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

[mrmopar]

Well the weird market has not seemed to cool and now even the scrubbiest of autos seem to be selling way beyond what they are actually worth (like the housing market). Who the F is overpaying for all these cards? I hope you are in it for the flip and you enjoy the collapse when it comes.

I can still sniff out a few bargains here and there, so my buying has not ceased entirely yet. The latest find is a lot of baseball Christmas cards. The exciting part for me was that there are 5 Dodger cards, 4 of which have former GM Fred Claire signatures on them. The last has nobody I recognize, but still cool.



I also received this Heritage Real One of one time Dodger Gene Hermanski, although for this appearance he represents the Pirates. Sadly, no Heritage set would have featured him as a Dodger and the 54 set was the last option for him as a player. His career came to an end with 41 games in Pittsburgh in 1953. I was not sure if I had it already, but after compiling a list of all the Dodgers (former/future) that were featured in the various years, I flagged his as being one I should look for. He played in Brooklyn from 1943 through part of 1951. His best year was 1948, the only year with Brooklyn that he played in more than 100 games for the team. In 133 games, mostly in RF, he hit .290 with 15 HR and 60 RBI. With a franchise so loaded with future HOFers, can you believe he lead the team in dingers that season?! A young Jackie Robinson was 2nd at 12 and in his first full season, Gil Hodges rounded out the top 3 with 11. Gil would of course become one of the more prolific HR hitters for the franchise.

Gene died in 2010 at the age of 90. Glad to have a certified card of him, even if it is a Pirates card.

 

[Therion]

I can still find some bargains, just requires patience. Also, leave eBay and go to Twitter. Some amazing deals to be had.

 

[mrmopar]

Another Heritage Red Wills I was able to snag, this one from last year /71.

 

[mrmopar]

It's been slow.

I finally got one of these. Still overpaid in my mind, but got it for well below what most have paid already and they are coming back down as I said they would. In fact, I "accidentally" won one for the cheapest price I have seen yet on ebay, under $20. The seller had 98% feedback, so we'll see if I get it. meanwhile, my first copy showed up today. This was a must have though, as I have been catching up with older Heritage issues for a while. I am disturbed that I can't come close to winning a red /72 and a relic/Au /25, when any other year and set, I'd have dupes of both by now for 1/10th of the price people are paying for this stuff!

I just can't stress enough the silliness of the last couple of months though. I fell behind in my tracking of Garvey sales and saw a lot of absolute craziness as i was scouring the ended listings for the past 1.5 months! There are a lot of unknowns paying top dollar for Steve Garvey autographs. Not my usual competition either, new IDs that I don't recognize. Those people are in for a rude awakening if they are not flipping immediately! This odd buying pattern has lead to me pretty much being shutout from many of the new Garvey issues because of my unwillingness to pay inflated prices. I have yet to win a single Tribute auto. I will circle back and get at least one, probably the /199. The freedom from needing to get them all is actually refreshing and is driving me closer and closer to stopping all together.

 

[mrmopar]

2 more Garvey autos that came FAST! I didn't expect to win these, but I guess I was lucky. The Panini w/ stamp is /25 and the Donruss is /20. I have both cards already, the only negative in the deal as I really should stop buying dupes!!

 

[mrmopar]

Heritage #2 arrived just fine, so you can't always go by that feedback score thankfully. Prices really seem to be coming down fast, as I predicted. I might be stuck with 3 more of these soon!



And, the other item today. What is wrong me me? I have a real problem. Bargains to be had and I can't pass it up. I bought ANOTHER Garvey Milestone pin set. I probably have 7-8 of these now. This one was $10 plus $10 s/h. I bid and never got outbid. 10 pins and an autograph, all serial numbered to 1000 copies is still a heck of a deal for $20 delivered. I can't say I won't end up with another one someday either.

I also wonder if they really actually sold/distributed 1000 sets. I found out these were $80 when new, selling out of the Padres gift store. I bet they were not flying off the shelf necessarily. A lot of the set numbers I see are under 300, maybe under 100. Maybe there is a stash of these in some storage unit in San Diego, waiting to flood the market?

