Incredible ‘Through The Mail’ Mail Day Courtesy Of Mr. Wade Boggs!!

Incredible ‘Through The Mail’ Mail Day Courtesy Of Mr. Wade Boggs!!

As soon as i decided to jump in and go after more baseball cards of Wade Boggs for my collection, the first thing I did was document each and every card I owned that featured him as the primary subject so I could get my ‘Boggs Checklist’ up to date and proceed with my expansion plans.

As I went through the cards I already owned, I saw that a few doubles had crept into the mix.  And they were all pretty good looking cards too.  My mind began to spin, and I started formulating my plan…

First, I went to a few of the sports autograph websites that I frequent to see if Boggs’ signing habits through the mail were still positive.  And as soon as I got that confirmation, I pulled three cards from my small stack of ‘doubles’, jotted a quick letter to Wade, and packed the cards up with a small cash donation and return self-addressed-stamped-envelope.

And off they went.

And just 2 1/2 weeks later, my three cards were returned to me and they are all signed beautifully in Blue Sharpie.

Have a look:

1988 Score – base

1991 Score ‘Dream Team’ w/HOF 05 inscription

2001 Fleer ‘Greats Of The Game’

I told you that they were good looking cards!!!

And even better with that bright Blue Wade Boggs autograph scribbled on each one.

I am so thrilled that Boggs is still signing so generously for his fans.  I may try to grab a few more while I can – time to go back and see what other ‘doubles’ I have that may look just as nice as the above cards.

Which one do you like the best?  My pick is the 1988 Score card – the Blue really pops!!!

Happy Birthday Bobby Doerr!!

Happy Birthday Bobby Doerr!!

Mr. Bobby Doerr turns 96 years old today.

Doerr is baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer, having made his professional debut in 1937.

A 14-year veteran, Doerr was a 9-time All-star for the Boston Red Sox.  He has a lifetime batting average of .288 with 2,042 career hits.  Other notable stats from his career include 1,094 runs scored, 223 home runs, 1,247 RBI, and 54 steals.  In 7,093 at-bats, Doerr struck out just 608 times – less than 10% of the time.  Doerr finished in the Top 20 for the MVP award 7 times during his major league career.

Doerr played in the 1946 World Series but the Sox lost to the Cardinals in 6 games.  In that match-up, he hit .409 by collecting 9 hits in 22 at-bats.

Happy Birthday Mr. Doerr!!!

Doerr signed these for me TTM in 2009.

It Has Been Way Too Long Since I Showed You My Balls…

It Has Been Way Too Long Since I Showed You My Balls…

The title of this post says it all.  I try to show you my balls at least 2-3 times a year.  I do this as a way to motivate myself and to keep my other ball-collecting pals updated on my progress.  I also do this as a way to get other talking about their balls…

Tonight, I wanted to give you the full tour.  The collection sits at 114 as this post is published.  I have one signing happening in March that I have already committed to, and I have two more that I am also very likely to get involved with.

So, the collection will grow – for sure.  And the quality remains at an all-time high as well.  While I could easily have between 120-130 signed balls in my collection thus far, the last 18+ months have been more about quality and less about quantity.  And the results of that philosophy has netted me some pretty elite players – and for me, that is extremely exciting.

Ready for the tour??

Cool.

First, here is the full collection:

And now, a detailed breakdown of what you’re seeing:

Starting from the bottom…

Row 1 – Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Bill Madlock, Mark Grace, Lee Smith, Jack McKeon, Livan Hernandez, Al Leiter, Charlie Hough, Jeff Conine, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Ozzie Guillen, Bobby Bonilla, Josh Johnson, Cameron Maybin

Row 2 – Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, Brian Jordan, Vince Coleman, Steve Garvey, Bert Campaneris, Vida Blue, Harold Baines, Jack Clark, Don Larsen, Earl Weaver, Monte Irvin, Bobby Doerr

Row 3 – Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins, Fergie Jenkins, Fergie Jenkins, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Duke Snider, Fred Lynn, Luis Tiant, Al Kaline, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Goose Gossage, Gaylord Perry, Phil Neikro

