The 1969 Cubs Autograph Project

When creating my All-Autograph Team yesterday, I included a couple of Cubs autographs of Fergie Jenkins and Billy Williams for their respected positions. Both cards were autographed originals from 1969 which happened to be an incredible season for the Cubs apart from their collapse towards the end of the year and inability to win the division (something many Cubs fans wouldn't like to be reminded of).

I don't think I've ever really talked about why I had those players autograph the 1969 cards, so I thought I'd tell a bit about this project today. It all began a couple years ago with a simple goal that ended up becoming way bigger than I thought it would be despite not quite being completed.

As I said earlier, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins were on my All-Autograph team thanks to the 1969 Topps autos I have of them, but I actually was able to get both these guys to sign TTM. It was actually my dad who, a few years ago, proposed the idea to seek out an autograph of each member of the 1969 Cubs team which was a team he watched actively growing up. I quickly realized that getting one of every player would be way too hard, so I focused on the guys included in the '69 Topps set and decided that they could sign any card, though their '69 original, if available, was preferred. 

So, my dad and I began tracking down the addresses of various Cubs from that 1969 team and started sending cards, notes, and cash (if we read the player's autograph required it) and started seeing results immediately. I remember getting Bill Hands' autograph back as one of the first TTM successes. He passed away a little over a year after getting this card back which really put everything into perspective. I really had to complete this as fast as I could.

Lee Elia retired in 1968 and didn't actually play for the 1969 team which means he's not necessarily part of the project, but I didn't realize that until after sending the card away and eventually getting it back signed. Apparently, he's currently serving as a special assistant to the general manager of the Atlanta Braves. It sure is fun to hear about what athletes are doing years and years after retirement. It's one of the joys of collecting.

My dad and I have sent many cards to Glenn Beckert ever since getting this card back with the #18 inscription just over a week after sending it out (he was, clearly, very fast to return the card). Beckert charges $2 for his autos, but he was one of my dad's favorite Cubs growing up, and since I needed his signature for the project anyway, I think it was well worth it. 

Don Kessinger has 2 things that I really, really like about him. 1. His signature is classy, well-written, and LEGIBLE, something today's players know nothing about. 2. He was a very good player for many years and certainly held his own defensively. He was a 6-time All-Star over the course of his 16-year career and even captured a pair of Gold Gloves in 1969 and 1970. 

Spangler may not have signed in blue sharpie like most do when signing a card, but his immaculate signature looks stunning in pen anyway. Also, did you know that he drove in the first run in Houston Colt .45s history? He hit a triple that scored Bob Aspromonte against his future team, the Chicago Cubs.

Reagan had some very good seasons with the Cubs and Dodgers that even earned him MVP votes in 1966 and again in 1968. He was a relief pitcher for the Cubs in 1969 where he went 12-6 and earned 17 saves while blowing just 3, an 85% save rate.

Ken Holtzman's signature is on a different card since I don't have his 1969 Topps card. He had some fantastic years throughout his career, including throwing 2 no-hitters for the Cubs in 1969 and 1971 respectively. Since the surface on this card is very different from the others, I may have to track down his '69 Topps card and send a new one to get autographed, for I don't want this auto to smudge or fade away.

And the final '69 Cubs players' autograph I have was none other than a defensive phenom. The 3rd baseman, Ron Santo, whose autograph I picked up at a card show around a year ago for a steal at $20 dollars. The card is from the Leaf Cut Signature set and appears to show Santo's signature for some kind of sculpture or Wrigley Field. Since it is cut, I don't know all the details but I don't really need to. It's a key autographed for the project.

Better yet, the card is serial numbered 4 of 10, making it even rarer and worthy of the $20 cost. I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was when I saw the price. Granted, Santo isn't super well known (and he SHOULD be), but he's still a Hall of Famer and the card is numbered to 10 copies. I would've thought at least $40, and I would've paid $40 too.

I realize that I have a ways to go in order to complete this project, including forking over big, big money for something signed by Ernie Banks, but I'm willing to do this. The project doesn't have to be super complicated. I'll just have to send cards out to guys whose addresses I can find and then just wait and see if I can get them back to get closer to obtaining an autograph of every Cub included in the 1969 Topps set.