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

[Dilferules]

Gagne is an archives dupe, but it is the blue /25. I don't expect an answer, unless someone has one, but it would seem there was no PURPLE version for Gagne in this set. I believe purple were /199 normally. I can find no record of one being offered for sale.

The Beckett database does not list a Purple, just the base, Silver/99, Blue/25, and Gold/1.

 

[mrmopar]

For Gagne only, I presume? There was a purple version for many others, but I had never seen one for him. I guess I have them all then, since I snagged the gold too!

 

[mrmopar]

OK, got a few autos today, even some coolDodgers. Nothing to write home about though. However, I did get an epic item that I need to share, even if I am the only one who cares.

First up is one that I got a while back, don't recall sharing it. A 2nd one popped up, so I bought it too. They were both around a buck each, a very fair price for what it is. I saw this on a fellow Garvey collectors blog and as soon as I saw the image (which I had never seen before), I figured the batter was probably Garvey. This collector did conclude that Garvey was the hitter and I immediately was very jealous of the score and a little worried. After all, it was a 1979 Spring Training schedule. I had never seen one before. How was I ever going to find one now. Well, set a search for spring training schedule and one pops up not a month later. Garvey is not identified in the listing, because the schedule doesn't ID him, but we are almost certain it is. Neat oddball add.



The next item is beyond amazing to me. To set the stage a little bit, I'll provide a little history. This should probably be a blog entry and maybe it will someday. The Dodgers had issued postcards since at least the late 50s, but they were apparently much more popular from around 1965-1983. Many sets were issued over that time frame. Garvey had several different postcards across a number of years. I wrote about them in my blog many years ago. https://1978theyearitallbegan.blogspot.com/2010/09/dodger-team-issue-postcards.html

I collect not only Garvey, but all of the Dodger postcards and have a near complete run, minus a few very toughies. At the time I wrote that entry, I don't think I had tried to put together the yearly sets, so I now have knowledge of what year each of those postcards are, but I think it was also before I came into possession of a postcard checklist/price guide that helped me complete the ID task. This guide also introduced me to a few more postcards, a couple of which I have never even seen, before or since.

Sometime later, I happened to stumble upon a special postcard that was used as a promotion mailer. It was signed on the front and kind of beat up, but it was a regular Willie Crawford PC with an advertisement for an upcoming ball night on the reverse. I don't believe the seller made mention of this fact, but was simply selling a signed PC. Crawford is deceased, so I was worried I might have to pay heavy for this one. I feel like I saw these mentioned somewhere in print or online, but if I did, I don't recall where. Having never seen one in the 100s of Dodger PCs I had obtained up to that point, I figured they were pretty darn tough. Also consider that clearly this had been mailed to someone. The Dodgers typically sold these PCs at the stadium and through the mail and although postcards were originally meant to be mailed, a lot of folks bought them as keepsakes. Nearly all of the regular PCs are not hard to find and in top condition. Many of these types of promotional mailers though just don't survive because of lack of interest, abuse in the mail sorting center or they were "abused" like this Crawford was. Luckily some kid (or adult) not only saved this, but got it signed to boot. It could definitely be in better condition, but I was happy to have it and if I recall, it was only around $5-10, a fair price for a Crawford auto, let alone a rare PC. This is not yet the item I was speaking about, only part of the build up, but here it is for reference.



Another oddball discovery came a bit later yet. I believe this time it was just seeing someone list it on ebay. I don't recall seeing anything in any guide about it, but the 1975 Steve Garvey PC, which I mentioned in my blog that had the MVP mention and not on back, showed up with MVP mention, but also a PEPSI stamp on back. I was so excited, I probably didn't sleep for 5 days! It looks legit, but having no other comparison to use, who really knows. I ended up winning the Pepsi PC and here it is for reference. I don't recall what I paid, it may have been a steal or I might have been driven up by someone else who realized how unique this PC was. Whatever the case, it is securely locked in my collection now. Still, not the item I am building up to though. Sadly, the only one I have ever seen was a little worse for wear. Some mild creasing on back that doesn't break the surface on front and crimp/dent areas on front, plus an ugly brown stain on back. I'd love a better copy, but not sure I'll ever even see another.



