So here is what I bought with my Brendan Gallagher Loot - Part 6

So the posts on this topic are dwindling down and the last two are both fun ones. The 10-11 rookie year in my opinion is one of the best since 07-08. You have Hall, Eberle, Skinner, Seguin, and Subban just to name a few. With that many awesome rookies, I was missing a few key ones from my collection. I have done well nabbing some interesting ones over the years including an Eberle from the 10-11 Certified set which is one of my favourites. What I really like about this set is unlike MANY products which feature rookie memorabilia, these ones are actually GAME USED! Sure the autos are stickers but you need to remember this stuff came out really early in the season so to have game used stuff right off the bat is pretty awesome.

10-11 Panini Certified Jeff Skinner Auto Rookie Parallel Red /100

One of the players I have been missing from my collection was a mid-range Jeff Skinner rookie. I also didn't have any of his autographs yet so when I saw this beauty up for auction, I knew I had a fair bit of funds left to try and go after it. It turns out, I didn't have to go any where near my max! This rookie is numbered out of 100 and features a cool auto with his number 53. Funny thing is there have been a number of other players to have worn 53 in the NHL before including Khabibulin, Chara and Derek Morris.

After winning the Calder, Skinner had slumped a bit in years two and three but this year he is on a tear. Last night he scored his first career hat trick and is on pace to put up another 30 goal season despite missing 11 games already due to injury. What sometimes gets easily forgotten is Skinner is only 21 years old and he has an incredible future ahead of him as he keeps developing.

So here is what I bought with my Brendan Gallagher Loot - Part 1

So I did very well on the sale of my 12-13 Artifacts Brendan Gallagher Auto Rookie /99. I wanted to make sure that when I bought cards with that money I was going to accumulate a batch of cards that exceeded my interest in the card that I sold. If I could do that, then in my opinion I feel like I went ahead on the transaction. So, here are the cards I landed and yes I feel in the end, I am further ahead.

11-12 The Cup Adam Henrique Auto Rookie / 249

The was a beast off the want list. While the patch is insanely dull, the auto is large and crisp and it is the pinnacle of Henrique rookies as far as most collectors go. It is worthless because of the patch? Not in my eyes, but many collectors shied away from this auction as it sold for well less than half the price another Henrique did at the same time with a nicer swatch. Really happy to gain this card and there was plenty of money left over to land some more gems, stay tuned!

07-08 BAP Matt Niskanen Auto

When injuries occur, opportunity presents itself. First opportunity for Matt came when Pittsburgh fleeced Dallas in the Neal and Niskanen trade for Goligoski. In hindsight, this trade should have been Niskanen for Goligoski but alas Neal is the player he is because of self-growth and having a decent centre. 

Still, that didn't help Niskanen as much as Letang going down with injury. Letang getting hurt made Matt the go-to powerplay defenseman and he made it count! As of today, Matt has 9 points in 15 games and is an impressive +11. He is on pace for nearly 50 points and is 6th in scoring on the Pens and he is their highest scoring d-man. Will he maintain this pace? Who knows, probably not but I would be willing to bet he could be in the 35-40 point range which isn't bad by today's standards. 

07-08 BAP Matt Niskanen Auto

This is a rookie year auto of Matt Niskanen I bought in the summer with a few other cards in a self-made lot. I paid about a buck for it and seeing his success so far this season makes it that much more fun in the collection! As far as his rookies go, I am not sure if I have any or not. Might be worth a look.

12-13 Sp Game Used Pack Hit

Way back in the spring/early summer I bought a box of 12-13 Artifacts and a pack of 12-13 Sp Game Used. I have been meaning to share the contents of the pack but it just kept being put on the back burner so I am just going to share the hit and put that puppy to rest. 

The pack was a success in my opinion. With pack prices approaching 30 dollars, they aren't cheap and the guarantee of a hit isn't always a comfort which is why I have avoided this product in the past. I don't mind paying the money if I know what I am getting is awesome, but 30 dollars for an event used card of Bob Bourne isn't exactly awesome. So given this was bought with a pile of trade in stuff I thought I would take a chance.

