A big score

Every day I receive emails with any auction searches that I'm watching. Most of them are for the sets I'm working on in various sports (Topps Total, Fleer Throwbacks, and Upper Deck Rookie Class in hockey; 1982-1991 Donruss Diamond Kings and 2003-2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites in baseball; 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites in football; and of course the Pacific MISL sets). Typically the MISL sets get the fewest hits, and often it's a lot of repetition-- I remember seeing the same Mike Powers and Daryl Doran autographs come up every month for a good six months at $15 each, plus shipping... be realistic, people! I can name Hall of Famers in several sports who sign for $5 or less. There is no need for that high a price tag on these guys.

But once in a while a gem comes through and last week one came in with ten signed cards for $11 including shipping. Among those ten were three I needed for the 1987/88 set-- Michael Brady, Mike Reynolds, and Stan Stamenkovic.

Brady I had tried TTM with no luck. Reynolds died in 1991, and Stamenkovic died in 1996.  I had seen both of the deceased's cards signed before: Reynolds in the collection of Ray from Baltimore (who also emailed me about this auction to make sure I knew about it-- arriving in my inbox just as I was hitting the Buy It Now button) and a Stamenkovic for sale a year ago with a $50 price tag.  Glad I held off on that one.

I also got a Slobo Ilijevski in there that I already had (d. 2008), but makes for a potential tradable item. The remaining six were Redmond Lane, Drago, Dave MacKenzie, Tim Wittman, Richard Chinapoo, and Bruce Savage.

USPS Informed Delivery also tells me I have an envelope coming back to me from Seattle today. I haven't mailed many up that way in any sport lately except for one-- Preki. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it might be him...

With this, I'm down to only 12 left on that 1987/88 set.

12	Steve Zungul
27	Mark Kerlin
36	Dennis Mepham
38	Pasquale Deluca
40	Desmond Armstrong
48	Poli Garcia
57	Hugo Perez
59	Juli Veee
61	Waad Hirmez
75a	Heinz Wirtz (black text)
75b	Heinz Wirtz (white text)
88	Steve Kinsey

If you have these, I am certainly interested in trading! I'm hoping also that some of these guys might show up at the NASL 50th anniversary celebration this weekend.