SoCal Autograph Odysses

 I've recently sent a big new batch of through the mail requests of Hall of Famers I had found that were sending items back signed. The first of that batch came back yesterday, after less than ten days of me sending it out. This is former Redskins (now Commanders) Hall of Fame linebacker Chris Hanburg, who was kind enough to also include his HOF 2011 inscription. The colors on this vintage card really make the signature itself stand out, so I am a fan of how this came out. 

 I was recently on a two week road trip with the family, so took that opportunity to find retail products that I would never find in SoCal. Our trip took us through some lightly populated locales in places like Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. I found some cards that I was never really able to find on the shelves here locally, and was able to hit an auto out of one of the boxes which I will share in a bit. First, I want to show a couple of pieces I bought while I was perusing eBay during some of the downtime we had on our trip. First up is a signed rookie card from Topps Gypsy Queen of Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. I picked this up for very cheap, as pitchers don't sell well usually and Gypsy Queen is one of the lesser sets. That being said, I always am on the lookout for guys that could possibly end up in the Hall down the road if their career stays on track and this was a cheap gamble.  The second card is more of a prospect type of pickup from the NBA....

 In the football card community, there are a few top tier products. We are talking products that can be five figures to purchase one small box of 8 or less cards. It's just ridiculous pricing. However, there are many times when you can get Hall of Fame players from these sets for prices that are far more reasonable, and I took advantage of one of those opportunities a few weeks ago when I bought a National Treasures silver auto game used jersey card of Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears and football Hall of Fame. The only "downside" to this card is that it's a sticker auto which is a bit lame saying that the set is so expensive. Other than that, I think it's a very cool card. 

 My through the mail requests have pretty much come to a complete and utter slow drip pace as I have stopped sending as many requests. I have collected so many of the active Hall of Famers who actually sign through the mail that I am beginning to run out of players to send to in the first place. I will check the sites every so often to see if someone is actively signing more than previously, or perhaps go for the few I haven't yet sent in to. I also currently have a couple requests that have been pending for a couple months that have not come back. At this point I am not confident that they will but I have been surprised before. Once of the recent requests I sent that did not take long to come back was from former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. When I got back from our family two week vacation I was happy to see this request waiting for me. As you can see, I sent a rookie card.

 Earlier this year I sent some money into a private signing I found on SportsCollectors.net and it was a big one. Ken Griffey Jr., arguably the biggest superstar during my youth, was sitting down for a signing and my go to guy on SCN was going to be there. I know the common card people will want signed by Ken is his 1989 Upper Deck rookie, however I don't like how dark that card is for a signature so I chose the 1989 Topps instead. When I got the card back, I was quickly happy with the decision. As usual in the signings done by Tom Orr, I am very happy with the way my item turned out and am thrilled to add Griffey to my signed card collection.