TTM SUCCESS: Miami Marlins 1-Day Hero, Adam Greenberg!!

TTM SUCCESS: Miami Marlins 1-Day Hero, Adam Greenberg!!

I sent just one baseball card out during Spring Training with the hopes of hauling in an autograph for my collection.

That card was sent to Adam Greenberg, formerly of the Miami Marlins.

We all know his story, and for one day Greenberg was the most relevant player in the sport.  As a Marlins fan, there was a lot of attention paid to Greenberg leading up to his appearance with the team and it was very hard to not get swept up in all of the excitement. 

I admire his determination and he can certainly teach many of today’s players about how quickly the dream of playing major league baseball can be taken from you.

Greenberg attended Spring Training with the Baltimore Orioles this year and he still has the goal of making the big leagues on a permanent roster.  I sent my card to him in the middle of Spring and it was returned to me the other day – signed!!

Have a look:

Thank you Adam, and best of luck to you with all of your future endeavors!!!

HUGE TTM SUCCESS!!!! A Wade Boggs Signed Baseball Bat For My Collection!!! Gotta See This!!!

HUGE TTM SUCCESS!!!!  A Wade Boggs Signed Baseball Bat For My Collection!!!  Gotta See This!!!

For the better part of a year, I have been seeing successful, and beautiful, autographs being signed by Hall of Famer Wade Boggs through the mail.

I even got in on the action – sending and receiving some signed cards from Mr. Boggs in 2012.

As a kid living in South Florida during my childhood, I had no ‘home team’ to cheer for – so I got to pick any team and player to call ‘mine’.

I chose Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, and Wade Boggs.

So, anytime I can bring a baseball card or piece of memorabilia or autograph into my collection from one of these players, I will usually try to do my best to make it happen.

And lately, I have been seeing people sending and receiving a lot of premium items from Mr. Boggs.  From helmets to specialty baseballs to oversized photos – and they all look G-R-E-A-T.

So, I took a gamble.  I sent him a baseball bat!!!

And wouldn’t you know it – in 13 days the bat was returned to me – and it was signed perfectly!!!!

Have a look:

What?  You want a closer look?  OK.  Try this:

Closer??  Ok, I think that I can do that:

Signed perfectly – and with the inscriptions that I asked for too!!!  Mr Boggs signed the bat perfectly centered on the barrel of the bat with ‘HOF 05′ and ’5x Batting Champ’ inscriptions!!!

Thank you so much, Mr. Boggs!!!!  This bat is a fantastic addition to my collection and I cannot think of a more fitting item to have in my collection that reminds me of the great, elite player that you were!!!

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame ‘Essential Enshrinement’ Certified Autograph & Patch Card – Numbered To 5

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame ‘Essential Enshrinement’ Certified Autograph & Patch Card – Numbered To 5

Friends, I have scored my best Fergie Jenkins autograph card to date!!!!

This card comes from the 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame ‘Essential Enshrinement’ set and features a sweet Fergie Jenkins signature.

It also features a 2-color patch of Light Blue and Cubbie Blue!!  This is my first autographed baseball card of Jenkins that features a jersey relic.  You could also call it my first relic card that features a signature too..

No matter how you slice it or dice it, this card is sweet!!

Have a look:

There is nothing about this card that I do not like.  From the great image to the Golden accents to the wood-grain background – I like it all!!!

And the fact that this card is serial numbered as 1/5 certainly does not hurt either…

Enjoy. 

Andre Dawson 1990 Bowman Autographed Baseball Card!!!

Andre Dawson 1990 Bowman Autographed Baseball Card!!!

Another autographed baseball card of Andre Dawson for the collection??

You Bet Your A$$!!!!

There was no way that I  was going to let this one get by me – not for what it was selling for.

The card comes from the 1990 Bowman baseball card set, and unlike the Bowman release from the prior year, this one features a fantastic action photo!!!

Have a look:

And that sweet, bold, Blue Andre Dawson autograph is a perfect complement to such a nice looking baseball card!!

