SoCal Autograph Odysses

 Yesterday I compiled a list of my top five autograph pulls from sealed sports cards during 2024, so today I'm going to do a top ten list of all additions to my memorabilia collection that I added in 2024.  10. Pedro Martinez It was tough for me to come up with the bottom few items that make the list because I added so many big names throughout 2024. In the end, I decided on going with my Pedro Martinez rookie card I sent in to a private signing that happened earlier this year. It was an Upper Deck rookie card and it came out nicely. 9. Erling Haaland Soccer has become my primary focus in collecting and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add the best striker currently playing in the Premier League, Manchester City's Erling Haaland. This card was an auto/game used memorabilia combo from a set I like, Panini Select. Haaland is the first of many huge soccer autos that came my way in 2024. 8. Mark Messier Any time you can add one of the top ten players of all time in their r...

 It's the time of year to post my five favorite autograph pulls from sealed products over the course of 2024. I've made this an annual post for a few years now and have received feedback that it is well received by the people who read this blog.  5. Colton Cowser This card makes the top 5 by virtue of it being a numbered rookie on card auto /99 of the Baltimore Orioles outfielder who got second in rookie of the year voting. This was pulled from a 2024 Bowman blaster by my daughter and was pulled from our LCS.  4. Devon Achane You'll notice a theme here that to make this list, the autograph pretty much needs to be numbered or a hard to find insert auto that makes it more rare. In this case, it's the latter. Up until this birthday pull, I'd never pulled an on card Prestige Passport auto. This Devon Achane was pulled from a mega box my dad purchased for my birthday, and is a rookie card. The on card nature of the autograph as well as it being a rookie gets it the four ...

 My wife came to the (correct) conclusion a few years ago that for Christmas, getting me hobby boxes is a sure fire way to get an A on gift giving. This year, she went with a Panini Select Premier League hobby box as well as a Serie A (Italian League) Select hobby box. Both boxes are products I love and guarantee three autograph or memorabilia cards. The Serie A box in particular ended up being a great box as I actually got two autographs as well as two memorabilia cards. I got six numbered cards all numbered /49 or less as well.  The first autograph was of Italian legend Franco Baresi, who was one of the top 20 players of the 20th century. I now have autographs of Baresi, Maldini, and Cannavaro, all three Italian defensive stalwarts.  The other auto was a tie dye /15 autograph of former Roma forward Edin Dzeko. The reason for getting soccer many low numbered cards in this box is that the print run is much lower than it is for Premier League cards.  The Premier Leagu...

 I actually had two cards I sent into a recent signing via SportsCollectors.net, the first of which I posted about a few days ago. This card was also a rookie card and is of former NHL goalie and hockey Hall of Famer Ed Belfour. The card I sent in for this signing was an Upper Deck rookie card, and what makes it cool is I watched the entirety of Belfour's career. 

 I sent a rookie card into a signing of hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri. This was a guy I watched play for the Kings when I first got into the game as a kid but he's best known as being an Edmonton Oiler. Arguably the best Finnish player of all time (sorry Teemu Selanne) and member of the NHL all time greatest 100 players list, I'm glad to add this autograph to my collection. As you can see, Jari also added the 2001 HOF inscription which I appreciate.

 I mentioned this in the Kobe Bryant post, but I've recently been given the green light to add a couple GOAT level autographs to my collection. One was clearly the Kobe, and the other name I decided to land on was getting soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo.  My intent was not to add two autographs of Ronaldo, but some eBay shenanigans (not of my own doing) lead to me thinking I was getting a refund on one due to lack of shipping. Once a claim was opened, the original ended up being delivered to the authentication company the same day I was due to get a refund. Meanwhile, I'd already moved on a contingency card. I may be open to selling one if interested.  The first card is from Panini Select and the second auto is from Panini Mosaic and both the card and auto itself are graded as 9s by PSA as you can see in the photo.

 Today marked the return of a through the mail request I sent out back in July, so it totalled over four months of wait time. This request comes back to us from MLB Hall of Famer and former Chicago Cuba great Billy Williams. I sent a 1970 Topps along with Billy's requested fee during the summer so it was a pleasant surprise to open my mailbox and see a self addressed stamped envelope waiting for me. He was one of only a few outstanding requests I've sent so when I saw the envelope postmarked from Illinois I had an inkling it might be this card. I'm happy with how this turned out as it's signed in blue and is very legible, plus the signature placement is exactly where I'd want.