 

[mrmopar]

Today was one of the better mail days I have had in a while. When 2020 wrapped up, and I learned that both Zach McKinstry and Victor Gonzalez would have autographed cards coming out, I figured I'd be 2/3 done with my latest Dodger wantlist. Mookie Betts being the lone holdout. then something practically unexplainable happened and pretty soon people were paying obnoxious prices for everything. Even scrub autos were unaffordable for the most part. Given, the Dodgers were freshly crowed World Champions and all and both of these guys were having RC autos, I expected something of a small premium, but nothing like what I saw. I resigned to the fact that I would have to wait to add anyone new, and wait I have.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers added a few more guys to the roster including Trevor Bauer (I do have a TTM/IP, but would like to get a certified auto at some point), Alex Vesia, Garrett Cleavinger and Mike Kickham. My wantlist doubled and with COMC no longer a viable option for cheap autos, I would have to seek out ebay. I have been whining about this for a bit and it seems one member has taken pity on me. In a extremely huge gesture of generosity, he told me that he pulled a Zach McKinstry auto and wanted to give it to me! His autos have cooled a bit, but some are still topping $100. With Donruss and Topps tribute, the number have watered down the demand a bit, but on a good day he can still sell for $50+. As excited as i was, I suggested that maybe he would rather sell the card and take advantage of the hot market, but he declined. When the card shipped, he mentioned another card would be joining Zach. Perhaps I would enjoy this card even more was his thought!

Today that package arrived from esteemed member @Dazed and inside was a Topps Tribute McKinstry auto /300 and joining him was a Garvey auto from the same set, /99. As I have said in any other year, I probably would have already scooped up /10, /25, /50, /99 and /199 (I think those are all I recall seeing), but in this weird market, I have yet to be able to land a single one. Now keep in mind, I am sticking with my post Covid pricing structure, so I am not forking out whatever it will take to win these new cards and obviously it was not working for me. so, not only did I add a new Dodger to my collection, i also got a Steve Garvey auto I didn't have yet either. On the right day, this pair could have potentially netted @Dazed over $100, but he chose to donate them to my collection. That is an outstanding human and site member there. I am truly appreciative of his gesture and I hope to find something that he can be equally excited about to return the favor someday.



I also got one of those cheaper" autos from ebay and if you can find someone willing to send PWE, its almost as good as using COMC, without the 4 month wait for shipping! I added a 2nd new Dodger auto to the collection, cutting my want list off by 1/3 with Garrett Cleavinger. Not the sexiest card, but it does the trick until such time as he gets a Dodger card (if that ever happens).



One last item to mention. I realized that I did not mention it when it arrived, but pulling scans for the recent and future arrivals I expect to feature, I remembered this item. Maybe I skipped showing it because I am unsure of its authenticity. His auto is widely counterfeited. I bid what I figured would be a losing amount and let it ride and ended up winning. This made me even more nervous that it went for less than I expected (assuming real), but perhaps I just got lucky. Or I have a new blemished PC. I am not out much if it does turn out to be real, but frankly aside from opinions, I'll never really know for sure. I don't authenticate any of my stuff anyway. I buy on experience and sometimes gut and it has worked pretty well for me in the past, I believe. I'm sure I have some duds in my collection and I can live with that. here is to hoping this one is the real deal, but wouldn't be surprised if it weren't.

Sandy Koufax Team Issue PC.

Thank you again @Dazed. You are the man!

 

[Dazed]

Looks like you may have to add Albert Pujols to your autograph needs list.

 

[mrmopar]

Looks like you may have to add Albert Pujols to your autograph needs list.

I saw that and am pretty happy that I already have his auto! If they were to do a dodger card, I would really want it, but not sure I could muster the stones to pay what it would probably go for. kinda where I stand with Mookie, but to my knowledge, 1 full year in the books and there is no Dodger Mookie auto. There is a change Pujols won't even last the season, so a Dodger auto may not happen.

I've said this before, but someone who doesn't have a certified auto that should is Kenley Jansen. There has to be a back story here. Why else would he not have one???

 

[mrmopar]

I watched this one just in case the seller did one of those discount offers, which they did. Its a boring card that i was not keen on paying too much for, despite the surge in garvey auto sales lately. Got it for $20, which is in line for something /25.



I think I am a little more excited (at least in the moment) for this one, which crosses off yet another new Dodger from the wantlist. Back down to 3!

