2012’s Autograph of the Year

I added quite a few autographs to my collection in 2012, whether through the mail, trades, or in-person. Some of them were surprises to get back, others were shots in the dark that came through for me. I added some pretty big names to my collection, including former presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Olympic star Jordyn Wieber. But when it came time to decide my Autograph of the Year, there was no contest. I knew immediately who would receive that title.

Drum roll, please. My 2012 Autograph of the Year is… MIA TABBERSON! *applause, applause, etc*

I’ll get to the reasons why I chose Mia as my Autograph of the Year in a moment, but first a bit about her for those of you who don’t recognize the name. Mia was a four-year star for the Minnesota Golden Gophers volleyball team. In 2012, she started just one match, but saw action in all thirty-four matches of the season, and was crucial to the Gophers' success. She recently finished her collegiate playing career with a loss to Penn State in the Elite 8.

Mia was one of five collegiate volleyball stars to whom I sent an autograph request during last season and, to date, she is the only one to respond. I sent her two custom cards to sign, and my jaw literally dropped open when I received her reply. Let’s take a look at what she sent, shall we?



First, she signed both of my custom cards and added her jersey number 7 beneath her signature both times.

She also sent a greeting card, with a handwritten message spanning both pages on the inside of the card.

Next, she included a ticket for a 2010 match against Penn State, signed by former Gophers star Lauren Gibbemeyer. In her letter, Mia wrote “I also included an original ticket from one of my all-time favorite teammates and players. Her name is Lauren, she graduated 2 years ago and, is now playing professionally in Italy. Hopefully she will be in the 2016 Olympics!” That's cool, right there.

And the final item that Mia included that I’m going to show off was what you see in the photo above: her 2012 NCAA credentials, signed and inscribed with her jersey number. Once again, in her letter, Mia wrote: “I have included our NCAA credentials from this year. This badge was what we used to get in and out  of the gyms throughout the tournament.” I’ve received items from celebrities before, but this is, by far, the COOLEST! I’m still trying to figure out how to display it properly, as I don’t think tucking it into my book is going to work.

My warmest thanks to Mia for her generosity!!