Albert Belle Private Signing

Over on SCN, Neal Tucker recently held a private signing with Albert Belle. Belle is one of those guys that, every time a signing comes along, I try to get at least a couple of things done. This time, I decided to start a couple of multi-player cards, and get a sweet refractor done.

The cards turned out pretty well, though I wish he had signed the Bonds card diagonally so his whole signature would have fit.

Getting Thomas to complete the Pacific card should be easy, but who knows if I’ll ever get Bonds to complete the Finest card. One can dream!

   

Early Wynn Bat

I decided years ago not to get bats signed by pitchers. It made much more sense to have hitters sign bats than pitchers. But I had an opportunity to pick up this Early Wynn signed bat with inscriptions for a reasonable price. I decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. I mean, he played before the creation of the designated hitter, so he did bat quite a lot. Not only that, but he hit 17 home runs in his career!

Now that I have this Early Wynn, I may pick up a few more pre-DH HOF pitchers on bats.

SASES for Sox: Carlton Fisk

What can I say about Carlton Fisk that hasn’t already been said? The man is one of the best catchers of all time, and much of that was in a ChiSox uniform.

He has pretty consistently signed through the mail for a long time now. He isn’t cheap, but he charges a very fair price. Even better, the entirety of the fee goes to a very good cause, the Cancer Support Center.

I only got these two cards signed by Steve Carlton and Rich Gedman because I knew Fisk was so reliable. I love adding multi-signed cards to the collection, especially when both players are HOFers.

Send Date: 1/29/22
Receive Date: 2/4/22
Total Days: 6
Items Sent: 2 Cards
Items Received: 2 Cards
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie
Fee: $50 per card

   

Jim Kaat HOF Baseball

Jim Kaat has finally made the Hall of Fame. I don’t think he was a glaring omission, but I do think he was deserving. He falls a bit short when it comes to sabermetric stats, but between the 283 wins and 16 Gold Gloves, he certainly isn’t out of place.

I picked up a HOF baseball at a decent price from Tom Orr. It’s a beaut, and I’m thrilled to have it. Now I need to get a 16×20 with HOF inscription!

Adam Dunn Bat

I know Adam Dunn isn’t very popular amongst Sox fans. Not without good reason, mind you. His 2011 season was one of the worst in the history of the franchise. That wasn’t exactly what Kenny Williams had in mind when he finally caught his white whale.

He did have a solid 2012 season for the Sox, and his last couple of seasons weren’t terrible either. But it’s really hard to shake such a horrific first impression.

Nonetheless, the man did hit 462 home runs in his career. He also finished with a 124 career OPS+. I think that’s worth a bat! When I had the opportunity to buy this for a great price, I didn’t hesitate. It probably won’t make the wall, but I’m happy to have it in the collection.

Jose Abreu Private Signing

BM Authentics recently held a private signing with Jose Abreu. This was Abreu’s first signing in quite some time. It was a pretty expensive signing, but I was still excited to send in a few items. I sent in 5 cards and a jersey.

Some of the items turned out great. Unfortunately, some of the items turned out less than great. As you can see in the pictures (click the images to see the full size image), two of the Allen & Ginter cards bubbled fairly badly. The third A&G also bubbled slightly, but it isn’t very noticeable.

I contacted the promoter, but unfortunately they were not willing to do anything. The owner of BM Authentics proved to be very difficult to deal with, so I doubt I’ll be doing further business with them, and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone else either.

Luckily, the jersey turned out well. The two rookie refractors turned out nicely, though the Topps is too dark for the signature to stand out.

I’m pretty happy to add most of these to the collection. Other than the two $100 (each!) busts, of course.

   

   

Paul Konerko Private Signing

Big T Authentics, AKA Jackson Traylor, recently had another private signing with Paul Konerko. Paulie isn’t an especially cheap signing, so I typically only get 1-2 things signed when he does one. That was the case here.

As you can see, I completed what is now one of my favorite multi-player cards. I also got a 2002 All-Star baseball with inscription. I’m thrilled to add these to the collection!

   

Sases for Sox: Lance Broadway

Lance pitched in parts of three seasons with the Sox from 2007-09. He didn’t have much success overall, but did pitch well in the only two starts of his career. He combined for 11.1 innings with 9 strikeouts and only 2 runs allowed.

After his playing career ended, he gave acting a try. He had small roles in several shows and movies from 2011-17, including Olympus Has Fallen and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lance has a beautiful autograph, so I’m very happy to knock off his 2008 UD card for my project. I only sent one card, because he is known for keeping or switching out cards. I really wanted the UD card signed, so I didn’t want to take any chances. Thanks Mr. Broadway!

Send Date: 9/21/21
Receive Date: 10/16/21
Total Days: 25
Items Sent: 1 Card
Items Received: 1 Card
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

Sases for Sox: Britt Burns

Britt Burns was a mainstay of the White Sox rotation from 1980-1985. He took a hard luck loss in the final game of the 1983 ALCS against the Orioles. He pitched 9 shutout innings, but gave up the game winning home run in the 10th inning. His career ended after a very good 1985 season, due to a chronic hip injury. He won 18 games in his final season, one of only 3 pitchers ever to do so. The others are just a couple of guys named Sandy Koufax and Mike Mussina.

After his playing days ended, Burns had a long career as a minor league pitching coach. He coached in the Marlins, Tigers, Astros, and White Sox minor league systems. He always seemed a bit cranky during his coaching days, so I was very happy when I saw that he was signing his mail for a very reasonable $5 per item. I might have to pick up a 1981 All-Star baseball for him to sign. Thanks for the autographs Mr. Burns!

Send Date: 10/1/21
Receive Date: 10/16/21
Total Days: 15
Items Sent: 4 Cards
Items Received: 4 Cards
Fee: $5 per card
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie

   

   

Sases for Sox: Harold Baines

FI think I’m the only White Sox fan on the planet that doesn’t love Harold Baines. I was actually disappointed when he was elected to the Hall of Fame. He had a very nice career, but c’mon, he was NOT a Hall of Famer. If I could replace him with Dick Allen, or Billy Pierce, or even guys like Wilbur Wood and Robin Ventura, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Harold never seemed very fan-friendly when I met him. You can’t blame it on a bad day either, as I have met him several times, and he was the exact same every time.

He has also been very hit or miss TTM. Sometimes he signs an item for $20, sometimes he returns the unsigned item and money in your SASE. Sometimes he’ll do an inscription, sometimes he won’t. I decided to take a chance with $20 and a 2021 Allen & Ginter card. He signed it very quickly for me. Thanks Mr. Baines!

Send Date: 10/1/21
Receive Date: 10/9/21
Total Days: 8
Items Sent: 1 Card
Items Received: 1 Card
Fee: $20
Pen Used: Blue Sharpie