Bill Mazeroski-Signed Vintage Pirates Bobblehead

Several months ago, I bought this vintage Pirates bobblehead along with a vintage Reds version in what was advertised as a "display lot".  Similar terms and phrases ("looks good on the shelf", "displays well", etc.) means it's far from mint, but still has enough eye appeal to enjoy having it.  In a vintage car context, these bobbleheads would be "20-footers".  Get any closer, and you start to see the flaws.

Anyway, this was the perfect bobblehead to risk sending through the mail to have Bill Mazeroski sign it.  Up to this point, I have resisted having the vintage nodders signed, but this one seemed like a good opportunity.  This signing was arranged by my collecting friend Chris; the same person who helps Manny Sanguillen handle his ttm requests, as well as Bryan Trottier.  I'm not a hockey collector, so I haven't sent any requests to Trottier, but I have sent to Mr. Sanguillen several times, which is how I became connected with Chris.  He's a great communicator, takes great care of your items, and is prompt with returning them after they get signed.  I feel much better knowing that there's someone like Chris helping out behind the scenes to help out an older player like Manny make sure things don't get mixed up, overlooked, or poorly packaged for the return trip.

He's also not promoting himself in the process like some guys do.  He's focused on helping both the collector and the player have a smoother experience and enjoy our hobby a little more.

Maz did a nice job signing what had to be a bit of a challenging item.  I try to stuff the inside of the head with tissue paper, and use a slice of pool noodle around the neck to try to stabilize it as much as possible, both during transportation as well as while it is being signed.  I'm very happy with how it turned out, and probably wouldn't have bothered to try if it weren't for Chris helping out.

Chris was kind enough to also take a picture of Maz signing it for me, and he gave me permission to post that picture here as well.

TwinsFest Rant and Vintage Bobbleheads

Before I post the latest additions to my vintage bobblehead collection, I need to vent about TwinsFest. TwinsFest used to be a HUGE deal for my family.  We'd go all three days, and spend 90% of the time getting autographs.  There would be tables with 3-5 current players or a similar number of alumni for $10 - $20.  Stars for $20-$35, and Hall of Famers for $35 to $50.  Later, the HOF costs went up depending on the item being signed.  We got to meet a good portion of the current team and the minor league teams.  I had Killebrew sign his rookie card, Carew sign a bobblehead, and Molitor sign a bat.  Those were the days.

Now, it's just one day (Saturday).  A table with both Carew and Oliva is $200!  Are you kidding me?  That's not a FanFest/Charity event price.  That's a premium price.  I recently mailed Carew's rookie card to be signed at a Tom Orr signing for $65.  Who is paying these TwinsFest prices?

Molitor and Morris: $150.  Crazy.  

Mauer is $75 which really isn't too bad, especially if he'll sign a premium item for that price, but I'm not sure what the restrictions are, if any.  

Pablo Lopez: $50!

Anyway, needless to say, I won't be going and TwinsFest is a shell of its former self.

Between the four of us (me, my two sons, and my wife), we used to get well over 100 autographs.  At the end of the weekend we would put everything out on the dining room table to take a picture.  This one is from 2009, when my boys were 10 and 12 years old.

Anyway, I got around to photographing the latest additions to my vintage bobblehead collection.  I added one more mini in the form of a Yankees version, and one more football nodder with a Bears addition.

I added another oddball bobblehead with an inexpensive jockey.

And several more baseball versions.  A couple of these are duplicates/upgrades, but I couldn't resist them at the prices I got.

This Dodgers bobblehead came with its original box.

My bobblehead buying has slowed down because my collection is growing and it's becoming tougher to find some I don't have at a price I'm willing to pay.

Lou Brock 1972 Topps

I'm on a Lou Brock streak lately, after realizing how many of his cards I'm missing in my sets.

Today I received a 1972 Topps signed nicely and slabbed by Beckett.

Twins 1986 Season Ticket Party Autograph Sheets

I love oddball memorabilia like these three autograph sheets form the 1986 Twins Season Ticket Party.  I bought these from a local former-coworker who is also a sports card dealer.  

Despite the Harmon Killebrew autographs on two of these pages, the autograph that really stood out for me was 1965 MVP-winner Zoilo Versalles.  His autograph isn't the easiest to come by and his ttm requests were often ghost-signed.  He passed away in 1995, less than 10 years after this event.

Page one has autographs from Ray Miller, Bert Blyleven, Zoilo Versalles, Randy Bush, Mike Smithson, Frank Viola, Tom Brunansky and Harmon Killebrew.

Page two has autographs from Gary Gaetti, Randy Bush, Ron Davis and Kent Hrbek.

And page three has a solo autograph from Harmon Killebrew.

I thought the price was very reasonable at $49.99 for the set.  Not bad for Zoilo alone, but also two Killebrews and another Hall of Famer in Blyleven.

I received another bunch of vintage bobbleheads but have not even had time to open the box yet.  I might not get to them until this weekend.

