New Autographed Baseball Collector - Need Help

[cooj]

I'll start by introducing myself, I'm a die hard baseball fan (specifically the Blue Jays!) from many years back who lives in Toronto, Ontario. I was fortunate enough to watch the glory days of the Blue Jays back in 92/93 which is really what got me interested in baseball to begin with. This past weekend I went to the 92/93 reunion weekend in Toronto that honored all of our past heroes and participated in the IP signings. I was lucky enough to get ROMLB (learning the lingo!) autographed by Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.

The excitement of it all has really got me interested in starting a collection of autographed baseballs and through surfing the net I found this fantastic website which has provided me more information than any other website I have found. I do however still have a few questions that I was hoping someone may be able to help me with. I haven't been able to find any additional information so far but if I've missed it please bear with me.

1) I've read several threads about ROMLB and Replica OMLB. I saw the thread that was addressed here & here. However I can't seem to find the replica balls on the anacondasports.com website? Also I can't find them on the rawlings.com website. Is the replica ball manufactured by rawlings or is it a a third party ball? Any other suggestions where I can find them?

2) As we're close to the end of the season, does this change the success rate of TTM? Naturally I am speaking of active players, do you think that I would have better success waiting until next year and not pestering players during their time off?

3) I saw this link listed a few times which supposedly has more info on how to do TTM baseballs but I can't access it as a new member. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or what I need to do to see this post?

4) I also read in a few posts that some people tend to give a few dollars to the player in hopes that may help get a signature in return. Do you just deposit money in the envelope? Do you feel this is necessary?

I'm sure I'll have more questions along the way, thanks for any advice you can provide.

[indyreds]

First off welcome to SCF! Love new additions to the autograph community! Active baseball players are not people I target during the off season. I would hold off once we get near playoff time till next season. Retired players are good targets during the off season. I rarely add cash with a TTM request!

Here is Rockiesfan33 guide to baseballs:
Guide To Sending Baseballs TTM
I've had over 70 baseballs signed TTM so far in 2008 and I get a lot of PMs about how to do it, so I thought I'd post what I do to send them.

I send all of my baseballs in bubble mailers, not boxes. My theory is to always make an autograph request as easy as possible for the person to whom you are sending your request. Sticking a ball in an envelope seems easier to me than having someone tape up a box for you.

I use 8x11 1/2 envelopes for the outgoing mail, and they're returned in 6x9 bubble envelopes. I stick the ball in the big envelope first because it seals better if the ball is at the bottom of the envelope. Fold the 6x9 envelope in half and slide it in next. It all fits nicely together.

Before this year's postage increase, I'm using 5 $0.41 stamps on the return envelope and 6 on the outgoing.

Always write your addresses in sharpie on the envelopes or cover your writing in clear tape to avoid it wiping off. This isn't as much of a problem with the brown bubble mailers, but the ink easily wipes off of the white bubble mailers made from the stronger material. Those envelopes are nice to use for your returns, but definitely use tape.

I don't send a pen with my requests and I may start doing it after my Fay Vincent return. Sharpie isn't desirable on a baseball. You want a nice Bic pen for the sig. You may need to weigh your envelope if you're adding a pen to see if changes postage. Don't expect to get your pen back.

The cons of using a bubble mailer:

Obviously, the package could rip, but I've never had that happen (to my knowledge).

The sig can rub on the inside of the envelope if it's not dry or signed with a good pen. Fay Vincent apparently used some purple glitter pen on my ball and it looks like garbage. Smeared slightly as well. If you were to receive baseballs back in a box, I'd imagine you would have less of a chance of the sig smearing.

The next group of questions I get usually involves the types of baseballs to send out. The best choice for an autograph is the Rawlings Official Major League Baseball. They're usually $15 in stores and as low as $11-12ea on eBay or wholesale. Rawlings also makes a replica ROMLB which retails for around $7. Not a bad option and the leather sure seems comparable. The only other balls I would consider using, and often do use, are the Rawlings ROLB1 and CROLB. The ROLB1 has a nice color to it and the leather doesn't seem to allow the ink to bleed. Typically, they're $3-5 at stores. Like the Replica balls, they have the word CHINA stamped on the ball above the sweet spot. This almost always come off easily with just a piece of clear packaging tape. Press the tape on the stamp, rub it with your thumbnail, and it usually peels right off on the first try.

CROLB balls are a bit different. The CHINA stamp isn't going to come off without scuffing the ball. It's also blue which isn't great. I've only recently started using these balls and I'm curious to see how they hold up over time. There is an almost glossy coating to the balls that seems to me like it would support the ink well and prevent much bleeding. The balls are also brilliant white, which looks nice. These aren't expensive either. Usually $2-4ea at stores. A bucket of 24 at DlCK's Sporting Goods was $59 when I last looked.

