TTM Mailbag: Chad Billingsley

My latest TTM Autograph return comes from Chad Billingsley of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed my 2008 Goudey card in blue Sharpie in only 14 days. Goudey cards don’t have gloss so it’s the perfect card to get autographed. The ink didn’t smudge. The signature looks great. Billingsley is having a decent year so far. He was actually an All-Star last year. I am thrilled to have this card back with a beautiful signature on it.

2007 Fleer: Jose Castillo

I recently made a modest purchase on eBay. I bought a 2007 Fleer card of Jose Castillo for 6 cents. Why? I don’t know. I like the designs on 2006 and 2007 Fleer. I like the lack of gloss. At the end, I guess I was bored and my finger got a little twitchy. Castillo has not appeared in the big leagues since 2008. Where is he now? Castillo is currently playing in Japan for the Yokohama Bay Stars. Who would have known? Among his teammates are former big leaguers Chris Bootcheck and Terrmel Sledge. No offense to Castillo but I think I may have overpaid. Oh well.

2010 Topps Silk: Geovany Soto

I purchased another Topps Silk card from an eBay seller. However, this is my first 2010 Topps Silk card. The card features Geovany Soto of the Cubs. It is serial numbered 23/50. I only paid $2.99 including shipping. Soto’s name was misspelled which may have made bidding a bit easier for me. I am starting to build quite a mini-collection of Silk cards. I think I like these cards because of the novelty of a card that is made of silk. The biggest change that I noticed on this year’s cards is the addition of text under the serial number which reads “2010 Topps Baseball Series 2 Silk Collection.” I would also like to see Topps add card numbers to each card. I am very happy with my purchase. I can’t wait to buy more 2010 Silk cards.

Pack Break: 2008 Topps

I purchased a pack of 2008 Topps on a recent trip to Dollar Tree. It was kind of an impulse purchase but the price was right. This was the only brand of baseball cards in stock so I took it. Anyway, here are the results.

- Ryan Howard
- Victor Martinez
- Alfredo Amezaga
- Marcus Giles
- Adrian Beltre

- Jimmy Rollins
- Josh Beckett
- Checklist (UGH!)
- Richie Sexson
- Mike Fontenot
- Ryan Dempster

I think I did pretty well for a buck. Ryan Howard was the best card in the pack. It was the first one I pulled out. By the way, why do checklists still exist? I hate them. They serve no purpose. Does anyone actually collect checklists? If so, let me know. I have a bunch of checklists that I would like to trade for anything. I actually hope this is the last pack of 2008 Topps I ever buy. I have yet to purchase a pack of 2010 Topps. I may just skip it altogether. Topps is starting to lose me when it comes to the base brand. I think I did OK for my one dollar investment though.

Arizona Diamondback Autographs

I purchased the six autographs pictured from an eBay seller for a grand total of $4.52 including shipping. I think I scored a pretty good deal. These are all Arizona Diamondback players. I got one autograph of Conor Jackson from 2004 Topps Pristine. I got two autographs of Miguel Montero – one from 2007 Moments & Milestones and one from 2007 Co-Signers. I got two cards of Ed Easley from 2008 Bowman Chrome. He is currently playing in the Diamondbacks system at Double-A. I also got a 2005 Bowman’s Best Auto of Edgar Varela. I don’t know who this is either. According to baseball-reference.com, he last played professionally in 2006 in the Marlins organization. Not a bad deal for the money. I have three certified autographs of bonafide Major Leaguers and three no name autos that can be sold on eBay at some point to recover some of the cost.

TTM Mailbag: Garrett Atkins

My latest TTM return comes from Garrett Atkins of the Baltimore Orioles. I received a 2009 Topps and 2008 UD X signed in black Sharpie in 30 days. You may notice that there is a slight smudge on the 2009 Topps, but it still looks OK. Notice that the signature on the Topps card is more crowded than the UD X card. Although Atkins is in his first season in Baltimore, both cards show him as a Rockie. He spent most of his career in Colorado. Like everyone in Baltimore, he is struggling this year. Overall, I can count this as a good TTM success!

TTM Mailbag: Ian Snell

My latest TTM success comes from Ian Snell of the Seattle Mariners. He signed a 2007 Topps and 2008 Topps in just 11 days. The signatures on each card are perfect. Both cards feature Snell as a Pirate. Unfortunately, the top right corner on each card took quite a ding in the mail. But the cards are still very presentable. Snell has struggled this year and was sent down to AAA Tacoma. I guess he signed these before being sent down. Also, I hate to say it, but did Topps use the same image in 2008 that they used in 2007? No, that couldn’t be. It’s been a while since my last success, so I am glad to have this one back.