Coffee With Fran Drescher

*the skies are darkening as the rain approaches on vacation. Instead of sitting outside by the lake, I am in with a cup of coffee and my laptop*

I haven't sent out a TTM autograph in a little while, but after seeing a few scores in the Autograph Facebook Group I am in, I was thinking it was about time I sent one.

One of the returns by those in the group caught my attention. That one was from an actress I saw a lot of in the 90's.

That actress, Fran Drescher.

*takes a sip, continues on*

Fran Drescher starred in a few shows and other TV series guest appearances, but was best known by me and many in her role of Fran Fine on the series, The Nanny, which ran from 1993-1999.

I sent Fran an index card to sign and she was more than generous on her return.

She sent me a signed pocket photo

 

Along with the index card I sent signed to me. Nothing better than getting an autograph back written to you. For some reason, it feels more legit.

Thanks Fran for the return and for taking time out for a fan.

*takes a sip, finishes up today's post*

Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000 and underwent a radical hysterectomy. No further treatment was needed as she had a clear bill of health. But because of that, she started the Cancer Schmancer movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women's cancers be diagnosed while in Stage 1, which is the most curable stage. 

She is always looking for donations, if you are up to doing so or just want to read her website about her movement, check it out HERE.

I think cancer awareness is so important and I always appreciate others when they do all they can to get the word out. I will always share anything to do my part to help.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Autograph Of The Week:Mark Harmon

Welcome back to another Autograph Of The Week.

This week I scored an autograph via email of one of the greatest actors on television right now.

I have watched NCIS with my wife from the beginning. There is no other show that has so many unexpected twists and turns like this one does. Their season finales are some of the best out there.

 

Mark Harmon plays the lead as Leroy Jethro Gibbs who is a top notch special agent who has a rough exterior, but a big heart. He cares for people especially his NCIS family he would go the distance for.

I scored this autograph by email and the turn around was within weeks. I didn't expect it for months. I always like the ones that are inscribed to me so I know it's not a preprint. I also matched his signature up against others that were listed and it seems to be as real as can be.

This is a great add to my non sport PC that continues to grow.

Thanks for the auto Mark and taking time out for your fans. Not sure if you will see my thank you but it's here! 

TTM RETURNS: The Good Doctor

I have been apart of a Autograph Group on Facebook for most of the summer now as I am not one to usually join groups. Outside of this one, I am in one sport card one and a Disney Afternoon Cartoon one. Facebook in general to me is boring.

But, this autograph group is a place where individuals share their autograph successes especially using TTM. I have enjoyed seeing others successes so thought I would try one of the addresses they gave that caught my eye.

The Good Doctor.

A TV show about a guy with Autism with spectacular talents in the medical field. I felt connected to the show knowing some kids with Autism so I gave it a watch. Really great show that gives you an insight on Autism and how it effects those with it while at the same time shows you that just because you have Autism doesn't mean you can't make a meaningful life out of it and an impact on others.

The person who shared the address shared his success from it landing an autograph photo from Freddie Highmore who plays The Good Doctor. So I expected the same when I submitted mine. But instead, I was shocked to had landed the entire cast!

  

Shock!

Then I was curious if it was a print so I asked the guy in the group about that and he said it's 100% authentic as he compares mine to others and they are all different in the way they were signed. 

Excellent score now if you ask me!

Thanks to The Good Doctor for sending this to a big fan and for the cast taking their time out to sign the photo.

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict:I Don't Think So Tim

We didn't have cheesey fake played out reality TV shows to watch in the 90's, well, not as many at least as today. We had some great sitcoms to watch instead. So, so many great ones that even outdo the few that are on TV today.

One of my favorite sitcoms growing up was Home Improvement.

The show followed the life of a Tim Taylor who was a home improvement TV host of Tool Time, well if you call what he did improving things. He had a wife and three mischievous kids, a neighbor who would never reveal the bottom of his face as they hid it every time in hilarious ways and a co-host on his TV show in Al Borland who he picked on constantly about his attire and his mother.

As most readers know, I have spent the last couple of years chasing down autographs whether from a card company or TTM of actors or actresses I grew up watching and have done pretty well. Except you Drew Carey. Curse you!

