MrMopar's New Dodgers Autograph Thread (and other interesting items on a slow mailday)

[mrmopar]

I finally nabbed one of these. There are going to be a lot of people wondering why the Garvey auto they paid $50 for in 2021/22 isn't worth $15 when they go to sell it.

This one is actually one of the lower print runs, /25. I will be happy with 1 snd if I can manage to secure others at a reasonable price, I'll add to the list. Otherwise, 1 and done for this issue. The Steve looks a bit funny, like the pen didn't start up right away, maybe that is why I got it.

The other item that came today was an upgrade of sorts. Several years back, someone was collecting players who made the AS roster. I was not yet focused on collecting autographed cards primarily and found this idea fascinating. I copied his lists and started tracking down a lot of otherwise no-name players from 1933 to present who had been in at least 1 all-star game. This was while current players for all but the top couple players were attainable at an affordable price. I added a lot of players over the next however many years until it got hard to find new players and the ones I still needed were expensive. I will still pick up a guy if he played in an AS game, but no longer try to keep up with the roster each year, because apparently a no-namer with 1 ASG credit to his name is now worth $50 to the card community. Anyway, enough complaining yet again. As you can tell, the last several years have taken a big toll on my collecting passion with prices of just about everything heading into the stratosphere (and we all know what is going to happen soon enough, if always happens).

Ernie "Tiny" Bonham was one of the tougher obscure players to find when I was deep in the thick of the search. Bonham, or "Tiny" as he was often called, was a 2X AS, 1942-43 for the Yankees. He won a career high 21 games in 1942 as a matter of fact, the only year he was a 20 game winner. This was his crowning year, completing 22 games and throwing 6 shutouts. These are career numbers for modern players!. He was in his 3rd season and was 28 at the time. He would make the AS roster again in 1943, but it was downhill from there. He ended up in Pittsburgh to end his career, which was cut short when he died a little over two weeks after pitching what would be his final game in late August of 1949, a complete game for the win. He was diagnosed with appendicitis, had surgery and complications lead to his demise on September 15, 1949. Bonham was 36 years old at the time of his death.

This is a bit ugly, but not as ugly as my other Bonham auto, so an upgrade.

 

[WizardofOz1982]

I think since they've been around for 25 years now people don't buy them just because oh wow it's a 1/1, so if it's a player nobody collects it will go pretty cheap. But if multiple people collect the guy, even if it's not a big star they can still go for hundreds of dollars.

If they play for a more popular team they tend to be higher too.

 

[mrmopar]

Back from vacation, not as big a mail day as I would have liked due to pricing trands these days. This is a weeks worth...

Sutton /25.
Choi Heritage Minors.

Marichal /25

And a pair of signed Garvey Sportscasters. I do like these, but they grew in popularity from the rookie card craze and now it seems everyone wants them. I was never able to land the big 3 "pre-rookies", but have a pretty solid line up of the main sports and even a decent selection of oddball stuff too.

 

[mrmopar]

A few stragglers from the past weeks purchases/shipments. Can't complain with 2 Fuyrillo's for under $10!

Joe Black and I got another Branca, but didn't go back for the scan.

 

[mrmopar]

Spitzbarth green /99. Can't remember if I had this color or not. He is cheap though...

Jackie Collum. Dodger for 5 games between 1957-58, making him a Brooklyn/LA guy. Pitched 7 2/3 innings in those 5 gamers without a decision and a 8+ ERA. He would return to MLB in 1962, after having last played in LA in 1958 to finish his career in less than stellar fashion.

 

[mrmopar]

Probably (did) overpaid, but I like the design and Verdugo had a solid year in 2021. I don't recall seeing the card before either, so since my overall buying is a little more sluggish, why not!? Maybe he can become an AS player there.



Could other oddball Garv items in over the last couple days that I didn't highlight due to being busy.



Finally, added a new Pepsi club piece. If anyone has anything like this they are willing to part with, let me know. Any team wanted. Pepsi (or any sponsor as there were some others too) club membership cards, applications, newspaper ads, posters, ticket books, etc.

 

[dano7]

Now you get to spend money on Freddie Freeman!!!

 

[mrmopar]

Now you get to spend money on Freddie Freeman!!!

