Autographed Baseball Cards A-Z

When I got back into collecting five or so years ago one of the things that excited me was the availability of autographed cards.  Perhaps I went a little overboard but I think I picked up some nice cards.  This will be an A-Z series of posts with varying numbers of cards.

 2005 UD Ultimate Signature MVPs #MVP-FC

Talking Rod Carew here.  7 time batting champ, 18 time all-star, 3000 hit club, ROY, MVP, HOF.  All this on a hard signed card.  Need I say more?

1999 Fleer/SI

I love the SI Cover cards.  The headline says it all.  Best Wishes for a full recovery, Gary.  BTW, one of the best smiles in the business, too.

2001 Fleer Greats of the Game

Not the best color man in the world (he worked Cubs games for two years) but he hit one of the most famous home runs in World Series history.  Nice signature.

2004 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia #218 326/500

I think this card was part of a lot.  Still, I liked Ronny when he was with the Cubs and am glad he found a home in Pittsburgh.  Not wild about the sticker or the signature.  Is he going by "Ronny C"?  There's plenty more room for "edeno" kid!

2005 UD Signature Decades #SD-OC

My fav set.  Another HOFer who was a ROY and an  MVP.  I still remember Ernie Banks saying his name "Cepeder".

2002 Fleer Genuine Ink  699/975

Not a Hall of Famer but he was a 6 time All-Star, WS MVP, and  a member of the 1984 Cubs. Can't beat the moniker, "The Penguin".  Nice touch the way he works his number 10 into his signature.  Much appreciated.

A $25 Ebay Gift Card Got Me ...

My sister-in-law and her husband gave me a $25 Ebay gift card as a late Christmas present.  I've been slowly making use of it.  Here are my latest purchases:

$1.49

1962 Topps #217

Walt led the Dodgers to 4 World Series Championships and is in the Hall of Fame.  I love the photography on this one -- great colors and composition.  I'm also a fan of the writing on the back of vintage cards.  Do they still use phrases today like "this season he's aiming at all the marbles"?  

$2.44

1962 Topps #40

Another 1962 Topps.  Will the competition for these rise with the release of 2011 Heritage?  

By the time I really started following baseball and collecting cards, Cepeda was already a Cardinal and then  a Brave.  This card follows one of Orlando's best seasons (noted in the cartoon).  It's my first of his cards picturing him as a Giant. He finally made it to the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Total spent so far $21.25

2005 UD Signature Decades -- 1960's Part 1

Today we head back to the 60's:

Card of the Day

2004 #SS-OC

Orlando Cepeda's pants! Orlando Cepeda's pants!

They're significant.

2005 Topps Pristine Relic Cards

These are the only 5 cards I have from this series but I really like them . They look better in person than in the scan. They're basically a chrome card with a relic window. I can see myself picking up a few more of these sometime.

#TT-JC

#TT-MI

#TT-CS

#TT-OC

TT-RF

Pack Break 2008 Goudey

I found the images in the 2009 Goudey a little too weird looking for my taste (not an uncommon opinion, I know). The 2008 set is much better. The other day I opened a pack of 08 and other than pulling a great jersey or auto card it's hard to imagine a better pack. Here's the pack in the exact order I saw the cards:

Card #1: Brian Roberts is having another solid year for the Orioles. He currently leads the the major leagues in doubles with 45. Baltimore uniforms always look great to me.

Card #2: Here's another Oriole, HOF'er Jim Palmer sporting my favorite cap, the cartoon Oriole.

Card #3: The Hawk in a Cubs uniform! This is the mini version. Looks like he just hit one onto Waveland Avenue!
Card #4: In two really great seasons 2006-2007 Chien-Ming Wang went 38-13! He's currently out indefinitely, having had season ending shoulder surgery.

Card #5: Matt is having a stellar year, 12-4 with a 2.49 ERA.


Card#6: The second Cub in the pack is one of my all-time favorites, HOF'er ,sweet swinging Billy Williams. He had as smooth a left-handed swing as you've ever seen.


Card #7: The third Hall of Famer in the pack! I remember Orlando mostly as a Brave though he is appropriately pictured here as a SF Giant. He had seven great years with them, starting with 1958 when he was Rookie of the Year and following with six years as an All-Star.

Card#8: Mr. Cub Ernie Banks. 4th HOF'er in the pack (maybe by next year the 5th, go Andre) and the 3rd Cub! My late mother met Ernie when they were both working for New World Van Lines some years ago. It's no secret that no one had more enthusiasm for the game then Banks.