This finally leads me to my latest discovery. This PC is in the best shape I have seen of any special issue. It was also not cheap, relatively speaking, but a bargain at the same time. The seller had an unusually high opening price on it, but not sure they even realized what they had, because they had plain Jane PCs as well, also with high opening prices that were nowhere near market. Anyway, I couldn't believe my eyes and was so excited for this to end. I was afraid someone else would see it and like me, didn't care that the price was high. Thankfully, when it came time for the auction to end, I was the winner. I cautiously checked to see the damage and was delighted to see it was opening bid price! Then I waited for delivery. With mail delivery the way it has been, never count anything until it is in your hands. Today marked the day my new PC arrived, securely packaged as I requested/insisted. Last thing i needed was for USPS to damage an irreplaceable item. Thankfully the PO didn't try to bend a 2" think package in half, as they have done in the past.

Presenting a 1975 Garvey Postcard with MVP notation on back, BUT also a special promotional schedule back! This one was hand mailed like the Crawford, but still had the label intact. It makes me wonder if they just took some random unsold current year PCs and had them stamped for special promotional nights. Maybe a variety of players and certainly in a quantity that was nowhere near that of the regular souvenir stand/mail order supply postcards. This being only the 2nd one I have ever seen, I have to wonder how many even were mailed to begin with each year. A few hundred? A few dozen? Maybe these were Pepsi Dodger club members? Whatever the case, this is a very interesting item to me that is documented as an August 20, 1975 issue, just mere days before the events that were being promoted! 100X better is the fact that it is Garvey and not some other random player. Really wish I had a panel of former Dodger staff that I could pelt with questions when something like this comes around. This may be one of a kind!

 

[Dilferules]

For Gagne only, I presume? There was a purple version for many others, but I had never seen one for him. I guess I have them all then, since I snagged the gold too!

Well not only Gagne, there were other players in the set that didn't have a Purple card for whatever reason. Jermaine Dye and Rick Honeycutt were the A's in the 2019 Archives Fan Favorites auto set, Honeycutt had a Purple but Dye does not seem to have had one. Beckett lists a Honeycutt Purple but not a Dye.

 

[mrmopar]

I seem to be back in bizarro zone, where I can't win anything to save my life. I really need to know who all these Garvey buyers are, who are WAY overpaying for stuff, especially the Archives and the Clearly Topps stuff. WTF? Seriously, WTF?!

Anyway, a few trinkets here and there. One new Dodger, although not a Dodger card, that I can officially scratch off the list. Steven Souza Jr



This Tsutsugo is an upgrade from the no logo crapo card i originally bought. Won't buy any more of his unless he gets a Dodgers auto though.



I may have this already, I had a couple versions. This one is /50. Gore came and went fast in LA! Cool that he got a Dodger auto, even if it is logoless!

This is probably the most unique pick up of the week. William Brenzel was a nobody catcher back in the 1930s and had 78 games of service across 3 seasons for the Indians and Pirates from 1932-34. However, he was a loing time PCL pl;ayer and ended up scounting for the Dodgers from 1951 until his death in 1979. He is credited with signing Ron Cey, Joe Ferguson, Von Joshua and Lee Lacy for the Dodgers. I didn't go looking for this signature, but bought a cover featuring garvey and checked out what else the seller had. Ended up with this Brenzel a Mickey Owen and a Bruce Brubaker too.

Another neat fact is that the cover was from the huge collection of former Padres (and Dodgers) executive, Elten Schiller. Schiller died in 2012 and his massive collection has been selling on ebay for a while.

 

[mrmopar]

This addition comes with a story, I'll try to keep it brief. I feel like I attract scumbags, both when I was doing some selling and as a buyer. I will be clear, I have had tens of thousands of ebay transactions over the 20+ years and the majority are good, but I continue to have issues year after year. Probably a good half to dozen per year. I don't keep track, but each one chaps my ass for a breif period, then I forget about it. so it is hard to say how many I have, either lost items, poor shipping/packaging, people who don't send crap you buy and sometimes some flat out psychos. I guess it is unrealistic to think I can go a year w/o any problems. Ha!

