TTMCast this Week – June 26th show
Conner Walden, Founder and CEO of BuySportsCards.com, joins me to talk about his sports card marketplace which was just launched in March now has about two million cards listed for sale.
“Our goal for the first year is ten million cards,” Walden said.
Walden’s company has aggregated checklists for virtually every collected set and that information will automatically populate a seller’s listing and enables buyers to perform accurate searches. Walden says the goal was to offer a more mobile friendly environment for buyers or sellers than currently exists. At present, the majority of the cards listed are of a recent vintage.
A mass upload tool enabling sellers to list a large quantity of cards at once is in the works.
At least through the summer, BSC sellers pay no fees to list their cards.
“When you get on our site and want list a card we already have 90 percent of the information entered,” Walden said. You’re going to enter the condition of your card, the price and quantity and that removes 90 percent of the steps you have to do on a site like eBay.”
Sellers can print shipping labels directly from the website.
Ted Mann, co-founder and CEO of CollX also joined the show about his acquisition of Card Dealer Pro, the new things planned for his app and their plans for the National Sports Collectors Convention.
You can listen to this episode of TTMCast below.
Next week ABA and NBA veteran of 8 seasons Chuck Williams joins me to talk about his career, his love for the old ABA and how much he still enjoys signing autographs.
TTM Tip of the Week
This is a friendly reminder. The price of stamps is going up in July to .60 each. Effective July 10th the price of a First-Class stamp will increase to .60. Stock up on Forever stamps now.
TTM Successes this Week
This week saw a nice return from a popular Basketball Hall of Famer. I also saw a few more football returns from players of the 70’s and 80’s and a nice return of a rookie card from a former hurler who won both an NCAA Basketball championship and a World Series ring.
Please note: Most mailing addresses are available on several TTM related web sites including SportsCardForum.com and SportsCollectors.net.
Robert Parish
For basketball legend like Robert Parish you’d have thought the good folks at Fleer could have at least spelled his name right. It took them until his 1988-89 card to drop the extra “R” in his last name. Because Fleer never corrected their mistakes in 1986 and 1987 these “error” cards do not hold any extra value. Parish played 21 years in the NBA from 1976-1997 including time with the Warriors, Celtics, Hornets and Bulls. He won four NBA championships and was a 9x NBA All-Star during his career. He played in a record 1,611 games. “The Chief” was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
If there was a TTM Hall of Fame Parish would be a first ballot inductee. He signed his 1986 and 1987 Topps cards for me in about three weeks. Parish is one of the few Hall of Famers who does not require a donation.
Joe Washington
On September 18, 1978, against the New England Patriots at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA, Washington scored 3 touchdowns. He threw a 54-yard TD pass to Roger Carr, caught a 23 yard reception from Bill Troup and scored a game winning 90 yard kickoff return in driving rain to seal a 34-27 victory for the Colts. He’s the only NFL player to ever throw, catcher and return a kickoff for a TD in a single game. The Patriot crowd was so wild at this game it ended Monday Night homes games for the Patriots for decades.
Washington was the 4th pick in the 1976 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers out of Oklahoma. He played for San Diego, Baltimore, Washington, and Atlanta from 1976-1985. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1979, the season he led the NFL in receptions. He was a member of the Super Bowl Champion Redskins in 1982.
Washington signed and returned his 1978 Topps card and returned it to me in two weeks.
Mark Vlasic
I have a soft spot for players who wore number 13 during their career. 13 is after all Bakers Dozen. Mark Vlasic was the consummate backup quarterback during his six-year playing career with San Diego, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. After playing well during his senior season at Iowa he was selected by the Chargers in the 4th round with the 88th pick. Mark served as back up for San Diego for 4 seasons, starting just 3 games with the Chargers. He would go on to suit up for the Chiefs and Buccaneers without getting into game action.
Number 13’s NFL career was over shortly afterward. Vlasic signed his 1989 Topps card for and added his number in about 10 days.
Kevin Mack
Kevin Mack was a two-time Pro Bowl running back for the Cleveland Browns from 1985-93. He won a National Championship in 1981 with Clemson and went on to play for the Los Angeles Express of the USFL in 1984 before joining the Browns. He made up a formidable backfield along with Earnest Byner for the Browns in 1985 when both backs ran for over 1,000 yards that season. Mack rushed for over 5,000 yards and scored 46 touchdowns during his time with Cleveland.
He signed his 1989 Topps card and added his number for me in less than two weeks.
Bill McClard
McClard kicked a then NCAA record 60-yard field goal in 1970 for the Arkansas Razorbacks one week before Tom Dempsey would kick the first 60 yard field goal in the NFL. McClard was taken by the San Diego Charger in the third round of the 1972 draft. After one season with the Chargers, McClard spent two years in New Orleans kicking for the Saints.
It took about two weeks for McClard to sign this cool 1975 Topps card showing him “in action” with wide receiver (#17) Speedy Thomas holding.
John Outlaw
John Outlaw was fast. According to his 1973 Topps card he was the fastest member of the Patriots. Outlaw was drafted in the 10th round of the AFL draft by the Boston Patriots out of Jackson State in 1968. He would go on to play four season the Patriots before joining the Eagles where he played from 1973-1978.
During his 10-year career he would intercept two passes for touchdowns, one for the Patriots in 1971 and one for the Eagles in 1973.
He signed his 1973 Topps card for me and returned it in about three weeks.
Tim Stoddard
Tim Stoddard saved 76 games and won 41 as well as a relief pitcher for the White Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Padres, Yankees, and Indians from 1975-89. He was a member of the World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles in 1983. In college he also played basketball and was a member of the 1973-74 NC State Wolf Pack which won the NCAA National Championship going 30-1.
In the 1979 World Series he became the first player to drive in a run in the World Series in their very first at-bat. In 1983 he became the first player to win a championship ring in both NCAA basketball and World Series. Stoddard appeared in the move Big and the 1993 film Rookie of the Year (as a Dodger pitcher).
He signed his 1980 Topps rookie card for me in three weeks.
Here’s a list of a few others who are currently signing for free. I have had success with all of them in the past:
- Harry Sinden – Boston Bruins Coach and GM
- Gary Reasons – NY Giants Linebacker
- Billy Kilmer – SF, New Orleans, Washington Quarterback
- Fred Stanley – Yankees Infielder
Have a TTM success story you would like to share with me? Please, send it me at [email protected]. If I use it in my column, I’ll send you a prize.
Related Stories:
TTM This Week: Talking Panini, Budget Collecting; Chronicling Autograph Returns
TTM This Week: Barefoot Kicker, TTM Returns, International Postage
TTM This Week: HOF Signers; Cards Hockey Players Won’t Sign; Sooz and Les on the Show
TTM This Week: The eBay Market; Players Who Won’t Sign Certain Cards; Mail Successes
TTM Collecting This Week: Les Wolff, Signatures Successes and a Quick Tip
TTM Collecting This Week: Tom Henderson, Mail Request Success
Notes: TTM Return from the 90s; Japanese Card Record; Living Set Franco Sales; Philly Show, More
Kevin Mench Q&A: Phillies Fandom, Memorable Fans and Memorabilia Collection
