Pierzynski

#187 2016 Giants Rookie Stars - feat. Brown/Williamson

#365 St. Louis Cardinals team card

#279 Jeff Bannister

#378 Jason Castro

#132 Ichiro

#399 J.J. Hoover

#267 Mike Scioscia

#181 NL Rookie Stars - feat. Conforto/Nola

#303 David Murphy

#310 Chris Sale

#220 Matt Duffy

#486 Rusney Castillo - short print

#TOPPS NAP-MMA Manny Machado - New Age Performers insert

#TOPPS TAN-YA Carl Yastrzemski / Nolan Arenado - Then and Now insert

#Pittsburgh Pirates team card

#227 Carlos Gomez

#421 Taijuan Walker

#45 Hanley Ramirez

#370 San Francisco Giants team card

#321 Garrett Richards

#72 Mark Trumbo

#88 Xander Bogaerts

#203 Lonnie Chisenhall

#26 Drew Smyly

#191 Jimmy Rollins

#317 Colby Lewis

#312 Vidal Nuno

#17 Brayan Pena

#328 Denard Span

1967 Topps Minnie Rojas #104

I picked this card up to add a vintage element to my Angels frankenset - Rojas pitched for the Angels for three seasons before arm problems cut short his career.

Rojas was apparently part Angels lore as he was paralyzed in a car accident, which killed his two daughters - however, it wasn't until he already left the team did the accident happen and at least his part in the long time franchise curse may have been debunked.

Rojas died in 2002 at the age of 63.

Autograph request through the mail received: Ron Hansen

Ron Hansen c/o home - signed my card in blue ink with '1960 A.L. R.O.Y.' inscription in about a week.

For a card I picked up randomly, I really how this particular card turned out - maybe Hansen had to sign over part of his face and perhaps the facsimile autograph gets in the way, but the actual autograph on the card is nice, bold and clean.

Featured autograph - Tom Satriano

Former Angel Tom Satriano threw out the first pitch before Wednesday's Angels game against the Detroit Tigers - I was able to get his autograph on his 1967 Topps card as he got to Angel Stadium with his family.

Diamond Giveaway trade - 2011 Topps Diamond Cut Manny Ramirez DDC-132

I traded my 1967 Topps Don Drysdale for a 2011 Topps Diamond Cut Manny Ramirez - Manny has been exiled from Major League Baseball but I guess I wanted another 2011 Topps Diamond die cut card in my portfolio.

Maybe I have more confidence in Topps being able to deliver a shiny 2011 card - than a 34 year old card of a Hall of Famer that was probably going to be in 'vg-ex' condition at best.

Diamond Giveaway trade - 1967 Topps Don Drysdale #55

I thought trading a 1960 Topps Frank Malzone for a 1967 Topps Don Drysdale was a coup for my little, itty bitty Topps Diamond Giveaway card collection - even though looking at eBay's completed auctions, the value of the Drysdale maybe $2 or $3 at the most.

Considering the condition of the delivered cards from the Topps Million / Topps Diamond giveaway contests - if I have it delivered in-hand, the actual value of the Drysdale card will be around a buck or less.

Featured autograph - Rick Reichardt

Rick Reichardt was the Mike Trout of his era - unfortunately despite being talked about as a top prospect who had been signed to a hefty signing bonus, Reichardt fell short of his promise as a Major League player and was more or less a disappointment.

Reichardt threw out the first pitch before Monday's Angels game against the Tampa Bay Rays - as he signed my 1967 Topps card during the game, he mentioned the picture was taken at Yankee Stadium.

Card shop trip - going retro Topps

Maybe I could have gone retail and picked up a blaster of 2011 Topps Opening Day or even a blaster of 2011 Topps - but I stopped at the card shop after I'd gotten my haircut because I was still feeling a little empty after I'd gone on a card show trip detailed in my previous post.

The card shop I go to on-and-off is sort of quaint - while it seems up to date as far as the newer products and the layout of the store is fairly organized, the actual experience being in the store makes you feel like you've walked into some collector's closet.

I was going to dig through the quarter box, hoping for some 2011, late 2010 commons - but I was hoping for something different, something to catch my eye. The box of $3 jerseys with mostly hockey cards, a few football and no baseball wasn't really what I was looking for.

I went through what seemed to be a 5,000 card box of 1984 Donruss that was all commons and wasn't really of much interest - despite the fact I did want to see what was inside after a previous visit a year ago.

I went through some old-school Topps cards that caught my eye - but the problem as much as I'd like to get to have some nice old Topps cards just because they maybe 35-40 years old, I only want to immediately collect the cards of players I may know something about. I also know I was going through mostly commons, so there maybe a disconnect as going through the older cards and not recognizing the rank-and-file players pictured on them.

I think my immediate goal were to perhaps look for old school Topps cards I may have seen online as being chronicled for whatever reason - maybe a cult baseball player or a baseball card with a unique characteristic.

After picking out three other cards, I think paid too much [$10] for the 1962 Topps American League Home Run Leaders [#53] I saw in one of the shop's showcases - it is beater of a card but was drawn to it because it features Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle and encapsulates the 1961 American League home run race between the both of the Yankees' sluggers.

I thought I was getting a well-worn, beater card to have in-hand and show off - but I saw all the marks on the back of the card was like, 'd'oh!'

With the Angels' 50th Anniversary celebration, perhaps I need to brush up on my knowledge regarding former Angels like Rick Reichardt, pictured on his 1968 Topps card [#40] I picked up for $1 - about 10 years ago I had a friend who was only 18 at the time, but took time to learn about Halos of the past and write to them for their autographs.

I think The Angels, In Order blog is helpful - as far as looking up old-school Angels and their autographs in relation to the franchise's history.

I've seen this 1973 Topps card of Willie Davis [#35] on some other blogs and wanted to add it to my 'awesome action' collection of cards - it seems either Davis was either hit by the pitch or perhaps he was brushed back according to this blog.

I was leafing through a binder of 1975 Topps commons and this 1975 Topps card of Oscar Gamble [#213] stood out - I think I already have his 1976 Topps Traded card, so I got 1975 Topps version as another tribute to the African-American ballplayer who like his hair, hit their prime years in the mid 1970s loud and proud.

My first 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway card - 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt

After reading this, I unlocked my first code card on the new 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway Web site - for a 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt.