Back To 100%

Considering that I haven't exactly had a ton of time for autograph collecting and/or blogging over the course of the 2013 baseball season, I consider myself pretty fortunate to still be able to say that I have an autograph of each and every one of the 966 players who has appeared in an Orioles uniform over the team's 60 years of existence.

Since I now possess autographs of all the 24 players who debuted over the course of the 2013 season, here's the breakdown for how those autographs came to be in my collection:
Obtained from player in minor leagues: 5
Obtained in-person from the player at MLB level: 5
On consignment from another collector: 3
Purchased online: 11

Quite a difference from past years when it probably would have looked something more like 30% obtained in minors, 60% obtained at MLB level, and 10% purchased. But such is the way things go when one doesn't have time to get autographs in person. Luckily, every one of the 11 autographs that I bought are certified signatures, and none were particularly expensive. In fact, most were quite cheap, which is perfect for me.

Without further ado, here are the three latest autographs that I purchased from COMC.com. (As you can see, I haven't had time to scan my own autographs yet, so I grabbed screenshots from their website. Hey, it's better than a post without pictures, am-I-right?)

Orioles #961-963

Michael Morse- options were somewhat limited since I didn't want a Nationals autograph bogging down my collection

Steve Clevenger- I would never have guessed that the Cleaver would have had a certified signature out there

Dan Johnson- there are a startling number of certified autographs of his out there; I tend to forget that he was something of a prospect back in the day

I was very pleased that all three of these autographs are on-card, and that all look pretty nice, although Clevenger's autograph leaves something to be desired. 

These three will likely stay in my collection unless I'm able to get any of these guys to sign one of my dad's custom OMC Orioles cards. Though I would guess that only Clevenger is back in the system in 2014, so that will complicate things with the other two. 

I also have a sneaking suspicion that Topps will be a jerk and include Morse as an Oriole in their 2013 Update or 2014 Series One set since he's something of a "star" although he did next to nothing during his month with the Orioles. If he is included on a Topps card than I have to add him to my need list, which I would greatly prefer not to do. 

Back to 100%! Unpossible Autograph Friday- Dick Luebke, Oriole #184

With the addition of Dick Luebke, I am (once again) back to having an autograph of every player who has appeared in a game for the Orioles, and this time, I believe all 942 of my autographs are authentic signatures. There are a few that are very difficult to confirm without sending them into a professional certification service, but that probably isn't going to happen and I'm satisfied, so I guess that's what counts.

Dick Luebke was the final signature I needed for my collection, and his autograph was very hard to track down. To the best of my knowledge, it seems like there are only a few examples floating around for sale, and none of them are cheap. Luebke was included in two card sets, 1983 Fritsch One Year Wonders and 1991 Orioles Crown, but both of them were issued well after his death in 1974. I'm very happy to have this cut autograph of his, as I have yet to see any sort of image of him during his playing days that might have been around for him to sign during his lifetime.

After pitching for about a decade in the Orioles minor league system, Dick made his O's debut on August 11, 1962 and finished out the season with the team. Over 10 MLB appearances that season, he had an 0-1 record with a 2.70 ERA, in what would prove to be the extent of his big league experience. During that following off-season, he was traded to the Reds for Joe Gaines.

I wasn't able to find a cause of death for Dick, but he passed away when he was just 39 years old in 1974. There are three factors as to why his autograph is so hard to come by; the fact that he died so young, that he passed away well before autographs became big business, and that his time in the big leagues was so limited. RIP Mr. Luebke.


While I now have autographs of all 942 players who have appeared in a game for the Orioles from 1954-2012, I am still looking for a handful of upgrades. If anyone out there can help me with any of these guys, I would really appreciate your help! I have a bunch of autographs to trade, so we might be able to help each other!

John Anderson- Orioles Crown
Luis Ayala- 2012 Topps Update
Bret Barberie- 1995 Collector's Choice, Flair, Leaf, Topps Traded, Upper Deck
Chris Brock- 2002 Upper Deck 40 Man
Mark Brown- Orioles Crown
George Brunet- 1964 Topps, Orioles Crown
Luis DeLeon- Orioles Crown
Howie Fox- 1954 Topps
Luis Garcia- 2002 Fleer Box Score, Upper Deck 40 man
Jason Hammel- 2012 Topps Update
Lou Jackson- 1964 Topps
Stan Jefferson- Orioles Crown
Mark Lewis- 2001 Pacific
Matt Lindstrom- 2012 Topps Update
Ed Lopat- Orioles Crown
Terry Mathews- 1998 Pacific Online
Darren O'Day- 2012 Topps Update
Chuck Oertel- Orioles Crown
Ronny Paulino- 2012 Topps Update
Carl Powis- Orioles Crown
Vern Stephens- 1954 Topps or Wilson Franks, 1955 Bowman
Pedro Strop- 2012 Topps Update
Joe Taylor- Orioles Crown
Valmy Thomas- Orioles Crown
Marv Throneberry- Orioles Crown
David Wells- 1996 Flair, Fleer Update, Ultra, Upper Deck Update, 1997 Fleer, Score, Topps
Jaret Wright- 2007 Topps, Topps Heritage, Upper Deck

To briefly explain the misspelled/made up title of these weekly posts: Every Friday, I profile a former Oriole who has passed away. I've substituted the word unpossible for impossible as an homage to a line from "The Simpsons". Young Ralph Wiggum, who is not very smart, says "Me fail English? That's unpossible." 

Ronny Paulino Takes Me Back to 100%

Ronny Paulino had been the only new Orioles whose autograph I needed, but that situation was remedied over the weekend. I had purchased a "lot" of Orioles signed postcards and the seller included this bonus Paulino autograph. It was a very unexpected surprise and I was really happy to add Ronny to my collection. I will say that his signature certainly leaves something to be desired but this matches up well with other examples I've seen.

Paulino became the 914th Oriole when he debuted in the second game of the season, and he has started the season off very well. He's hitting .360 over seven games, which is pretty amazing for a back-up catcher!

I would still like to get his signature in-person, but this fills a need in my collection for now.