Anyone Else Collecting a 1987 Topps Autographed Set?

[7nohitter]

How will you deal with the Ricky Wright situation?

[OldBatBoy]

Hence the 784. 792 minus the 7 checklists and Ricky Wright

[7nohitter]

Originally Posted by OldBatBoy

Hence the 784. 792 minus the 7 checklists and Ricky Wright

Roger that

[OldBatBoy]

I have secured Randy Myers (it helps I live in his hometown). In my perception Dick Howser will likely be the most difficult and expensive card in the set. I have yet to see one available in nearly a year of searching.
I am also completing several of the subsets the glossy all-star cards (from rack packs) and the all star rookie cards (from cello packs). The all star rookies seem to be the more difficult of the two.

[hawaiian bam bam]

I also heard that terry Forster of the angels is almost impossible to find.

[pooh528]

Howser is tough but out there. I have seen at least 6. I sold one on ebay a few months ago and have one with my complete signed set. Good luck. It is a great set, but obviously very popular with autograph set collectors

[OldBatBoy]

Originally Posted by pooh528

Howser is tough but out there. I have seen at least 6. I sold one on ebay a few months ago and have one with my complete signed set. Good luck. It is a great set, but obviously very popular with autograph set collectors

How did you land a signed Howser? Any other cards especially difficult to find? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[Matthew80]

Originally Posted by OldBatBoy

Hence the 784. 792 minus the 7 checklists and Ricky Wright

What's the deal with Ricky Wright?

Cool challenge, by the way. '87 Topps was my first as a youngster

[DaClyde]

Seems like Ricky Wright may be the new Mike Marshall. Maybe Ricky will cave when people finally offer him a few hundred dollars for his sig.

[dgo71]

Howser was around in Spring Training of 1987 so those cards signed, while still tough to find, aren't as rare as you'd expect.

Some of the tougher cards are the aforementioned Ricky Wright and Terry Forster, along with a few Latin guys who played very briefly after the set was issued. Juan Espino is tough, Al Pulido even tougher. Roy Lee Jackson is also hard to find as he was out of baseball when the card was issued and for a long time (maybe still) was unresponsive TTM.

Randy Myers was actually a very willing signer early in his career, which is good for 87T collectors as that was his rookie. He was flaky though, and would only sign current year cards, and dated them all with M/Y. In 1988 he started just signing the number for the month (4 for April for example), I guess because he figured the year was implied due to his self-imposed rules. When he was traded to the Reds, his policy became current year, current TEAM cards only. Now that he's retired, I've heard he signs all years of cards again, but still dates them. I believe at his last paid signing there were certain teams he would not sign. I think it was Orioles cards he wouldn't sign but I don't recall exactly. He is VERY infrequent with his appearances though (usually just FanFests) and does not sign TTM.

From the Traded set, Alan Wiggins is very difficult, as he was a tough in-person signer to begin with and died of AIDS in 1989. He was out of baseball and living a somewhat transient lifestyle by the time that card was issued.

[OldBatBoy]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Howser was around in Spring Training of 1987 so those cards signed, while still tough to find, aren't as rare as you'd expect.

Some of the tougher cards are the aforementioned Ricky Wright and Terry Forster, along with a few Latin guys who played very briefly after the set was issued. Juan Espino is tough, Al Pulido even tougher. Roy Lee Jackson is also hard to find as he was out of baseball when the card was issued and for a long time (maybe still) was unresponsive TTM.

Randy Myers was actually a very willing signer early in his career, which is good for 87T collectors as that was his rookie. He was flaky though, and would only sign current year cards, and dated them all with M/Y. In 1988 he started just signing the number for the month (4 for April for example), I guess because he figured the year was implied due to his self-imposed rules. When he was traded to the Reds, his policy became current year, current TEAM cards only. Now that he's retired, I've heard he signs all years of cards again, but still dates them. I believe at his last paid signing there were certain teams he would not sign. I think it was Orioles cards he wouldn't sign but I don't recall exactly. He is VERY infrequent with his appearances though (usually just FanFests) and does not sign TTM.

From the Traded set, Alan Wiggins is very difficult, as he was a tough in-person signer to begin with and died of AIDS in 1989. He was out of baseball and living a somewhat transient lifestyle by the time that card was issued.

I have an Espino. I have heard that Wiggins was pretty much off the grid when the Traded set came out, one of the reasons I am not even attempting that. A Bill Caudill went for $41 last night on ebay is he a tough signature? I have yet to see a Pulido or a Roy Lee Jackson. I have my eye on a Mel Hall right now (currently in prison) for a decent price. Donnie Moore is another of the deceased players that seems to command a high price.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by OldBatBoy

I have an Espino. I have heard that Wiggins was pretty much off the grid when the Traded set came out, one of the reasons I am not even attempting that. A Bill Caudill went for $41 last night on ebay is he a tough signature? I have yet to see a Pulido or a Roy Lee Jackson. I have my eye on a Mel Hall right now (currently in prison) for a decent price. Donnie Moore is another of the deceased players that seems to command a high price.

