Thanks for the link Joe. There can't be many of those around.

I wonder how difficult it is to get players who retired to Cuba, like Connie Marrero. The guy was alive at this point last year, but the only things I've seen signed by him are contemporaneous with his playing career.

He died last year.

I got someone to get me one in a private signing a couple years back, but he was going blind late in his life and apparently wasn't signing much at all in general.

Just to clarify - this thread is about cards where few, if any, signed examples could possibly exist.

There are plenty of "certified autograph" Nick Adenhart cards out there, so if you just want "a" signed Adenhart card and don't care about manufacturer or year, you won't have any problem finding one. Those are not the type of cards being discussed here.

Am I correct in my understanding of this thread?

The player only had a super short window of a year or two to sign a card before their death, like Ken Hubbs, Foxx '61

Actually, Brent did mention this in his question. Although I dont collect modern, I find these tidbits about modern players intersting

The story I heard was that Rocket had a friend who was an artist and Clemens wanted his friend to be able to paint the portrait of him for the set instead of Dick Perez. I don't know if that's true or not, it seems unlikely he would have even known the card was coming out beforehand unless there was some special permissions he had to give.

That was the only thing I ever heard about his reasoning but it's definitely true, or at least was for a long time. I saw him at a charity signing in Winter Haven many springs ago and when I presented that card he told me he wouldn't sign it. He had a small basket filled with a bunch of his different cards and told me I could change it out for any one of them. In the line I didn't really have time to ask him why, and I've always regretted not asking.

Since the whole PED thing he's been signing very well when he's around, I wonder if maybe he's relaxed on that policy.

I think his card is EXACTLY what the thread is about...there may be a million signed Nick Adenhart cards, but there are probably only a handful of 2009 Upper Deck signed cards based on the set's release and him passing in April 2009.

Plenty of Dick Howser autographs out there...good luck with 1987 Topps.

I thought the thread was about rare signed cards...not just rare signers. Or did I miss the theme of the thread???

1954 Topps Howie Fox---know of one in existence.

1969 Topps Bird Hill Aces--know of one signed by all four.

1954 Topps Howie Fox---know of one in existence.


If you are counting the one I sold, I know of one other

Never have seen a 53 Bowman

2002 Topps total Daryl Kile
 

http://photos.sportscollectors.net/71365.jpg

I believe the card came out on Thursday and Daryl Kile was found dead on Saturday morning.

WOW! Not quite that short of a window, the card was out about 2 weeks, but that's really splitting hairs in the grand scheme of things. That's a really tough one!

Ive always wondered what the exact release date was of the 2002 Topps Total set. I was told it was two days before he died but if its two weeks that gives more hope.

How tough is Tim Horton?
 

http://photos.sportscollectors.net/187092.jpg

Dont see many Tim Horton cards around

That's the theme. Maybe I missed something too but it seems to me the cards folks are disucssing here are exactly that. Tough cards to find signed. I'm a little surprised at the confusion this is causing. :confused:

Another more modern toughie is Rod Scurry on his 1989 Score and Upper Deck issues, his only mainstream Mariners cards. I've never seen one I thought was authentic. Even though Scurry was a decent signer and passed away in 1992, he was out of baseball before these cards were issued and hard to track down due to leading a life of drug use. Scurry was actually arrested trying to buy crack the day after being released from Seattle at the end of 1988.

Well, not a LOT more hope, but hope nonetheless.

An additional problem concerning finding that card signed is that Kile had literally hundreds of other cards out at the time, so the chances of someone having that particular card and selecting it over another are remote. You have to feel like anyone who chose that card to get signed was doing so for a very specific reason (i.e., decided to work the set immediately when it came out, Cardinals fan, etc.) which reduces the chances of it hitting the open market. I'd be shocked if the number of signed copies of that card was even in double digits.

EDIT: Seems the window was exactly one week. This site says 6/15 was the release date:
http://www.thecardkid.com/bb02tppstotalrtl-36p.html
Kile passed away on 6/22.

