TTM autographs received: Storm Davis

I didn’t know if I would get back a good response from Davis after sending him a letter meant for someone else - I had written out several TTM letters, folded them up to fit a business sized envelope and left them loose overnight.

The next day, I was putting together my request for Davis and even took a picture of what I was sending - however in the rush to jam everything into an outgoing envelope to place in my mail box, things got mixed up and only after the fact did I realize I still had my handwritten letter to Davis.

I was sweating out this request, wondering if I'd be scolded for sending a letter to the wrong guy - what if I just didn't get my stuff back?

However, after four weeks, my cards came back signed and there was no note or anything - I was almost disappointed that I didn't get a reaction, though my best assumptions are the guys who have signed regularly for decades don’t particularly read their mail and / or have seen it all.

Maybe someone presumably helping Davis go through his mail, saw and pointed out my goof - but I did send Davis his cards and not another former player, so the intent was there to show my request was for him otherwise.

TTM autograph received: Jeff Russell

I got Russell to finish off my 1990 Fleer Superstar Specials subset card already signed by Mark Gubicza - a few months ago, I saw a success posted with Russell on a forum I belong to and by coincidence, I found the Fleer card in a small loose stack of cards I’d set aside featuring partially completed multiplayer cards.

On those rare occasions when it does happen - it feels good to get a iP / TTM autograph card signed by the two or more players pictured.

I must have gotten Gubicza 20 years ago while he was still writing out ‘Mark’ compared to recent years - when he really shortened up his autograph to basically initials.

I decided to send my card to Russell with $5 since it might have been implied he actually charges a fee - I crossed my fingers I would get an eventual success and about three weeks later, a SASE was returned with my card signed.

My card shop died and the hunt for the Honus Wagner of junk wax?

I dropped in at my LCS, but someone else was running the shop - I'm looking around absentmindedly trying to figure out if there was some kind of change, feeling like I’m in the Twilight Zone since things were just different.

The fact was, my long time LCS was actually bought out [my last visit was in December] and now a new guy owns the place - the longtime shop owner finally made his play to get out of the owning a card shop, that seemed more like a sparsely attended library.

While I wasn't actually on a first name basis with the previous shop owner, I've used my LCS as an outlet for the miscellaneous cards, supplies and loose packs I might purchase every other month or so - who knows if I’ll be back any time soon and wonder if this new incarnation of the shop will last over the next couple of years.

The most familiar card shop to me is an out of town one I may visit only a couple times a year - on a sightseeing trip, I had the opportunity to stop by recently, but was a bit overwhelmed.

I made the trip after a long day and while I feel like I wanted to go to town - I just didn’t know where where to start.

I had looked at the ‘junk wax / junk sets’ display near the entrance - a part of me wants to be tempted by a cheap single box or set purchase, though it’s more crap I’m going to actually pay to take home instead of the other way around.

I picked up a 1990 Fleer factory set for $6 because of a peculiar Jose Uribe [#74] card - which has become infamous because it has been listed on eBay for outrageous sums [from like $25,000-$758,000].

Some people say the card is being used for money laundering purposes - regardless, the notoriety may have driven the card value to like a few bucks [or not].

I fancy myself as a collector who can appreciate the weird stories that may circulate - about the baseball cards I collect.

There were two types of sets available at the shop - the set in the ‘holiday’ box was $15 but I settled for the ‘brown box’ factory set without the full color, graphics.

I thumbed through the set afterwards at Starbucks since was my friend was hanging out there while waiting on me - I was thrilled to find the Uribe, though it was a little off-center, so that jarred me back to reality.

Featured autograph - Fred McGriff

I found a card for McGriff in the '15 for $1' box at a card shop I visited and was able to get him to sign it for me - the autograph doesn't resemble his 'sit down' autographs but he can sign any way he wants to after hitting 493 home runs in the big leagues.

Featured autographs - Mark Gubicza

The affable Angels TV broadcaster Mark Gubicza signed these two cards for me in-person several days ago - I haven't gotten him in a couple of years and while my memory maybe a little fuzzy, it looks like 'Gubi' may have shortened his autograph.

The 1989 Topps is OK, but I like the 1990 Fleer card in particular - they look sort of similar with pretty straightforward designs with white borders, but the Fleer looks better in-hand and features an action shot.