Row 4 – Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins, Fergie Jenkins, Fergie Jenkins, Tom Glavine, Dave Parker, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Carlton Fisk, Mike Greenwell, Rollie Fingers, Jim Abbott

Row 5 – Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey, George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez

Row 6 – Andre Dawson, Jim Palmer, Jim Palmer, Jim Palmer, Rod Carew, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Dave Winfield, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, Wade Boggs, Dennis Eckersley, Paul Molitor, Ryne Sandberg, Steve Carlton

Row 7 – Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Nolan Ryan

Whew………

That was a lot of typing.  But, in time, I think I will be able to type some more as I am really looking to build my collection in the early parts of this year.  As I mentioned earlier, I am committed to one signing already, have my eyes on two more, am still hunting a Tom Seaver ball, and I am always looking for more Andre Dawson opportunities as well.

What do you think???

I’ll tell you what my wife thinks – She thinks I am NUTS!!!!

Thanks for reading.  Have a great night!

2013 Topps Archives ‘Tallboys’ Subset – Matt Williams

2013 Topps Archives ‘Tallboys’ Subset – Matt Williams

With the new 2013 Topps Archives baseball card set release, the ‘Mini Tallboys’ subset is easily one of the best parts of the issue.

The cards from this subset offer a very basic, but throwback feel that screams vintage. The set is 40 cards deep and offers a nice mixture of current players, stars from the 1980′s, and Hall of Fame legends.

This is the Matt Williams card from the set:

 

Williams was a solid player for the better part of his career.  A stud third baseman, with superior offensive skills, Williams was well-round and well-liked.  In addition to his 5 All-star team selections, Williams also won 4 Silver Slugger trophies and 4 Gold Gloves.  His career stats include 1,878 hits with 338 doubles and 378 home runs.  Williams scored 997 runs while driving in another 1,218.  Williams played in 3 World Series match-ups during his career.  He finally won a title in 2001 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Happy Birthday Bobby Doerr!!

Happy Birthday Bobby Doerr!!

Mr. Bobby Doerr turns 95 years old today.

Doerr is baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer, having made his professional debut in 1937.

A 14-year veteran, Doerr was a 9-time All-star for the Boston Red Sox.  He has a lifetime batting average of .288 with 2,042 career hits.  Other notable stats from his career include 1,094 runs scored, 223 home runs, 1,247 RBI, and 54 steals.  In 7,093 at-bats, Doerr struck out just 608 times – less than 10% of the time.  Doerr finished in the Top 20 for the MVP award 7 times during his major league career.

Doerr played in the 1946 World Series but the Sox lost to the Cardinals in 6 games.  In that match-up, he hit .409 by collecting 9 hits in 22 at-bats.

Happy Birthday Mr. Doerr!!!

Doerr signed these for me TTM in 2009.

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.

I Have A New Gem In My ‘Ultimate Dawson’ Collection. You’ve Got To See This!!!

I Have A New Gem In My ‘Ultimate Dawson’ Collection. You’ve Got To See This!!!

You may recall tha tback in January I showed off a Pete Rose signed photo that I had picked up for what I thought was a huge bargain.  If you don’t remember, or would just like ot re-visit that story, you can do so here.

As excited as I was to obtain the signed photo of ‘The Hit King’, I knew that my mission was only half complete.

So, a few weeks later, I sent a ‘Mystery Package To Andre Dawson’.

Well, now, less than three weeks later, I am very excited to annouce that my ‘Mystery Package’ has been returned to me.

And now I have a new ‘GEM’ in my ‘Ultimate Dawson’ Collection.

Have a look:

Signed perfectly in Blue Sharpie by Andre Dawson, this is my first ever dual-signed photo.  And I could not be more happy with how it turned out.

As usual, Dawson applied a perfect signature to the photo, and he placed it exactly where I asked him to.

Having Pete Rose’s signature on this image was spectacular. 

Now having this image signed by both superstars is for me, unreal!!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Finally, I Got My Signed Billy Williams Chicago Cubs Mini Batting Helmet. Come Check It Out!!!