My pack had a few base cards and a super thick card in the center which turned out to be a REDEMPTION....arrrrgh! But upon reading the redemption I was relieved to see it would be something pretty cool and here it is:

12-13 SP Game Used Draft Day Marks Casey Cizikas /35

While I am not an Isles fan or Cizikas super collector, I do like getting a rookie year auto card of an everyday NHL'er who did play for Team Canada at the WJHC. Casey really impressed me last year by playing some solid NHL minutes and putting up 15 points in 45 games. During the playoffs he stepped it up even more scoring 2 goals and 2 assists in his 6 games series against the Pens. I was very pleased to land this card and I think I will be holding on to this one for a long time.

Childhood Idol TTM Success - John MacLean

While this return too a pretty long time to get to me, it was MORE than worth it. Check out the rest of the post on Dirty Dangle. 

The New Guy's 05-06 The Cup Gold Rookie

Maybe the most iconic set in the last decade is the 05-06 The Cup Set. Iconic for the fact that it was the premier of the ultra high-end hockey set and iconic for the cards you can pull. Rookies of many superstars thanks to a dual rookie class and many current NHL all-stars can call that their rookie year. Crosby, Ovechkin and Getzlaf just to name a couple. One that may get forgotten as a member of the historic rookie class is a guy that the Devils acquired as a free agent, Rostislav Olesz. With our busy off-season, much attention has been given to Clowe, Ryder and Jagr. However, given our weakness along the right side, Olesz could sneak his way onto the third or fourth line. He is a very solid two-way forward with some offensive upside. He did score 19 points in 14 AHL games last season and he was a former 7th overall pick. 

05-06 The Cup Gold Rostislav Olesz Rookie /85

Beacuse of the ultra high price per box of this stuff, common rookies even have high prices! This gold parallel actually books for $100 and I got is for less than a Blaster. What I like about the card other than the awesome gold foil is it actually is my first 05-06 The Cup card. I know I will never buy a box of this stuff ($1400 is a little steep) and even singles like Crosby and Parise are insanely priced. However, here is a 05-06 The Cup card featuring a Devil, it's a gold parallel and affordable.

Are there any 05-06 The Cup Rookies in your collection? Do you want any? Other than Crosby or Ovechkin I wouldn't mind getting a few more someday if the price is right.

Three 12-13 SP Game Used Auto Rookies

Here is a lot that is a few months old but better late than never. As many of you know I can't get enough of autographed rookies and SP Game Used had a nice parallel set to the base which featured all autographs. Surprisingly the auto versions of the rookies are far more plentiful than their unautographed base counterparts. Each rookie is numbered to their jersey number and the autographed parallels were unnumbered.

12-13 SP Game-Used Auto Tyson Barrie 

By far the best of the three so far. Tyson was a Team Canada World Junior which is why I had interest in his card and I did hit him as well in my 12-13 Artifacts box. Tyson had 42 points last season when you combine the AHL and NHL in 70 games which is pretty solid for a defenseman. Given the weak defensive corps in Colorado I would suggest he will be getting lots of ice time this season.

12-13 SP Game-Used Auto Cody Goloubef

Got beef? Cody is another Team Canada World Junior and unlike Tyson isn't as offensively talented. Still he is a pretty decent kid with some potential at being a solid defenseman, but I expect a regular NHL'er and not an all-star. Still nice to add another Team Canada player to my collection.

12-13 SP Game-Used Auto Maxime Sauve

Maxime is now a Blackhawk and he speaks French well because he was born in France and grew up in Quebec. I think he auto isn't very special, but he did wear the number 74 which is pretty neat. He could be a bachelor and I suspect he might also like Pepsi. To be honest, I only grabbed this because it made my lot extra cheap and it is actually for trade if anyone wants it.

Minor PC Addition and some Preds

So with the sale of my damaged David Clarkson The Cup Gold I was able to buy the Henrique /99 from the previous post and this following lot. I had offered the selling half his asking price and he took it. I suspect because I was buying multiple lots from the guy he was very giving on his end. 

