Chuck's TTM Autos
Autos TTM News & Tips
Links:
News:
8/23/08: I had my best day ever. When I checked my mailbox I found 6 success inside. That beats my former recored which I set on 8/17/08 with 4 returns.
7/20/09: I had the longest return ever! A 359 day return from Yankees prospect Ian Kennedy.
Tips:
Tips:
*For glossy or chrome cards there is two ways you can make the surface "signing quality". The first one and my personal favorite is the rub it down with baby powder with your finger and then after it is good and rubbed in you just wipe it on a soft surface such a pant leg, soft bath towel, or even toilet paper. Do not think you did it wriong because you cannot see the baby powder. Trust me, it's there. Make sure you wipe it down good enough to only leave the thin layer of the baby powder that is not visible. As said to me by a veteran at this hobby, the player does not know what the white powder is, it could be left over drugs or even worse, anthrax. You do not want to cause the player a health scare. The other way to take the gloss off is to use a white or pink pencil eraser. I am not a fan of this but some people think this is the best method, it is up to you. Just rub the eraser over the card until you can get gloss off to where it is "signing quality".
*For the new recruits who want to know how to send out a ttm auto request and what to send in it I will give you a little description of what I send and what I put in the letter.
What to send:
You can send anything you want really even stuff as large as full size football helmets but it is not recommended. The most popular items are 8x10 photos, trading cards, baseballs or pucks, footballs and basketballs are going to cause shipping to be pretty high due to their size ad weight obviously, custom cards, photos taken at games or events, and some will sign but the number is decreasing blank index cards. And always include a hand-written letter to the player. I go into further details a little farther down the page.
How to send it:
I only send cards and small photos so I cannot really tell you how to send bigger items but if you are going to send cards like most people you can send it in a larger envelope, I send the letter and card(s) in a regular letter envelope. You then place a smaller envelope inside the larger envelope. You need to place a stamp on this and also pre-address it to yourself, put the return address on both envelope to yourself and always use forever stamps. I know for a fact that Target sells boxes of 100ct. 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 inch envelopes for about $.90 each box. I use these as return envelopes and they easily fit inside the regular letter envelope. If you do not send a return envelope so not expect a return. On all ttm autographs sites/forums return envelope are called SASE (Self Addresses Stamped Envelope) just for future knowledge. I normally send my cards in penny sleves because it protects the card and they cost $.4 a pice. I normally get them back about 10% of the time. I never send cards in top loaders because they arent cheap if you dont get them back. Out of all my returns I have only have one card damaged and it was only a small bent corner but it was no big deal because I could just bend it a little and it looked almost new.
What to put in letter to player:
The biggest thing you need to make sure you put in your letter is the words "please" and "thank you" they go a long way. Also make sure you address the player as "Mr." or "Mrs./Ms.". I always handwrite letters. I have heard arguments from many different people about which is better, handwritten or typed. Most will tell you that handwritten is better but it is up to you. As soon as I started writing handwritten I noticed a better and quicker response, but that is just me. I usually just tell the player a little about myself and that I am a huge fan of them and their team and that I really admire the way they play the game. I put some personal details of the player in the letter to because you do not want it to look like a form letter. Trust me, pro players know what a form letter looks like. And nicely ask them to sign your card(s) and thank them for their time because you know how busy they are. And then sign the letter in a good signature. I know that sounds stupid but it actually can bother some players to the point that they either dont sign your card or sign your card in their own terrible handwriting. If you have questions on anything let me know.
*If you don't get anything back in a week to even a month don't get discouraged. Players have other things to do just like you and me. Even if you dont get something back in a couple months, there is always hope!
*Please contact me with any questions through the Contact Us page.
*For the new recruits who want to know how to send out a ttm auto request and what to send in it I will give you a little description of what I send and what I put in the letter.
What to send:
You can send anything you want really even stuff as large as full size football helmets but it is not recommended. The most popular items are 8x10 photos, trading cards, baseballs or pucks, footballs and basketballs are going to cause shipping to be pretty high due to their size ad weight obviously, custom cards, photos taken at games or events, and some will sign but the number is decreasing blank index cards. And always include a hand-written letter to the player. I go into further details a little farther down the page.
How to send it:
I only send cards and small photos so I cannot really tell you how to send bigger items but if you are going to send cards like most people you can send it in a larger envelope, I send the letter and card(s) in a regular letter envelope. You then place a smaller envelope inside the larger envelope. You need to place a stamp on this and also pre-address it to yourself, put the return address on both envelope to yourself and always use forever stamps. I know for a fact that Target sells boxes of 100ct. 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 inch envelopes for about $.90 each box. I use these as return envelopes and they easily fit inside the regular letter envelope. If you do not send a return envelope so not expect a return. On all ttm autographs sites/forums return envelope are called SASE (Self Addresses Stamped Envelope) just for future knowledge. I normally send my cards in penny sleves because it protects the card and they cost $.4 a pice. I normally get them back about 10% of the time. I never send cards in top loaders because they arent cheap if you dont get them back. Out of all my returns I have only have one card damaged and it was only a small bent corner but it was no big deal because I could just bend it a little and it looked almost new.
What to put in letter to player:
The biggest thing you need to make sure you put in your letter is the words "please" and "thank you" they go a long way. Also make sure you address the player as "Mr." or "Mrs./Ms.". I always handwrite letters. I have heard arguments from many different people about which is better, handwritten or typed. Most will tell you that handwritten is better but it is up to you. As soon as I started writing handwritten I noticed a better and quicker response, but that is just me. I usually just tell the player a little about myself and that I am a huge fan of them and their team and that I really admire the way they play the game. I put some personal details of the player in the letter to because you do not want it to look like a form letter. Trust me, pro players know what a form letter looks like. And nicely ask them to sign your card(s) and thank them for their time because you know how busy they are. And then sign the letter in a good signature. I know that sounds stupid but it actually can bother some players to the point that they either dont sign your card or sign your card in their own terrible handwriting. If you have questions on anything let me know.
*If you don't get anything back in a week to even a month don't get discouraged. Players have other things to do just like you and me. Even if you dont get something back in a couple months, there is always hope!
*Please contact me with any questions through the Contact Us page.
