Collecting White Sox Autographs Since 1991
I sent in 4 cards to the Sidsgraphs Andrew Vaughn private signing, but I also picked up a mini helmet. Mini helmets are one of my favorite things to collect, so I’m making a concerted effort to get all of the key Sox guys on them. I’m happy to cross Vaughn off of the list, though I’m not thrilled with the white pen they have started using. I much preferred the silver they used to use.
Holy cow, when I was a kid I never thought there’d be a day where I would get 21 Frank Thomas autographs in one fell swoop! But here we are. Frank has been doing very affordable signings the last year or two. Rumor has it the price is going to go back up on his next signing. So I got a bunch of stuff done. Mostly cards, but at heart I’m really a card guy.
The majority of these cards are just cards I thought would be cool to have signed. I didn’t NEED them in any real sense. A few were to complete multi-signed cards, and just one was for a set I’m working on.
With one exception, I’m happy with how they turned out. The only one I’m not thrilled with is the minor league card with Jeff Conine. I don’t know why Thomas signed it at that strange angle.
The Thomas/McGwire dual signed card is now one of my favorite cards in my collection. It turned out spectacularly.
The baseball turned out very nicely, but I didn’t get what I paid for. I paid for a “2005 WS Champs” inscription. Hopefully the promoter has some way of getting the inscription added.
Lastly, apparently Frank had never seen the Blue Jays image and wanted a copy for himself. The promoter (Alan Moore from SportsGraphing) is going to get me another item signed with inscription in exchange for the image.
Any way, on with the autographs!
Bill’s Sports Cards recently conducted a private signing with the Bull, Greg Luzinski. The price for cards was very reasonable, so I sent in a few. I always try to participate in affordable signings, even I don’t truly need the player. I want to encourage promoters to keep their prices reasonable when they can.
I’ve bought many pieces from Sidsgraphs over the years, but until this year I had never participated in one of their private signings. I sent in for the Luis Robert signing literally a couple of days before Robert got hurt and the signing was postponed indefinitely.
The second signing I sent in for this season was with Andrew Vaughn, and luckily that one was completed successfully. I would have loved to send in a ton of items, but money was a bit tight so I settled on 4 cards. I wanted to get one of their licensed 16x20s, but I didn’t like the images they had so I passed.
I’m really happy to knock out his Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman Chrome Refractor rookies. I also sent in another cool looking refractor. If they have another signing with Vaughn this season, I definitely plan on sending in a few more items.
Mark Buehrle has become a very elusive signer in retirement. Lots of promoters have tried to organize private signings with him, and he just isn’t interested. He used to sign through the mail, but that hasn’t continued since he retired.
He recently signed some cards for Topps products in 2020 and 2021. Maybe this is a good sign, and he’ll come around and do a private signing soon. If he does, I’ll be ready!
I went ahead and picked up one of his new certified autographs on eBay. I was going to pick up the base version of this card, but I was able to get the silver version, which is numbered to 99, for about the same price. This is a really cool looking card, in the style of 2001 Topps (but with a much nicer border), and I’m very happy to add it to the collection!
Yermin has definitely come down to earth after his torrid start. He obviously isn’t as good as he was in April and early May. But I think he will ultimately be better than he has been in the last month or so. He is such a lovable character, I’ll be a fan regardless.
BM Authentics recently had a second private signing with Yermin. I couldn’t resist sending in a few more items. I sprung for his full signature on the 16×20, and I’m very glad I did. It is now one of my favorite 16x20s in my collection!
I’ve been trying to get my hands on one of these for a decent price ever since I first saw them. I finally got a good deal through Fanatics with a coupon. I’d still like to pick up a few more Giolito autographs, but this is a start!
I feel like Yoan Moncada is thiiiis close to breaking out as a legit MVP candidate. A bit more power, a bit less called third strikes, and he’s as good as anybody in the AL. He already has the second highest OBP in the league.
With that in mind, I’ve been looking to pick up some Moncada autographs. Until now, I only had two Moncada autographs. His stuff has been pretty pricey, largely based on the fact he was such a huge prospect. In recent days, I found a few good deals that I jumped on. Today I’ll be showing the four items I bought from a promoter on Facebook. Once I receive all of them, I’ll post some premiums that I got for a good price through Fanatics (with a coupon).
I’m really happy to add these items to my Moncada collection. Once I get my stuff from Fanatics, the only thing I’ll still really need is a baseball and his first Bowman Chrome refractor.
Dana Dominion had a signing with 70s/80s Sox star Lamar Johnson. Lamar was one of the last guys I needed from the 1977 team on a “South Side Hitmen” baseball. So I sent in for the signing.
Lamar signing it beautifully, but unfortunately there is a bit of a smudge right in the middle of the autograph. You can’t see it very well in the first photo. I’ll post a second photo with the blue cranked up a bit so you can see it. I’m disappointed in the smudge, but the baseball still looks pretty good.
Philadelphia Connection recently had a private signing with Norberto Martin. I met Norberto a few times in the 90s, and he is a really great guy. He also has a beautiful signature. So I sent in a few cards. I’m relieved to say that I have no complaints about how any of these turned out. They look great!