11-12 Ryan Ellis Certified Rookie /299

 Ryan Ellis is a bit of a minor PC for me. I loved this kid in Junior and even though he is trapped in Nashville I am still a fan and hope someday the Devils might be able to steal him away. He is an amazing offensive defenseman and I don't doubt he will be playing for Team Canada again someday too. Love the guy and the set, this card was a no-brainer.

11-12 UD Ice Ryan Ellis Rookie /1999

As I mentioned before, I dislike what UD did with the ICE brand pretty much putting no effort into the cards. But at the same time they do hold a nice "value" to them and getting an Ellis is an added bonus. My whole reason for the lot was the first card. Every other card in this lot was free so I don't mind getting this one for nothing.

11-12 Crown Royale Gabriel Bourque Rookie

 11 goals in 34 games last season does give me hope he will be an everyday NHL player, but I doubt he will put up many more than Phil Bourque's 22 goals in a season.

11-12 Panini Contenders Jeremy Smith Rookie /999

 Jeremy Smith is definitely facing an uphill battle with Nashville having Rinne already between the pipes. However, he has been a very good goalie at the AHL level and may someday find a new home as an UFA and get a legit NHL shot. Still waiting for his first NHL start in the meantime.

11-12 Crown Royale Roman Josi Auto Rookie

 This might be the diamond in the rough as far as the lot goes. Nashville seems to have no problem nabbing amazing defenseman and Josi is another example. Roman just signed a 7 year extension with the Preds and some are hailing it as a pretty great deal. He may never be a Norris candidate or a HOF'er but he will be a very solid top 4 defenseman on pretty much any club in the league.

11-12 Crown Royale - Jeremy Smith Rookie

We have seen Jeremy before, now it looks like I am becoming a super collector of his. (Not really, if you want one let me know I will gladly trade one away).

So two Ellis', a Roman Josi and a few others all for 8 dollars. I call that a successful purchase!

Some good news out of Devils land

In what I would call one of the strangest summers in Devils history, I finally received some news that I felt was post worthy as it plays a huge factor in my collection as well. As many of you know, I am a Devils fan during both good times and bad and seeing two of my favourite players take off (Clarkson and Kovy) has made the summer a little tougher. I have tried to turn this into a positive and I have had huge success online selling some of my Clarkson cards. To date, I move both my The Cup Rookies as well as my Game Used Spectrum which has allowed me some serious online spending. I am going to celebrate my sales and my team's recent signing in the next several posts. Here are some of the loot that I have landed thanks to my eBay sales!

I also want to point out that Adam Henrique will be a PC of mine as he will be a Devil for 6 more seasons and given he has scored more important goals than many players in Devils history this clutch kid is a no-brainer for me to collect seriously.

11/12 Rookie Anthology Rookie Treasures Adam Henrique /99

Here is my first huge landing in the Henrique world. This is without a doubt one of his finer and more valuable rookies and it is pretty cool that it is numbered 66/99. I love the two colour seam piece with a standard black swatch below. Too bad it isn't including his number 14 in the auto but I guess that is because he signed a huge sheet of stickers early in the NHL season.

11-12 Certified Adam Henrique Rookie /499

One of my favourite products released in 2011-12 was Panini Certified and their rookies are some of the nicest cards in my opinion. A great large swatch with foil board and an auto. I actually landed two of these cards but one of the sellers contacted me and basically said you won it for too cheap so I am selling it to a friend. A true shame because it was a pretty awesome black swatch which I thought would look awesome with the red one in my collection. At least one of my sellers was honest and sent me the one you see above. Adam's sophomore slump and wrist injury have brought many of his rookies down in value and made collecting him a bit more affordable so I am hoping to scoop up low and enjoy them as he gets back to his rookie year form.

So here is the first a few posts based on my eBay sales, stay tuned for some good vintage and another PC lot pickup. 