Anyway, bought this card from a 0 FB seller. After waiting several weeks, w/o asking once mind you, the seller messages me and apologies, explaining he had a natural disaster that prevented him from sending. He may have been more specific, but I don't recall. Frankly, I didn't care as long as the item arrived. He says he shipped it then. I wait another week and there was no tracking ever posted, so I send an email stating another week has passed and still no item. He replies by telling me the package had been returned to him! I ask for him to verify the address used and said, in fact a photo of the package would be best. I kind of didn't believe him at this point. No reply. I opened a case, waited the 3 days or so and messaged him once more, stating I wanted the item, but if he was not going to provide it, to just send me the refund now and we could go our separate ways. No response for anything. Ebay awarded me my refund and I left him negative feedback.

Another minor irritation and my money locked up for a month. Not a huge amount, but the worst part was not getting an item I wanted and maybe missing out on another deal, thinking I had mine locked up. fortunately, I saw one listed with a BIN, plus I got another card with it for only a few bucks more than jackasses card was. I bought it and within 3 days, I had my card(s).

Anyway, not a signed card once again, and I have a couple select dirt cards already, but this one just jumped out. Plus Mookie has no Dodger autographs yet, nor would I be willing to pay the asking price if/when he signs any. To further my complaining briefly, looks like the Dodgers are getting Scherzer, adding another bloated priced card to my wantlist! I just broke down and shelled out $$$ for a Trevor Bauer, then this assault scandal breaks shortly thereafter. I tell you, it's getting harder and harder to justify continuing with this stuff with all the craziness.

2021 Topps Mookie Betts Diamond Relics

 

[mrmopar]

One item today, but it made me very, very happy to receive. I had been hinting at this one for a while, but as time passed, I feared it was lost. When I saw a slightly beat up mailer from Canada, I thought this was finally it after over 2 months of waiting. It was so long ago, I couldn't scroll back far enough to find the item in my ebay page. Thankfully I had been corresponding with the seller now and again. I took full responsibility because I talked him out of using some sort of trackable method, as he was charging $15 for it (Canada). I said I would eat it if the item got lost and he charged me $3.50 to mail in a regular padded. The auction ended May 23. I paid May 24. Today, July 31, it finally arrived!!!

The amazing part about this is that I won it for $2.25! I think because he never edited the listing for shipping, his $15 charge deterred more people from bidding. I will admit, I had thoughts pop up that he never mailed it, because it was sure a deal AND I had talked him out of any sort of tracking, plus took responsibility for loss. It was the perfect storm for someone dishonest to take advantage, but he did not. this card would have been quite hard to replace, if at all, given the low print run. So glad it was not lost. Love the design, melting all the other designs together.

Al Oliver /10

 

[mrmopar]

One today worth mention. Gary Sheffield. Probably should be in the HOF, but what ever. He has gained some good ground in the last couple of years, but eventually a good class crops up and makes everyone forget about the "borderline" guys. 500HRs used to be a lock before the 1990s happened. just under 2700 Hits, a .292 lifetime. The guy could hit. and that year when he was flirting with a triple crown with the Padres. He moved around a lot, which probably hurts his overall popularity.

I like the die cut design and red foil. I just noticed posting this that the signature looks a bit bubbled when enlarged, but doesn't look bad to the naked eye.

 

[Letch77]

One today worth mention. Gary Sheffield. Probably should be in the HOF, but what ever. He has gained some good ground in the last couple of years, but eventually a good class crops up and makes everyone forget about the "borderline" guys. 500HRs used to be a lock before the 1990s happened. just under 2700 Hits, a .292 lifetime. The guy could hit. and that year when he was flirting with a triple crown with the Padres. He moved around a lot, which probably hurts his overall popularity.

I like the die cut design and red foil. I just noticed posting this that the signature looks a bit bubbled when enlarged, but doesn't look bad to the naked eye.

View attachment 136969

I agree...should be a traditional HOF'er. Offensive numbers pretty close to Frank Thomas and he was a 1st ballot inductee. Sheff should get in eventually under the Eras Committee junk.