Mike Kickham is 1-4 lifetime and is a 32 year old pitcher with exactly 1 game (2 IP) logged in with the Dodgers. I don't even see him on the 40 man roster anymore, appears he is in AAA right now. Could end up being his only time with the team, as the Dodgers run through pitchers like crazy each year. Still, for 2 innings he was a Los Angeles Dodger and hence I need his signature.

 

[abide]

One today, Shawn Green Silver Archives /199. Green gave the Dodgers 5 solid years in the meat of his career, from 2000-2004. During that time he made 1 of 2 career AS game appearances, had 2 seasons of 40+ HR & 100+ RBI and hit 4 HRs in a game. In that 4 HR game, he also had 2 additional hits and went 6 for 6 with 6 runs, 7 RBIs & 19 total bases, setting a major league record. Several other records came from that game & stretch of time centering around the 4 HR game as well. His 200th HR came in that historic game and he ended his career with 328, although not quite HOF material when he was dropped from the ballot in his first year of eligibility after gathering only 2 votes.

The Dodgers got him and Jorge Nunez from the Toronto Blue Jays for Pedro Borbon and Raul Mondesi. It seemed to look like a good trade for both clubs, as both key players had been emerging young stars prior to the trade. The toss-in Nunez never made the majors and Borbon (son of former 1970s Reds pitcher of the same name), who was only in LA for a single season, only lasted 4 more years and bounced around 2 more teams before his last year at the MLB level, in 2093. In fact, the Dodgers signed him again in the winter of that year, but released him by March before the Cardinals picked him up for the season where he was 0-1 in 7 games.

Mondesi was 28 and Green 26 at the time of the trade, but Mondesi kind of fell apart a few seasons after the trade and was out of baseball by the end of 2005. He gave Toronto 2.5 decent seasons before they traded him to the Yankees. He lingered for another 3.5 years, playing for 5 different clubs before being released by the Braves. By 2010, he had become the Mayor of San Cristobal, in the Dominican Republic and served until 2016. Apparently though, he committed fraud and embezzled $6M in public funds and was sentenced to 8 years prison in 2017. Mondesi has 2 sons that played organized ball as well, Raul Jr who never made the majors in the Milwaukee organization and Raul Aldelberto, who is currently on the Royals with 4 years MLB experience under his belt.

View attachment 113830

As a guy with a PC of Shawn Green relic cards, and secondarily a few autos, I've got to point out to the ultimate Dodger auto collector, that you fail to mention that Shawn Green continues to hold the Dodgers single season home run record. He hit 49 in 2001, passing Gary Sheffield / Duke Snider 43. There was an expectation that Adrian Beltre might get the record in 2004, but fell short at 48, and Cody Bellinger in 2019 had about 14 home runs by May 1, on his way to 60 [I thought] and the new Dodger record, but then hit the outfield wall making a running catch in early May, and while he did not go on the DL, his power dropped off. He finished the year with 47.

Shawn Green remains on top of the list for most HR in a season for the Dodgers. [It is astounding to me that no Dodger has ever hit 50]

Shawn Green is also #2 on the list for most doubles in a season by a Dodger, 49 in 2003.

Shawn Green is #4 on the list for most total bases in a season, 370, tied with Duke Snider, and behind Babe Herman 417, Adrian Beltre 376 & Duke Snider 378

 

[mrmopar]

As a guy with a PC of Shawn Green relic cards, and secondarily a few autos, I've got to point out to the ultimate Dodger auto collector, that you fail to mention that Shawn Green continues to hold the Dodgers single season home run record. He hit 49 in 2001, passing Gary Sheffield / Duke Snider 43. There was an expectation that Adrian Beltre might get the record in 2004, but fell short at 48, and Cody Bellinger in 2019 had about 14 home runs by May 1, on his way to 60 [I thought] and the new Dodger record, but then hit the outfield wall making a running catch in early May, and while he did not go on the DL, his power dropped off. He finished the year with 47.

Shawn Green remains on top of the list for most HR in a season for the Dodgers. [It is astounding to me that no Dodger has ever hit 50]

Shawn Green is also #2 on the list for most doubles in a season by a Dodger, 49 in 2003.

