The last week or so I have been asked about the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on autograph collecting and specifically collecting autographs through the mail (TTM). Here are my opinions on some of the top questions on everybody’s mind as Spring Training was canceled and many other sports have been postponed or suspended.
Can you get the coronavirus through the mail? In short… very unlikely.
We will also be talking about this on the Autographer’s Anonymous podcast this week. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts or here on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/autographweekly
DISCLAIMER: This video, description and cards contain affiliate links. This means if you purchase through one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support this channel and allows me to continue making videos like this. Thank you for the support!
Who are the best autograph signers through the mail for 2019? My special report is back – the TTM Hotlist, brand new for 2019/2020! I have gone through over 1,000 returns from Spring Training to bring you the absolute best guide to top autograph prospects for the remainder of 2019 and also 2020 Spring Training.
What’s up everybody, TTM Troy here with an extra-short video for you today that is just a reminder, Forever stamps in the US go from 50 centers to 55 cents on January 27! That means a roll of stamps will cost $5 more!
If you are waiting to buy stamps, don’t pay more than you have to, go buy some today!
Pass it on!
May your mailboxes be full and your stamps (however much they cost) Forever!
DISCLAIMER: This video, description and cards contain affiliate links. This means if you purchase through one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support this channel and allows me to continue making videos like this. Thank you for the support!
——- Collecting Resources and Supplies ——-
My Book on Autograph Collecting
https://amzn.to/2E7mbMV
Top Loaders and Soft Sleeve Combos
https://amzn.to/2GpN5l0
What is up TTMers and fellow YouTubers! Hope everybody is having a great start to 2019!
Part of my goals in 2019 is trying to do videos other than regular TTM videos and giving tips and tricks both about collecting, creating videos, sharing your collection and other things. Today I want to tell you about this fun site I found last year. After attending Vidcon a couple of years ago and hearing about them at a panel, I checked out a site called Social Bluebook (SBB), that lets you enter i your social media profiles and get a “value” on what a tweet, post or video from you might be worth to an advertiser.
The site is at http://socialbluebook.com.
This site is completely different than some of the other sites on the Internet to “know your worth” – this one actually gives you tools to help you contact brands and advertisers once you get your numbers.
But anyway, to be honest, I was just playing around at the time I first joined, but it did give me an idea.
Using the numbers I had for my youtube channel and twitter account, I managed to negotiate discount on a couple of booths at both a celebrity convention and a sports card show. Then I came back to SBB and actually subscribed so I could put in ALL of my social media profiles. After that I used all of my profiles and managed to strike a deal for free shipping for my cool new backdrop for my videos!
When you sign up initially, you can put in one of your social media URLs for free. To be able to put in multiple accounts, you have to pay a subscription – I bought a full year for a little over $50.
I really recommend SBB for any creator – small or large – to just get a feeling of what type of value a post or video is “worth.” You might be able to negotiate with a local business, or even an international business – but if you don’t know your social media values, you are going to have a hard time. SBB makes it easy and I think they will continue to be a major player in what they call “influencer” marketing.
So for us TTMers you might be able to convince a local card shop to give you a pack or hobby box of a new release if you tweet or do a video about their business. Or, maybe like I did, free admission to a local card show. Whether you have 100 subscribers or 10,000 – it helps you to know what the industry standard is – because they have so many people on the service actually doing deals.
Definitely recommend them! I’m a paying member of their site! I did receive a small stipend for SBB for telling my story here, but even before, I paid for the annual subscription, so it is something I really think people will find valuable, even if you only enter in your one profile. #sponsored
What is up everybody, here is a report I did listing the top 200+ current baseball players who signed during Spring Training this year! I went through thousands and thousands of TTM autograph returns posted to social media, and came up with over 1100 successes representing these 200 players alone. This list should be good for 2018 and even 2019 Spring Training!
If you like this video, and want to see a list like this every year, please like, share comment and of course subscribe. Most of all, share the list!
DISCLAIMER: This video, description and cards contain affiliate links. This means if you purchase through one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support this channel and allows me to continue making videos like this. Thank you for the support!
Hey everybody! I’ve had a bunch of emails the last month or so asking about updating my recommendation for a good photo printing service – so here it is! If you hadn’t heard, the photo service I recommended in a video last year and in my book has been refusing to print photos because of some trouble that happened on eBay – so many collectors out there have been asking where to print photos these days.
My advice: artscow.com. I recommended them to a couple of friends, and other than being a little expensive on the shipping side, they have turned out great. So that is my recommendation – at least for now.
Happy Father’s Day if you are celebrating, and please like, share, comment and subscribe – it makes me feel good! Thanks everybody and we’ll talk to you later!
Hey everybody, with spring training around the corner I thought I would share something to help you get your autos on the exact spot you want them. I have seen a lot of versions of this type of thing, and by far the best one in terms of quality is Sweet Spot Jacket! They were nice enough to send me one when I wanted to review them for my book, so thought I would do a video as well!
By putting a ball into the jacket, you can only expose the sweet spot of the baseball, which makes it nearly guaranteed a player will sign in the right spot! You can lower it down to a player (if you are above) by using the included carabiner and string, and attaching a pen or sharpie to the loop.
I highly recommend using this type of a holder for IP, and this manufacturer is simply the best – they are nice to deal with and a family company based in Connecticut. You can find them at sweetspotjacket.com
Check them out! Also please like, share comment and subscribe – let me know if you are going to Spring Training in AZ or Florida!
We covered ordering prints in a previous video – but how do you find the best images without them coming out pixelated? Check out this video to find out how to use Google Images to get the best quality images for your prints!
In today’s TTM Tip, I show you first hand what happens over the years to photos signed with a “gold pen” if not stored properly! This is less of an issue for newer signatures in gold and silver sharpie, but it could still happen! I also give my advice for long-term 8×10 storage in this episode of Troy’s Tuesday TTM Tips!