I have sent TTM requests to Tim Taylor who was played by the great Tim Allen and have received some back before. I have been told though that many are suspicious that his secretary signs them. Makes me want to chase down an authentic signature of him somewhere so I at least have a guarantee. I see many of his 8x10's on eBay are only like $50.

Getting back on topic, one signature I wanted to pair with my TTM Tim Taylor was his co-host of Tool Time, Al Borland who was played by Richard Karn.

 

So I used my usual sources for autographs TTM and found one of Karn and sent it out. Within a coupe of weeks, this came to me.

One of Al's favorite lines when Tim messed something up was, "I don't think so Tim" which is a line I use a lot today with family and friends when they do something bumbling. I mean, it's really catchy.

A thanks goes out to Richard for sending me back my request and will be added to my 90's PC. I hope to see you back on TV someday, somewhere. Bringing back Home Improvement would be amazing but not expected. At least I get to watch you and others on the show every night of the week on the Laff network at 9pm. The show never gets old.

Susan Writes Me Back

Last summer, I sent out so, so many TTM requests only landing about three quarters of what I sent out. The others, well, I figured I would never see them again.

Then the mail arrived a few weeks ago.

I could tell it was a TTM return but I couldn't remember who it even was at that point. The mystery alone was fun since I sent out only great ones to begin with to celebrities and musicians only. Well, and one to Saquon that I knew was a long stretch anyways.

So I slowly opened the envelope and pulled this out....

 

Holy wow.

Susan Surandon! And she wrote me a note back?! How amazing is this?!!

I have seen a lot of films and TV shows she has appeared on such as Tammy, Bull Durham, Mike and Molly, Mad TV, SNL, The Banger Sisters, Step Mom, Thelma and Louise, The Rocky Horror PIcture Show, and Friends just to name a few. She seems to always pop up somewhere to surprise me just like this TTM did.

I had heard she was a great signer but I didn't expect this. Especially a year later exactly. And to take the time from her busy schedule to write a small note to a fan was great as well.

If you are reading this Susan or stumble upon it, thank you for taking time out for a fan. You have no idea what it means.

Now that you guys have seen my most recent success, which movie or TV show appearance is your favorite of Susans?

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me 
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me

I Left My Heart In San Francisco was one OF THE MANY big time hits from the legendary Tony Bennett. Someone my grandmother listened to often.

In my chase of celebrity autographs, I try to find ones that play a role with my past in some form. And even though I am not technically a fan of the singer other than watching from afar, he was on my list to get. How can you not at least watch this guy from afar? A guy who has won over 20 Grammy's and brought home a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

That sounds like someone I needed to TTM attempt alone.

And like others I saw, I had success. And he was pretty fast about returning it as well.

To finish out today's mail day roll call, I will also mention two fun facts you may or may not know about Tony.

• The 92 year old Bennett will be in my state in August doing a concert. The guy keeps on chugging at his age and you have got to respect that as well. 
• He is a painter as well as captures images out his hotel room windows while on tour. I haven't seen any of his art but I bet it's amazing.

If you are reading this Tony or stumble upon this, thank you for returning my request. It's going into my Hall Of Fame of autographs.

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict: Murder She Wrote

*insert a picture of a desktop computer with me sitting at it and some catchy theme music*

It was sometime in the 1990's and I was on one of my school vacations and about ready to spend time quality time with Grammy. Yes, I spent a good portion of my weekends at my grandmothers as I thought she was the coolest.

We would go out for the occasional breakfast at the local doughnut shop which would be a special treat or would have peanut butter sandwiches with butterscotch pudding as a special supper. She would occasionally make her homemade "ice cream" which was honestly just milk, salt, and vanilla extract that she would stick into the freezer until it became frozen on top. Still was tasty though.

And then there were the real rare occasions when I would be able to pick myself out a candy treat when we walked a mile to the grocery store. She was a diabetic, so candy wasn't allowed most of the time, but once in great while I got the green light to do so. And when I was allowed to, I had a lot of candy standbys at the time. I ate M&M's, Snickers and Butterfingers. So when Butterfinger put out these BB's, a mini ball version of itself, I was all over 'em. They weren't too bad, except the chocolate melted easily and when you reached in your hands would be covered in it.

I know most of these things may not seem like much to you or maybe even close to something worthy of your childhood, but they meant the world to me. You see, my grandmother lived off from Social Security so she didn't have a lot of money so I learned to enjoy the simple pleasures in life instead.
 
