Saturday, December 29, 2012

Thomas McCollum Auto

I wanted to get my second half of my Drop The Gloves! trade posted, but getting the cards scanned without a scanner means it takes more time than I have at the moment, so I thought I would share something in between the two posts. A local dealer on eBay had a few items that interested me so I contacted them and made a bundle! Here is a fun card that I normally wouldn't have bought on its own because I don't know a lot about him, but in the bundle it was a deal I couldn't pass up!

11-12 Between the Pipes Thomas McCollum Auto
This former first round pick of the Red Wings has had a little trouble finding a spot on the big club's roster, but then again Detroit likes to take their time with their goalies so that part isn't too troubling for McCollum fans.His AHL numbers are pretty solid and this season he is 7-4-1 with a 2.55 G.A.A and a .907 save pct.
He is splitting that time with Petr Mrazek which is why he hasn't appeared in as many games as other goalies, but still decent numbers for this 2008 draft pick.

This card is by no means the gem of the lot, but just a fun card I thought I would share. I actually have quite a few fun posts on the way including the last two mystery boxes from my LCS (yeah I found more) and lots of fun pick-ups and PC additions!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Super Amazing Trade with Casey from Drop The Gloves!

A few weeks back Casey from Drop The Gloves! Posted some sweet cards he wanted to trade/sell. Well, I should happen to have been in the market for a Milt Schmidt auto for quiet sometime, and I mostly blame it on Shane from Shoebox Legends, and primarily this particular post

Anyway, Milt is still alive and kicking, but I don't really own any cards of his that I would want to mail away and risk losing, and time isn't on my side these days in terms of prep, writing etc. so I really just wanted to buy one. Well, it turns out that Casey was looking to sell or trade just what I wanted so I contacted him and I got more than I bargained for! Casey didn't want to break the set apart and when I realized that the other two fellows in this threesome are deceased I knew I should just chase all three. 

The set itself was 5 cards, featuring three players and the book value on the set is 10 bucks according to the Beckett Bible. What I found interesting is the set, which was printed in '94 and was limited to 3000 copies WAS NOT RELEASED as an autographed set. So chances are, these three guys were there signing these autos in person. Of course, there is no way to know for sure because I didn't live in Waterloo until 1998, but knowing that all these guys were around in the area at that time and all three autos seem very legit and the Beckett lists this set I suspected these were legit.

So I made a trade offer or two and in the end we came up with something that could work! Here is the first half of the trade, these were the cards I was expecting.

Milt Schmidt signed this card in blue ink. Milt was by far the best player in the trio of cards and he was elected to the HOF in 1961. His pro career started in 1936 and he played for several seasons before going to war for his country. That cost him 4 seasons of pro hockey which I am sure was insignificant to him because of what he was fighting for. However, in spite of missing many prime years of his playing career, he put up some great numbers for the time period including 5 seasons where he was in the top 10 in scoring. Milt retired with 2 cups and 575 points which at the time was one of the highest in NHL history (Maurice Richard was the leader with 725 pts).



Woody Dumart signed his card in red ink. Woody is the other HOF'er in the group and like Milt played before and after the war. Like Milt he went away and fought for his country and like Milt he had won 2 cups and a variety of NHL honours. Woody unfortunately has already passed away so I knew this card was a must have because there aren't as many of his autos floating around on the open market.


Wilbert Dutch Hiller signed his card in black ink. Dutch was arguably the least successful of the three despite winning two cups of his own and playing a solid 9 seasons in the NHL. Dutch was never called to the HOF, but that doesn't make this card any less desirable, what I like about these three guys is they are all from a little part of Ontario called Kitchener-Waterloo where I spent many happy years in University there. These are three guys who have tasted NHL success and lived long and healthy lives. Unfortunately Dutch has also passed away, but I really appreciate Casey giving me a change to obtain one auto I have wanted for a while and two other autos that I know I could never get through a TTM.