Leigh Neuage is one that has to be pretty tough. He had one card that I am aware of, a 2003 Bowman card. Neuage died Aug 16, 2003. He never made the majors and was originally from Australia. Not sure if he signed much or not. I hope this is real, but really have no way to know for sure. I bought it from a guy who had a ton of common minor league caliber players and/or minor league cards. it is feasible that this guy got cards signed at his local minor league affiliate, grabbing anyone and everyone who passed through his area. Not sure when bowman normally releases. I probably could have researched this, but didn't want to risk losing this one to someone else when it was listed. The price was worth the risk of it being fake, so I went for it.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a81...ps96ef0963.jpg

of course there are ones like Cobb on a 61 Fleer and a 61 Scoops. also 61 Fleer #1 of Cobb/Wheat/Baker. 1961 Scoops Eddie Gaedel.
Does anyone know the month the 1961 nu card scoops was released? maybe Cobb and Gaedel died before the set was released?? And when was the 1961 fleer released (the month?)

It's likely that we both bought Neuage from the same seller, jmoak on eBay, and if that's the case it's unquestionably authentic. I have met Jason a few times and he's good friends with a collector I know very well. Jason's a good guy and was an extremely active minor league in-person collector. He not only graphed his hometown park, but also travelled to other nearby affiliates, FL and AZ spring training, AZ Fall League, etc. from the early '90s to almost 2010. Additionally, he had several like-minded connections that he traded extensively with. You should rest easy that the card you have pictured is authentic.

I think that was the seller. That is great to hear. I don't know what demand there is for a guy who never made the bigs, but a Dodger or set collector surely wants one if they can find one. I don't discriminate…if the guy is shown as a Dodger but never made thew club, I still want it.

Paul Speckenbach is another example. His 64 Topps card shows him as a Dodger prospect, but he never actually made the club. I was happy and fortunate enough to track him down and send that card just a few months before he passed

Not sure if its the same one, but I have one signed by all 4

Cory Lidle's 2006 Topps must be very tough as well; the first series was released in February, the second series in June, and he died that October.

Of living signers residing in the United States, I haven't seen or heard of many 1963 Topps Steve Dalkowski signed cards.

Steve has had a lot of issues to say the least. Apparently he is in a long-term care facility but per reports on a different site (from someone who is working with the family on a book), Steve's sister has been bringing a few pieces of his fan mail each time she goes to see him. He has begun signing a few of the items in the order they were received starting with items from 2010.

Could you post a Scan/photo of that Adenhart? I would love to see it.

Byron
 

McLaughlin was around to sign in the spring of 1984 and throughout the year.
He was not arrested until 1990 and signed mail through his parents address (which Jack Smalling published) during that time. The key was to mail to him right before Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Received in Mail from his parents home in the mid 1980s
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...pspal5z43i.jpg
Received in person in 1984
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...pslxh8qr48.jpg

this should be somewhat tough (Died in 1955)

The 1991 Topps Archives Johnny Mize must be very difficult. It was released in December, and he died in 1993 after having been in bad health. I've only seen one, and the signature was very shaky.

I have one and I never thought of it as rare. I looked on ebay and there is a slabbed one for $35.

Looks like a pretty good signature too

Then I stand corrected. I just figured that since there was only about 18 months between the release of the set and Mize's passing, they would be hard to come by. I'll take my lumps on this one.

Les Fusselman
 

Has anyone ever seen a 1952 topps (Hi#) or a 1953 topps Les Fusselman card signed? I have been looking for a signed Fusselman card for years!

87 topps Ricky Wright
 

I met Ricky Wright right after the 1987 season. He had come to Oklahoma to play in a charity golf tournament. My friend & I had his 86 topps traded & 87 topps cards. We asked hi for his autograph & he signed our 86 topps traded cards but politely refused to sign the 8 topps cards. He told us he had signed a few ( I think it was 10 or 12 cards) for his hometown little league program to auction off to raise money to purchase new lights for the fields. He said the cards he had signed for his hometown little league program will be the only ones he would ever sign & promised them he would never sign that card again for anyone so they would be able to use that to help sell them for a premium price!

Roger Clemens Diamond King cards
 

Roger will sign the diamond kings cards now at card show signings. My friend paid $199 at a show to get his signed to comply his set just a couple years ago.

Does anyone know if a 1986 Topps TBTC Roger Maris exists? I only collect the auto's from when they played, but I'd make an exception for this.

I thought Maris died in 1985?

He did. December 14th. I'm not aware of when topps product went out. I'm guessing they didn't do it like they do today. I was wondering if the set came out in time or not.

Topps back then released product before Christmas but I think Maris was too sick to even sign one if they did come out in time before he died. I know the last couple weeks he was in pretty bad shape & slipped into a coma for a few days before he passed.