I previously purchased my early-60's Twins mini-bobblehead from this same friend/dealer/former co-worker, which is one of my favorite pieces of memorabilia in my collection.

Wayne Causey TTM Return on 1966 Athletic's Yearbook and a Couple Lou Brock Purchases

I added a fourth player to the 1966 Athletics Yearbook I've been working on with today's Wayne Causey return.

As requested, he signed the cover as well as the interior page with his bio on it.

He also signed four cards for me, including the 1966 Athletic's team card.

I had enclosed $30 with my request.  He kept $10 and returned the $20, writing a short note thanking me for the money and that he only kept the $10 for some coffee money.  

I'm not sure who I'm sending it out to next, but I want to keep it moving so I'll do it soon.

I also received a couple Lou Brock cards that I bought to fill some holes in my 1963 and 1971 Topps sets.

CGC/JSA Authentication Returns

Despite the one lost card that I mentioned in an earlier post, the rest of the order turned out great.

I was slightly disappointed that the Killebrew autograph card didn't grade a 10, and surprised that the card did.  I mailed the card in a plain envelope with a regular sase, and never took any special care beyond normal.  I think this autograph looks better than some of the others which graded higher, so I don't understand the grading criteria.

Cards with up to two signatures can still have the autographs graded.  Both of my cards signed by two players graded a 10.

Doesn't the Killbrew autograph look nicer than Pete Hamm's?  Hamm's is a bit light, and Nettles' runs into a very dark area so you can't read the end of it.  Oh well.

One of the cards has three signatures, so there's no grade, but I like the way it looks slabbed.

The rest of the cards are Hall of Famer rookie cards, and they were all graded 10!

A Few Days' Returns

I was away for the long weekend and came back to a few ttm returns, a paid signing return, and a purchase.

Bob O'Brien signed his 1972 Topps already signed by Charlie Hough and a 1971 Dodgers team card in about three months.  Unfortunately, it looks like his pen wasn't working well.

Max Alvis signed another 1964 Topps Stand Up for me and the 1964, 1965 and 1965 Indians team cards.  The Stand Up card I previously had signed by him got creased in the mail.

And Dennis Eckersley signed his regular 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter as well as a "Wicked Curves" card from the same set in just under two weeks for his $10 per card fee.

I sent in three cards to a Tom Orr signing with former-Twin Gary Ward, who signed his 1981 through 1983 Topps for $10 per card.  I sent in a 1980 Topps that has both Gary Ward and Craig Sofield on it to Tom Orr's Sofield signing which got delayed.  I had asked him to get Ward to sign those cards as well, but I am unsure if he did or not.  I didn't pay for the additional Ward autographs because I didn't get a confirmation that he would get them signed.  We'll see.

Finally, I bought a Bruce Sutter signed and authenticated 1977 Topps rookie card from a fellow SCN member.  I'm happy to add another Hall of Fame signed rookie card to my collection.

I had a scare over the weekend when the organizer of the JSA/CGC submissions that I use sent me a note on SCN that he actually lost one of my cards!  I was about to have a heart attack, fearing that it would be my 2006 Harmon Killebrew Allen & Ginter, which is a very rare card to find signed.  Luckily, if you can call it that, the lost card was a 1976 Topps signed Jim Rice card.  The card itself can be purchased for $5-$20 in decent shape and I already have some on their way from eBay sellers and will send at least one of them on to Mr. Rice ttm with his $20 fee.  The organizer is reimbursing me with some free authentications and free return shipping for my submissions this year.

By the way, the Killebrew card was graded a 10, with an autograph grade of 9.  I hope to have it back in hand as early as tomorrow.

Bailey Ober Two Year TTM Return and Delmon Young Signing

I was surprised to see the sase in my Informed Delivery email with a stamp that I hadn't used in years.  I bought several rolls of flag forever stamps that I have been using for a couple years, but this sase had a different stamp, so I knew it was going to be a long return.  Unfortunately, many times long returns come back unsigned, as if someone is cleaning out a locker for a team, or a family member after a player passes away.

But this time the cards were signed.  Bailey Ober signed two copies of his 2022 Topps Heritage that I had sent to spring training in February of 2024.  The postmark came from North Carolina rather than Minneapolis or Fort Myers.  I had offered one card for him to keep, but he signed and returned both.

  

I also received three cards from a Delmon Young signing with Halkman Sports.  These cards are helping to fill some holes in my Topps Heritage and Allen & Ginter Twins team sets, but unfortunately, did not complete any of the sets I'm working on.  I have a lot of Joe Mauer cards left to get, and I think I needed Francisco Liriano on two of the sets also.

I also have a Metrodome Banner still to be returned from this signing.  I reached out to see why it hadn't shipped yet, and he let me know that it was awaiting authentication.  However, there is a picture of it being signed on their Instagram and Facebook pages.  Here's the Facebook photo.