Also, don't forget this is only the first half, the second half of the trade is equally awesome because these cards came unexpectedly!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

06-07 Parkhurst JP Parise Auto

The prize pig of the whole lot of 12 cards was this auto from the 06-07 Parkhurst set. The toploader is a little filthy, but I have since fixed that problem and I love the card. JP was actually born about 40 minutes away from where I lived all through High School and I even played in a couple golf tournaments in his hometown of Smooth Rock Falls. I don't recommend it has a tourist destination, but there are many fine people that do live there.

JP was a very solid NHL player who is best remembered for the '72 Series in my opinion, though he did make two NHL all-star games and had cracked the 20 goal barrier 5 times. His son Zach was the Devils captain last season before bolting to Minnesota. I like and respect JP a lot and having his auto was a must. This was the most expensive of the lot costing me nearly 5 dollars with the shipping.


06-07 Parkhurst Autos JP Parise
A very nice auto much like Zach's and done in blue sharpie. I actually have two Zach autos which I will have to share in the near future....only makes sense right?

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

05-06 BAP Geoff Sanderson Auto

A while back, I found a huge listing of less attractive autos to some people, but very attractive to me. So I bid on nearly 30 different items and in the end I landed about 12 and the final cost was about 18 bucks with shipping. The most expensive card was about 5 bucks and the cheapest was a penny. Geoff was one of the ones I really wanted and it set me back nearly 2 dollars!

I remember from the early 90's he was a stud. He has back to back 40 goal seasons before he hit a bit of a slump. However, he would be up and down a few more times in his career before finishing with 355 career goals and 700 points. Personally I loved him and the price was more than right so I am glad to finally have a Geoff Sanderson auto in my collection!


05-06 BAP Geoff Sanderson Auto
Not the best auto in the world as you can see. It is a sticker which he went beyond the borders a little bit, but again the price was right and I do like that he numbered it too. He will always be a Whaler to me....

Monday, December 10, 2012

10-11 Donruss Jordan Eberle Rated Rookie Auto

When 10-11 Certified came out and I saw the Jordan Eberle rookie I knew I wanted it in my collection. I have loved this kid ever since he first appeared in the WJHC and been a huge fan ever since. I wrote him hoping he would sign a TTM request for me, but no luck. However, in the summer I lucked into my dream card at my LCS and I was pleased to have it in my collection. To this day, it would be considered one of my top 10 favourite cards for sure. 

That same season, Panini produced the much criticized and little loved Donruss product. Personally, I didn't mind it and the price point was meant to be comparable to UD's flagship Series 1 and 2, however, I felt it was more a solid competition for the OPC release which I felt it was superior to that. In the end, the fans didn't agree and boxes are still out there with 2 hits per box and countless rookies online for next to nothing. I actually bought a lot of 27 rated rookies this summer for about 6 bucks plus shipping. There are a few cards in the Donruss release that did hold some value and they are the Rated Rookie Autos. When I saw the Eberle I knew it was just a matter of time before it too would join my collection. With that being said, I wasn't as driven to land it as I was the Certified. Maybe it was because this isn't a true rookie or maybe because I knew it was only a matter of time before a deal was to be had.....

I watched a few of the 100 copies sell and consistently on eBay they were going for 40-50 bucks *final auction price, not buy it now. So I set my max at a number comfortably below that and waited. I would have to say nearly 10 sold in that time period before I landed mine at the price I wanted.... I tried scanning it, but the screwdown made it blurry, so here is the photo of my second favourite Eberle card! 


10-11 Donruss Jordan Eberle Rated Rookie Auto /100
This card is a sticker auto which sucks a little bit. Interestingly enough, he did sign a number on it which he didn't do on his Certified rookie. I suspect he meant to sign 14, but it actually looks more 17ish to me...

Anyway, love the card and this would be my second Rated Rookie auto. I pulled a Zach Hamill (sigh) from my lone box of Donruss.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

76-77 OPC Bobby Orr - A huge step closer

I landed one of the best deals of my life when I managed to assemble over 90% of the 76-77 OPC hockey set for less than I ever thought possible. But, there were some big names missing and which included Bryan Trottier, Marcel Dionne, Guy Lafleur and Bobby Orr. Well I have been chipping away at the set and really I am down to less than 10 cards. Recently I pick up the Dionne at my LCS for 5 bucks and then I found this gem on ebay! 