Another thing I enjoyed doing at my grandmothers is watching some of her TV shows with her. She was a stickler when it came to kids watching TV, but when it came to putting her shows on, I was allowed to watch them alongside. Not all of her shows interested me though as some were a little boring, sorry grammy, but there was one we watched every Sunday Night I stayed over for.

It involved a professional writer named Jessica Fletcher who used her amateur detective skills with her intellect and charm, to get to the bottom of every murder mystery in Cabot Cove, Maine. That show was known as Murder She Wrote!

Murder She Wrote came on CBS on Sunday Nights and was it's staple there for 12 years. The show ran from 1984 (I was only one at the time so I wasn't watching it at that point) til 1996. There were 264 episodes total along with four TV movies.

The star of the show was Angela Lansbury who was nominated for ten Golden Globes and twelve Emmy Awards for her work on the show. She also starred and voiced in other movies over the years.

When I recently saw Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown post something about Angela, the memories clicked in my mind so thought it was time I tried to acquire an autograph of her for my childhood keepsakes. So I contacted my TTM autograph address guy and he hooked me up again with an address for the star.

So I mailed out my request and within two weeks I got an envelope back. I realized after I had sent out the request I forgot to include the index card I normally do and was beyond disappointed thinking she wouldn't sign anything for me.

 

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up to find this. A signed piece of notepaper she had. I guess you can consider it a piece of memorabilia as well. I wished I knew how to do photos and could afford to do or at least remember to include my index card but I will take this.

Thanks Angela for signing for me. It will be preserved in my childhood tote I have built.

My grandmother has long since passed, back in 2004, so I can't share this great piece with her but I know she is looking down on me smiling that I have it and keeping the fun memories we had together.

Murder She Wrote is still being played on TV on the Hallmark Movie Channel almost daily and most likely even today. I don't watch it anymore but may occasionally scroll by it when channel flipping and make myself smile. 

 

My grandmother was an amazing person. Through her many teachings and just by my observations of how she was and treated others, it made me who I am today. Treat others how you would like to be treated and remember you don't need all of the newest stuff. It's just stuff. Can't take it with you. Enjoy the simple pleasures of life. That's what she taught me.  

The one thing she didn't teach me was how to share my occasional candy bar. Because when it comes to my Butterfinger, "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger"

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict: Heroes In A Half Shell

Long before I started collecting cards, I was a TV geek.

I watched a multitude of shows from the time I got up in the morning such as Rush Limbaugh (can't even explain why a 6 year old was watching him in the morning but he did) followed by Duck Tales before I was off to school. When I got home from school, the TV came on so I could watch Extreme Ghostbusters (wasn't nearly as good as The Real Ghostbusters), and the Disney afternoon block. Then on the weekends, especially Saturday Mornings, don't even talk to me. It was all taken up.

I should also point out before I continue on that I wasn't always watching TV. I spent at least 85% of my childhood outside. I loved being outside and most of the time played pretend as some of the characters from my shows. As I got older, that turned into being my sports heroes but as a child it was reenactment of my favorite shows and characters.

One of my favorites to watch, act out and play with figures of was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I was really into mutants at the time from all of the shows I watched and none were greater than from TMNT.

I loved the two TMNT movies especially the second one with Super Shredder, I like to forget about the third one that didn't interest me at all with it's lame time traveling storylinel. I also enjoyed the TMNT video game for the NES that I used to play at my friend Brian's house as my parents didn't have money to get me a system. I also enjoyed the TMNT cereal, Chef Boyardee pasta shaped turtles, and those Hostess Ninja Turtle pudding pies. They don't make cool food anymore.

But, there was nothing I loved more than the cartoon series that was totally radder than anything else. Cowabunga's all around folks. That's better than high fives.

The cartoon series started in 1987 and lasted until 1996. TMNT was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird who started a comic series in 1984 that boomed out to so much more. They didn't expect such success but what they created was brilliant and loved by all.

One thing I have been trying to do in 2018 was chase down some pieces of my favorite things growing up. I have added a few The Real Ghostbusters figures, signatures from some comedies I watched, and I added a couple TMNT figures recently as well.

Thanks to my buddy Autograph Blog, I also found out that one of the co-creators of TMNT had a TTM address. So I was all over that. In just over a month, Mr. Peter Laird sent me back two great pieces.