 

[mrmopar]

One modern and one oldie today. The modern is another Graterol. Probably have my fill of his cards now, but I do like retro designs.



This oldie isn't scarce or heavily desired, but I seldom get any HOFers anymore. Have most all I need or can afford. This was a fun pick up from a long time seller I buy multiple items from. Waite Hoyt. Reminds me of a letter I need to dig up someday and scan. It was from someone who wanted several of his autograph so they could trade with other collectors. Hoyt obliged by signing the letter about 10-12 times in two neatly placed "stacks" with space around them for the requestor to cut them out. Pretty cool. Imagine that happening now with a HOFer...

 

[mrmopar]

Just one in today, another retro design.

Max Muncy

 

[mrmopar]

Hitting a slower stretch it seems, so will add some extras I'd normally pass on sharing.

Another Al Oliver. This was from the Topps Original series, where they did buybacks and sealed them in holders with stickers, but aside from the signature and serial numbering, no way to tell them apart if removed from the case. Bad idea that was fixed later.



After @Therion shared his Manuel Barrios upgrade, I just happened to go look on ebay to see what was there (usually nothing) and saw there was 1 card listed with a BO/BIN, so I made an offer and it was accepted. Would love a signed Dodger item, but I can't even find a photo with him as a Dodger. This situation is why I try to capture a photo of new players when they join the club, just in case they pass through quickly. His career in LA lasted all of 1 single game sometime between May and August in 1998. His entire career was only 5 games, with 2 in FL and 2 in HOU. He came to LA in the big trade that sent Piazza to the Marlins (for his 5 game stint in FL!).

 

[WizardofOz1982]

One today worth mention. Gary Sheffield. Probably should be in the HOF, but what ever. He has gained some good ground in the last couple of years, but eventually a good class crops up and makes everyone forget about the "borderline" guys. 500HRs used to be a lock before the 1990s happened. just under 2700 Hits, a .292 lifetime. The guy could hit. and that year when he was flirting with a triple crown with the Padres. He moved around a lot, which probably hurts his overall popularity.

I like the die cut design and red foil. I just noticed posting this that the signature looks a bit bubbled when enlarged, but doesn't look bad to the naked eye.

View attachment 136969

Sheff hasn't gotten in because of his ties to BALCO and his self admitted steroid use. I think he still may get in down the road when the steroid era is re-examined.
.

 

[deaconblues63]

Hitting a slower stretch it seems, so will add some extras I'd normally pass on sharing.

Another Al Oliver. This was from the Topps Original series, where they did buybacks and sealed them in holders with stickers, but aside from the signature and serial numbering, no way to tell them apart if removed from the case. Bad idea that was fixed later.

View attachment 137041

After @Therion shared his Manuel Barrios upgrade, I just happened to go look on ebay to see what was there (usually nothing) and saw there was 1 card listed with a BO/BIN, so I made an offer and it was accepted. Would love a signed Dodger item, but I can't even find a photo with him as a Dodger. This situation is why I try to capture a photo of new players when they join the club, just in case they pass through quickly. His career in LA lasted all of 1 single game sometime between May and August in 1998. His entire career was only 5 games, with 2 in FL and 2 in HOU. He came to LA in the big trade that sent Piazza to the Marlins (for his 5 game stint in FL!).

View attachment 137042

July 3, 1998

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Box Score: July 3, 1998 | Baseball-Reference.com

San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles Dodgers (6-3). Jul 3, 1998, Attendance: 56788, Time of Game: 2:29. Visit Baseball-Reference.com for the complete box score, play-by-play, and win probability

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[mrmopar]

July 3, 1998

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Box Score: July 3, 1998 | Baseball-Reference.com

San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles Dodgers (6-3). Jul 3, 1998, Attendance: 56788, Time of Game: 2:29. Visit Baseball-Reference.com for the complete box score, play-by-play, and win probability

www.baseball-reference.com

Cool, thank you. Is there a quick way to find that? I was not aware of a search function. If I wanted to find a specific game, I just scrolled through them game by game.

