RTA: A Brief Update

First, an answer to many of the questions that have rolled in through blog comments, email, and TCDB: yes, I am still looking to unload most of my cards.

Life and school have conspired to keep me incredibly busy this year, so I haven’t had much time to devote to it. I’m going to try compiling a list of everyone who has contacted me so far, and a list of what is “unclaimed.” Hopefully I can do that in the next week or so.

If you sent me a message or proposal through TCDB, I moved my entire collection over to “For Trade” and am proceeding to pull off the items I intend to keep. So, these lists probably won’t be up to date for a good while.

Second: a few of you have been kind enough to send me some pre-emptive trade packages, and thank you very much to each of you. I have some drafts that I’m hoping to get to before long, so that I can properly acknowledge you.

Third: a bunch of autographs have rolled in since I’ve last updated my TTM reportage. Since I’m focusing on buying less and enjoying what I am keeping, autographs have become a more significant portion of my collection.

Finally, because every post needs a picture: here’s one of the most recent additions to the Astrographs project. This one wasn’t a TTM success, but from a private signing that a fellow Astro collector was holding.

Thanks to some spreadsheet wizardry (thanks MBA classes!) I’ve managed to do some basic metrics breaking down of my Astrograph project. I’m at 255 autographs from players and coaches in a Houston uniform, and an additional 41 players depicted in some other uniform, be it major or minor league. Hawkins comes in at number 253 on the list.

Perhaps this was slightly more than brief, but it’s what I could pound out here at the end of spring break. I unfortunately haven’t been able to keep up with most of the blogs I love to follow.

May your pulls be spectacular, and as always: Remember the Astrodome!

 – Marc