The collection continues to grow!!!

SIGNING RESULTS: 11-Time Gold Glove Winner, Keith Hernandez!!!

SIGNING RESULTS: 11-Time Gold Glove Winner, Keith Hernandez!!!

I was excited when one of the more prominent autograph signing organizers that I have worked with in the past announced a signing with Keith Hernandez.

I had been chasing Hernandez for more than a year, and while I had a few chances to nab him, the fees were just more than what I was willing to pay.

Thankfully, this signing was priced right.  So, I jumped!!!

And now, the baseball that I sent in for the signing has been returned to me.  And it was well the wait.

Have a look:

Hernandez offers a pretty easy-to-read autograph, and he fills the White space of a baseball very nicely.

As you can see, I opted for the ’11x Gold Glove’ inscription as I thought it would be a neat one for my collection.  Hernandez has quite a few career achievements that are inscription worthy, like MVP, All-Star appearances, WS championships, but for me I like the one that puts him on a different level and that is his 11 Gold Glove Awards.

Here is a picture of Mr. Hernandez at the signing:

A fantastic new baseball for my collection.

Thank you Mr. Hernandez!!

SIGNING RESULTS: Hall Of Fame And Cy Young Winner Jim Palmer Signed Bat For My Collection!!!!

SIGNING RESULTS: Hall Of Fame And Cy Young Winner Jim Palmer Bat For My Collection!!!!

To say that I am excited about this is a severe understatement.

I got in on a deeply discounted private signing with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer that took place in late March.  With the signing, Palmer was offering FREE Hall of Fame inscriptions, so the added savings made this a ‘must’ for me.

I went back and forth on the items I considered going after, but ultimately settled in on a baseball bat.  Some collectors think that a signed bat by a pitcher is an odd choice, but for a player so accomplished I think that a bat is a solid symbol that strongly represents the game.  And it also allows for a large surface area to be signed.

So, without further ado, let me show you the bat!!! 

Here it is:

Nice, huh?

Don’t you just love the way that Mr. Palmer signed it for me?  He has a very neat, and artsy signature.  And of the Hall of Famers that I shop frequently, his autograph is certainly one of the more consistent too.

What?

You cannot see it?

Seriously?

You want a better look?

You sure?

You’re just pulling my leg, right?

OK.

If you want a better picture, I guess that I can offer up another one…

You asked for it!!!

Signed perfectly in a bright, Blue Sharpie marker, as you can see I got the FREE HOF inscription and also went after the ’1973,75,76 Cy Young’ inscription as well. 

The autograph and inscriptions fill the bat barrell perfectly – just enough to be full and not spill over and not be seen at one time.

This bat is a perfect addition to my small but very meaningful collection that features my other ‘Super Collections’: Andre Dawson & Fergie Jenkins!!

After bringing home 2 new Jim Palmer autographs this Spring, it may be time to add an ‘Ultimate Palmer’ page to the blog!!!

I hope another signing opportunity like this comes along from Mr. Palmer.  If so, I will be ready to score even more.  As a matter of fact, I have already started shopping for it…

Thanks for reading!!

Fergie Jenkins 1982 Topps Originals Certified Autograph Baseball Card

Fergie Jenkins 1982 Topps Originals Certified Autograph Baseball Card

It’s always exciting for me to bring home signed baseball cards of my favorite baseball players.

And for me, I am not really picky as to which kind of autograph it is – sticker, on-card, in-person, through the mail – whatever, just as long as it is nice, clean, and bold!!

I recently ‘stole’ this item off of Ebay.  I paid well under what others had been selling for and it was at a price that worked with my budget.

Have a look:

The card is from the 1982 Topps set.  And as you can see with the hand-numbering, there were 200 of them pulled for Fergie Jenkins to sign.  The card is serial numbered as 66, and the back features a Topps hologram confirming the legitimacy of the autograph.

YES!!!

Andre Dawson 1992 Donruss All-Star Baseball Card – AUTOGRAPHED!!!!