08-09 SPX Patric Hornqvist Auto Rookie

I have had some success on eBay and sold a couple items and I have some purchases based on those sales to share very soon, really just need the time as they have already arrived. Here is another auto rookie pick up in the meantime:

08-09 SPX Patric Hornqvist Auto Rookie

Here is a gem I found that Nashville actually drafted with their last pick in the 2005 Entry Draft. I am not sure if Hornqvist is the best every player picked last overall in a draft but he must be close if he isn't! Only four players selected in the first round have more career goals than he does and Nashville has him locked up for another 5 years and I hope he continues to grown put up his customary 25+ goals a season.

I think I like him so much because he is a quiet player that just goes about his business and doesn't need to cause a scene. I also really like the fact the it goes to show anyone can be a superstar and it isn't just limited to first round picks!

08-09 UD Ultimate Jakub Voracek Auto

So not long after Jakub found himself in Philadelphia, I decided to try and write him for an autograph. Since Jakub is a former Moosehead player, I did cheer for him in junior and I really wanted him to succeed at the NHL level. His first couple seasons certainly showed he had much to learn at the NHL level but this past season was an amazing one which saw him score 22 goals and 46 points in 48 games. The 22 goals was a career high and I am very interested in seeing what he will do with a full NHL season this coming year.

After about a year and a half I have given up on my TTM request and I did find this little rookie year auto for about the same price I paid to send my TTM request.

08-09 UD Ultimate Ultimate Signatures Jakub Voracek

The card itself features a nice on-card auto with black sharpie. He signs his name and number on the card which all look very elegant if you ask me, but I doubt I can read much of it.

Despite my possible TTM rejection, I still wish Jakub the best and I hope someday he makes it across the turnpike into NJ and plays for the Devils. His skill and style certainly reflect a player who knows both ends of the ice and has a knack for scoring and setting up goals. For those who didn't know, Voracek was in a pretty serious car crash this past May in the Czech Republic but all reports say he was fine and will be all systems go to start the NHL season this fall.

5 Card 09-10 OPC Premier Auto Rookie Lot /299

Here is a lot of 5 09-10 OPC Premier rookies I was able to steal online. In all they set me back less than a blaster including shipping. 

Personally, I think the 09-10 OPC Premier rookies are some of the nicest products Upper Deck has put out in the last decade but the product did have a high pack price (approaching 200 with tax) and the resale on these was always lower than I thought it should be. Rookies are swatched up and numbered to 299 and in most cases feature a nice gold auto. I did however see silver autos on occasion which I don't think are intentionally short printed or anything like that. It is worth pointing out I have seen Leino autos with gold marker so it isn't like his are all silver either. 

I also want to point out when I first saw the 11-12 Panini Prime Rookies I immediately thought of this particular release.

09-10 OPC Premier Ville Leino Rookie /299

The least significant of my 5 rookies is Ville. I am not sure what his signature actually is; but it sort of reminds me of a nice cursive "y". Ville cashed in on an amazing post-season with the Flyers and really hasn't done much since. If he is hoping to remain in the NHL he better step up his game soon.

09-10 OPC Premier Viktor Stalberg Rookie /299

 Unlike some Leafs prospects, he hasn't exactly burned up the NHL after leaving the Buds which is good for Toronto and bad for Viktor. However, he did post 22 goals in his last full NHL season and he just got his first Cup ring which is pretty stellar. Is he a 20 goal guy? This season should show us if that is true or not.


09-10 OPC Premier Michal Neuvirth Rookie /299

What a nice signature! Name and number all present and very elegant looking. Michal unfortunately has been bit of a slide since his 10-11 NHL season where he was the number 1 guy in Washington. Hard to say if he will get back his job from Holtby, but a fresh start could jump start his career once again.

09-10 OPC Premier Tyler Myers Rookie /299

 This former Calder Trophy winner was also in my lot. This card was one major reason I bid on the lot. I had a little while back traded away my only decent Myers rookie and I felt my collection needed another one and since I didn't have his auto yet I wanted to kill two birds. A very nice card with a cool auto that links both names and number together. Tyler could be a long shot for Sochi but a great 2013-14 season could launch him into the starting 6.

