My 30 Greatest Through-the-mail Autographs! (30-26)

Trying to get autographs through the mail is something I've been doing, on and off, since I was a little kid. I picked it back up in earnest back in 2010 or so and have since gotten somewhere around 250 cards signed. From those, I have picked out my very favorite 30 and will present them, in groups of five, over the next week. 

ON TO THE SHOW!

30. Bill Virdon, 2012 Topps Heritage Player Sample

Of course, this wasn’t the card I mailed to Virdon, which is what makes it so cool in the first place. Virdon, a former Rookie of the Year, replied to my request with a card of his own, which happened to be a sample card that Topps provided him for signing cards for their Heritage set. I’ve seen a few of these pop up on the TTM boards, so Virdon must have figured he had nothing better to do with these cards than to send them out to fans. This article suggests that only about 50 of these player sample cards were produced, which would make it one of the rarer cards I own.

29. Jonathan Lucroy, 2012 Bowman RC

I got this back in 2011 or 2012, when Luc was still a fringe prospect. Lucroy stopped signed TTM a long time ago, so it’s a nice get, but I would have ranked it higher had I mailed him a better card. This one is dark and cluttered and with the inscription and the bible verse, the actual sign gets a bit lost. It’s a shame Luc hasn’t produced in Texas. I really do hope he finds his stroke with the Rockies.

28. Khris Davis, 2013 Topps RC

Good-looking card, clean sig, favored player… this one wins on all three. The trade that sent Davis to Oakland was one of the very few duds that David Stearns has executed since he took over as Brewers GM. Dude can straight up mash the ball. I managed to snag him during Spring Training 2014. I don’t think he has signed TTM since.

27. Paul and Rick Reuschel, 1977 Topps

This was the first dual TTM sig I managed, nabbing Rick first, then Paul. Paul had a mostly forgettable career, while Rick pitched for 19 years, made three all-star teams, and twice finished in the top three for Cy Young voting. Rick actually has some fringe Hall of Fame credentials, as he registered a higher career WAR than Jim Palmer, John Smoltz, Bob Feller, or Juan Marichal. Topps actually flipped the names on the card, but each brother signed over the correct part of the photo.

26. Joe Torre, 1976 Topps

A lot of people would probably rank this one higher. Torre is an MVP and a Hall of Famer who signs sporadically (I got this one back about 18 months after mailing it) and was at the helm of the Yankees dynasty of the 1990s. But, in many ways, I am a petty man. He won his MVP with the hated Cardinals and I always rooted against his Yankee teams in the ‘90s. On the other hand, he broke in to the bigs right here in Milwaukee and, as far I know, was always a pretty decent guy. I feel like this is a card that will grow on me. But for now, I’ll place it here.