I hope this helped answer some questions you might have about sending baseballs TTM. There's nothing more fun than opening your mailbox and seeing it jammed with those big fat envelopes. Having a wall covered in baseballs in cubes (sold separately unless you're buying ROMLBs) looks amazing. Remember that you're upping the ante with sending balls out. The same rule applies to baseballs as it does to anything else TTM: don't send anything that you're not prepared to not get back. I would only use quality baseballs for sigs that you pay for or really hope to have preserved 20 years from now. I made that mistake early on and now I'm about to redo a bunch on nicer balls.

Good luck!

Final note: If you see ROLB3 on a baseball, run away. Just run.

[tigersfan3]

Someone told me that you could get season tickets in the upper deck to the Jays for like $90 is this true?
You should also check out patneshek.com that is also a very helpful autograph site.

I always send a blue bic for my ttms as well.

[Browneart]

Hey Cooj,
Welcome to the site, you should learn a lot. I should give you a few Canadian points, as I am from Brampton, On. and there are a few things which will be different for you.

1. You will need to order stamps from the US Postal Service for your SASE. YOU CAN NOT USE CANADIAN POSTAGE. I use what is called the WISDOM stamp. They are $1.00 each and are sold in 20 packs. I place 5 on each SASE, which may be a little to much, but I have had some trouble getting a straight answer from the US Post as to how much I need. You can't seem to order them online, but just call their customer service and thy will put an order in that way.

2. It takes about 1 - 2 weeks for your package to get to the ballparks in the US, keep that in mind for shipping.

3. I just sent out 7 ROMLB balls yesterday, and will likely do my last mailing next Monday. Like you, I am always a little concerned about sending out to late in the year, especially with our delivery times.

4. I do include a pen. I like to keep all of my sig's looking the same. I have found that the best pen is the cheap, clear pen from Bic... you know, the see-through crappy one! Seems to work the best.

I think that will help out a bit, if you have any other questions please feel free to send me a message.

Browneart

[cooj]

Someone told me that you could get season tickets in the upper deck to the Jays for like $90 is this true?

This is definitely NOT true, it's only $81!!! lol Naturally it's only for your top deck seats but ya they are really cheap. Tough times for the blue jays :(

You can actually get the seats behind the plate (the premium seats that you see on TV) for only $250.

[cooj]

3. I just sent out 7 ROMLB balls yesterday, and will likely do my last mailing next Monday. Like you, I am always a little concerned about sending out to late in the year, especially with our delivery times.

Nice to see a fellow Canadian here! Couple of followup questions

1) Where are you buying ROMLB in Canada? I have a feeling it may be cheaper to order by the dozen from the states and ship them over.

2) Whats your success rate like? Is there anywhere I can check to see how you've done? I assume I can do this through the TTM DB but I don't think I've figured out how to track by person yet (if that is possible even)

[Browneart]

Hey Cooj,
I purchase my baseball from an American company. I know a store in Brampton that charges $200.00 canadian... I get them for like $125.00 US. The more you buy at a time, the cheaper per/ball the shipping works out to. Here is the Link.
http://www.autograph-supply.com/

As for my return rate... :)
1/12 right now. I made a mistake, sending 12 balls out before i found this website and most of the guys I sent to are not ones who sign... if only I found this site before then... but oh well. I did however get Tim Lincecum to sign, which was cool.
I don't know if you can track by person, I will have to have a look and let you know... must be a way!
I know I have my 1 success showing, and 7 pending right now that I just sent this week.

[gysot]

Here is the link for the Replica Rawlings balls. I just bought a dozen last week.

http://www.anacondasports.com/webapp...oductId=169711

[cooj]

Here is the link for the Replica Rawlings balls. I just bought a dozen last week.

http://www.anacondasports.com/webapp...oductId=169711

For some odd reason I can't seem to open that link, it keeps giving me a site error. Is there anyway you can tell me what the SKU# is? (for example an ROMLD is SKU# RO-MLB) perhaps I can search for it this way.

[cooj]

Hey Cooj,
I purchase my baseball from an American company. I know a store in Brampton that charges $200.00 canadian... I get them for like $125.00 US. The more you buy at a time, the cheaper per/ball the shipping works out to. Here is the Link.
http://www.autograph-supply.com/

Great suggestion, the site has cases as well which I was looking to buy too. I plugged in a dozen ROMLB and got a shipping rate of $35.76 -> sound about right? Was there any trouble getting these items across the border? In other words, did you get taxed at all?