once again, i'm thankful for some 1978 topps through the mail successes (and other signed 1978 cards)!

well, happy thanksgiving to everybody out there.  i am thankful for a lot of things unrelated to this hobby, but i would be remiss if i didn't thank the players who sign cards through the mail in this forum. over the past 3 years i have sent out around 1000 requests, with about 700 coming back.  a large number of the requests have involved cards from my favorite set, 1978 topps.  here are some that i have received in the past year, including a couple that were part of a private signing.

1978 topps pete rose

the hit king signed for me through the mail a while back free of charge, but i paid for this one through hall of fame sports about a year ago.  same with this next card, a 1978 topps bill madlock

i like the 1978 topps set so much, i sent a giants card to be signed by the mad dog instead of a dodgers card featuring the multi-year batting champ.  i also turn a blind eye to the uniform when sending out good ol' freebie ttm requests.  here's giant marc hill

and another giant backstop, mike sadek

marc hill appears on steve garvey's 1979 topps card, but i didn't bother to include one of those.  these cards remind me of the days when we would get 3, maybe 4 catchers in a team set.  in 2012, i didn't get a card of the dodgers' starting catcher until update came out.

moving on, here's jerry mumphrey.

who played against the dodgers in the 1981 world series, and enos cabell

who played for the dodgers in the 1985 nlcs.  i have had the cabell card for a while.  it was one of two cards that he signed for me with the other being a 1986 topps card that i finally showed on the blog as an entry in the topps dodger autograph project.

clay carroll used a red pen on his card

vic correll used a blue pen

and greg gross used a black pen.

they are all signed and appreciated.

cliff johnson got the rare three position designation on his 1978 topps card

but he may be best remembered as a pinch hitter.

rance mulliniks

wound up playing third base for the blue jays during their run in the mid to late 1980's.  he was still with the club in 1992, but didn't play in the postseason.

craig swan

led the league in era in 1978 but was just 9-6 with 13 no-decisions for the last place mets.

andre thornton

and the indians finished in sixth place in the old al east in 1978, ahead of only the blue jays.  thornton hit 33 homer for the tribe, however, which was fourth best in the league.

here's bill nahorodny

who unfortunately had to share space with three other guys, so his signature is cramped.  i am left to wonder whether he would have dotted the 'i' in 'bill' with a baseball if he had more room to write.

rodney scott

is shown in yankee stadium on his card, while his manager bobby winkles

is at home in oakland's alameda county stadium.  winkles took over the club from jack mckeon during the 1977 season.  then, in 1978, winkles was replaced after 39 games by jack mckeon.  such were the ways of charlie finley.

this next one is actually a 1978 o-pee-chee card.  jim barr was nice enough to sign it.

i'll finish this post with some signed cards that i have straight out purchased.  first up is a 1978 topps dave lopes

i was lucky enough to have had a ttm success with lopes when i first started pursuing the 1978 topps dodgers.  since then, he has rebuffed my requests but i wanted another '78 to put into the binder featuring my other signed cards.  i also picked up a lot of four signed '78s, including ray knight

(the second signed copy of his 1978 topps card that i own), paul reuschel,

dan spillner,

and the whole reason i bought the lot - glenn burke

as with the lopes, this is my second burke card, but i couldn't resist.  i had long thought that a signed card from the former dodger and a's outfielder would be the white whale of my autographed card pursuit.  who knew that ed goodson would turn out to fill that role instead.

thanks to all the former (and current) players who sign through the mail, in person, and wherever else they may find themselves!  it is appreciated.