1983 Donruss Diamond King Eddie Murray

Who is this? Hall of Famer Eddie Murray
What is this? An autographed card from the 1983 Donruss set
Where'd I get it? I bought it from a dealer at the autograph show in Secaucus this past weekend.
How much did it cost? $25


Why is this so special? Eddie Murray was one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history, and the best one I ever saw play. He retired with more than 3,000 hits and more the 500 home runs. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1977 and was an 8-time All-Star.

Murray spent most of his career with the Orioles, so it's fitting to have him represented in my collection with an Orioles card. However, he did play for the New York Mets for two seasons in the early 1990s - Murray hit his 400th home run while wearing a Mets uniform. Someday, I'd like to get a Mets card signed - I'm just not eager to pay his $80 signing fee to do it.

It's clear that Murray takes pride in his autograph - you can read every letter in his name.

Questionable 1983 Topps Dan Quisenberry

Who is this? former Kansas City Royals closer Dan Quisenberry
What is this? A signed card from the 1983 Topps set
Where'd I get it? I picked it up from a card show dealer who buys up collections and re-sells the cards  How much did it cost? Not much... I got it and a bunch of other cards for $5


Why is this so special? I have my doubts that this card was actually signed by Quisenberry, but I'm not familiar enough with his autograph to have an informed opinion. A look at the PSA-slabbed cards on eBay didn't do much to clarify the matter - just take a look at the variety of autographs there.

If anybody is familiar with Quisenberry's autograph, I'd welcome your opinion. I'd also be interested in seeing photos/scans of items that were signed in-person.

Quisenberry was a submarine-style closer in the early 1980s. A three-time All-Star, Quisenberry led the American League in saves five times and won five Rolaids Relief Man awards. He died in 1998 at the age of 45.

1983 Topps Traded Ron Kittle

Who is this? White Sox outfielder Ron Kittle.

What is this? An autographed 1893 Topps card, number 55T.

Where'd I get it? I have no idea.

How much did it cost? Not much.

Why is this so special? 1983 was the first year I really paid close attention to what was going on in baseball, and since he was a home run hitter who wore big clunky glasses like me Ron was one of my favorites. Ron won the AL Rookie of the Year award that year and the high-power, low-average slugger was popular with Sox fans. He had a few good years with Chicago before the injury bug hit. He was traded to the Yankees in 1986 and bounced around the American League for the rest of his career. Ron is now a motivational speaker, and I sincerely hope he's not living in a van down by the river. He has gotten Lasik or something though, and no longer wears the glasses. That makes me very sad. I have no earthly idea where I got this card, it was probably in a cheap auto box at a show or in a large lot of autographs I bought a while back. The autograph is nice but the ballpoint doesn't show up very well on the card. This auto on his superior 1983 Fleer card is much better.