09-10 OPC Premier Victor Hedman Rookie /299

The other reason for pursuing this lot was this card. A very nice two colour swatch to go along with a great on-card and number auto rookie. Victor has taken a little while to adjust to the North American game but this past year he really started to get into his own in my opinion. He nearly set career highs for goals and points despite playing only an abbreviated season. He could be a Norris contender in the next couple seasons and Tampa will definitely benefit from that.


5 cards that I am pretty happy to land for an amazing price. Some are available for trade, but I want to keep Myers and Hedman but the other three can be had, just let me know.

08-09 OPC Premier Steve Mason Rookie

I have always like the look of the OPC Premier stuff Upper Deck has put out but just couldn't afford the price point to open a box/pack. Here is a single from 08/09 that has fallen a fair bit in price over the years but I expect a good bounce back season for this kid. 

After the trade to the Flyers he played very well going 4-2 with a 1.90 gaa and a sparkling .944 save percentage and this season he is working off a 1 year deal so I would really like to see him perform well and get himself a good long-term contract and show everyone his rookie year wasn't a fluke!

08-09 OPC Premier Steven Mason Rookie /299

Love the card, it is a nice 4 piece on card auto numbered to 299. That is pretty much what you get with OPC Premier rookies and they both book and sell for very affordable prices and I recommend that if you have a player you like try and track down their Premier rookie, you may be surprised at how cheap you can get it. I have a nice quartet of OPC Premiers to share next!

06-07 Sweet Shot Evgeni Malkin Auto

I have made it no secret that I do like Sweet Shot and this is a biggie. Malkin rookie year auto, technically an on-card auto which is totally awesome, but on rubber would be a better explanation. I must say the 07-08 Signature Shots look much nicer with blacker rubber and silver sharpie, but nevertheless this is a gem too trust me!

06-07 Sweet Shot Signature Shots Evgeni Malkin

I think it is very safe to say that if Malkin keeps up his pace for the next 3-5 years he will be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. To his credit he already has 2 Art Ross trophies, a Calder, a Lindsay and a Hart trophy. Oh and in the post-season he already has a Conn Symthe trophy as well. He is already past the half way point to 1000 points and he doesn't even turn 27 until the end of July. As long as he stays healthy, he will be a superstar for years to come.

As far as his signature goes, it certainly is one of the more unique ones in the league and I for one actually like it. He includes his number with his name which is always a good touch.

They could have been Contenders, but they were so cheap they are Winners!

Sometimes you throw a bid in and almost forget you even made it. Well that is what happened here. I landed the following four cards for $0.99. Being Canadian, I was then robbed for another 6.95 in shipping, but in the end I still ended up ahead! Here you go, 4 would be Contenders who were are Winners in my book!

10-11 Playoff Contenders Matt Kassian

 Matt is a winner because he is now an Ottawa Senator. That means Matt got to play two rounds of post-season hockey and despite the fact that he is a fringe NHL'er, he still gets occasional action and that makes him a winner! Nice auto, on-card, blue sharpie and his number 28 accompanies his auto.

10-11 Playoff Contenders Mark Olver

I want to call this guy Oliver!, don't know why exactly.... Mark was a pretty talented collegiate player who hails from Burnaby, BC. His numbers aren't on par as of yet with his college numbers, but then again when are they? He has done well in the AHL and the NHL has seen him for a total of 74 games. It will be interesting to see as Colorado gets better if he will still make the roster. At the age of 25, Mark needs to step it up or end up being AHL for life.

10-11 Playoff Contenders Robin Lehner

 Finally some of you are saying right? True the first two cards aren't super amazing, but then again they all cost a combined TOTAL of 99 cents so I guess expectations should be low! Lehner is the first of my real prospects and this coming season will be very interesting as his entry level will be complete and he is set to be an RFA next summer. I can't help but think he will be a starter somewhere after next summer but of course he needs to prove that he can handle the pressure of being number 1 and the increased work load. I hope the Devils take a chance on him but I also think the Sens would be silly to let him go.