Finally, I Got My Signed Billy Williams Chicago Cubs Mini Batting Helmet.  Come Check It Out!!!

For more than 24 months I have been seeking out this item.

And I tried multiple routes – from organized signings to consignment deals to purchasing online to Ebay.

And no matter how I tried to get this going, I failed.  Either the timing was not right, the pricing was way too high, or a reason to pass was strong.

Ever since I started building a collection of signed mini-helmets for my collection, I have wanted to add Billy Williams to it.  The Ebay search was save in ‘My Ebay’ for more than 24 months.  And with it came a lot of over-priced, but beautiful, items for me to drool over.

Many were priced too high, and none of the sellers were willing to listen to my offers.

So, I played the waiting game.  And I waited an awful long time…

But, just like most of my ‘big-ticket’ conquests, the wait eventually paid off and I scored!!

I am now the proud owner of this mini-helmet:

Signed perfectly by the Hall of Famer, this helmet is a fantastic addition to my collection.  And it rests comfortably next to my Andre Dawson and Fergie Jenkins helmets.

Patience pays off again.  And I certainly did not have to risk quality on this one – she is a beauty!!!

Billy Williams 2001 Fleer ‘Greats Of The Game’ Certified Autographed Baseball Card

Billy Williams 2001 Fleer ‘Greats Of The Game’ Certified Autographed Baseball Card

You will not believe what I paid for this card.  Seriously, you will not believe me…

It has been more than a year since I added a signed Billy Williams card to my collection.  It is has nothing to do with availability, and everything to do with focus.

But, when I saw this one, I was not going to let it get by me.  Especially with the price tag that was on it…

Have a look:

This card comes from the 2001 Fleer ‘Greats Of The Game’ set, and as you can see it features a perfect Billy Williams signature.

I have always been a fan of this set, as the images used are bright, bold, and lead from the card’s surface.

This card is a great addition to my Billy Williams player collection.  I am thrilled to bring home another autograph of #26.

Oh, as for the price???  Just $6.00!!  I could not believe it – the seller must have needed cash quick because he/she listed a bunch at very cheap prices.  I was able to grab this one before anyone else!!

YES!!!

The Newest Autograph To My Collection: Signed Pete Rose 8×10 Photo!!! But Not Your Ordinary Image Of Him…

The Newest Autograph To My Collection: Signed Pete Rose 8×10 Photo!!!

I am a big fan of Pete Rose.  And in time, he is a player that I would eventually like to build a nice collection of.

The single greatest moment of watching baseball on television from my youth is watching Pete break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record.  And that says a lot as I was also glued to the TV for Boston’s collapse in the 1986 World Series, Kirk Gibson’s dramatic 1988 World Series home run, and other hugely dramatic and important baseball moments in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

But, it was Pete that took the cake for me.  And to this day, I fondly remember watching that moment in September of 1985. 

I’ve always wanted a nice, large picture from that game in my collection.  And of course, I would want it signed too.

But, they are expensive.  And there are plenty of them available so I am in no rush to add one to my collection.

Instead, I have focused on another image of Rose that I like, possibly even better.  I have seen it multiple times, and each time it gets my senses tingling.  I’ve never acted on it because of the cost it would take to get Pete to sign it for me would more than likely be higher than what I would want to pay.

And then I found a signed version of it.  And it was right in my price range!!!

Have a look at this:

Are you kidding me?  Pete Rose and Andre Dawson?!?!?!

I scooped this signed 8×10 from an extremely reputable seller on Ebay.  The certificate accompanying the photo gives me a lot of confidence that the autograph is 100% real.  I did a lot of investigative work before purchasing this one – and now that it is home, I am thrilled with how it came out!!!

And you have to know what’s next…  I need to get it signed by Andre Dawson.  And once completed, it will be a centerpiece of my collection – FOR SURE!!!

I have a few things going on with my collection right now that prevents me from sending this out immediately, but I can be a patient man when I have to be.

Once some of the pending projects I am working on are complete, I will definitely be sending this one off for autograph #2!!!

And I will let you know when that happens…  Stay tuned.  And thanks for reading!