Sketched out a couple of turtles and signed both pieces. So cool!

I also found out that Mr. Laird has a TMNT blog but it doesn't appear he uses it anymore as it had one post in 2018 and that was the first one in two years. I would have followed it for sure if it had more use.

Peter, if you are reading this, thanks man for the piece of childhood history I will treasure forever.

As for the new series of TMNT if you are wondering my thoughts, well, they are terrible. They took the whole heart out of what the Ninja Turtles used to be about and made them goofy. I also wasn't a huge fan of the movie remakes either as animation doesn't even touch what Jim Henson did for the originals. Once again it teaches us the lesson of don't mess with the originals. This goes for everything people. Hollywood, come up with some new ideas or sequels at least for the things you are considering remaking.

Before I close out another riveting The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict, I wanted to mention who my favorite turtle is, it's Leo who I think Peter drew for me above since I mentioned to him my favorite turtle. I always was Leo with my friends when we role played. I am not sure if it was because he was the leader of the group or I just liked blue or his choice of weapons, but whatever it was, Leo was the man. I still need to chase myself down a Leo figure from the 90's.

So let's hear who your favorite turtle was or is and any other thoughts on TMNT in comments.

TTM Score: Happy Happy Joy Joy (Check This Out!!)

In the 90's, when we weren't outside or having a really rainy day (cause honestly rain didn't stop us from going out) we had so much great TV to watch.

There was Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Friends just to name a few adult shows that I watched as a child. SyFy channel actually played sci-fi shows/movies (I loved watching the classic black and white Godzilla movies on there when I was a kid). We had TGIF, Saturday Morning Cartoons on all local networks and SNICK. We had shows that scared us, made us smarter and were just plain weird.

We also had a cartoon that pushed the limits for kids but was so much fun to watch. I have mentioned before a few times my love of Ren&Stimpy and showed off some of my fun collectibles, but none will top the recent one I got in the mail.

I recently wrote a letter to John Kricfalusi who both created/animated the show and was a voice as well telling him my appreciation and love of Ren&Stimpy. He returned my TTM request a few weeks later with some awesome surprises.

First off, he wrote to me. Yes, wrote me a letter back!Now it was mainly promoting his store, but a hand written letter with a thank you is pretty cool.

Secondly, he included this unique sticker. I assume it must be something in his Spumco shop.

Then he included two amazing sketches, to me and signed. So, so cool!

Ren, a psychotic Chihuahua,

and the dimwitted cat Stimpy

John, if you somehow or another read or see this, thanks for returning my request and for making my childhood awesome.

I gotta find a way to get these three pieces framed together and set them up next to my other Ren&Stimpy items. I also still need to find that Ren plush from the 90's to pair with my Stimpy.

TTM Score: Another Legendary Coach

As we go deeper into fall, you start to see a whole lot more of these displays kicking around with the all new lineup of Pumpkin Spice items and I fall into one of those crazy Pumpkin Spice fanatics categories.

Even though I really wanted to try the Twinkies, had the cupcakes before and they were okay, my wife wasn't really a fan so I didn't bother grabbing a box. I could have easily eaten it all myself, but I am currently trying to lose weight which in the fall/winter time where I am its not easy.

However, we did grab a couple of bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies that were on sale. These Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies were amazing. I was a huge fan while my wife wasn't so much.

She much preferred the Milanos. I thought they were meh.

The Pumpkin Cheesecake ones by the way go really well with coffee with Pumpkin Spice Coffee-Mate Creamer which I am also enjoying while typing this.

Another thing that fall brings is my love of football. Not that I don't love it all year round, but this is primetime time.

One thing I don't love however are the Patriots. I get so sick and tired of them going to the Super Bowl. I get sick and tired of listening to my family and friends picking on me for my weak Giants, til I bring up the fact who the Patriots lost twice to in the Super Bowl. There excuse for that is what has your team done recently. And they are right there, my team has been terrible.

So it probably leads you to wonder why in the world I would send a TTM autograph request to the Patriots...well...it was their head coach I was aiming for.

Bill Belichick not only was a coach for the Patriots, but at one time was a Super Bowl winning Defensive Coordinator for the NY Giants under the Bill Parcells coaching regime there. He spent 1985-1991 on the Giants coaching staff before becoming the Cleveland Browns coach. I assume he would rather forget about that time. However, he does have a card, which is considered his rookie card from the 1991 Pro Set product. I think I have a couple and almost mailed one for my request, but, instead I kept it simple and sent an index card.

