Ray Jablonski Purchase

Another eBay auction win arrived a few days ago, #189 Ray Jablonski.  This was the first Jablonski that I had ever seen come up for sale, and I was pleasantly surprised to win it for just over $20 with shipping.

This brings me to 113/274 (41.24%).  I was finally able to get a summer job, so there will be some new acquisitions in the near future.

Marion Fricano Purchase

Another one of the tougher cards arrived today: #199 Marion Fricano.  There is some tape over the autograph and the inscription, but I can live with it.  Fricano died young, in 1976 at age 53, and this is only the second card I've seen signed by him for sale.  I had to take a picture, as my scanner is on the fritz at the moment.

Rocky Krsnich Return

Today brought in a return from #229 Rocky Krsnich.  I mailed it on the afternoon of the 4th, so it took exactly two weeks.  He is the brother of former Milwaukee Braves outfielder Mike Krsnich, who passed away a few years ago.

This is the last return for the set; no other players who are alive are still signing.  I was able to get 44 of the players through the mail, which for a set that is 63 years old I think is pretty good.  This puts me at 112/274 (40.88 %), and I have a few more coming in that I just bought today.

Bill Miller Purchase, Johnny Sain Upgrade

I won a couple of auctions recently, for #100 Bill Miller, and an upgrade for #119 Johnny Sain. Miller is surprisingly difficult to find; this is the first one I've seen.  Interestingly enough, the Sain here, which is in much better shape than the one I own, only cost me about half as much as my original.  These are the first two autographs I've ever purchased that have been graded.

Les Fusselman Purchase

I was able to pick off one of the most difficult cards in the set last week, #218 Les Fusselman. Fusselman was the Cardinals third-string catcher, so he wasn't very highly collected during his lifetime, and he died in 1970, so there wasn't a very large window for him to sign his card.  I was able to snag it for just under $100, and a more experienced collector told me this was probably a $500 card, so I'm happy about that.  On the back of the card, it mentions that Fusselman spent four years in the Army, seeing action in the Philippines and on Okinawa.

This brings me to 110/274 (40.15 %) signed.  I should have one or two more coming in shortly.

  

June Update

With about half the year gone, I figured now was as good a time as any to put an update out.  Without further ado:

• Reach 125 signed 1953 Topps.  I'm at 109 right now, with a couple more that should be in shortly.  I'm focusing on trying to pick off the more difficult cards, so I may or may not reach this one by the end of the year.
• Add at least six new Hall of Famers to the set.  Again, I haven't been focusing on this one as much as I could have.  I've added three this year, and I don't have any new HOF acquisitions on the horizon.
• Add at least one new Phillie.  This one I did get to: I picked up #10 Smoky Burgess in April.  
• Get at least two more 1949 Bowmans signed.  I exceeded this one, with returns from Dave Ferriss, Sam Mele, and Tommy Brown.  I probably won't make any additions to this set for a while.

Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell Purchase

Another eBay purchase arrived today, #128 Wilmer Mizell.  For some reason, Mizell doesn't come up for sale cheap often, so I was lucky this auction went low and I grabbed it on the not-outrageous end of the price range.

Mizell's nickname came from his hometown of Vinegar Bend, Alabama.  This is the 109th addition to my project, putting me 39.78% of the way there.  I have another purchase in the mail, and another request that should be back within the next couple weeks.  

Bill Werle Purchase

One of my auction wins from last week arrived today, #170 Bill Werle.  What I find interesting is on the back of this card, the trivia question asked if anyone had thrown a no-hitter in the World Series, and the answer was no, but one of the card's later owners crossed out the no and wrote "Don Larsen, 1956".

This is the 108th (39.42%) signed 1953 Topps I've added.  I started this project in mid-July of last year, so thus far I've made pretty good progress I think.