I haven’t been able to make many additions to my New York Mets autograph collection, for a variety of reasons.
At last count, I have a signed baseball card for 881 of 975 players who have appeared in a game for the Mets. Many of the ones I’m missing have passed away.
Original Mets infielder “Hot Rod” Kanehl falls into that group – he died of a heart attack in 2004.
A career minor leaguer, Kanehl impressed Casey Stengel with his hustle – he once scored from second base on a wild pitch. Kanehl is also the answer to a trivia question – he’s the first Mets’ player to hit a grand slam. While his talent level never allowed him to be more than a fan-favorite, Kanehl made the most of his three years with the Mets.
Kanehl signed this card through the mail for my friend Jeff, who decided that my collection would be a better home for it.
PaulHadsall.com 
Who produced “Swell” baseball cards? I’ve never heard of them before.
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The copyright notice is (c)CMC 1990, but there is also mention of a “Phila. Chewing Gum Corp.” on the back. I remember the set being sold via wax packs in hobby shops, but it was an oddball series that wasn’t too popular at the time… at least in my area.
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Paul, I have a 1979 Topps Gene Clines autograph if you’re interested. I would be willing to trade for an Athletics autograph or just a stack of Athletics.
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Hi Gary,
Thanks for the offer, but I was able to get Gene Clines to sign a copy of his 1976 Topps card through the mail in 2009.
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correction…it is a 1976 Topps.
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