Recent mail, and a shoutout to a great board member

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I try not to bore the board with my never ending pursuit of Pirate autographs. However, from time to time something comes in that seems worth posting. Sean Casey has been one of the most illusive autographs of any recent Pirate for me. I nearly met him during Piratefest in 2005, but the line was cut off just in front of me. He only has one certified autograph in a Pirates uniform, from 2005 Flair, which has been nearly impossible to find. I was lucky enough to get him to sign TTM, knocking yet another off my list.

Also, I have been slowly working my way through the Altoona Curve 10th Anniversary set. I have grown to love the look of the cards signed, though I doubt I'll ever be able to complete the set.

Finally, though he is an afterthought to even the most die-hard of Pirates fans, received back one of my favorite TTM's to date. After over a year, I got a surprise return from Sam Khalifa. I have always loved the '87 design, and as a kid this was one of my favorite cards. Since then, Khalifa's whereabouts have been quite mysterious. Even the Pirates Alumni Association, which has addresses for just about anyone that has ever put on a Pirate uniform, had no idea where Khalifa was residing. I was able to get a tip from a member on SCN, but had assumed this one was also a goner.

Now for the biggie...mlbsalltimegreats sent me a pm a while back asking for my address. When I opened his package, I was blown away.

This card was there, along with a 2003 Donruss Champions auto.

I was even more shocked when I flipped the card over to see it was numbered 1/1. The generosity of members on here always amazes me, so hopefully I can 'pay it forward' at some point.

 

[scotty21690]

That Thies is awesome!!!!

 

[crosby87]

That wilson is sick. Best pirate in the last 10 years.

 

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Scotty-Thanks. I absolutely love the look of signed vintage. The Thies is in great shape too, making it even better. Sharp corners, crisp color, and a beautiful design.

Crosby- I never get sick of picking up the various Diamond King parallels, which is saying a lot considering how many versions are out there. It's going to be very strange picking up some of the Update sets with Jack in a Mariners uniform though.

 

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A quick bump for the morning crowd.

 

[rookieaddict]

Nice work! How many different Pirates are you up to?

 

[subject to change]

Nice work! How many different Pirates are you up to?

I'm currently at 371, but I just won a lot on ebay with 10 cards I need, and sent out around a dozen TTM requests over the past week or two, so I should be closing in on 400 over the next month or so.

 

[pghbuccos]

Mark that Sean Casey A&G card looks awesome. if you don't mind when did you send it to MLB Network?

good luck with the Curve 10th anny set and congrats on the Diamond Kings Wilson auto.

 

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Thanks Dave. I only have 6 players left unsigned in the Curve set...Jose Bautista, Josh Bonifay, JR House, Adam Hyzdu, and Steve Pearce. I'm hoping I can get Pearce this winter, and I sent to House TTM about a month ago. The other three will be tough, since Bonifay and Hyzdu are both out of baseball.

The address for MLB Network is:
40 Hartz Way, Suite 10 - Secaucus, NJ 07094

I got mine back in about a month.

 

[pghbuccos]

ok I sent a card to Casey at the MLB Network in June and haven't received it back yet. I am just trying to get an idea of return time. I know he was working for NESN for awhile but maybe mine got lost in the mix.

 

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It probably got lost in the mix. Looking at his returns, it looks like he's getting to most requests, but a few here and there are falling through the cracks. Could be that his mail simply isn't being forwarded to him when he's not in the office? You might be better off just resending, just to be safe.