Thanks for the info. It has always been a "what if" scenario between my me and my dad. The only topps issued I need signed is the 69 World Series McCarver card. I'm not even sure I want that one, but I have a little bit of completionist in me recently.

I was fortunate enough to find one of these rare singed cards and it just passed PSA/DNA. I dont know anyone who has it. I have never seen another. Surprisingly, it hasnt been mentioned on this thread. I'll be sharing once I get it back in my hands. Stay tuned! :)

This month's edition of Beckett Vintage Collector Magazine (the one with Jackie Robinson on the cover) has an article in the back about the toughness of completing signed sets. The focus is on sets from the 1970's. Most of what's in the article has already been covered here, but it's still a pretty good read.

The fought ones make it fun
 

It took nearly 30 years to complete the 1985,86,87 Topps and the 1986 Donruss and 1987 Fleer sets. The funny thing is now that they're complete I don't really know what to do with them. They're pretty duplicitous. It took a ton of effort and I wouldn't want to another similar project. Getting 86T Doug Flynn, 87T Wright, 85T Al Williams, or that 87F Magic Mets, or 86D Romero took a lot of luck and attention. It's kind of like, "Now what?". Looking back, it was the toughies that made it so fun.

Beckett Vintage collector
 

wnet to the newsstand but could no tfind Beckett Vintage Collector.

Would love to see what they have to say about completing signed sets if anyone has ca copy they can scan and email to me please PM. Thanks

How did you get the 87T Wright?

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

du·plic·i·tous
d(y)o͞oˈplisitəs/
adjective
deceitful.
"treacherous, duplicitous behavior"

Why is the 87F Magic Mets such a difficult card? Is it just because Garry Carter passed away and had a short window to sign the card or does someone refuse to sign it?

I assume it's tough because of Carter, but not because he had a short window to sign it. Carter died in 2012, 25 years after the card was issued. Carter was tough(er) to get on cards from 1984 on, after his sister (I think it was his sister) passed away from leukemia. When that happened he would only sign cards from 1984 on for a $25 donation. While many collectors had no problem giving him the money to get their set cards done, the Magic Mets card probably wasn't near the top of the list people would spend $25 for. At least compared to say, 87T, 89UD, etc.

is a 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente possible? That would be an amazing auto to have

How do you define "complete" ? I'd pay $25 to see a certified '86 Maris.

Curious what it was?

Unfortunately he died on New Years Eve 1972, quite a while before '73 Topps was printed. You can find '72 clemente autos, but they sell for $$$$

Owen

I was actually perusing an old Legendary catalog last night that had a signed 72' set with all three Clementes and my jaw dropped.

I also had no clue about the difficulty of a Perez-Steele Robin Roberts until this past Heritage auction. Closed over $7k if I recall correctly.

Are you thinking of Richie Ashburn? Roberts is plentiful.

Ha, yes. Guess I had Roberts on my mind.

Just stumbled across this thread. As an earlier follow up, the Drew Henson card mentioned was his 1999 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects. When I got mine signed, he wrote 1/5 signed on the back of it. I have heard now he has loosened up. I got him to sign it though as I was down to just he and JD Drew in that set, had been working on it for years, and explained the situation to him.

I have finished the 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2001 SP Top Prospects sets all in blue. There wasn't a 1997 one and the 1999 one I only need the #1 card of JD Drew to finish. Been looking for that card for awhile and can never locate one.

Enjoyed the 1987 Topps discussions. I have tons of those but that was a couple years before I started hitting spring training and other locations so I never tried that set. I do work on the 1996 Studio and 1997 Fleer ones though as well.

Earlier this year I made a focus to finish my 1978 Grand Slam set...I had gotten more than 60 TTM as a teenager. I ended up getting in contact with the sets original publisher who had one extra set which he had gotten for his son but his son had never gotten interested. Of course, the Carl Reynolds is not possible as he passed while the set was at the printers. The Rube Walberg is very difficult as he died shortly after the set was produced. The George McQuinn card is probably more difficult. At some point Jackie Jensen quit responding to TTM requests. Thornton Lee personalized all the cards...it was a fun experience...I was able to get a Bobby Doerr TTM...nearly 40 years after I had purchased the set!