Shawn Green is #4 on the list for most total bases in a season, 370, tied with Duke Snider, and behind Babe Herman 417, Adrian Beltre 376 & Duke Snider 378

Fair enough, however these short bios were just something to make the posts a little more interesting for me and hopefully the readers. I didn't put a lot of time into them most days. I apologize for snubbing Green on his accomplishments while with the Dodgers.

I am also amazed at some of the record holders for a club with such a storied history. Despite having a fair share of solid players and HOFers, the Dodgers never really had that "top" superstar in his era with a long career. Zack Wheat is probably the closest you can come to a longtime Dodger superstar. and his numbers are dwarfed by other contemporaries.

The next best thing was probably Snider (who wasn't even considered the best OF in NY with Mays and Mantle) and then Garvey. Both were very solid players that stayed around a while and stacked up some good numbers, but nothing epic. Koufax and Drysdale had shorter careers, Sutton and John were no Ryan, Seaver or Palmer. By the time Garvey left LA, they really had no long time stand out players for a while. Guys like Karros & Ethier had some longevity, but weren't anything to brag about. Piazza & Martinez both traded away to go on to HOF careers. The Dodgers always have picked up great players at the end of their careers and have more cameo HOFerrs than they do HOFers who earned that title with the team.

Kershaw would be my next vote for legendary Dodger, but a variety of issues have kept his totals in check and he is likely on the downward direction of his career now.

I also appreciate the title you bestowed upon me, but I am nowhere near the ultimate Dodger auto collector, just a long time fan and dedicated collector with an average joe budget! I've done the best I could, while still keeping it real. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who have many individual pieces that put my best to shame (Almost anyone with a Jackie Robinson auto probably has a better one than I do, for example) and overall collections worthy of auction house publicity if/when they sell or pass it along.

 

[mrmopar]

I had a heck of a time winning the /10 version of this card. Oddly, the /3 seemed to be easier and might have even been slightly cheaper! These days, I am less excited to land various color/foil/serial numbered parallels and have even passed on trying for a lot. That release when you finally do accept you can't have it all is blissful! Anyway, I really liked this design, despite the lack of logos, which I still despise.

The seller image doesn't do the card justice, the foil is green and it looks great complementing the Dodger blue. A touch of red on the patch would have made this the trifecta!

 

[mrmopar]

Technically and even by my own collecting rules, I should not consider this a Dodger autograph yet. I remember there being a huge collector of this guy online and I thought that he had already gone and done something in his career, but was surprised to find he was still in the low minors when I looked him up back then.

I only noticed him recently when I saw that he was sitting on the current Dodgers 40 man roster. Sometimes these predictive buys pay off and often they don't. I decided to pick one up partially because I had been hearing his name touted for so long, but also because there is a change the Dodgers do end up giving him a shot.

He is still only 25, but his MLB resume is 2 games across 2020-2021, 2 IP and a 27.00 ERA. Worst case scenario is he never makes the team, but was still in the organization briefly and i spent roughly $5 to add his signature to my collection. I've done worse.

Phil Bickford, hoping that this one pays off in the future. Heritage /50.

 

[mrmopar]

So I sort of cheated yesterday with Bickford, but I also bought one more card of his the same day I discovered he was on the roster. I am not making him the next Juan Marichal though, so this item that arrived today is probably it for Bickford, unless he actually makes the team some day. I couldn't pass on this and the price was cheap when I bid. It is Leaf after all, but still a press plate autograph for $3.34 plus s/h when the auction ended. I can't complain about that! Not the best image, but it's not going to be the cornerstone of my collection either.

This is the exact reason I question why so many people hold those old worthless cards hostage for so long though. Prospects who are out of baseball now and sellers still want crazy money for certain cards. When in reality, they'd probably get $3.75 if they actually listed it.



I also added another new Dodger. Technically I have him, as I bought I believe this same card on COMC, hoping they would send it with my delayed order. Now it sits in my port with 2 friends, likely stranded for eternity. This officially gets be back to only needing 3 LA Dodgers for the collection to be current again. Betts, V. Gonzalez and A. Vesia.



Last item is not a card or auto, but it was unique enough to warrant a mention. I'd possibly feature it on my blog if I were adding to that one daily, but I got sidetracked on that project. I have an event/sponsor specific golf bag to go with it that I for some reason bought probably 20 years ago on ebay. It sits in my garage, perhaps a home for spiders?