Here is what he sent back,

Signed letter and index card. I was quite impressed. His signature is basically a name write out. But, I checked with my autograph guy and online to see what his real signature looks like for authentic companies and it comes out to this. So I am pretty sure he actually signed this which is surprising he would take the time out to do so during the season when he seems like a no non-sense kinda guy. He wouldn't take time out for a couple of kids trying to give him a high five when he exited the tunnel in Detroit for his Sunday Night game there this year, but he took time to sign for me. Interesting.

So for now I consider this authentic and it's one great addition to my coaching PC. I now have four total coaches autographs with three of them being Super Bowl winners. Not sure who I will try next.

By the way, if you tried the Pumpkin Spice Twinkies, let me know how they were.

TTM Score From Seattle!

I think 2018 has been the year I have attempted the most TTM attempts. While most of my are sent to celebrities, I don't care too much about having athlete ones that aren't authenticated, I have found sending head coach ones fun however. They don't have quite the fan base as the players and they don't make cards of them anymore. Something I actually miss in this hobby.

But, with a most card sets sitting at 100 cards, it's hard to fit in legends, rookies, veterans in such a small list. What every happened to Pro Set type base card products? They had rookies, veterans, legends, coaches, stadiums, special game subsets and even referees. Those days are long gone and I don't expect them ever to return.

So instead, I will continue to hit up popular head coaches for autographs and hope for some success.

A three month wait success I can now say I have is that of Seahawks head coach and executive vice president Pete Carrol who has been around the NFL for some time. Pete returned my index card request in exchange for this great photo and especially signed in the Seahawk neon color. I checked with  my buddy Autograph Blog, check out his work HERE, on it's authenticity and it checked out. Very cool score for my collection.

Pete was a guy I remember coaching in the 90's. However, his first go-around in the NFL as a Head Coach wasn't so hot. He went 6-10 with the Jets  and lasted one season, and three seasons with the Patriots that went 27-21 with.

He went back to college in 2000 where he would dominate with USC winning two titles before taking the job in 2010 with Seattle where he has led them to multiple Super Bowls, winning one, and led them to the playoffs six times.

Thanks Pete for the autograph and taking your time out for me. I wish you the best this season overall, just not against my Giants.

Same Name, 2 Different People

When you start to learn the names of the other bloggers in the blogosphere, one common name I have come across is Matt. I know of at least 5 of us with that name that blog so sometimes you feel like you are talking to yourself or in the third person.

I am not sure if the name Matt means blogger, but it feels that way.

Even though the name is common and it may be confusing at times if you are talking to the right one, sometimes the name comes as an advantage. Recently Matt over at Summer of '74 posted a bunch of football cards up for grabs including some TTM with the players signing them for Matt. I can't imagine someone not named Matt would be as interested, but for me, they fit right in and it included a good group of guys.

This first card isn't a TTM or autograph, but it's a card I have wanted forever. The Pro Set Santa card for my favorite holiday. The other Santa card I am hoping to land at some point is the Sp Authentic autograph relic one in the late 90's. I have seen a few bloggers post it and it makes me jealous. I also wouldn't mind the other Pro Set ones of the 90's too.

My first TTM snag was Tony Boselli. A dominating lineman that played anchor for the Jags. Normally I am not an oline kinda guy despite playing some guard and tackle in high school, but he was a 90's guy and HOF.

Speaking of HOFer, Adam clutch Vinatieri was a no brainer add. But, I will always think of him as a Patriot sadly. The team I hate the most.

Charlie Ward was a 2-sport stud who ended up playing for my Knicks in the 90's. I wanted this one just because of that. I was a fan of his.

Aeneas was a shut down safety in the 90's. Probably the highest stud the Cardinals had up until they drafted Jake Plummer.

I thought the Boozer was awesome because of the card and because of the inscription. Well, I also like the card design with the signature.

Same goes with this Dorsett. I miss Upper Deck in the football card game.

 

A big thanks goes out to Matt for the cards and no I am not thanking myself. Pretty happy to add them to my PC and I hoped you enjoyed your return as well.

Thanks Coach!

