GoDucks16's TTM success

[goducks16]

Been doing this for a # of years and decided to start a thread. I sign posts with "— AJN" on sportscollectors.net for anyone who posts there.

My initial interest was piqued by a recurring article called "Sig Stuff" in Tuff Stuff magazine about 15 years ago. I've been doing TTM autos off and on since then and was actually in the magazine for my TTM collection in one of the final issues.

By no means am I trying to be a know-it-all, but I have been doing this on and off for well over a decade, so I'm more than happy to answer questions in anyone has some for me. To those who have already built autograph collections of their own (and many that far surpass my own), I hope to be just another voice among you all.

Here are a list of my top 5 favorite TTMs:

1. Mike Trout (didn't have a card, so made a custom, he signed, then wrote me a note saying he was sending me his own minor league card, this was REALLY early in his minor league career)
2. Peyton Manning RC his rookie year (also wrote back and forth w/ him when he was in college)
3. Larry Bird
4. Russell Wilson (Loved him as a QB prospect when at NC State, so sent his minor league card to Asheville Tourists)
5. Brian Urlacher (just after he was drafted)

Honorable mention: Andrew Luck (went and saw him as a sophomore and wrote how I thought he'd be a future first rounder, signed my ticket and a custom and wrote me a note) Lawrence Taylor, John Stockton, Shaquille O'Neal, Buster Posey, John Elway, Shaun Alexander and Dirk Nowitzki

I have now focused on minor league baseball TTMs, which have produced a ton of current stars. At first, I only collected Top 100 prospects, but I quickly realized that left a ton of potential great players off my list. Now, I collect all first round, supplemental round and second round picks, as well as any mentioned as a top 20 prospect for a major league team:

Here are a few of my more recent successes in the last few weeks:

Luis Sardinas (Rangers SS, Myrtle Beach Pelicans) — 10 days
Brandon Maurer (Mariners P, Tacoma Rainiers) — 14 days
Ronald Guzman (Rangers 1B, Hickory Crawdads) — 33 days
Mark Appel (Astros P + No. 1 pick, c/o Stanford) — 48 days
Lucas Giolito (Nationals P, Nationals spring training address) — 13 days
Courtney Hawkins (White Sox OF, c/o White Sox ST, but Winston-Salem Dash works now) — 95 days

Anyway, happy collecting. Happy to join the forum.

[danmecum51]

Originally Posted by goducks16

Been doing this for a # of years and decided to start a thread. I sign posts with "— AJN" on sportscollectors.net for anyone who posts there.

My initial interest was piqued by a recurring article called "Sig Stuff" in Tuff Stuff magazine about 15 years ago. I've been doing TTM autos off and on since then and was actually in the magazine for my TTM collection in one of the final issues.

By no means am I trying to be a know-it-all, but I have been doing this on and off for well over a decade, so I'm more than happy to answer questions in anyone has some for me. To those who have already built autograph collections of their own (and many that far surpass my own), I hope to be just another voice among you all.

Here are a list of my top 5 favorite TTMs:

1. Mike Trout (didn't have a card, so made a custom, he signed, then wrote me a note saying he was sending me his own minor league card, this was REALLY early in his minor league career)
2. Peyton Manning RC his rookie year (also wrote back and forth w/ him when he was in college)
3. Larry Bird
4. Russell Wilson (Loved him as a QB prospect when at NC State, so sent his minor league card to Asheville Tourists)
5. Brian Urlacher (just after he was drafted)

Honorable mention: Andrew Luck (went and saw him as a sophomore and wrote how I thought he'd be a future first rounder, signed my ticket and a custom and wrote me a note) Lawrence Taylor, John Stockton, Shaquille O'Neal, Buster Posey, John Elway, Shaun Alexander and Dirk Nowitzki

I have now focused on minor league baseball TTMs, which have produced a ton of current stars. At first, I only collected Top 100 prospects, but I quickly realized that left a ton of potential great players off my list. Now, I collect all first round, supplemental round and second round picks, as well as any mentioned as a top 20 prospect for a major league team:

Here are a few of my more recent successes in the last few weeks:

Luis Sardinas (Rangers SS, Myrtle Beach Pelicans) — 10 days
Brandon Maurer (Mariners P, Tacoma Rainiers) — 14 days
Ronald Guzman (Rangers 1B, Hickory Crawdads) — 33 days
Mark Appel (Astros P + No. 1 pick, c/o Stanford) — 48 days
Lucas Giolito (Nationals P, Nationals spring training address) — 13 days
Courtney Hawkins (White Sox OF, c/o White Sox ST, but Winston-Salem Dash works now) — 95 days

Anyway, happy collecting. Happy to join the forum.

As a fellow duck fan and I'm assuming Oregonian I welcome you to the forum. Nice to see another old school duck fan.

[Noahkalifungo]

Welcome aboard. I use SCN all the time and I think I even recognize the "- AJN" tag!

[garpike]

Welcome aboard!!

[Steve2112]

Originally Posted by goducks16

My initial interest was piqued by a recurring article called "Sig Stuff" in Tuff Stuff magazine about 15 years ago. I've been doing TTM autos off and on since then and was actually in the magazine for my TTM collection in one of the final issues.