10-11 Playoff Contenders Nino Niederreiter

 

 Look! I mint, on-card Nino auto! Blue Sharpie! Just like the others! Ok, I am getting silly, but a nice on-card rookie auto of everyone's favourite Swiss isn't too bad considering most would have paid what I did just for this one card let alone 1 of 4. My whole reason for throwing in the default bid was to maybe land this card and sure enough I was lucky to get it. I am curious to how long the Islanders will wait on Nino, he is still very very young but 64 career NHL games and only 3 points might mean Nino needs a change of scenery to ramp up his game again and much like Robin, his entry level deal is set to end following the 13-14 NHL season.

A Double Box Break of 11-12 Rookie Anthology - Another Bride From My Wife

Ok so I am so very close to completing the set, what better way to attempt to finish it than buying 2 more boxes! Thanks to doing a task my wife didn't want to do, I landed myself two more boxes of my favourite 11-12 product. Here we go, nothing but hits and no frills at that.

Box Toppers

Topper 1

 Emelin is haunting me and this is my second one. I received the other as a NPN win from Panini. This one is up for trade.

Topper 2

Love this one, jersey/stick combo. I am keeping this one.

Rookies

Each pack has a rookie,  I am just pointing out my more notable ones and I am starting with Marcus. Marcus is a former Canadian World Junior so this one is a fun hit.

 Another former WJ, Leland won gold with Canada in 2007. Currently he is one of a few goalies looking to steal the vacant starting job in Calgary.

 Most rookies were Pinnacle ones and Gustav is the best of the bunch!

Game-Used/Player Worn Hits

Each box claims to have a couple of these and mine was no exception. I was lucky enough to hit another Pinnacle Starting 6. This one features a good selection of rookies from the 11/12 season. Henrique makes this one a keeper!

 What an odd combination. Despite it having Nicky Palms on it, I can live without this card for sure.

 Ryan Ellis!!! I hope we see him again!

 I didn't know Philly and Detroit were rivals.

Rookie Treasures

 Each box has one of these unless you are lucky.  Talbot......Rangers....Yuck.

 Teemu! I promised he would be back, another disappointing Oiler hit.

Case Hits

 I was fortunate enough to have two large hits as well. Here is proof Montreal is haunting me for sure! Dual patch/auto rookie parallel of Raphael Diaz aka Number 61. This one is numbered 14/15 and can be yours if you want to trade for it.

My favourite hit of the box.....Ryan Ellis Ice Breaker Rookie auto. These are one per case and I landed a PC guy. I really can't ask for much more (except maybe RNH).

There you go, sorry no big write-ups that I typically do but two boxes that I am pretty happy with but more than willing to trade more away. I did also finish my set which is an added bonus!

11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology - Brett Connolly Rookie Treasures /15

No time means all my great post ideas and box breaks must wait for another day. Here is a quickie to share:

11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology - Brett Connolly Rookie Treasures /15

Another PC pick-up. The top patch has a glint of silver in it and the bottom patch is all silver. Love this look of this card and it is reasonably rare numbered to just 15. After a 30 goal season in the AHL, I think Brett will be ready to be a full-time contributor next year with the Lightning.

07-08 Sweet Shot Petr Kalus Auto Rookie

And I keep them coming, this is the last of my auto rookie Sweet Shot posts, worry not there are still more other Sweet Shot posts on their way. Mr. Kalus is by no means a household name, but the card is still a looker in my opinion. Petr's situation is an interesting one because he only has 11 NHL games in his career yet, has 4 goals and an assist. I think it was a case of Petr not producing in the AHL therefore he never really got another NHL shot when time would come for call-ups. As a result, Petr is overseas and I am guessing he will likely never be back. Still, it is a Sweet Shot rookie and it set me back less than 2 dollars so, why not? 

07-08 Sweet Shot Petr Kalus Sweet Beginnings Auto /100

Not entirely sure what that auto says, but it is on-card with blue sharpie and my guess is Petr Kalus, though I wouldn't be surprised if it said "Kelp Way"