It has been roughly five years since I attempted to send out any NFL TTM requests. I haven't had a lot of luck when it comes to the NFL or any sport. But, the NFL especially.

I must have sent out 25 requests with at least 8 of those going to the NY Giants and I never heard a single word back. Not even a return of my card or a quick just denial. Nothing. It wasn't like I was sending to the big super stars, I was sending it to rookies, second year guys and some under rated guys just to see if I could get a NY Giants or rookie auto return. But, no. No returns. I had pretty much given up on the idea of even trying the NFL again and sticking directly to non sport TTM requests as those have been my most successful.

Until I had a thought. What about a coach request? I had never tried that before.

What better time to snag an autograph then now! Giants hired a new head coach and the offseason has just begun.

Pat Shurmur comes to the Giants with a 10-23 record as a head coach. Not great, but his record looks bad because of his time spent being head coach of the Browns. At least he was able to win some games there with four one year and five the next.

Shurmur is mostly known for his offensive genius and hopefully it shines through for this team. The offense looked so bad the last three years that they really need someone to fix it. Especially with the talent they have on the roster right now. It's possibly the most talent I have ever seen on a Giants offensive team.

So I asked my buddy Autograph Blog if he had an address for the coach and as I expected, he did. So I sent out the request along with one for Saquon Barkley-that ate up four stamps but was hoping the gamble would pay off-and two months later, a manila envelope from team headquarters arrived.

I expected to open it up to see the usual fan pack that I have gotten before with player requests, but to my surprise this beauty inscribed to me arrived,

 

How cool is that?!

Thanks Coach Shurmur for the return and best of luck to you this season! This is my first coach return for a TTM overall and my second coaching autograph overall. I have a signed piece of Tom Coughlin from Steiner Sports I posted on here awhile back. Too bad I hadn't thought of sending out a coach request for McAdoo even though what he brought to the team was utterly painful.

I know my request to Barkley is a long stretch but hoping I can beat the odds even though I doubt it. At least I was able to get one of the coach. One I hope that will be a Super Bowl winning one soon.

To Infinity And BEYOND!

I have always been a huge fan of Tim Allen's whether it was Home Improvement, Last Man Standing or a few of his movies including Wild Hogs, so adding his TTM autograph was a need for my collection since I haven't ever seen him sign for a card company.

So a couple of years ago, I sent these terrible copies I made for him to sign. You can barely see the autographs on them and I was extremely disappointed in the way they turned out.

So when Autograph Blog re-posted an address to send to Tim, I jumped on it again. I did my usually index card mailing and within a few weeks I got something back. The problem, it was a facsimile signed photo. Never even got the index card back.

So that added some salt to my wound, but I didn't give up and sent him a request again. This time I sent a couple of better looking photos including the cover off from my Toy Story 2 DVD. Being the great guy he is, Tim took the time and signed both and sent them back.

 

These look much better than the last time I sent him stuff to sign.

I hope to get these framed and hang them in the man cave. I do however find it odd that his signature on his facsimile photo is so far off from his hand signed versions. But, one would take a guess that he gets tons of mail and signs a shorter version just to get something signed for the fans. Which is great and appreciated.

How many times have you attempted to get the "just right" signature from a TTM signer?

The King Of Queens

Back in late 90's, one of my favorite sitcoms ran on CBS from 1998-2007. The series starred Kevin James and Leah Remini as Doug and Carrie Heffernan who live in Queens. Hence the title, The King Of Queens.

Doug was an IPS driver (obviously UPS) and Carrie worked as a secretary at a law firm. The show followed their crazy lives and situations including living with Carrie's crazy father played by the funny eccentric man Jerry Stiller. There were a bunch of other characters that played a role on the show as well including appearances by Ray Ramano, Lou Ferigno, Nicole Sullivan, and Patton Oswalt to name a few.

I thought it would be fun to try and score a couple TTM autographs of them to have something to treasure from my childhood or at that point my teenage years.

So I sent out an autograph request at the beginning of the year to Kevin James and thought I wasn't going to get it back, well, it was worth the wait when it showed up two months later.

 

Thanks so much Kevin!

 After I got Kevin's, I sent out Leah's and got hers back pretty fast. I believe within two weeks. So cool that I was able to land both!