Caudill doesn't sign TTM so I think he has the perception of being tough. In person, he's pretty good about signing. He's an agent now and works for Scott Boras, so he's always around wherever top amateur talent is showcasing. Think Perfect Game, Under Armour game, Team USA, etc. If you're ever near one of those events, Caudill is likely to be in attendance.

Forgot about old Mel Hall. Yeah, he's in for life if I'm not mistaken, and he was never overly easy to begin with. I can see his cards carrying a decent price tag for set collectors.

Moore died in 1989 and was kind of a surly signer the last couple years after never really getting over the 1986 AL Playoff game that he blew. I think the price of his card is simply from the popularity of the set, his other cards are usually more reasonable, unless it's a late issue 1988 or 1989 card.

I actually have an in-person Pulido that I would be willing to part with. I have a friend whose wife is from Mexico, and he travels there 2-3 times a year for baseball events and games. He went to a Mexican MLB Alumni event a month or two ago that a ton of former MLB players attended and got me a couple of Pulido's 87T signed, along with some other guys who have been MIA for years. If you're interested, PM me with your email address and I can send you a scan.

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by DaClyde

Seems like Ricky Wright may be the new Mike Marshall. Maybe Ricky will cave when people finally offer him a few hundred dollars for his sig.

I have a Ricky Wright but it is on a photo not a card.

Tom C

[Republicaninmass]

He just won't sign that card

[Topps206]

I had a failure from Lasorda today. I'm disappointed.

[Topps206]

Well, I can at least enjoy today's successes as opposed to yesterday's failures. Neil Allen and Rich Yett came in. It's 222 now.

[dgo71]

Am I the only one who would love to see scans of these?

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Am I the only one who would love to see scans of these?

nope

[Topps206]

Weird. They can upload on Blowout. I can just link you the pictures from there.

[Topps206]

I got a personalized from Paul Zuvella today and I got Steve Balboni on Saturday, though that was bent.

[Topps206]

Wow. So I sent in a mail order for the St. Louis Show this weekend for a couple of players and Jorge Orta won't be attending. It looks like he has cancelled appearances before. Something has happened with his new agent and cut off contact, now he might've left the country.

I don't know the situation, but I'm disappointed. Anybody else have trouble with Orta before?

[David Cameron]

Prior to the 1987 spring training Ricky Wright was trying to catch on with the minor league Tigers and, with another friend from California we went to FL for the 1987 spring training. Both of us were working on signed sets and the Topps set was among them. Together we went to the Tigers camp the day before the major league players were scheduled to arrive and both of us were fortunate to see Ricky and we spoke with him for about an hour on the pretty much empty field. Ricky had decided to not sign card 202 as that card was to be signed and then auctioned for funds for his high school team to be able to build their own baseball field. In short time, however, the high school workouts merged with the jr college workout field and the need to auction for card was no longer necesarry and Ricky simply shelved the idea and his family pushed him to not sign that particular card, possibly ever, even though Ricky had promised the eventual gift of the signed Topps card to my friend and to myself. Both of us need only that one card to complete our signed sets. And yes, we do have the Ranger team card signed which pictures Wright on the mound with the manager there as well. Rumors that say Wright does not sign any other cards is not true although the family limits the fan mail reaching him.

[mrmopar]

His "family" sounds like a piece of work.

No reason to hold out on something so long. If it was meant to create a great demand, you'd think they would have pulled the trigger by now on cashing in.

UNLESS, he signed a bunch and they are just waiting in limbo, maybe until he dies? I imagine if such a rare and desired card was released in small quantities after he had died, the demand would probably be the greatest then.

Originally Posted by David Cameron

Prior to the 1987 spring training Ricky Wright was trying to catch on with the minor league Tigers and, with another friend from California we went to FL for the 1987 spring training. Both of us were working on signed sets and the Topps set was among them. Together we went to the Tigers camp the day before the major league players were scheduled to arrive and both of us were fortunate to see Ricky and we spoke with him for about an hour on the pretty much empty field. Ricky had decided to not sign card 202 as that card was to be signed and then auctioned for funds for his high school team to be able to build their own baseball field. In short time, however, the high school workouts merged with the jr college workout field and the need to auction for card was no longer necesarry and Ricky simply shelved the idea and his family pushed him to not sign that particular card, possibly ever, even though Ricky had promised the eventual gift of the signed Topps card to my friend and to myself. Both of us need only that one card to complete our signed sets. And yes, we do have the Ranger team card signed which pictures Wright on the mound with the manager there as well. Rumors that say Wright does not sign any other cards is not true although the family limits the fan mail reaching him.

[Topps206]

Here are some ones I've gotten through the PastPros submissions.

432/792

[sreader3]

Nothing terribly exciting but I got a nice return from Gene Nelson which gets me to ... 255. Edited to add my other recent additions since Plunk last summer: Youmans and Schroeder.

[Topps206]

Here's one from Henry Cotto.

433/792

[Topps206]

This was badly smudged, and I'll have to send a new one, but it counts.

434/792