2000 Topps Traded Autographs Elvin Nina

Who is this? Elvin Nina, a former pitcher who enjoyed a 10-year professional career

What is this? An autographed card from the 2000 Topps Traded Autographs insert set

Where'd I get it? I bought at a local baseball card show this weekend.

How much did it cost? $1

Why is this so special? Though Elvin Nina played professionally for 10 years, he never reached the major leagues. But he did go to high school a couple of towns over from where I grew up, and I got to see him play professionally in his final season with the Atlantic League's Road Warriors.

He has a nice, clear autograph. I wish more players took the same pride in their signature.

1992-93 Pro Set, Brett Hull

Who is this? One of the newest members to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Brett Hull

What is this? An autograph card from the 1992-93 Pro Set set

Where'd I get it? Through the mail in the early '90s

How much did it cost? Got the card in a pack plus a couple of 25 or 26 cent stamps

Why is this so special? It's Brett Hull, who was inducted into the Hall today.

Brett has 741 goals for his career, which is third all-time. He was an 8-time All Star with the Blues and Stars. He scored 50 goals in 50 games twice and is one of two players to do it more than once (some guy named Gretzky is the other). He had 33 hat tricks in his career and he led the league in scoring three times. He had more playoff power play goals than anyone else. He is the only player to score 50 goals in college, the minors, and the NHL. Plus, he has his name on Lord Stanley's Cup twice.

Basically, Brett Hull was one of the premier hockey players of his generation.

2009 Portland Sea Dogs Chris Province

Who is this? Chris Province, a pitcher for the Portland Sea Dogs

What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Portland Sea Dogs team set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Chris Province c/o his Arizona Fall League team and asked him to sign it last month. I got it back about a week later.

How much did it cost? The card was a gift from a friend, so just 88 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? I think I already mentioned that I love minor league cards.

The Portland Sea Dogs have a great logo (sea dog can mean "Any of various seals or similar marine mammals" in case you're wondering why it doesn't feature an old sailor.)

Chris Province was the Red Sox 4th round pick in the 2007 amateur draft. He has progressed through the Boston farm system and was a member of the Eastern League All-Star team this year. He doesn't have the strikeout numbers that would open eyes, but he seems to enjoy success anyway. Maybe we'll see him in the big leagues someday.

I'm not sure what to make of Chris Province's signature, but I like how he carefully placed it at the bottom of the card instead of signing over a large portion of his photo or his name.

2008 Upper Deck First Edition Josh Hamilton

Who is this? Josh Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder

What is this? An autograph card from the 2008 Upper Deck First Edition set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Hamilton at the Texas Rangers' spring training facility in February and asked him to sign my card. I got it back in the mail yesterday.

How much did it cost? The card came out of a pack, and postage was 84 cents.

Why is this so special? Josh Hamilton was the feel-good story of 2008.

Hamilton was the number one overall pick in the 1999 amateur draft, but his minor league career was derailed by drug and alcohol problems. He was out of baseball for nearly three seasons.

Hamilton found God and cleaned up his act, and he finally made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007. He hit 19 home runs in part-time duty, but was traded to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Edinson Volquez that off-season.

With the Rangers, Hamilton had an All-Star season in 2008. In the All-Star Game's Home Run Derby, Hamilton hit 35 total home runs. He finished the season with a .304 batting average, 32 home runs and an American League-leading 130 RBI.

Josh Hamilton's autograph is distinctive, but not very legible. Though to be honest, with the number of autograph requests he must get I'm grateful that he signs at all.

2008 Lancaster Jethawks Richie Lentz

Who is this? Boston Red Sox prospect Richie Lentz

What is this? An autograph card from the 2008 Lancaster Jethawks team set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Richie Lentz c/o his Arizona Fall League team, the Mesa Solar Sox, and asked him to sign my card. He returned it in about a week.

How much did it cost? The card was a gift from a friend, so just 88 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? I love minor league baseball cards. You get to see all sorts of neat logos and interesting team names. (I'm still trying to figure out what a "Jethawk" is exactly.)

Richie Lentz is a 25-year-old right-handed reliever in the Boston Red Sox organization. He's battled through a variety of injuries, including Tommy John surgery. But he still has a good strikeout rate and may be able to help out in a Major League bullpen somewhere down the road.

Lentz has a pretty good autograph for a current player. Although he has simplified things, you can still read his name.

1961 Topps Ed Bouchee

Who is this? Ed Bouchee, a first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets

What is this? An autographed card from the 1961 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Ed Bouchee and asked him to sign it last month. I got it back about a week later.

How much did it cost? Maybe 50 cents for the card, and another 88 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? This is one of the oldest cards I've ever gotten signed.

Bouchee was the runner up for the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1957, losing to his teammate Jack Sanford.

Bouchee was also an original New York Met, selected in the expansion draft following the 1961 season.

Like many older players, Bouchee clearly takes pride in his signature. You can read every letter.

2008 Allen & Ginter Casey Kotchman

Who is this? Casey Kotchman, a first baseman on the Boston Red Sox who used to play for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

What is this? An autograph card from the 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter set

Where'd I get it? Back in 2008, I wrote to Casey Kotchman c/o the Atlanta Braves and asked him to sign my card. He must be catching up on his fan mail, because I just got it back today.

How much did it cost? I probably paid a quarter for the card, and another 82 cents for postage.

Why is this so special? At the age of 26, Casey Kotchman has already played for 3 different Major League teams. The number 13 pick in the nation in 2001 hasn't quite lived up to expectations at the plate, but he's one of the best fielding first basemen in baseball. He can also say that he was traded for Mark Texieira.

Casey Kotchman's got an interesting autograph. You can clearly make out his first name, but his last name kind of trails off into a loop, for some reason.