That column was a great influence on my collecting, too. It had letters from readers, a report on who recently signed TTM, and information on new card products that had cert autos in them (which were still just becoming popular back then in the late '90s).

The Sig Stuff column that really changed my collecting life was the September 1999 Tuff Stuff issue with Griffey on the cover. The reader letter that month was from a former amateur boxer whose collection was mostly minor leaguers and other relatively unknown people. His motto was "if you want to build a big collection, remember the unremembered guy." For some reason, that stuck with me, and from that point on, whenever I didn't have a card of a guy, I'd get him on the team roster insert, rather than not get him at all.

At some point in 2001 (I don't remember the month, but Barry Sanders was on the cover), Tuff Stuff printed a letter I had sent them, although they heavily edited it, making it sound a bit stupid, and they inserted a spelling error that wasn't in the original I sent them.

[goducks16]

Danny Salazar (c/o Columbus Clippers) — Signed Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects, 19 days, pitching in his MLB debut tomorrow
Dilson Herrera x 2 (c/o West Virginia Power) — Signed Bowman and Bowman Chrome Draft Picks and Prospects, 8 days

[goducks16]

Braden Shipley (Diamondbacks 1st round pick, 15th overall, c/o Hillsboro Hops) — Signed two game tickets, 8 days

[Noahkalifungo]

Wow nice return. Wasn't Shipley expected to go top 10?

[goducks16]

Yes. He was viewed as a top 10 pick coming into the draft.

[goducks16]

Matt Wisler (Padres P, c/o San Antonio Missions) — 10 days, 2 cards
Patrick Leonard (Tampa Bay 3B, c/o Bowling Green Hot Rods) — 10 days, 2 cards

[goducks16]

Jose Ramirez (Yankees P, c/o Scranton-Wilkes Barre) 26 days, signed Bowman DP+P
Alex Wood (Braves P, c/o Braves) 10 days, signed Topps Pro Debut

[SDcardguy24]

Wisler is a stud. Nice job.

[goducks16]

Lance McCullers Jr. (Astros P, c/o Quad Cities River Bandits) — 15 days, Topps Pro Debut

[Noahkalifungo]

Sick, I'm waiting on him myself

[goducks16]

5 more today:

Maikel Franco (Phillies 3B, c/o Reading Phillies) — 6 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
Nathan Karns (Nationals P, c/o Harrisburg Senators) — 6 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
Jorge Polanco (Twins 2B, c/o Cedar Rapids Kernels) — 8 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
Daniel Corcino (Reds P, c/o Louisville Bats) — 16 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
J.O. Berrios (Twins P, c/o Twins ST, but now signs c/o Cedar Rapids Kernels) — 103 days, signed Bowman DP+P Chrome and Ice cards

[Noahkalifungo]

Great mail day! We have similar taste in TTM- I have gotten returns from all of those 5 too

[goducks16]

Tyler Cloyd (Phillies P, c/o Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) — 18 days, signed 2 cards
Kyle Crick (Giants P, c/o San Jose Giants) — 10 days, signed Topps Pro Debut

[JoeWeb10]

If you've ever heard of Lucas Sims, the Atlanta Braves #1 Draft Pick from 2012, I know he signs TTM If you send it to State Mutual Stadium, home of the Rome Braves.

JW

[goducks16]

Joe Panik (Giants SS, c/o Richmond Flying Squirrels) - signed Bowman, 28 days
Jesse Hahn (Rays P, c/o Charlotte Stone Crabs) - signed Bowman, 13 days

[goducks16]

Son threw up on my laptop, so it's in the shop. I don't know how long it took to get these back, so I'm providing a ballpark estimate (the only appropriate kind in baseball).
Max Kepler - 23 days, 2 cards
Enny Romero - 14 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
Courtney Hawkins - 23 days, signed Topps Pro Debut
Yeison Asencio - 14 days, signed Topps Pro Debut

[goducks16]

It's been an insanely long time since I last posted. I got a new job and my laptop was in the shop.
Here's a few of my recent successes:

Aaron Sanchez (Blue Jays prospect) x2
Clint Frazier (c/o home) X3
Rio Ruiz (Astros prospect)
Sam Selman (Royals prospect)
Joey Gallo (Rangers prospect)

It's been light lately, so those are actually the last month or so.

[goducks16]

Only sent out about 5-10 TTMs to Arizona Fall League. Thrilled with the two I got back....

Jorge Soler (Cubs prospect) x2, 38 days
Jorge Bonifacio (Royals prospect), 38 days

Hooray for Jorge(s).

[goducks16]

Reese McGuire (Pirates first round pick) x2, 15 days

[danmecum51]

Originally Posted by goducks16

Reese McGuire (Pirates first round pick) x2, 15 days

Nice! Got to see Reese play while I was coaching in Washington state Kids a beast. Also had Clint coulter (2012 brewers first round catcher) and Austin Barr (Stanford) in our conference. Washington has a good run of prep catchers go through. Was this sent c/o home?

[goducks16]

Sent c/o home