Behold my newest addition, and I absolutely love it.

Rick Mount runs a shooting camp a couple days each June and July in his hometown of Lebanon. So, I'd reached out via email and text and we worked something out. Today was the first day of the camp, and he told me to come by around 3 p.m. (I actually got there earlier, this place is north of Indy). I had to then turn right back around and get to work in the evening.

He also signed a Purdue jersey for someone, but the SI cover stole the show afterward. People were asking me where I got it. It was on eBay and I got it last Christmas in hopes of doing exactly what I did today. Someone asked if they could take a picture of my magazine after he had signed it, and there must've been three or four people in all who took a picture of the signed cover.

Rick was the very first high school athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Huck, I kindly would love to take you up on such an offer. Thank You. I'd have to buy the Ripken cover online, but I want to thank you for such an offer.

I went to the Music City Collectibles Show today, added Chris Sabo and Jevon Kearse. I’ll be back tomorrow for Atlanta Braves Sunday.

I get there today, and I'm not happy with how it's ran, but I have fun walking around. Darrell Evans shows up an hour late, if not more. I've got a low ticket for him, but my gosh, he's talking his life away with everybody he's signing for. And, something I've never seen before, some people walk up to him from behind his table. He completely stops his signing session, and he stands up and talks to them for five or 10 minutes, taking a picture with them, while all of us are just standing there in line waiting for him, and I'm not the only one who was frustrated. But, he was nice enough when it was my turn.

From there, it's all smooth sailing, as Ryan Klesko is literally the next table over and he's outgoing, but moved a lot faster.

So, that's another four SIs added to the collection this weekend, to go along with two from yesterday.

Sabo and Klesko are my favorite adds from this weekend.

Added 3 covers at the CSA show this past weekend. Got Pete to finish the cover with Banks and then added two Billy Ripken covers.

Pete was looking very frail.

McLain was supposed to be there all three days but he was a no-show the entire weekend.

I wonder why McLain no-showed?

Those look great. Pete is 82 years old, was just in Nashville, now CSA and is going to to be at a couple of shows in November.

McLain has cancelled several signings lately. He was supposed to be in the 'Forward Area' all three days. That is where athletes/actors set up on their own and collect $$ directly. Not sure what is up with Denny.

McLain was there yesterday in Cincinnati at the Moeller Show, despite me not seeing him advertised.

So, I took a three-hour trek to Moeller yesterday for their Thanksgiving show for the second year in a row, with three new SIs added to the collection.

First was Pete Rose, by far and away the biggest attraction, but cheaper at $60 than I've seen him at other shows. I waited well more than an hour, as the VIP line was separate from the regular line. It's absolutely among my absolute favorites in the collection. There are a few other covers I wouldn't mind getting signed by him, but the cover of his I got signed was my favorite.

A few hours later came Will McEnaney and Clay Carroll. It was actually McEnaney who initially drew me to wanting to attend the Moeller Show, as he doesn't really sign by mail and I haven't seen him appearing at a show before, not any that I've paid attention to. It'd be nice to get Bench to complete it, though I know I'd also like to have Bench on a solo cover, too, since, when push comes to shove, I'll choose individual covers over solo covers.

Carroll was right next to McEnaney, and one of the later additions to the show. I've had a liking for this cover for a while. Hopefully, I can add the others, which consist of Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham and Don Gullett. Technically, 100% completion is impossible, because the pitcher obscured by Carroll throwing is the late Clay Kirby.

I had a blast, and will look to add to the SI collection in the next month or two.

Very nice; I really like the Rose cover. Reds fan here also.

Thank you, but in case you’re implying I’m a Reds fan, I’m actually a Cubs fan.

All good covers. I have the Bench/McEnaney cover signed by both players. I have quite a few Rose covers but can't recall if I have that specific cover. I have always liked the spring training cover but when Kirby died, I would not be able to complete the cover. Gullet will be tough. Does not appear at a ton of shows. Got him on the Bill Purdom "Big Red Classic" lithograph at the Big Red Machine MAB show in NJ. Good luck!

I have always liked the rose/banks cover. When Banks was a guest, there were always other items with a higher priority. Missed opportunity.

I consider missed opportunities with a lot of my collecting. I didn’t get really into SIs until mid-2019. So, I have a lot of people who’ve made the cover of SI on other items and am trying to change that now….

I had not planned to go down the SI rabbit hole but an extra ticket for Fisk at a 90's Tuff-Stuff show and a dealer with the 1972 SI Fisk cover (Four for the Flag) for sale........

That’s not a bad one to start with.

Now, I hope to spend the rest of my life collecting SIs.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here’s my favorite present I got.

Can anyone use a Box of 100+ issues from 1981-85 for just $50?

What is the overall condition of the issues? Mailing label or news stand copies?

Condition is nice with labels.

I went to Night of Memories in Evansville, and boy, did I feast.

I'm going to go with solo covers over covers with multiple people on it when push comes to shove, but no solo cover guests actually appeared at this event.

Don Mattingly is $130 everywhere else, was $65 for this. Tony Perez I think was priced at $79 not too long ago somewhere else, he was $50 at this event.

Now, I just need to get Darryl Strawberry, but I'm not paying $80 for him. I saw him doing an appearance in Nashville a couple of years ago for $50. That I could be more okay with. I'm loving that Mattingly autograph, my first one of his.

I have always liked both covers. Can't get Hendricks so the WS issue is a non starter for me. Great price on Mattingly. $80 seems high for Strawberry.

