The Duke of Flatbush Has Passed Away...

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Today is another one of those sad days in baseball, as a legendary center fielder has passed away today. Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer Duke Snider passed away today at the age of 84, after battling some health problems over the past couple years.

Duke began his career in 1947 after being scouted by one of Branch Rickey's scouts in the early 1940's. He joined Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays to become perhaps the best trio of center fielders you could ever imagine. There was even a song having to do with that, called "Willie, Mickey, and the Duke" by Terry Cashman.

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke) @ Yahoo! Video

Duke played 18 total seasons, 16 for the Dodgers, and 1 season with the Mets and Giants. He hit 40 or more home runs for 5 straight seasons, which is a pretty incredible streak long before the steroid era. While he may have not had the speed of Willie Mays and the popularity of the Mick, Duke was a phenomenal player and one of the greatest outfielders to ever live. With 2,116 hits, 407 home runs, and a life time batting average of .295, he may be considered one of the most underrated players in the Hall of Fame.

I was fortunate enough to get quite a nice little stack of nice Snider cards before his death. I first sent a TTM out to him and got my 2 cards back signed. Next, Dad gave me a certified Nabisco autograph for Christmas of his, and I recently picked up the 1961 Topps card shown above at a card shop for only $5. I definitely will be looking for more of his stuff in the future, to pay tribute to the wonderful life and career of the Silver Fox.

R.I.P. Mr. Snider, you will truly be missed...

Trip to the Card Shop- Nice Vintage Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here. A week or so ago, my dad and I went out to a card shop that we normally don't go to, because its often very unorganized and takes forever for them to find prices, etc. I've pulled that Dexter McCluster letterman auto from a month or 2 ago, as well as that Chipper Jones Baseball Heroes patch autograph numbered to only 15! So, we had a lot of time on our hands, so we decided to get a few packs and also check out the little boxes of mixed cards. First, I'll start with the packs. Dad bought a jumbo pack of 2010 Topps Update, and a pack of 2010 Panini Threads Football. Here are the results:

2010 Panini Threads Football:

- Kellen Winslow Jr.
- Felix Jones
- Rashard Mendenhall
- Adrian Peterson
- Steve Breaston
- Peyton Manning
- Devin Hester
- Thaddeus Gibson RC

2010 Topps Update Jumbo:

- A Bunch of Base

- Jeff Suppan Gold /2010
- Ryan Doumit Turkey Red
- Johnny Mize Vintage Legends
- Joe Mauer Topps Attax
- Dale Murphy Cards Your Mom Threw Out
- Carlos Pena Peak Performance
- The Truman Show Tales of the Game
- Barry Larkin Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Back
- Million Card Giveaway

Not very impressive in my opinion, let me know if you're interested in any of these outside of some of the 2010 Topps inserts (ie: Turkey Red, Vintage Legends, CYMTO, Tales of the Game, Peak Performance). Which leaves the Larkin, Mauer, and Suppan inserts for trade and most of the base.

However, we weren't done. I bought 4 singles that added up to around $20.

First, a 1991 Upper Deck Heroes Baseball Hank Aaron hologram card! I don't have a whole lot of Hank Aaron cards and it was only a dollar and it looked really cool, so, I got it.

A 1957 Topps Hank Bauer! This card isn't in great condition by any means, but it's nice enough for me. Bauer was one of many parts that led to the Yankees World Series run in the late 40's and early 50's, and for only a few bucks, I couldn't turn it down. I'm not a huge fan of the 1957 design, I think it's kinda boring, but it's not a bad card by any means.

Next is a 1964 Topps Elston Howard! Elston was no Yogi Berra, but he could catch really well, and his number was retired by the Yankees in 1984, 4 years after his death. Elston made 12 All Star teams, won 6 World Series, and was the 1963 AL MVP. This card is really sweet looking, and it's in excellent condition! For only a few bucks, no doubt this was a great deal.

And finally, a 1961 Topps Duke Snider! Duke is becoming a player that I wouldn't mind collecting more of, especially after I got him through the mail and got that autographed card from dad. I saw this in the bin, and it looked really nice even the borders were damaged. So, for about $5, I got it!

