Hi, how are ya?
Yes, I'm still alive. But I believe I may be close to tapped out on this project.
It's been a nice run. I started this all just on a whim eight years ago, thinking that even getting half of these cards signed would be pretty nice. Instead it went much better than I ever could have expected: a complete signed 1987-88 set including all errors and variations, a trip to Las Vegas where I ended up playing in goal with and against some MISL greats, and mailed successes all over the world (Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina). I've met collectors from all over the country. I solved one mystery of a missing player, and worked to try to track down a missing referee. And all told, I made it to over 90% completion.
Back in July 2022 at the National, collector Rob Parker helped me out with Chico Borja and Diego Mandagaran for my 1992-93 NPSL set.
Zoran Karic was my most recent TTM success, knocking out the last sig needed on the 1990-91 San Diego All-Stars card after a lengthy wait. I also got Carl Valentine since my last post.
But aside from that... I'm just throwing up my hands. I have tried to do whatever I can for the last few in each set and I'm close to the end.
I'm not killing this project. Never that. But I think it definitely has fallen to the backburner. I'll need assistance and luck to get it the rest of the way over the hump.
And it hurts a bit. Getting SO close to being complete and just not quite being able to get there despite all efforts is hard. As of right now, this is the unsigned list. Players in bold red are confirmed to be deceased.
1988-89: 2 Stan Stamenkovic; 48 Frank Rasmussen
1989-90: 67 Chris Hundelt (corrected); 67 Kevin Hundelt (photo and info actually Chris)
1990-91: 18 Mike Reynolds; 29 Gregg Willin; 34 Slobo Ilijevski; 37 Claudio De Oliveira; 39 Stan Terlecki; 53 Steve Kinsey; 58 Dennis Mepham; 75 Nenad Nikolic; 84 Barry Wallace; 111 Pedro DeBrito; 114 David Byrne; 150 Greg Ion; 159 SD Sockers (need Ralph Black, Donald Cogsville, Jacques Ladouceur, Wes Wade, Paul Wright, and Rene Ortiz); 166 Majid Jay; 173 Tacoma All-Stars (need to restart this, need all players); 177 Wichita All-Stars (need to restart this, need all players); 178 St. Louis All-Stars (need Ilijevski, deceased); 189 Domenic Mobilio; 192 Preki; 204 West Goal (need Kia); 205 Byrne/Fernandez (need Byrne); 217 Earl Foreman
1991-92: 20 Greg Ion; 37 Keith Weller; 40 Omar Gomez; 41 David Byrne; 56 Domenic Mobilio; 68 Chris Simon; 79 Pedro DeBrito; 83 Dali; 84 Marcelo Carrera; 113 Rick Snyder; 118 Claudio De Oliveira; 140 Gregg Willin; 155 KC All-Stars (need Goosens); 158 Wichita All-Stars (need Weller, deceased); 2 Claudio De Oliveira
1992-93: 30 Teddy Krafft; 63 Pedro DeBrito; 87 Joe Kirk; 104 Dale Ervine; 9 Kia (Gold)
That corrected Chris Hundelt corrected card is a killer. I had one copy, mailed it to the last address I had for him, and never saw it again. If you have this card in bulk, I need multiple copies (or just a single signed one). I have six copies of the error; it appears to be much more prolific.
The multi-player cards are just too hard. When you get two of three, mail to the third, and never get it back, it's frustrating to restart. Once you get to five and six player cards, losing one at 80+% completion is a back breaker (90-91 cards 159, 173, and 177 are prima facie evidence of this). I always try to start with the hardest one first and finish with the easiest, but with this project it's tough to know who is going to be easy and who is not.
And so, this may be the end. I'll still have these in my book of want lists, but I think I've done about all that I can. eBay has dried up, with only stuff I already have popping up for sale. Ray in Baltimore has sold off most, if not all of his stuff, and anyways I bought out everything that I needed from him already anyway.
If you don't see another update here, don't be surprised. The flame of hope still burns on these last sigs, but it dims further and further with each passing year.