Thanks Leah!

he two now star together again, after a weird Season 2 change up on Kevin Can Wait. Which is still pretty funny, but doesn't have the same comedy or feel that The King Of Queens had. Kevin has also starred in a few movies I enjoy to watch time and time again in the Paul Blart duos and the Grownup movies.

Both of these addresses I acquired from the great Autograph Blog. He has tons of successful addresses. I think out of the many I have sent, only two didn't come back with success so the return rate is high on his addresses. So go check him out and he is also a really nice guy as well and always willing to help.

I just wanted to take another minute out to thank Kevin and Leah for taking a second out for their fans. I will continue to watch Kevin Can Wait and definitely be watching the continuous repeats of King Of Queens.

The Low Budget Collector Part 1: TTM

My budget for card collecting the last couple of years has been so stingy, it's basically enough money to cover shipping prizes and mail days. That's it.

So if I wanted to add or buy an autograph with my funds all tied up just for postage could I?

That answer is yes!

It's called Through The Mail or as most of us call it, TTM.

For the price of a stamp, which goes up soon to .50 by the way, you can send a handwritten request asking a player, actor, etc for their autograph along with a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) and an item to sign. My usual go to is an index card but sometimes I will search the internet for a black and white photo.

My success rate is pretty high for actors/singers with a 95% return rate. Athletes on the other hand, I have had less success from scoring a atrocious 10% return rate. And it wasn't like I was trying to reach for super stars like Mike Trout and Tom Brady, it was NFL rookies before training camp and players from the NY Giants. But, I have seen many other collectors do pretty solid with former players and MLB prospects.

So let's take a look at my top scores in the mail so far from doing this. I have mainly been focusing on celebrities the last couple of years to help my non sport PC and because of the great return rate.

Not a big name, but it's the ONE NY Giants player ever to respond to one. I scored this after R.W. helped lead the Giants to the Super Bowl 42 playoff run. Thanks again R.W.!

 

Tom Selleck. I grew up watching him with my grandmother on Magnum PI. I was also lucky that Tom was generous and signed two of these for me so I could also gift one to my mother-in-law.

Chevy Chase. Love the guy. Love his movies. Love National Lampoons Christmas Vacation all around. I really want to land a Leaf Autograph card of him at some point. So if you are ever wanting to start up a trade and have one or wanna snag one for me, let's talk! But for now, this will have to do.

Kelly Clarkson. I will admit to liking some of her music.

Carrie Fisher...well Debbie Reynolds from what I have been told signing for Carrie. Either way, a legend signed this card.

Tim Allen. Had to try twice but he signed these for me the second time. I wished I had chosen index card or something brighter.

Melissa Joan Hart. She actually posted her address out there for everyone to writer to her on Twitter. I grew up watching her on TGIF as Sabrina The Teenage Witch so this was a cool return.

And probably my favorite return ever, this Betty White signed photo inscribed to me. I had sent her an index card and she mailed me this. Incredible career, lady and thank you!

As you can see, for a price of a stamp it can lead to something pretty exciting. There are so many celebrities and athletes out there you can write to that this alone can be a hobby all on its own. It's also affordable and could only cost you less than $5 a month depending on how many you want to try and snag all at one time. The waiting and anticipating can be fun as well as the return. Some return faster than others remember.

Some things to remember again to help with success,  always do a handwritten note (it's more personal), always send an item to sign, and always include an SASE (self addressed stamped envelope ).

Before I close, you may be wondering where I get the addresses, well, there are many sites to use but I have a tendency to stick to Autograph Blog. He has 1000's of them on his site and is very reliable. He is also a book of knowledge on these as well so giving him a follow on Twitter or his site is recommended. He is always up to answering questions as well if you have any.

I hope Part 1 of this will help you in some way today to keep on collecting no matter the circumstance. This is the point of these posts and even though some may be obvious like this one, it will hopefully still get you in the right direction without wanting to quit the hobby. I am also hoping it may give you a new way to save money and collect.

Too Low For Zero

I don't discuss my music likes on here very often, but I will touch base today some on one. I know most bloggers or readers expect the usual heavy metal/rap/hard rock/alternative songs that most bloggers/readers like, but that's just not me.

I am more of a 90's pop/love song, Paramore, Christopher Cross, Eagles, Duran Duran, Hootie And The Blowfish, Chicago, Dave Matthews Band, Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms, Elton John kinda guy. There are many others I could list but gave you a very short rundown as an example.

