Additions to the Orioles Coaches Collection

As I've mentioned in the past, my Orioles' Managers & Coaches autograph collection takes a backseat to my O's player autograph collection, and rightfully so. The players collection is what started this all, and the managers & coaches collection came along as an afterthought, a logical one, but an afterthought nonetheless.

That being said, it doesn't mean that I completely neglect my mini-collection, and I still keep my eyes peeled for any of the remaining autographs I need for it. I'm pretty much down to the nitty gritty with it, so additions are rather rare these days. But every now and then, something comes along.

And I'm pretty excited about this first addition as I have been searching for one of these for a few years now, after foolishly neglecting to bid on one that sold for just a few dollars probably two years ago.

At times like these, I sometimes say to myself, how many other people out there can really want and/or need a signed Ralph Rowe Orioles postcard? I know that there can't be many of us around. After all, he never played in an MLB game, and that typically will significantly decrease the market for one's autograph. He did coach eight seasons in the majors (four each for the Twins (1972-75) & O's (1981-84)) so I guess that the other people in the market for his autograph are largely collecting coaches just like I am. Also, he passed away in 1996, so that also makes his autograph harder to track down at this point.

And while I didn't quite get this one for the $3 range that the last one that I saw sold for, I believe I got this delivered for under $15, which isn't too shabby. If you're in the market for that kind of thing, anyway.

Next up are a few signed cards that I was able to add in trades. I already had signed Orioles postcards of both of these guys, but generally like to have a signed card as well if it's available. Some may call that overkill, but I collect how I collect. What can I say?

Greg Biagini kind of holds a special place in my household, as Kalina gave me her signed O's postcard of his for my collection, and we both enjoy saying his last name (be-a-genie). Fun, right? 

During the middle of a long-time MiLB managing career, he served as the Orioles hitting coach from 1992-94 under Johnny Oates. Sadly, he passed away from kidney cancer in 2003, when he was just 51 years old.

Last up, we have Tom Trebelhorn, who was recently somewhat back in the spotlight as he is a coach for Team Italy in the WBC  and that squad had a bit of a Cinderella run during this year's tournament before being eliminated earlier this week. Tom was a long-time Orioles coach from 2001-07.

I'm not really sure where this card came from or what it is, but it certainly seems to be his only Orioles "card". My guess is that this was included in some sort of magazine or program over the years, but I can't say for sure.