Yes, good and bad at the same time. He may/will fall into the Mookie Betts category. Mookie is way too pricy, but if I do end up splurging, I'd like it to at least be a Dodger auto, of which he has none I am aware of. Same goes for Freeman. if he is going to be a Dodger for a bit, maybe they will soften.

I have to say, 2 things are really pissing me off about the hobby right now and that is one of them!

1). New star/budding star players autographs are unrealistically priced out of the gate and people are continuing to eat it up, so there is no relief in sight. I remember getting HOFers in the 90s/00s for single double digit pricing and you could get upcoming players cheap too, before there was a flood of autos even available. Now, the prices have just gotten so ridiculous you cvan't get most "stars" for under 3 digits!!! Yet you can still probably find an off brand Frank Robinson for under $20! Betts, Harper, Bryant, Franco, Tatis, Bichette, Guerrero, Ohtani, etc. Most of these guys bring deceased HOF money and many will never have the careers to back it up.

2) Ebay has turned into a BIN clearing house. More and more, I am seeing stuff that listed and sold before I even had a chance to see it. Foolish sellers who don't know the market are leaving money on the table and giving some of this away stuff. Have we really gotten that damn impatient that we can't wait 5 or 7 days for an auction to run it's course or are they just afraid their card won't sell for what they want? I guess if I could spend my entire life scanning ebay instead of living, then I would not be complaining about it.

one last thought...I am about done paying for shipping on singles. Most of my buys in the last couple of years seem to be single items from unique sellers. I am practically paying more in shipping than I do for my stuff. I have started to pass on cards when I see the now almost commonplace $5 s/h charge! I have not sent anything recently, so I do not know the actual retail cost, but I know ebay used to cut you a deal on the shipping. I recall charging $4 the last time I shipped and most packages were coming in well enough below that to not be concerned about a loss, considering my shipping was typically flat rate on no matter how many items you won. Seriously people, what is you Fing problem with the standard trading card rate for cards under $20? That was going to be a game changer for small $ sales of singles to counter the rising cost of bubble mailers, but hardly anyone uses it! More than half the knobs I ask don't even know what it is! Ebay really dropped the ball on this or people are just stupid, maybe both.

Can you tell that the fun is nearly gone with me now...40+ years of really enjoying this game too.

 

[dano7]

Yes, good and bad at the same time. He may/will fall into the Mookie Betts category. Mookie is way too pricy, but if I do end up splurging, I'd like it to at least be a Dodger auto, of which he has none I am aware of. Same goes for Freeman. if he is going to be a Dodger for a bit, maybe they will soften.

I have to say, 2 things are really pissing me off about the hobby right now and that is one of them!

1). New star/budding star players autographs are unrealistically priced out of the gate and people are continuing to eat it up, so there is no relief in sight. I remember getting HOFers in the 90s/00s for single double digit pricing and you could get upcoming players cheap too, before there was a flood of autos even available. Now, the prices have just gotten so ridiculous you cvan't get most "stars" for under 3 digits!!! Yet you can still probably find an off brand Frank Robinson for under $20! Betts, Harper, Bryant, Franco, Tatis, Bichette, Guerrero, Ohtani, etc. Most of these guys bring deceased HOF money and many will never have the careers to back it up.

2) Ebay has turned into a BIN clearing house. More and more, I am seeing stuff that listed and sold before I even had a chance to see it. Foolish sellers who don't know the market are leaving money on the table and giving some of this away stuff. Have we really gotten that damn impatient that we can't wait 5 or 7 days for an auction to run it's course or are they just afraid their card won't sell for what they want? I guess if I could spend my entire life scanning ebay instead of living, then I would not be complaining about it.

one last thought...I am about done paying for shipping on singles. Most of my buys in the last couple of years seem to be single items from unique sellers. I am practically paying more in shipping than I do for my stuff. I have started to pass on cards when I see the now almost commonplace $5 s/h charge! I have not sent anything recently, so I do not know the actual retail cost, but I know ebay used to cut you a deal on the shipping. I recall charging $4 the last time I shipped and most packages were coming in well enough below that to not be concerned about a loss, considering my shipping was typically flat rate on no matter how many items you won. Seriously people, what is you Fing problem with the standard trading card rate for cards under $20? That was going to be a game changer for small $ sales of singles to counter the rising cost of bubble mailers, but hardly anyone uses it! More than half the knobs I ask don't even know what it is! Ebay really dropped the ball on this or people are just stupid, maybe both.

