(Secret?) Stamp Prices for 2013

Note to USPS:
more baseball stamps
= MORE PROFIT!

Why does it seem that the official approval for U.S. stamp increases always get announced on a weekend?

The commission ruling on Friday (after Happy Hour?) was shared by sources like MSN on Sunday.

So the skittish decision makers can get a running headstart from possible protesters who don’t hear until Monday morning?

A one-cent increase isn’t that shocking. Even better, the USPS is doing one great move. There will be a FOREVER global stamp. Any country $1.10. I’ve seen the anguished looks postal counter workers flash when looking up the assorted rates to different countries. Plus, collector friends like Kohei Nirengi in Japan won’t have to ponder what to do about the multi-year responses from America costing more on their SASEs.

Kohei mentioned that pitcher Larry Andersen got back to him this month after a mere seven years.

Getting back to the postal service: be proud and loud. I can’t afford UPS or FedEx-ing former players. I’m not planning expecting retirees in their 80s and 90s to start e-mailing me. You’re the only game in town, in my book.

Coming Wednesday: sometimes-signers TTM.

Send Virgil Trucks Your Thanks

Mister T loving
the cards at his
birthday party.
Let’s do it again!

Do you have room for one more name on your Christmas card list? Do you have an extra thank-you card needing a home?

Thanks to the reader who mentioned the sad irony of having all of Virgil Trucks’ mail RTS-ed. There seemed to be no way to mail a note of gratitude to one of the game’s greatest ambassors.

I pointed this out to Virgil’s daughter. She replied:

Tom,

I think that would be wonderful. I know he read every get well card and was so blessed by them.
Thank you on behalf of my Dad too.
 
Carolyn
 
Here’s our chance to fire up “Fire” one last time. Please, do not ask for an autograph. No SASEs. If you’re wanting a chance to be thankful before Thanksgiving, here it is.
 
Mr. Virgil Trucks
c/o Carolyn Beckwith
55 Salser Lane
Columbiana, AL 35051
 
Thank you, everyone. Meanwhile, check out the heroic effort by James Webb. Yea! Add your name and your support to this online petition.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Be Santa For Your Mail Carrier, Collectors!

It’s time to think about holiday gift giving.

Don’t forget the person who keeps your hobby thriving: the mail carrier.

I checked with my local postmaster. Postal regulations limit carriers to accepting gifts (cash or equivalent) of no more than $20.

“What? Tip the postman? I spend a ton on postage.”

Gifts come in all forms. Do you know your carrier’s name? Have you ever gotten to thank them personally?

When I spoke to the postmaster, I said how happy I was with Angela. She treats our mail like it’s her own. She’s that careful.

Go to usps.gov. Fill out the consumer response form. Your appreciation will make a difference for your carrier, and your collection, in 2013.

Coming Friday: A way to thank Virgil Trucks!

Happy Veterans Day, Virgil Trucks

The WWII vet is still looking up!
 
He served the U.S. Army in World War II.
 
He threw two no-hitters.
 
He honored fans and collectors with untold autographs for more than a half-century.
 
Virgil Trucks is a hero on so many fronts. That’s why this last curtain call must be so hard.
 
The fabled hurler suffered a broken leg this year. Sadly, his time away from signing is becoming permanent. The update is from daughter Carolyn Beckwith:
 
“I had a long visit with Dad on Monday. He was sleeping in his recliner when I got there. He looked good and said he felt pretty good. We talked about fan mail and autographs. He has carpel tunnel in both hands and his fingers don’t have feeling in them. He has been dealing with this for quite some time. It has gotten to the point now it is hard for him to hold a pen in his hand. His autograph is not good and he feels it is time for him to end what has brought him a tremendous amount of joy, hearing from his fans.
His greatest wish has always been to be inducted into Cooperstown. He asked me to tell you, if the fans want to send a letter to Bud Selig, he would appreciate that so much.
 
Thank you Tom and please thank all of the fans for the cards and concern for my Dad.
 
Sincerely,
Carolyn”
 
Please, no more autograph requests to his Alabama home. The family has been RTS-ing mail since the injury. For those of us who received signatures, letters and encouragement from Mr. Trucks, we are grateful.

Bill Kearns Collects Maine-ly Players

“The Original One” is a
unique subset in Bill’s collection!
 
Bill Kearns is a great online ally. He provides early-breaking news on deaths for the Baseball Player Passings site on Facebook. He’s mentioned which deceased players signed for him. I wanted to know more about his unique hobby background. I’m grateful he’s provided this e-interview.
 
Q: Do you remember who (and when) your first TTM autograph came?
 
 
A: Yes it was George Bamberger. He has since died, so he gets added to that list.
We started this hobby about 11 years ago and we had about 50 baseball cards to our name. That card of Mr. Bamberger was given to us by a friend (along with about 70,000 others) and we have still beeen feeding from that large collection ever sense. But it recent years we have graduated to making photos (those that you see in BP are actually a 4×6 photo, made to make like a baseball card.)
 
 
Q: Tell me about the Maine players collection, please!
Great set…Maine certainly is not a hotbed for baseball stars but we seek them out. There are 19 living ML’ers from Maine and we have them all. The saddest is of Dan Walters, as we learned, became a San Diego police detective and was shot an paralyzed while off duty, told to us by his mother who gave us a signed card. Tought way to learn of such a tragedy.
We have many minor leaguers too. They are harder to find but keep searching
 

Q: What’s a typical letter like for you? Typed or handwritten? What do you ask to get signed? Ever ask specific questions?
A: We do so many its a standard letter, with areas to change player info, both signed by us. Son Jon will write occasional on the “real important ones” and used to write many as part of his “homework” as a youngster.

 Q: What kind of notes or letters have you gotten back?
A: We get lots of notes and letters back. We keep all of them. It kinda authenticates them. We have a pen pal Frank “The Original One” Thomas and we must have 300 multi page letters from him

Q: I saw the breaking news about Pascual Perez. Some collectors might ask, why pay attention to obituaries? It’s too late for an autograph!
A: Yes, put its good to know and often will brink back memories and perhaps that is baseball’s best quality. LIke when I read that Bob “Hawk” Taylor died this past June, I had to go for a long walk. He was my 1st baseball hero, I was about 6-7…and yah, it hurt.

Q: What advice do you have for setting hobby goals or collection types?
A: I tell all younger collectors that I know and have known, have fun, go with players that inspire you but try to do the hobby in “set” or “subsets”. For example, if you like the Red Sox, have a set of Red Sox that you can continue to work on. Like the Maine born players, players born your birthday, players that share your name, school or even subsets of players that achived a rare event…like home run 1st at bat, or even better, player 1st pitch home run…it brings in the reserch realm.

Q: How are you keeping up on addresses and other autograph news?
Many sources, addy books, on line ask friends ask players

Q: Guys who scribble their “names.” Guys who charge, or never respond. Lots of people have lists of what’s wrong with this hobby. What’s RIGHT about this hobby right now?
A: It is fun and challenging. We do alot of the older players because, they are better signers. And it brings the history factor. We go to alot of Portland SeaDogs games and hound the RedSox prospects and the in-coming teams. This past summer we got about 1,000 autographs of the SD’s (overkill) not at all because we “gift” many of them to friends in the hobby instead of trading.

Q: What’s your hobby game plan for 2013?
A: Love the old guys love the Sea Dogs…adding more autographs to sons and friends “baseball scrapbooks”. Imagine a scrapbook of autographs chalk full of players that share your name, birthday, Maine born and much more….
 

Coming Monday: News from Virgil Trucks