I know you and I are different, but as long as there's at least one signature, I consider it as part of the collection.

No kidding, but I've seen Strawberry's prices at $80 a lot recently. He used to be much cheaper, wonder if inflation has played a part in that.

The price will vary by promoter and the location of the show. On the east coast Mattingly will cost $130-$150 all day long. Strawberry needs to wake up. He at best is a $35-$50 any item guest.

Is he the one setting the prices, though?

Picked up a couple today at a local card show where McLain and Means were signing. Both seemed like nice guys - I chatted with Means about his coaching the RBs at UNC and McLain just kept on signing his cover without me asking.

Great covers. Nice work.

I saw Means was appearing, would love to get him someday if he’s ever by me.

I've been tired and busy, so now I've got a chance to share my pickups from graphing NBA Crossover on Sunday.

You had to download the NBA Events App, and they'd give the schedule of who was appearing each day. I saw Dominique Wilkins was appearing Sunday and knew I had to go, having randomly bought his SI from eBay last year in anticipation of one day getting it signed. Little did I know it was going to be this past weekend at Crossover in Indy.

Then I saw Bill Walton was appearing on Friday and was bummed out, but what do you know? I saw on Friday he got added for all three days. So, I scurried over to my nearby card shop, where a bunch of SIs are available for sale, and I picked one of his covers up for $5.00.

The only thing it cost me was $35 for an adult admission ticket, with autographs being absolutely free.

If I had my choice of Walton covers to get signed, I can't say it'd be my first choice, but it certainly does the job and I like it a lot to get it signed for free by a legend.

Wilkins, I was very happy to finally add his cover.

I had a blast shooting hoops at different stations, got my picture taken with the Larry O'Brien Trophy (and I'm fortunate to have had my photo taken with all four trophies from the four major North American sports leagues in my lifetime), took a picture of myself inside the Hoosier bus next to a cardboard cutout of Gene Hackman and also with life sized bobbleheads of Tamika Catchings and Reggie Miller.

It was a blast, way more fun than I would've had just paying for these at a show. I'd reckon I saved a good $90-$100 on Sunday by going.

I'm not sure what could top an experience like that as a collector and fan - maybe if Michael Jordan knocked on my door, gave me all 50 of his SI covers and signed them all for free right before my very eyes, something that wouldn't happen in a million years. But it would take a lot to beat the experience I had Sunday. I'm not sure I'll ever cease to smile thinking about that.

I had a four-and-a-half hour trip to Westerville today, just outside of Columbus, where I met former Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer. I saw an SI available online for $135, he was only $25 today.

I told him he should be in the College Football Hall of Fame and he thanked me.

Also, stay tuned. I'll have another posting/update this month for my next addition. I've now got 121 in my collection between in person/TTM/purchases.

I took a vacation day to go to Louisville today. Well spent.

I found Will Wolford's 1994 SI cover at the card shop a couple of weeks back, and decided to try to do something different and pay him a visit to where he works now. I went to the receptionist, and after a few minutes, someone told me to come on back and told me to wait in a room. I told him I was there for something later in the night and asked if he'd be kind enough to supply his John Hancock for my SI, and he was gracious and took a photo. He couldn't have been nicer, nor could have the other workers there.

After spending some time at the Louisville Zoo and a nice meal in downtown Louisville, I head on over to Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville and wait more than an hour for Kentucky Basketball legend Jack Givens, who is famous for being the Most Outstanding Player of the 1978 Final Four and scored 41 points in Kentucky's National Championship Game. I knew he'd sign for me, but I also knew he was going to talk for an hour and then do his book signing. A lot of people turned out and went to another room for him to talk.

I greet him by the front door and tell him who I am, that he agreed to sign for me and would love to hear him talk, but I have an hour-and-a-half drive back and an early day at work tomorrow, and he was so kind enough to sign and take a picture. So, I'm tickled pink.

I didn't pay a single penny for Wolford or Givens.

I also recently got back a sending to a Michigan signing for Steve McCatty, who signed his 1981 cover that featured him and five other Oakland pitchers. I know Matt Keough has passed, not sure how I'll be able to track down Mike Norris, Rick Langford and Brian Kingman. Not bad for $10 and they sent a COA.

Three new signed covers, plus Andy Katzenmoyer earlier this month. Heck yes.

Nice. I have always liked that A's cover and started to track down the players but once Keough passed, I was done.

Thanks. I know you’ve said that before, but I like the cover and want to get as many covers signed as I can. If only one person signs a cover or I can’t complete it, I still count it. I will say, though, if I have the choice to get a solo cover signed or a cover with multiple people, I’m choosing solo every time.

Multiple signature covers can be tough to complete. Currently, I have at least half a dozen covers waiting for other signatures to complete. I have quite a few multiple signed covers with one of the best being the 1968 SI The Rookies. It was a huge sigh of relief when Johnny added the fifth and final signature to the cover. The A's cover would have been a cool one to complete.

Maybe you can see if you’d be able to buy a certified cover of all five signed.

So, as a sports editor, I've had the honor and privilege of some unique experiences, and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cover my local semipro team opening its 2024 season Sunday at Busch Stadium.

And before the game, it just happened St. Louis held its monthly show, which I went to, added Dal Maxvill on the October 7, 1968 cover. Only Maxvill, Orlando Cepeda and Julian Javier are still with us, and I also added Doug Flynn on his 1983 Topps, with Doug wearing his World Series rings with the Reds, being kind enough to allow me to take a photo of his rings.