Can you tell that the fun is nearly gone with me now...40+ years of really enjoying this game too.

Understood!

 

[mrmopar]

My opening act is a Jason Frasor /10. Something about cheap, low print run scrubs makes me happy. Even though there are only 10 copies in the world, as long as no more than 10 people care, they should remain affordable.



The main event!!!

This may qualify are one of the oddest collectibles in my collection now and I think it is pretty fantastic. I like the Seattle connection too, since that is close to where I live. It would appear this person didn't attend, based on the fact that they still had their RSVP card, but totally awesome that they or someone else saved this piece of history! Invitation to the Steve Garvey/Cynthia Truhan wedding of 1971.

 

[MrMet2.0]

It gets even cooler, look who your invitee was…I wasn’t sure until it talked about the year he spent as a high school teacher in Seattle…

Profile Tom Mulcahy

Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[deaconblues63]

Father Mulcahy? Very cool.


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board

 

[mrmopar]

It gets even cooler, look who your invitee was…I wasn’t sure until it talked about the year he spent as a high school teacher in Seattle…

Profile Tom Mulcahy

Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board mobile app

This is pretty cool, thank you for that research. I did notice the JFGK HS, which is in Burien, a little south of Seattle. I didn't think to check to see if the guy was someone a person might know (a celebrity, so to speak).

 

[mrmopar]

After a bit of a drought, I hit a very solid Dodger mail day.

Short printed autographs of Grandal (/33) ,******* (/25) (both Archive buybacks) and a Sutton (/25) to go with a mini Snider. I like that blue sky behind The Duke.



Another custom creation, from Sporting Life. I think most, if not all, are 1/1s. I really do enjoy a nicely done custom and I am not afraid to spend a little dough on them. They will probably never be universally accepted, but at least the good ones put some real effort into it.

My final item actually came a few days back, but I didn't have anything else to post. This is a photo slide of Jim Bunning, pitching for the Dodgers. Bunning's time in LA was very brief in 1969, from August 15th until he was released after seasons end on Oct 22. I also have this same image as an 8X10 signed, which is cool. Would love to have been able to have a custom card made and signed with the same image before he passed.

I don't own the right to the image, but decided to ink it up just because too many people are just grabbing and making money off images like these. Some ******* was making cheap versions of the custom 1970 Garvey card a friend made for me and selling them on ebay. I shared it online for fun w/o a watermark and this is what I got for it! I actually confronted him and asked him to stop, which he seemed to have done, after a few sold. It'll probably pop back up again some day though.

 

[mrmopar]

I landed the same Kershaw and thought this would be a nice mate, although he is a Red. Wonder if he'll ever make it back to the mound again? Bauer /25.

Garv /50. May already have one, but the price was ok. I have really dropped off the Garvey bandwagon this past year with the covid inflated prices. It's allowed me to focus on other stuff, but sadly that inflation saturated everything else, so I win with just an overall drop in spending in general.

 

[mrmopar]

No autographs from earlier this week, but a couple neat oddballs, the thing that keeps me coming back after mainstream has left me uninterested. Duke Snider postcard set. The Ramley is especially nice, with gold foil border.



These always excite me much more than you'd think a piece of newspaper should, but this is such a throwback to the old days, when the newspapers would insert items to be clipped and saved. I am sad to see newspapers go, but they have rarely done something like this in recent times anyway.

All Oliver. One is from 1972 and the other from 1977. The sweet spot era for this type of issue.

 

[mrmopar]

Nice day, with an Archives Snapshot B&W Oliver /25, which is a dupe and I didn't pull the image, so not pictured.



Next is another dupe I believe, an Archives Kendrick /30something if I recall correctly.

Last item is also a dupe I believe, a Panini Herman /20.
Was logging in todays receipts on ebay and realized I skipped a couple and since I was there, I grabbed the image of Oliver to share.

Alos got these today...how could I forget Duke!?

Then there was this and a 68 T John. This is a great card, but would have been an AMAZING card had he been pictured with the Dodgers! His 72T would be his first Dodger card. Although he got a great action photo with the Dodgers finally in the 79 set, this is still a great card.


