1969 Topps Jim Hannan

Who is this? former Washington Senators pitcher Jim Hannan
What is this? An autographed card from the 1969 Topps set
Where'd I get it? Nick from Baseball Happenings got it signed for me last year

Why is this so special? Jim Hannan is a Jersey City, NJ native who pitched in the major leagues for ten seasons between 1962 and 1971. He spent most of his career with the Senators, but also pitched for the Brewers and Tigers before retiring.

In 273 appearances - mostly out of the bullpen - Hannan had a 41-48 record with a 3.88 lifetime ERA.

Though Hannan's handwriting is not especially neat, you can clearly read his name.

1969 Topps Andy Etchebarren

Who is this? Former Baltimore Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren

What is this? An autographed card from the 1969 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed after a game between the York Revolution and Newark Bears earlier this month.

How much did it cost? I spent $2 for this card, which is a little much since it has several creases and a thumbtack hole that are much more noticeable in person than on a scan.

Why is this so special? Etchebarren had a 15-year major league career, mainly with the Baltimore Orioles. He was a two-time All-Star and played in four World Series, winning two rings.

According to Etchebarren's Wikipedia page, he was the last batter to face Sandy Koufax in a major league game.

More recently, Etchebarren was a coach on the Atlantic League's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs during their first two seasons. Last year, he took over as the manager of the York Revolution after Chris Hoiles stepped down mid-season.

Etchebarren's signature isn't too bad, but I've never seen anybody else write a capital "E" quite like that.

1969 Topps Don Shaw

Who is this? Don Shaw, an original Montreal Expo

What is this? An autographed card from the 1969 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Shaw and asked him to sign it for me earlier this month. I got it back today.

How much did it cost? Around a dollar for the card and postage costs

Why is this so special? Don Shaw's major league career wasn't spectacular -- he played for four different teams over five season, appearing in 138 games and earning a 13-14 record with a lifetime 4.01 ERA.

He has a unique claim to fame - he won the very first game in Montreal Expos history. The victory came at the expense of his former team, the New York Mets, on April 8, 1969.

The card is another great example of the Topps airbrushing skills common in the 1960s and 70s. Shaw was number 182 that year, so there weren't any photos of players in Expos uniforms when it was produced. I wonder if the card company even knew what the hats would look like.

Instead of showing Shaw's blue Mets cap, the airbrush artists decided to black everything out but the bill. If they'd only left the orange NY logo, we'd have the forerunner of the Mets' current alternate cap. :)

Shaw has a small, quick signature. It's easier to read on a lighter background, but his first name gets a little lost here because he signed in ballpoint.

1969 Topps Larry Stahl

Who is this? Larry Stahl, a former major league outfielder for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds

What is this? An autographed card from the 1969 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Larry Stahl and asked him to sign it; I got it back about a week and a half later.

How much did it cost? Approximately $2, between the cost of the card & postage.

Why is this so special? Check out the "state-of-the-art" Topps airbrushing here. That is clearly a Mets cap with the logo erased. I thought about saving it to post on my blog, but it's not really a Mets card.

Larry Stahl was an original San Diego Padre, selected as the 26th pick in the Oct. 14, 1968 expansion draft. Topps didn't have a chance to take new photos for the first Padres cards.

Stahl stuck around in the big leagues for 10 years, including four in San Diego, but he never had 350 plate appearances in a single season. He finished his career with a .232 lifetime average, 36 home runs and 163 RBI.

While Stahl's autograph is easy to read, I don't think he got gold stars for penmanship when he was in school.

1969 Topps Dennis Ribant

Who is this? Dennis Ribant, a pitcher for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds (but not the Kansas City Royals) in the 1960s

What is this? An autographed 1969 Topps card

Where'd I get it? Dennis Ribant signed and returned a card that I mailed to him.

How much did it cost? 40 cents for the card, plus 84 cents postage

Why is this so special? Ribant had an unspectacular career in the Major Leagues, but he was the first Mets starting pitcher to finish a season with a winning record. In 1966, Ribant went 11-9 for a team that finished at 66-95. It was his best season in the big leagues. 

This card is interesting because Ribant never played a single regular season game for the Royals. After the 1968 season, Kansas City purchased Ribant from the Detroit Tigers. He went to spring training with them in 1969, and Topps managed to get his photo for this card. However, before Opening Day, the Royals sold Ribant to St. Louis.

Ribant has a nice, clean signature. You can make out every letter of his name. Try to do that with some modern players.