Signed Terry Collins 2011 Topps Heritage card from my collection
Even if you’re not lucky enough to make it to a lot of baseball games, you can still collect autographs from the players on your favorite team. If you write to them and send them a baseball card to sign, a number of players will sign autographs through the mail.
Most stars – players like David Wright and Johan Santana – receive too much fan mail to keep up with it. But others – like manager Terry Collins – try their best to send back autographs. Your chances improve even more with retired players like Buddy Harrelson and Ed Kranepool. Writing to prospects while they’re still in the minor leagues is also a good way to increase your odds of success.
If you think you’ll write a lot of letters, I recommend a subscription to SportsCollectors.Net. For $15 a year, you gain access to a database that will let you know which current and former players are likely to sign for collectors, and which ones generally don’t. The database also includes home addresses for some players, helpful if you want to write to someone that’s not currently involved in the game. If you’re primarily interested in retired players, though, I’d also suggest buying Harvey Meiselman‘s address list.
If you’re just interested in current players, the best place to write to them is care of their team. Here are some addresses for Mets fans: (End of season/off-season note: For best results, do not send mail to teams during the off-season… in most cases, it will be returned to you or allowed to sit until the player comes to claim it – likely at the beginning of next season.)
signed R.A. Dickey 2011 Topps card from my collection
New York Mets
Citi Field
123-01 Roosevelt Ave.
Flushing, NY 11368
Las Vegas 51s
Cashman Field
850 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Binghamton Mets
P.O. Box 598
Binghamton NY 13902
St. Lucie Mets (this is also the Mets’ spring training address)
Tradition Field
525 NW Peacock Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Savannah Sand Gnats
P.O. Box 3783
Savannah GA 31414
Brooklyn Cyclones
MCU Park
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11224
Kingsport Mets
P.O. Box 1128
Kingsport TN 37662
You should include three things with your request
- Your letter (keep it short, and though it seems obvious make sure you remember to say “please” and “thank you”)
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope (if you use a Forever stamp, you don’t have to worry about future postage increases if the player doesn’t respond right away)
- Something that you want signed (don’t send anything too valuable – there’s no guarantee that you will get it back.)
Signed Andy Marte baseball card from my collection
Most current baseball cards have a glossy finish, which makes them difficult to autograph. (Topps Heritage and Allen & Ginter are the notable exceptions.)
You can use a white plastic eraser (available at art supply stores and many office supply stores) to remove enough of the gloss to allow the card to be autographed. If you don’t, your newly-signed card will probably turn out like this Andy Marte card.
Other collectors suggest rubbing baby powder on glossy cards to remove enough of the coating to allow the signature to “take.” I’ve tried it, but I prefer the eraser trick.
Older baseball cards – anything produced prior to the mid-1990s – should not present a problem.
If you’re trying to get autographs from players who don’t have easily-obtainable baseball cards, you can buy generic “Autograph Cards” or send blank index cards. Just be aware that the MLB Players Association and player agents typically advise players not to sign blank items because of potential identity theft concerns.
I think that the Autograph Cards turn out nicely when signed.
Autograph Card signed by Jack Leathersich from my collection
Good luck, have fun and remember to have patience – I’ve gotten cards back years after I sent them out.
I got David West and Chuck Taylor baseball cards signed in the mail last week my first of the new year. Hope to have a good spring training response this year from Mets camp.
Very nice. I hope we all do well, though I think I’m only writing to about 6-8 players at Mets camp this year.
today I rec a 1973 Phil Henningan signed card . 1 more Met
Nice
Paul, gotta say thank you for this oroginal post about TTM. I started around May of last year,mostly 3 category of cards 76t,77t and anything Mets,well to date I’ve gotten over 300 returned. Thanks again Bill
You’re welcome, Bill. It looks like you’re doing really well.
Did everyone here send these autographed cards to be signed or did they send you the cards themselves? Also, which address(s) above were used for an autographs success? Thanks so much for your input!
It’s always best to send something that you want signed. Some may have their own cards, postcards or photos to send out, but you improve your chances if you make it easier for them.
Also, how can I find out which players card to send to which address? Thanks so much again!
You can write to current players or coaches care of their team during the season. Check the team web page for a roster if you need to.
Just received an Andy Benes 1992 USA Topps card back signed in 7 days. I had a friend that met him in St. Louis: really nice guy he said. Waiting for others to come back from spring training.
Congratulations. I hope you start getting cards back from spring training soon
My through-the-mail efforts have not provided any results thus far. However, the trip my daughter and I made last week to the Giants training camp yielded more than 24 signatures including: Matt Cain, Hunter Pence, Sergio Romo, and Ryan Vogelsong. By the way, all of the guys who signed veterans, rookies, and prospects were extremely friendly.
Very nice to hear – hopefully you’ll start seeing some results at the mailbox too. So far, I’ve already gotten about a quarter of the cards back that I sent out.
can someone help me out with a address for cardinals first baseman Jack Clark
I don’t have a current address for Jack Clark. The one in this year’s Harvey Meiselman list is being reported as invalid on SportsCollectors.Net. That site only reports a 13% success rate, with the last one recorded in 2011.
Could someone help me out to find Jodi Davis address from the Cubs.
The Gainesville, Ga. address that I have has been generating “Return to Sender” responses since last year. Maybe someone else has a more current one?