I have never been a fan of screaming and yelling songs or songs with language even though I did go through a rap era for a couple of years in 2000-2001. As I have gotten older, I tend to appreciate the songs that I grew up listening to on the radio or heard my parents listening to.

One of those guys is the one and only, Sir Elton John. A little while ago I saw that Autograph Blog had a TTM address for Elton and I knew I had to jump on that. My father listened to Elton all of the time and the one cassette tape we had and played a million times in the car on our way to card shows was Too Low For Zero. That tape had big hits such as, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues and I'm Still Standing.

So I wrote Sir Elton a letter and explained my fandom to him, in return, I got this pretty cool mail day all the way from UK,

 

Disappointingly however, is the fact this is a copy which is what the letter states as Elton didn't have time to sit down and sign photos with so many letters flowing in. I think this is a cool piece coming from where it came, but it was quite what I was looking for in terms of nostalgia. So I have sent another letter to the same address requesting it once again. We will see this time if I can score one or lose out again. (update:I mailed this out in October and have yet to hear back. I am hoping that is a good sign)

I still listen to Elton's old and new music today. And of course I picked up Too Low For Zero on CD and listen to that as well to bring back those memories.

I am only guessing, but one of you guys must have a favorite Elton song, so what is it?

Since You Been Gone

A lot of my focus this year has been on grabbing TTM autographs of celebrities. I find that my success rate is much higher with them vs athletes and with my growing love of non sports, it also helps add some cool pieces to my PC.

One of my more recent TTM requests was of Kelly Clarkson. The very first American Idol winner who has gone on along with Carrie Underwood as the most successful and biggest named winners from the show. She is also the daughter-in-law of Reba. Just thought I would throw that tidbit in since my wife is a huge Reba fan.

I sent out a request for Kelly's autograph not sure if I would get a return. I am not that creative when I send out my requests as all I usually have to sign is a white filler cards. Of course in Kelly's case, I do own a couple of CD's so I could have mailed out an insert from them and used that. My fear would be not getting it back and my CD OCD would kick in knowing that my CD insert was missing.

I waited for a few weeks and to my surprise, I got this back in return.....

 

Very cool!

A thanks goes out to Kelly for hooking me up with this autographed photo and to Autograph Blog for the address. If you haven't checked out his blog for addresses, your missing out. Great resource for the hobby.

BFG In The Summer Of '74

The  Summer Of '74, where was I, well, I don't really know. It all depended on where my parents were as I wasn't born yet. However, I was alive in the 90's where a good portion of the prizes in The Summer Of '74's Basement Fun Game came from.

My pick was late in the game so there were many prizes I could have stolen before me and almost did, however, I decided since #10 was still open and it was Eli Manning's number that I would snag that.

Happy that I did.

My prize reveal were mini helmets in what was once the old AFC North division in the 90's. These particular pieces were from 1997.

 

What I appreciate most about these is the memories of watching these teams play and their "throwback" helmets.

The Houston Oilers. I was never a huge fan of theirs but their helmet was kinda cool. I can still picture Steve McNair running around with this on. They are now the Tennessee Titans.

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised everyone in the 90's under Tom Coughlin as they upset teams and made a deep playoff run. The franchise has been a sad place since then, but this year they look pretty good. If only they had a top notch QB they could make a run again this year with that defense.

 

The Bengals haven't changed much over time. On the field or their helmets. Ouch, that was a bit mean.

 

The Steelers are a proud franchise that you always expect in the playoffs. I hope this year they can take down the Patriots.

 

And finally, some of you may not recognize this but it's the original logo on the Ravens helmet. This was a super cool one. It's amazing that a franchise that was once the Browns has faired so well over the years.

 

 

Speaking of surprises, not only did he send the helmets, but how cool was this to find on top of the package?!?! TTM auto of LT. Wow! Blown away. It's the kind of blown away you get after eating KFC/Taco Bell. I asked him on Twitter about if it was really signed and he said rumors were they weren't quite sure if LT signed them himself back then. Either way, great card and my first LT auto that for now I will count as real unless I can get complete confirmation either way.

 

Also my first Harry Carson. Another Giants great as well.

   

 

A big thanks goes out to The Summer Of '74 for the mail day and contest. I really appreciate it. If you haven't checked out his excellent blog, please do so HERE.