Now I have a putter to go with it! I don't golf, not that i would use either for playing if I did. I can remove the head/insert it appears, which makes this just a little cooler. Something small I can stash away if I decide to do so. It was bin for something like $15, with s/h being more than the item, but it is right up my alley when it comes to oddball Garvey stuff!

 

[mrmopar]

Just one in today. Darrell Griffith Heritage Red /67. @Therion may appreciate this one more than most. His auto isn't tough, so assume he has this one already, maybe not the red, but an Astros auto.




I a hugely pumped about this non-auto purchase though. Ever since I was a member of the Pepsi Jr Mariners in the late 70s/early 80s, I have been fascinated by the material that they issues for these fan clubs. I have seen a variety of membership cards, tickets, batting gloves, hats and other things for a number of teams. The Dodgers seem to have the most, or perhaps they are who I follow closest, but I have a daily Pepsi club search too. I want it all!

Garvey was the subject of at least 2 years worth of membership cards, applications, etc. I would find out that Willie Davis, Claude Osteen, Ted Sizemore, Wes Parker Ron Cey, Tommy Lasorda and Reggie Smith were also featured in some of the marketing material to get kids to join the club. The ads found in papers and comics are neat, but then there are unused applications to join. Even better are the actual tickets and membership cards! Who keeps this stiuff in the 70s/80? I am glad they did, for sure.

This purchase was mostly for the Cey, but I decided to grab the Smith at the same time. Rather than bid and hope for the best, I snapped up the BIN on those groups of items, probably overpaying severely. I did not want to risk losing it to another Pepsi/Cey/Dodgers collector though. Until now, I had seen ads and applications, but no membership card for Cey. Now I have one! I am an absolute sucker for this stuff if you have any or ever see any deals to be had. Any team, any item. I may still need it. Think of me if you can, thanks!

 

[Therion]

I do have a Griffith, but not the red. Interestingly, even though he is pictured as an Astros player, he never played for Houston! I always found it interesting that Topps chose him for the Houston representative in Heritage that year since there are a ton of living, easily accessible, actual Astros around from that set.

 

[mrmopar]

Two single items to share before the haul. It's been quite a while since I won any amount of bulk. lots of 1-2 items here and there.

Takashi Saito is a less common Dodger auto to find in the bargain prices. He's not in the Nomo class, but it had been a while since I added a new card of him.



Dolph Camilli - This one was a relative bargain ($16 and change + s/h + tax), but I am still torn. Certified Cuts are a great way to get deceased stars, but they are for all intents and purposes, a glorified (and often overpriced) 3x5 card. this one has a decent design. I may even have a Camilli cut already. I couldn't remember and didn't bother to check. This one is numbered /58.



The rest will be in a separate post, as I am just using the sellers scans. haven't even looked through the lots yet.

 

[mrmopar]

This haul came from 6 different lots, really 5 as the '39 sheet was in an auction by itself. 83 total signatures advertised. I bid relatively conservatively and ending up getting some steals. I only lost one of the lots I bid on and that was an autographed album page. I am surprised at the ending prices and this seller is a known consignment seller too, I believe. I know I have won several items from them in the past. The 5 lots of items ranged from $1.25 per item to $3.31 per item! That is ending hammer price and does not include shipping or tax. The '39 sheet was the only single item, but given it had 5 signatures, the price per signature of that item was $4.70! I am incredibly fortunate that the bidding was not that spirited. I was not going after anything in particular, just a decent amount of general signatures for not a ton of money. Every player was listed, so I was not expecting steals, but you can't really complain when the overall price for the lot was $2.50 per signature!

I'll go through it after dinner and note what I consider to be the "key" items from the lot with an edit.

Nothing unexpected, other than a Pete Reiser that was not advertise, on the back of a Dolph Camilli magazine clipping. The biggest hit might be the Ernie Lombardi cut. He is not a super cheap auto usually.
Some others I like, especially at $2.50 per are Jean Pierre Roy, Sal Maglie, numerous Pete Resiers, Dixie Walker, Vito Tamulis, Van Lingle Mungo. Not adding any new names, but a heck of a haul for under $250.

 

[Therion]

Dang, that's almost a robbery!