Lastly if this set of Padre team issue media photos. I was bitching about these recently. Several were listed, by same seller, and they have been selling for a lot of $ and this set was no exception, but I wanted it. Not sure if there were more, as this is not the entire team. Maybe they were just highlighting a few key members? That 1st photo is stacked, with 3 greats all with the last name starting with G!

 

[mrmopar]

It is interesting what you can find when you dig into a teams history. The majors are what "counts", but there is a lot of history in the lower leagues as well. This first item reflects some of that history. It's a contract for the Newport Dodgers Manager of 1951, Clay Bryant. Bryant pitched 6 years for the Cubs, from 1935-40. His one full season as a starter was a pretty darn good one for the pennant winning 1938 team. Bryant won 19 games that year, tossing 17 complete games with 3 shutouts and lead the league with a less than eye-popping 125 Ks. He and 22 Game winner Bill Lee were the aces on a club that also included Dizzy Dean, winding down his short career. Another topic for a different day, but if Dean is not mentioned in the borderline HOF conversations now, he should be!

Bryant would go on to have a very long managing career in the minors though. 23 seasons from 1944 until 1972, 19 of which were with the Dodgers (1945-1964). He wrapped up his managerial career with 1604 wins and 6 league championships under his belt. He did take a 1 year break in 1961 to join the parent club as a coach as well.

The contract is signed in two spots by Bryant, as well as club President Vic Zodda. Vic is not a household name, not that Bryant was either, but an interesting footnote in the history of baseball, like so many others. He was an aspiring ballplayer who enlisted in the Marines after the start of WWII. He eventually transferred to the Navy and became an officer. Info is fairly sparse, but sounds like he came out of the Navy and started playing low minor league ball for the Dodgers in 1946. He would not make the jump to the bigs, but the Dodgers offered him a job as GM of one of their clubs and he remained with the Dodgers in baseball as a minor league executive until 1953. From there, we went into the restaurant business in Virginia. He ultimately started a hotel management company and by the mid 80s, was managing 30+ hotels. Vic died just a little over a year ago, in January 2021 about 7 months shy of his 100th birthday.



The other item that arrived today is less interesting, but still nice. Another Archives buyback, this one of Andruw Jones and numbered to 3 copies.

. Speaking of HOF candidates, maybe Jones sees a little more support as time passes. Most would say he was an excellent player, but not HOF worthy. 10 Gold Gloves, 5X AS, a silver slugger and a Player of the Year award. With 1933 Hits, 434 HRs and a .254 lifetime average over his 17 year career, he sits in a middle ground area littered with players who were solid for a decent chunk of time, but didn't have the marquee numbers and/or the longevity to push them over the hump. The selection seems to have gotten much tighter, since the Dizzy Dean days although you still have cases like Harold Baines, who seems to have pissed just about every fan there is with his enshrinement.

I do like the fact that Archives seems to have flooded the market with Dodger buybacks, despite the fact that he was only with them for 1 year and a mediocre one at that, which signaled the beginning of the end of his career over the next 5 forgettable seasons! I'm sure that chaps Braves fan's hides. As I looked more at his stats, it really was a solid 10 year run

 

[WizardofOz1982]

It is interesting what you can find when you dig into a teams history. The majors are what "counts", but there is a lot of history in the lower leagues as well. This first item reflects some of that history. It's a contract for the Newport Dodgers Manager of 1951, Clay Bryant. Bryant pitched 6 years for the Cubs, from 1935-40. His one full season as a starter was a pretty darn good one for the pennant winning 1938 team. Bryant won 19 games that year, tossing 17 complete games with 3 shutouts and lead the league with a less than eye-popping 125 Ks. He and 22 Game winner Bill Lee were the aces on a club that also included Dizzy Dean, winding down his short career. Another topic for a different day, but if Dean is not mentioned in the borderline HOF conversations now, he should be!

Bryant would go on to have a very long managing career in the minors though. 23 seasons from 1944 until 1972, 19 of which were with the Dodgers (1945-1964). He wrapped up his managerial career with 1604 wins and 6 league championships under his belt. He did take a 1 year break in 1961 to join the parent club as a coach as well.

