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Custom Signed Apron Cards

spiroagnew

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I'm a pretty big autograph nerd...getting literally hundreds of signatures from the New York Islanders hockey club, B-list celebs and old school WWF wrestlers. My basement (where the pins are) has the Islanders stuff displayed, and our half-bath on the main floor is plastered almost floor to ceiling with a selection of celebs/wrestlers. I cut my own mats and do my own framing, so I save a bit in that respect...don't have to pay the insane framing prices at Michaels or a gallery store. Never thought of signed pin stuff until my wife won that signed Metallica translite. Decided to write to Pat Lawlor to sign a custom apron card for my FH...I think it came out pretty good and it looks alright displayed on the apron too. Mr. Lawlor was great...he emailed me upon getting my correspondence, thanked me for the kind letter and said that he'd drop the apron card into the mail the next day (as in all cases when requesting a sig, you include a SASE). A Steve Ritchie card is out in the mail now...however, he wanted some financial lubrication for the autograph (it didn't surprise me that he wanted me to cough up some dough, as he charges at shows and his website almost exclusively sells signed memorabilia at premium prices). With TAF on the way into the collection, I may do up another card for Mr. Lawlor to sign...I'll include a fee equal to Mr. Ritchie's even though it doesn't seem like he wants one...I don't want it to look like I'm taking advantage of his good nature. It'll buy him his daily coffee for the week, or he can donate it to a good cause. Thought I'd share, and I'll post the others as/when I get them.

fhphoto2.jpg
 

DRANO

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That's pretty cool Rob.
If I ever get out to expo I will definitley be bringing some translites or apron cards.
Pat seems like a pretty good guy all around from various stories I've heard and interviews.

Just curious, how did SR request to be paid? Did he just email you back and say "send me money"?
 

mwong168

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DRANO said:
Just curious, how did SR request to be paid? Did he just email you back and say "send me money"?

My guess would be paypal with SR reminding him to check off "send as gift" :lol:
 

spiroagnew

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I emailed through the SR website to get his mailing address and assumed he'd want some sort of renumeration judging by the prices of signed flyers on the site. SR replied himself was short and to the point...send cash.

It totally jives with the preconcieved notions I had drawn about the two designers...just from reading/listening to interviews, studying game design and whatnot. I'm sure it has been rehashed on RGP and Pinside over the years, but Ritchie and Lawlor are an excellent study in opposites (personality, philosophy, design approach, etc.).
 

DRANO

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That's pretty sweet.
Wish I'd thought of it ;)

I would love to meet Dennis one day. He does seem pretty cool.
 

spiroagnew

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New arrival for the new machine in the mail today. In just over two weeks, I received my signed apron card back from CFTBL designer John Trudeau. Wrote him care of Stern. Didn't include any money, but wrote a glowing letter to send with the apron card. Not only did he use a green metallic pen to match the green on Creech for the signature, he added a "P.S." on the back referencing upcoming Mustang/Walking Dead projects. Also included a hand-written letter on lined paper sharing his home address and an offer sign the Creech translite if I sent it to him. In my letter I never asked about the possibility of a sig on the translite, it was Mr. Trudeau's offer, and a generous one at that. Class act all the way.

trudeaucard.jpg


Next up is to track down an address for Python Anghelo...I'd like a signed apron card for Pinbot. I could write Barry Oursler since he is credited as the "designer", but I'd rather keep autographs of talentless second-rate hacks out of my collection :cool:
 

DRANO

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That's pretty cool.

Now lay off poor Barry ;)
I love my Grand Lizard... and the cheesy Anghelo backglass is probably the worst part of the pin. But he'd sure be a hoot to talk to. Seems pretty kooky!
 

spiroagnew

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DRANO said:
Now lay off poor Barry ;)
I love my Grand Lizard...

Grand Lizard is the EXACT SAME LAYOUT as his Solar Fire five years earlier, which was itself was a direct ripoff of Black Knight's layout. Don't get me started on the Pinbot/Dr Who/Jackbot paradox. Don't know why he bothers me so much: when Lawlor makes the same game over and over again, it's genius. Yet when Oursler does it, it's straight robbery.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DRANO

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Nov 15, 2012
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spiroagnew said:
DRANO said:
Now lay off poor Barry ;)
I love my Grand Lizard...

Grand Lizard is the EXACT SAME LAYOUT as his Solar Fire five years earlier, which was itself was a direct ripoff of Black Knight's layout.

Pfft! BK doesn't even have a baboon spinner ;)

I have a love/hate thing going on with Lawlor... but at least he steals from himself.
What you need is a Stern Lightning!!! :D