Also in the bin, we saw a few 48 Bowmans, which certainly did not belong in there, so we put them in the pile, but dumbo at the card section decided why not check book value before I buy them. A half hour later, and they were re-priced to $30 a piece. I was also looking at a $5 Keith Hernandez auto, but that was repriced to $15, and I wasn't paying that for a Met.

Whatever, I think I did well, what do you think? See Ya!

Complete Autograph Set? Yes Sir!

Hey guys, Drew back here. A few nights ago, I was talking to my buddy William about my new autographs from my dad, the Jim Palmer and Duke Snider ones. He said I should consider doing the set, so I checked eBay to see who else was in the set. I had a few already, and oddly enough, those 2 plus the 2 I just got were the only cards to be found! And after checking Beckett, Check Out My Cards, it seems that I have completed the 1994 Nabisco Legends Autograph Set!

So, in this set, there are 4 cards, all autographed by Hall of Famers. They include mini seperate certificates of authenticity and are one of the first autographed sets produced. 1993 was the 1st year Nabisco did these, and I have the Catfish Hunter autograph from that set. As far as these players go, you can't get a whole lot better than them! Bob Gibson was one of the most feared pitchers of the 60's, and his 1.12 ERA in 1968 is a Major League record! Jim Palmer won 268 games for the Orioles, and was one of the top 70's pitchers. Frank Robinson hit 586 home runs over 21 seasons for the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels, and Indians, coming close to 3,000 hits. And Duke Snider was one of the greatest center fielders of all time! Combined between the 4 players are 37 All Star appearances and 9 World Series championships! Wow!

Dad got me all 4 cards at some points, from the same sellers, and boy is that a nice set to have or what? Next up is 1993 Nabisco, let's do it!

See Ya!

Christmas Gift from Dad! Sweet Stuff!

Hey guys, Drew back here. So, it's becoming a tradition every year for Dad to go out of his way and go Craigslist crazy for my Christmas gift. He loves getting lots of cards and hoping for nice finds, which we certainly have found in the past, the best being a 1980 Rickey Henderson rookie card. This time, he got 4 sets, a 300ct box of Yankees, a few Hall of Famer autos, and a good 17 relics. I didn't wanna overload you guys on scans, so I made one of those video slideshows for the first time in a long time. Check it out!

I will show you scans of the two biggest cards in case you couldn't view the video. On top of the box were 2 Hall of Famer autographs, and they were of Orioles Great Jim Palmer and Dodgers Great Duke Snider! I got Snider TTM but this is a sweet addition to the Hall of Fame PC and I did need Palmer which was cool. Both were from the Nabisco All Stars set, which is a really cheap and affordable set for Hall of Fame autographs! Each card comes with a certificate of authenticity, and they display nice photography. I own the Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Duke Snider, Jim Palmer, Bob Gibson, and Catfish Hunter autos from this set now, and I don't know if I'm done yet!

Thanks so much Dad! See Ya!

Drew's Top 10 TTMs

Hey guys, Drew back here. I worked up a list yesterday of my top through the mails, and I figured I would share the list with you guys. I listed it based on player/celebrity importance in society, legacy, being a great signer, a success I never imagined to get back, and some of the players I had to pay to get did not get as high of a rank as other players. Well, here goes, starting at number 10...

10. Virgil Trucks

Virgil never was a star pitcher in any way, although he is one of few few pitchers to throw 2 no-hitters in the same season. He is a tremendous signer though, for free I got my custom signed, index card signed, inscribed, and stamped, a bonus card signed, a stat sheet signed, and a personal letter to me! For a 93 year old man, I find Mr. "Fire" Trucks a truly remarkable guy.

9. Rex Ryan

If the Jets couldn't pull out that game against the Lions he wouldn't be on this list, because he did many things that I questioned throughout the game. However, Rex was a longshot to get TTM, and I really like his attitude towards winning. Inscribed "To Drew", Rex Ryan was one of the better successes.

