A decent week for returns, got back two of the four items I had out in the mail...

1980 Phillies Team Photo -
I wrote former Phillies outfielder Del Unser last January and asked him to sign my 1979 team ball. As I have mentioned before, the 1980 Phillies are great signers TTM - and Unser is one of the best. Clocking in at a 95% success rate, he's pretty much a gimme (with a nice request). As Phillies fans will remember, Del Unser was a great bat off the bench for Dallas Green during the 1980 Championship season...and his great postseason is certainly one of the reasons the Phils ended up winning that season. (Note: Younger fans should definitely check out the 1980 WS highlight film to appreciate his contributions). His autograph on the 1980 team picture raises the signature total to 11 on this piece. What started as a "side project" has really taken off, and slowly becoming a favorite of mine.

Del Unser on '80 Team Picture

1965 Phillies Team Ball -
The team ball was a primary project of mine going into this offseason. Because of my dad's stories of the players he watched I am a huge fan of the Phillies teams from the 1960's. With the 1964 team ball and photo winding down, I decided to turn focus on the 1965 team. Earlier this winter I successfully acquired Ray Herbert's autograph through the mail, and this week I added Gary Wagner. Wagner was a rookie reliever during the 1965 season. He appeared in 59 games, winning 7 and saving 7.

Gary Wagner - '65 Team Ball

Still out in the mail are: 1960 Sports Illustrated with Art Mahaffey and the 1977 Team Ball with Richie Hebner...

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