Andre Dawson 1992 Donruss All-Star Baseball Card – AUTOGRAPHED!!!!

I keep lucking out with my searching.  And over the last few months, I have found some spectacular, and affordable, signed cards of Andre Dawson for my collection.

This card, comes from the 1992 Donruss All-Star baseball card set.  I have always been a fan of this card as I really like the photo that Donruss chose for the card.  Based on the image, it looks like Dawson has lifted one deep to the outfield - hopefully it cleared the fence!

Have a look:

A perfect autograph in a bright, Blue Sharpie marker – Gotta love it!!!

And yes, I think that cards signed in Blue of players that have uniforms of a similar color look great.  Blue Sharpie is very nice for Cubs, Royals, and Mets cards while in my opinion it clashes a bit with the Pirates, Cardinals, and Padres.

Another great one for the collection – YIPPEE!!!

100 BALLS!!!!

100 BALLS!!!!

This post has been 4 1/2 years in the making.

When I started ’30-Year Old Cardboard’ in the summer of 2008, I had one signed baseball in my collection – a Billy Williams ball that I got signed in the in 1989 while living in Chicago and attending a Cubs Convention with my dad.  Mr. Williams was so friendly towards me; both my dad and I became instant fans!!  I lugged that ball from state to state and from house to house for more than twenty years.

And once I decided to get back into the hobby of baseball card collecting, I dusted off my Billy Williams ball, bought a new UV-protected case for it, and kept it on my desk for inspiration.

Fast forward to today and I am happy to be celebrating that I now have 100 autographed baseballs in my collection.  The collection, just like my cards, is focused around men that helped shape the history of the game in prior decades as well as the players that impacted my love for the sport during my youth.

I’ve got Marlins.  I’ve got All-Stars.  I’ve got Cy Young Award winners and MVPs.  I’ve got World Series heroes and I have Hall of Famers.

I have signed balls in my collection that I never really thought that I would obtain.  And, of course, I have some balls in my collection that I wish I never did obtain.

But, I tell you what – I love this collection.  And for as much as my Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson and Willie Mays signed balls mean to me, the single best ball in my collection is still that old National League ball signed by Hall Of Famer, Billy Williams.

Here is a look at my full collection of signed baseballs:

And a peek at the gem of my collection, my Billy Williams ball:

I already have plans in place to add more baseballs to my collection.  And while I don’t have a target number of balls that I want for this extension of my baseball card collecting hobby, I am pretty confident that the collection will continue to blossom in the coming years!

Thanks for reading.

Signed Baseball #100 Of My Collection Is My GREATEST ONE YET!!! You’ve Got To See This!!!

Signed Baseball #100 Of My Collection Is My GREATEST ONE YET!!!  You’ve Got To See This!!!

My signed baseball collection is one of my great joys.  I have put a lot of time and effort into crafting a collection of balls that mirrors my collection of baseball cards.  For the most part, that means going after signed baseballs of players that either helped shape my love of the sport as a kid or are responsible for the great history of the game.

The 100th signed ball in my collection has been signed by the great, Hank Aaron.

 I have been on a quest to add an Aaron ball to my collection for more than half of a year.  As a matter of fact, I had Ebay gift cards from both Father’s Day and Christmas that helped pay for the ball.

And here it is:

Signed perfectly in Blue, and right on the sweet spot, I was very picky as to the one that I wanted to purchase.

If you know anything about Hank Aaron’s autograph, there are quite a few variations out there.  In the early part of his career through the 1980′s, Aaron offered a smaller and more artsy signature.  Since then, his autograph has gotten larger, loopier, and more spread out.

The ball that I picked up is kind of in between the two – not as neat and clean as the early stuff and not nearly as large and spaced out as the very recent ones.

My ball came with a COA from Steiner Sports - and for me, that was a must.  There was no way that I was going to make this kind of investment and not have a certificate of authenticity from the company that Aaron is associated with.

For me, this is the best baseball in my collection.  It will go on the top row of my display, and will be featured in spot #1.