8. Duke Snider

Duke Snider is one of the best Hall of Famers you can get right now. The 8 time All Star and 2 time World Series champion is now 84 years old and in not the best of condition. His signature has gotten more shaky as seen on my card, so hopefully things will get better for his sake. I am very glad I was able to get him though.

7. Bob Feller

Another nice old school Hall of Famer success here. Mr. Feller, for 92 years old, has a legacy in baseball, and is a great man. After trying him earlier and getting my custom destroyed in the mail, I told him what happened and he signed my new custom for free! Not only is Feller a baseball hero, but he is an American hero as well for serving some of the years in his prime in military service. A legend indeed.

6. Goose Gossage

This one came in recently, after waiting about a month, but it was well worth the wait. As you all know by now, this picture will look beautiful with the other great Yankees signed pictures I own. Goose was one of the first great relievers, and he brought fear to all of the hitters he faced. The signature can be read with ease, as Mr. Gossage has one of the best signatures in the game.

5. Whitey Ford

This guy would probably have ranked higher if I didn't have to send him $50 to get the picture signed. I gave him at least $20 more than I should have to get a success, because I already tried him previously only to get a price list. I couldn't think of much of a better Yankee to spend $50 on then the "Chairman of the Board", so I was thrilled to see the picture signed in all its glory. He inscribed it "To Drew, Whitey Ford, HOF 74". Awesome.

4. Lil Wayne

How often do you get the opportunity to get a great rappers autograph? Not often! I sent this custom card of Weezy to him during his recent prison stay for gun charges. I listen to a diverse amount of music and Lil Wayne has to be up there in my opinion in the rap industry. He seems like he's changed throughout the prison stay, thanking all his fans for the love and support and singling them out one at a time on his blog. This was a great success for me and I never imagined I would own a Lil Wayne autograph!

3. Steve Young

This card doesn't look spectacular by any means, but it doesn't matter, Steve Young, one of the best quarterbacks of all time, signed it! He has never been a consistent signer, but he has been as of very recently, so if you haven't tried him already I strongly suggest you try and try now! His signature is bold and beautiful and is a great addition to my collection!

2. Peyton Manning

You can say that Peyton Manning is the best signing player in the NFL today, but no matter how often he signs for his fans, he seems to be the best free signer I can think of. Peyton has already left a tremendous legacy in football, similar to that of Steve Young, but getting to see Peyton play every week makes it more special to have his autograph than Mr. Young. Peyton has a great sig and I'm still pumped that I got him back.

1. Yogi Berra

Without a doubt my top success! Yogi is in the top 5 best living Hall of Fame hitters for sure, you may argue that he is the best catcher of all time as well. He won 13 World Series and made 18 All Star Games! That is unbelievable! And I got him for free at that!

Well I hope you all enjoyed that! I started writing players letters way back, my first being to Jets wide receiver Brad Smith. I never got back from him, but then I wrote a letter to Iditarod racer Jeff King because I did a project on him, and I got my card back signed. From then on I've acquired 30 autographs for typically around 88 cents each. I started making customs after seeing what people were making, and I keep getting better and better.

If you haven't gotten involved in the TTM hobby, I suggest you do. If you need help getting started, shoot me an email to yanks1996wsc@gmail.com!

See Ya!

TTM #23- Hall of Famer!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with my most recent TTM success, that I received in 27 days from a Hall of Famer! I was able to add another Hall of Fame Heroes Custom auto to my collection for $5 and it was completely worth it!

Duke Snider! Wow, still kinda speechless to own a Snider auto right now. It came out pretty nice, even though his signature is beginning to take a turn for the worse at 83. Still, he is a great one to add to my collection! Hitting 407 home runs will do that to your hands, so he has every right to be sloppier nowadays, considering he has a better signature than most everyone in current major league sports still.

Not only did he sign the Hall of Fame Heroes card, he signed this "Hall of Fame Heroes" card too. No I didn't steal the name on purpose, I'm very bad at set names. This autograph looks better than the other one, and the card just looks outstanding. I'm really glad he signed both for me, that's just awesome, especially to think that he played center field in New York, while Mantle and Mays also played center field at the time! Unreal.

Thanks Mr. Snider! See Ya!