favorite thru the mail autographs

[Wrightfan85]

Have gotten a bunch of my gold postcards that way but Bobby Doerr is probably my favorite of the TTM's. Free and it's just so surreal that a guy who played when my Grandparents were children was still alive when I was an adult.

[Shoelessseb]

Originally Posted by Wrightfan85

Have gotten a bunch of my gold postcards that way but Bobby Doerr is probably my favorite of the TTM's. Free and it's just so surreal that a guy who played when my Grandparents were children was still alive when I was an adult.

Bobby Doerr was the best. And I share your feeling. He started in the Majors in the 1930's and signed for me 75 years later. Unbelievable !

My most special return was from Roy Sievers. I received my signed photos AFTER he passed away. Probably the last autographs he ever signed.

My favorite hockey return was Murray Armstrong, the last surviving New York Americans player.

I also like to get obscure players. The kind of guys who played 1 game in 1951 lol For me it's worth as much as a superstar player.

[w7imel]

I had good luck in the 90's. My favorite was Larry Bird personalized "To Mike" basketball card. Bob Knight was another I loved. For a while i would send about 10 items a week off revieved about 60 to 70 percent back signed I would say. Never had a race driver not send me back my item signed except Emmerson Fittipaldi.

Pete Rose was my first TTM autograph I recieved when I was 8 or 10 years old. Had it not been for him sending me that signed 4x6 back I dont think I would have collected autographs my whole life. Thanks Pete!!!! You cost me alot of time and money!!!!!!!!! hahaha

[egri]

I have a couple favorites:

Bobby Doerr was my first TTM success, when I was in fifth grade. I was so excited to be writing to a former Red Sox player that I didn’t include a SASE, which I found out later was a major pet peeve of his. Fortunately, he was kind enough to address one himself. That got me started on the Teammates era Red Sox, and baseball history in general.

Wayne Terwilliger was one of the first players I wrote to when I started my 1953 Topps project. I mentioned that one of my neighbors had served in the Marines during Vietnam (Twig was at Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima). He wrote back “Semper Fi to your neighbor, and tell him thanks for his service”.

I was one of the last people Al Dark signed for. I sent his 1949 Bowman card to him in late September 2014, and it came back a couple weeks later with my SASE stamped “Unable to sign/Thank you for understanding”. Surprisingly, he had signed it, albeit very shakily. About a month later, he died. It was thoughtful of him to keep signing as long as he did.

[Jim65]

I sent a bunch out in the late 1980's-early 1990's to NJ Devils players. I got everybody except Chris Terreri, he never responded.

My favorite was Patrik Sundstrom, I sent it to the team and it got mailed back from Sweden.

[laughlinfan]

As a teen in the late 70s I sent lots of requests out - still remember the excitement of seeing 1 or 2 SASEs back in my mailbox, and couldn't hardly wait to see who sent back. I had a blast! Some of my favorites - Satchel Paige, Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer (what great penmanship!), Red Grange, Otto Graham, and Stan Musial stand out. I got back into it in the 90s sending to football HOFers to get Goal Line art cards signed. Will always be thankful for the kindness so many of these men shared - they could have just as easily tossed stuff in the trash or never responded. Still flip through them from time to time for guaranteed smiles!

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by laughlinfan

As a teen in the late 70s I sent lots of requests out - still remember the excitement of seeing 1 or 2 SASEs back in my mailbox, and couldn't hardly wait to see who sent back. I had a blast! Some of my favorites - Satchel Paige, Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer (what great penmanship!), Red Grange, Otto Graham, and Stan Musial stand out. I got back into it in the 90s sending to football HOFers to get Goal Line art cards signed. Will always be thankful for the kindness so many of these men shared - they could have just as easily tossed stuff in the trash or never responded. Still flip through them from time to time for guaranteed smiles!

Marty, how many of the Goal Line cards do you have signed? That's one project I plan on starting up again in the next couple of years.

[milkit1]

Mailed to all sorts of people in the late 80s. This took well over a year but was worth the wait!

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[laughlinfan]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Marty, how many of the Goal Line cards do you have signed? That's one project I plan on starting up again in the next couple of years.

Hey Mike! I must have over 100 different if I had to guess. Back when I started, almost all of the living players signed through the mail for free. A few asked for a nominal fee ($5 or $10) - Don Hutson was 10, maybe Sammy Baugh was 5? I think Alan Page asked for a donation to a scholarship fund or charity, which I was happy to do.

The signed Goal Line cards are simply stunning!

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by w7imel

Never had a race driver not send me back my item signed except Emmerson Fittipaldi.

Great to see another collector into racing. Racers are nearly universally awesome when it comes to autographs. When I was a a kid, I faithfully wrote to nearly every NASCAR Cup and Busch Series driver via their team headquarters, and I don't recall ever having a failure of a racer through the mail.

[mcgwirecom]

I was 10 when Hank Aaron broke Ruth's record. I wanted to get his autograph and as many will know baseballs were not so easy to come by back then. I had never seen an MLB baseball for sale anywhere. So we played with junk balls bought for $1 at the Woolco. Anyway I had a ball that had one red panel and one white panel we used a lot. I mailed it to Hank Aaron care of the Braves and I included a pen, $2 for return postage and a fan letter written by me. I also asked that he please sign it himself and not his secretary. LOL. I did get it back and signed with my $2 intact! I still have it today although it has faded almost to oblivion (plus the ball was beat up too).

[Republicaninmass]

I have fond memories of writing to the 1952 topps players. I've kept all the correspondence for my Provenance Some of the best were players who wrote back "thanks for remembering me". George Shuba's son had his dad sign my 1952, but wrote back "Please don't bother my father any more, he is old and tired". Also, letter begging players to sign, and sending as much as $20, and later years $50, to try and get them to sign. Countless Return to Sender, plain "REFUSED" scrawled on my envelope.

I was always a little sad when I read about one of the 52 topps players passing, although most lived long lives by the time I got around to writing to them. I was shocked to see Al Kaline was still signing through the mail rather cheaply, albeit many years back. I sent him a 55 topps, not realizing his Rc was 1954!

One of the oddest was Frank Sullivan, a no name Red Sox from 1955 topps. He sent me back the card and I was shocked he requested a $10 donation! This was time when many players were free, but I'd send them $5 as a courtesy, which most would return. Being young, and a Smartass, I sent Mr Sullivan his request back, without a donation, and wrote "You simply weren't that good". I'm sure this is when the TTM craze really blew up around 2007 or so and any living players were inundated with requests, but it struck me as a high price from someone I had never even heard of.