If we're talking about postcards, Dave Bancroft on a gold HOF plaque. Only had a year to sign and I believe some sold within the last 10 years were fake.

Bancroft is super tough, I think there may have only been one or two opportunities to get him. Once at induction, and he might have never made it to the old timers game the following year.

That being said, even theost impossible cards seem to surface. A few I've had, 1953 Bowman, and 1954 topps Howie fox, and a gorgeous 1959 topps Marcelino solis trying a bell as being extremely elusive

Are we including minor league cards as well? The Pawtucket Red Sox have a set they give away once a year that is a pain in the keister to complete. I've been plugging away at a 2007 set for eight years now; it will probably never be completed because infielder Ed Rogers didn't do TTM and has since retired, possibly to his native Venezuela.

Also, I've only seen one signed 19th century card, an 1887 Old Judge Connie Mack signed on the back. I wonder if there are any others?

I have the 1895 mayo Plug signed Hugh Duffy. In a safe so can't post but was from an REA. I got in a trade for a signed T206 Cy Young that was a very light signature. Paul may list the Duffy on his site http://www.signedt206.com/other-peop...eadball-cards/
Card is on bottom left. Also has a separate PSA if that matters

2009 UD Adenhart
 

Willing to sell my 2009 UD Adenhart listed earlier on this post. I got it IP at Tempe Diablo during spring training. Only had a 3 week window to sign it. Don't know how many exist. If interested contact me next week. $500 paypal gift

I saw one on eBay the week he passed away, haven't seen one since. It's pretty hard to find, good luck.

Are the Ricky Wright cards on eBay fake? I recently saw a base and Rangers Leaders.

There is a long time Dodger staffer than has an incredible collection of signed cards, including multiples of '55 Topps Jackie Robinson.

I can't answer the question, but my understanding is that the tough Wright signature to have is his 87 Topps. It seems any of his signatures are fairly uncommon, but they are out there. I have a team sheet for example that includes Wright. I have an 83 Fleer as well.

I think most people assume he doesn't sign at all, which would explain why his other signed cards are always listed at such high opening prices and when I have seen something like the 83 Fleer auctioned, it definitely gets higher activity that most cards that doesn't seem to be that hard to find.

The Rangers Leader card was listed (and subsequently pulled by ebay) by a seller with a less than stellar reputation.

I should ask these companies I mail order with if they ever thought of bringing in Ricky Wright. I'd pay good money to get mine done for the set.

I know several individuals have reached to him and offered crazy sums to 1-3 cards and he declined. I'd imagine he receives signing offers as soon as often as he receives TTM requests.

Eventually I'm convinced he'll sign and come around. Everybody has a price.

A Dick Howser 1987 was on eBay earlier, but it got pulled.

A few days ago Quan posted some of his cards, and a couple people were ooh-ing and ahh-ing at his signed Jim Abbott card. I didn't see his name mentioned in this thread. Is he a tough one in general?

And I've never posted this here before because I didn't want to deal with the numerous PMs asking me to sell, but here's one from the personal collection....






...

Mossi...he is GLORIOUS

He doesn't TTM sign, but he usually has 1-2 signings per year at $15-$20 per.

Finding any Doerr / Feller cards signed are near impossible ;)

^^^ :D

also, thanks Steven and Ted. :)

I picked up a lot of cards on the cheap recently and in it was a 1986T Traded Ricky Wright. I know there is a fair amount of buzz about the 87T but his signature seems to be harder to find on anything, given the career he had and the fact that he is still alive. I have seen a number of 83F cards, which would be my card of choice anyway. I have him on that and a 8x10 team sheet with multiple other players.

Anyway, I was going to scan this card and see what others thought. I don't know if this card has the reputation for being any tougher than any other Wright auto (besides the 87T), but the rest of the lot looked good and for the price I paid, it was ZERO risk for me on this or any other card in the lot.

Scan to follow shortly…

I am having some doubts now as I see this compared to others that are "certified", but who knows? There are not a lot of signatures to compare with.

Only the 87 topps he won't sign apparently



Just picked up a signed 71 Hodges...not an easy one!

I'm surprised at how difficult Earl Harrist from the 1953 Topps set is; I've only seen one, and that was over a year ago. Meanwhile I've seen two each of Karl Drews, Cliff Fannin, Danny O'Connell and Don Hoak, who all died in the 1960s.

Never seen Harrist on a 52 either