The contract is signed in two spots by Bryant, as well as club President Vic Zodda. Vic is not a household name, not that Bryant was either, but an interesting footnote in the history of baseball, like so many others. He was an aspiring ballplayer who enlisted in the Marines after the start of WWII. He eventually transferred to the Navy and became an officer. Info is fairly sparse, but sounds like he came out of the Navy and started playing low minor league ball for the Dodgers in 1946. He would not make the jump to the bigs, but the Dodgers offered him a job as GM of one of their clubs and he remained with the Dodgers in baseball as a minor league executive until 1953. From there, we went into the restaurant business in Virginia. He ultimately started a hotel management company and by the mid 80s, was managing 30+ hotels. Vic died just a little over a year ago, in January 2021 about 7 months shy of his 100th birthday.

View attachment 331767View attachment 331768

The other item that arrived today is less interesting, but still nice. Another Archives buyback, this one of Andruw Jones and numbered to 3 copies.

View attachment 331769. Speaking of HOF candidates, maybe Jones sees a little more support as time passes. Most would say he was an excellent player, but not HOF worthy. 10 Gold Gloves, 5X AS, a silver slugger and a Player of the Year award. With 1933 Hits, 434 HRs and a .254 lifetime average over his 17 year career, he sits in a middle ground area littered with players who were solid for a decent chunk of time, but didn't have the marquee numbers and/or the longevity to push them over the hump. The selection seems to have gotten much tighter, since the Dizzy Dean days although you still have cases like Harold Baines, who seems to have pissed just about every fan there is with his enshrinement.

I do like the fact that Archives seems to have flooded the market with Dodger buybacks, despite the fact that he was only with them for 1 year and a mediocre one at that, which signaled the beginning of the end of his career over the next 5 forgettable seasons! I'm sure that chaps Braves fan's hides. As I looked more at his stats, it really was a solid 10 year run

Dean gets in for the same reason that Koufax did. Dean was easily the best pitcher in baseball for 6 straight years then injury effectively ended his career at age 27. He only threw 226 innings in the four years from age 28-31 after going over 300 innings in each of his age 24, 25, and 26 seasons.

He wouldn't make it in today most likely, and I don't think Koufax would either, but voters were more willing to give guys a pass back in the day based on potential stats if they had to quit playing due to injury.

Dean likely ends up in the Hall as a broadcaster if he didn't make it as a player.

Andruw Jones should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. He's the best defensive CF of all time and was above average with the bat.

 

[mrmopar]

Big mail day, the likes I don't see all that often anymore.

Another Garvey 8X10 Auto, but this was from the Topps site, although it looks trimmed to me. Not sure why, but people do dumb stuff even today with their collectibles.



I keep snagging Bauer autos, although this is one of the better ones so far. I don't see me buying many more, if any, unless they are amazing looking and cheap. This one is /10.

Orlando Hudson apparently has issues with the Dodgers and supposedly won't sign Dodger cards. The way around that, certified! This is the 3rd or maybe 4th copy, but for cheap, it was a can't pass up.

Did not have this Archives John, it was before I discovered the series and tried to get any Dodger card issued that wasn't Koufax, Kershaw or anyone else in the Billionaire pricing level.

Hanley Ramirez, not pictured as a Dodger, but would later be one. I like this issue and pick up cheap autos that appeal to me when I can find them.

I liked SR back in the day, but didn't buy a lot. I can't remember if I have a certified Clontz or not, but I grabbed this one for cheap just in case. He spent a season in LA. This is still a great way to find certified players for real cheap.

Then a couple fun TTM/IP, a flashy Butler and a somewhat tougher to find Oliver.

My new Garvey pick-ups have suffered lately, but still try to grab some of the low #'s when they are affordable. I won't bore you with my current Garvey pricing complaints again...this is /10.

Saved the best for last. I stumbled upon this image online and it brought back memories of seeing one of these in use at the time. I was fascinated by the coin slots for whatever reason. Maybe seeing an assortment of money as a kid was extra impressive, even it it might have only amounted to $4-5, that was damn near enough to buy a whole box of new Topps packs!

I put on a search for this item and for years, nothing. then several weeks back, this one appeared. The price was high, but it kept dropping, week after week. I am a little surprised and perhaps a little disappointed that it didn't sell, but not enough in that I was able to hold out and get a bargain. It still was not cheap, but how many of these can exist. I bought a Namath of similar type a while back and this one will make a nice pairing to that. It's smaller than I expected, because the Namath was larger. This guy is about the size of a magazine, double sided for maximum donation collecting capacity!

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