How many autographs is too many?

 

This is my 21st card autographed by Ron Cey.

I don't really try to obtain Cey autographs anymore. I own most of his certified autographs and I'm just not down with the TTM ritual any longer.

If I still sent autograph requests through the mail I'd have to pay a fee now for a Cey signature. He used to hand them out for free and return them in record time. Paying a price wouldn't stop me if I was still into it. There are still plenty of cards that could use a Cey signature: 1974, 1979, 1981 and 1982 Topps, 1983 Donruss, 1982 and 1983 Fleer.

If a card company puts out a new Cey autograph, such as Topps' recent Archives Fan Favorites offerings in 2017 and 2018, I will look into obtaining those, and I have at times. But I'm pretty casual about it.

I'll also take a Cey autographed card that I don't own if someone sends it. The above card arrived from John (@gortexturban on Twitter). And I needed it.

But how many autographs of one individual player is too many?

I ask myself that question because, as I've said before, I'm good with a single autographed card of one individual player. If I get his signature, I get to say, "I HAVE HIS AUTOGRAPH!" and we're done. No need to get another one.

It's not like actual cards where I have accumulated dozens and dozens for each individual player. Autograph collecting is not set collecting, usually.

So what am I doing with Cey and all those autographs?

Well, he's my favorite player of all-time. He's also venturing up there. He'll be 73 in February. Who knows for how long new Cey autographs will show up?

So I'll take all that I can, even if I'm not all that fired up over it.

Those 21 Cey autographed cards join the more eclectic Cey autographs that I own. There's the personally autographed birthday card from 2019. And, of course, there's the lamp.

Haven't shown that for awhile.

So, really, I don't NEED any more new Cey autographs.

But I'll take any that folks send my way.

Cey joined a few more goodies in the envelope John sent.

 

He wondered whether this was a box bottom card, but 1977 Topps didn't have box bottoms. This is a blank back. I have a handful of blank back '77 Dodgers. It seemed to be a thing in the '77 set, although I didn't pull a single one when I was buying packs that year.

 

 

More insert parallels -- wooooooo! At least it's a border parallel. I miss those.

 

Some 1990s shiny of Hideo Nomo.

The one that scanned like most '90s shiny cards do, on the left, I own already. The one that scanned appropriately, the Museum Collection parallel, is new and awesome.

A couple of oddball needs. I'm pretty sure I've thrown this 1988 Starting Lineup Fernando in the dupes box about a half dozen times. But as of right now, I think I need it. It makes things difficult when a bunch of oddball brands out at that time used the same exact mug shot of Valenzuela.

Finally, yes! The king of non-sports stickers! A vintage Wacky Package!

This comes from the 7th Series issued in 1974 and those '73 and '74 stickers sit in the heart of the time period when I was buying those, along with my '75 and '76 baseball cards (Wacky Packages had a longer shelf life).

 

The product WP is parodying -- Marshmallow Fluff -- also speaks to that time in my childhood.  As kids, we really wanted this stuff. I remember my mom buying it only once or twice and I wasn't really impressed with it once I tried it. But it was nice to see it in the kitchen cupboard!

I probably should land one of those Cey Archives Fan Favorites autographs on the occasion of his birthday next month just to get one from 1981 or 1982. I'm not crazy about the fact that they're encased, but I can just break out the little devil.

Thanks to all of those who feed my necessary need for Cey cards and my very unnecessary need for Cey autograph cards.