 

[mrmopar]

One in today, a Garvey from "WAY BACK". Kind of a joke to say way back, but you don't see too many low serial numbered cards much after they are released. Most get sucked up into collections quickly as people are pack ripping and box breaking. A few tend to change hands here and there, but sometimes it can be few and far between. This is why so many people are still seeking inserts that are not worth a lot, but have seldom been seen since their release 10-20 or more years ago. Even cards numbered as high as /100 and /500 sometimes! Don't discount older serial numbered cards as being worthless. Player collectors are always seeking that kind of thing.

This one was from 2002, so almost 20 years old. It's the Gold (also available in silver and bronze) and is 25/25. I have at least 1 of these already, if not several. Hard for me to pass on anything numbered lower than /25 if the price is right though. It's just a bad hoarding habit that I have...

 

[mrmopar]

Just got back from a nice weekend trip to the Portland area to see some Navy shipmates. Wife and I did some sightseeing along the Oregon/Washington Border along the Columbia River as well. I am kind of shooting off all my fireworks here though, as I got quite a bit of mail on Saturday and today.

Garrett Anderson is probably my favorite item. He didn't have any regular certified Dodger autos that I am aware of, so Archives comes to my rescue.



Chris Giminez did a 1 year stint as a Dodgers coach. I can't remember if I picked up anything before, so I grabbed this item.



Jorge Orta seems to be a little tougher than I'd expect. I suspect he slipped back into his home country and probably lives off the radar.



The rest of kind of ho-hum. Was saving them up for slow mail days, but like I said, they all came together, so here we go.

Kaz Ishii, always nice to grab his cards. Some Japanese players are very tough (Nomo is a perfect example, will never own a certified card of his at the crazy prices they bring EVERY SINGLE TIME). Ishii is moderate to easy to find though, but sometimes at a cost. I like bargains, so I don't pick up as many of his cards as i'd like to.



Todd Hollandsworth. Never thought aI would own these back when this product was new and these were impossible pulls. Now they are only a few bucks a piece sometimes!

Another Al Oliver, in fact a dupe of one I just picked up a week or so ago.

Topping it off was a nice cheap junk auto lot of 17 that I got for $10 plus s/h. Less than a buck a card is always nice. Nothing new in the lot and nobody specifically in here making it a great score, as far as signature needs, but maybe a unique card or two...I may have them all already too. Worth it either way.

 

[mrmopar]

Just 1 in today. It's a jersey number, which lately I don't hardly ever win. A competitor who also collects Garvey likes to pay very strongly for these and I am pretty much done throwing away money on Garvey stuff, especially for jersey number cards that are only worht a premium to me, him/her? and maybe some random ******* every once in a while. HOWEVER, it would seem I have a friggin fortune if you believe that the prices Garvey autos (but only the newest issues oddly enough) are going for. This is also from the newest Archives issue, which I have also not been able to win any yet (until this one). This issue and the prices it is bringing across the board (not just Garvey) is surprising the hell out of me. I really don't know what to think, but buyers I do not know/recognize are boosting prices of Clearly Authentic, Topps Archies and other newer issues into the STUPID range. All of these folks are going to regret dropping that kind of money when it crashes. It WILL happen. I should know the Garvey market pretty well by now.



I usually don't disclose things ahead of getting them, but this seems relevant to this rant. I got another Zach McKinstry auto (I'll show it w/o fanfare when it arrives). I really wasn't planning to, but it is a cool shot and the seller had free shipping. I paid $10.50 plus WSST. Remember when I was crying about his autos selliing for 3 figures? Well that balloon POPPED! I said it would, because seriously, who the hell is Zach McKinstry anyways? Nobody!

I still want one of the 86T retro cards and will eventually get one for my price, I think. Most people who paid high 2 and 3 figure amounts for this card during the frenzy are probably regretting it hard, meanwhile everyone who sold them is laughing all the way to the bank! I warned you suckers!!

 

[mrmopar]

One in today, a triple. Don't care about the other two per se, but complete multiplayer cards are cool all the same. Doug Rau RC

 

[deaconblues63]

One in today, a triple. Don't care about the other two per se, but complete multiplayer cards are cool all the same. Doug Rau RC

View attachment 309551

That's a fantastic card. Enjoyed seeing that.