My FIVE GREATEST TTM AUTOS EVER!

Thanks for following along with the countdown, everyone. Here is my top five...

5. Mike Mussina, 1993 Topps

Another guy who should be in the Hall of Fame, Moose was one of my favorites growing up. I rooted for the Orioles quite a bit back then. I didn’t really keep up the fandom after Mussina jumped to the hated Yankees, but he certainly put together a great run in New York. This is another card that gets a big boost because of how plain gorgeous it is.

4. Joe Morgan, 1974 Topps

I already had a Joe Morgan TTM in my collection (the famous white index card) when I saw some scuttlebutt on SCF about Morgan actually signing the cards he was getting in the mail. Morgan was always generous with the signed index cards, but was notoriously tough to get on anything else. I jumped at the chance and managed to score this beauty before he started straight-up refusing fan mail.

3. Paul Molitor, 1987 Donruss Opening Day

Molly has been a periodic TTM signer for years now, but I’ve only managed to snag him once. And there is an odd story behind this one. I got this one back in 2009, when I was kinda-sorta getting back into collecting. I sent it out with a handful of other requests to former Brewers (including the Cooper on this list). But when I got it back, I for some reason decided that it was a stamp. It is signed in a very thin blue pen, so the “swoosh lines” and pressure points are not that apparent in the ink. But other than that, I had no reason to think that it was not real. Still, I mostly disregarded it after I got it back. I put in a Cardsaver and threw it in a box of junk that ended up in the basement. It wasn’t until years later that I actually examined the card and realized that it was indeed hand-signed. You can even see that the card has a little bit of warping from its years in the basement. I can be pretty thick sometimes. Anyway, it is now safely held in my Brewers binder and reigns as one of my best HOF gets TTM.

2. Clayton Kershaw, 2012 Topps

Kershaw has been a pretty steady signer for some time now, using the old Josh Hamilton method of letting mail build up all year long and then sending out a mass of replies during the offseason. He has gotten more hit-and-miss in recent years, but I managed to get one a few years ago on a great-looking 2012 Topps. I think Kershaw has already had a Hall of Fame career and, if he stays healthy, he has a chance to become a generational great. This is a card that I just take out sometimes and stare at.

1. Bob Uecker, 1963 Topps

How could it be anyone but Mr. Baseball in the top spot? Ueck has recently stopping signing TTM, but for several years was a pretty reliable – but rather picky – signer. This was actually the third attempt I had made on Uecker. At first, I sent him a team-issued card, which he mailed back with no explanation. Thank God, as it was butt-ugly. Next, I sent him a reprint of the card above, a promotional issue from 1988 that promoted “Uecker’s Ride for Arts,” a charity bicycle event. That time, I got a letter from his assistant, explaining that Uecker would only sign officially licensed items. I’ve read since online that, even in person, Ueck insists on signing Topps-issued cards that he – either as player or afterwards – had received some kind of compensation for. Which is understandable, I suppose. He signs out of generosity and doesn’t wish to endorse anything that used his image without compensation (although I assume he had approved of both of the cards I had mailed him before). So finally, I ponied up a few bucks for this ’63 beaut and mailed it off. A few weeks later, it came back signed in pen. Bob Uecker is one of Milwaukee baseball’s all-time greatest assets. And this card is one my collection’s all-time greatest assets.