76-77 OPC Bobby Orr #213
First off, I actually don't own ANY Bobby Orr cards that aren't either leader or all-star/award cards from his playing days. So finding an Orr card was a priority. Secondly, my set is actually in very good shape, the worst conditioned card being my Trottier rookie so I really wanted the Orr to reflect the condition of the majority of the cards. When I began looking for the missing Orr I noticed that it books for 20-50 bucks in the beckett and it sells for that amount typically too. I knew if I was to get a deal it would have to be a test of my patience. Well I must have watched 40 of these sell over the last several months and finally with a max bid of 10 bucks I landed the card pictured above. The card was listed an Nr-Mt OC and I was more than pleased to see the only real flaws are the centering. To be perfectly honest, centering has NEVER really bothered me so this card likely looks better to me than other collectors, but the corners are sharp and the back is beautiful. I will share the full card when I finally finish my set and review it. It turns out that the lockout has even impacted some vintage sales because I bought this card for under 10 bucks shipped! I think this makes me 5 cards shy of the set with two Habs and three commons stand in the way of my completing it!

Monday, December 3, 2012

More Free Autos? Panini Lives to Give!

Well I guess lightning can strike twice as Panini presented me with TWO NPN autos from the Rookie Anthology release. I bought a couple of boxes in the spring/summer and I decided to mail away for a chance to win. I sent in my max of two requests and as luck should have it they both produced winners! Here they are, and they are pretty nice if I say so too!


11/12 Crown Royale Alexei Emelin Auto Rookie

11/12 Crown Royale John Moore Auto Rookie
This is my first Emelin auto which is kind of nice, but also extends my Canadiens curse....The Moore auto is my second, I also bought one I will share at a later date from the 11/12 Limited set.

I have said it before and I will say it again, collectors certainly appreciate fun like this even if you can't always win. The cost of the postage is more than worth the chance at some free fun and I want to thank Panini for running the NPN contests and I hope they continue!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

When a card is more than a card - 90-91 UD Ed Belfour

There are some cards that are in my collection that mean more to me than the value or cultural significance of the card. Sure some cards are really valuable, sure some are iconic but some are just special because they remind you of something that you once had or experienced that may now be gone. This is one such card that will always have a special place in my heart because it reminds me of one of the happiest times in my childhood before things really changed. 

It was the spring of 1991 and I had been collecting for a several months by this point and I actually was pretty much finished the 90-91 UD low series by this point. I actually only needed one more card, number 55 which was a rookie of a pretty hot goalie named Ed Belfour. Ed had taken the league by storm and he won me over as a fan just as quickly. I even had my own Blackhawks jersey (I had already owned a Devils one btw) which I would wear and try and emulate his flopping style during the countless road hockey games I played as a kid.

So I need this card, and I remember my mom taking me to the one card shop I didn't particularly like, but it was convenient in where she was going that day, so I went in hoping to find this card. Sure enough, it was there in the display case, sticker price 8 dollars. Yep, 8 bucks. I am pretty sure the ink hadn't dried on the Beckett yet, nor the sticker. He was that kind of dealers, who loved to "pull it out and crank up the price." I was young and I had a job, so 8 bucks was a lot, but I knew I could always go and make more money so I paid the hefty price. However, once I left that shop, I was in love.

This card was my world for the next few weeks. Sure it counted as the last card in the first full set I ever put together, but it was more. I carried that card in a top loader in my coat pocket for days. I would pull it out and study the picture. I would read the back endlessly. I would wonder why he wasn't included in the 89/90 OPC set. I would gawk at his cool goalie stick or plain goalie mask. I would wonder how long did he wear 31 before switching. My little pre-teen mind would just fly when seeing this card. I even loved the red/black contrast and which the Devils would change their colours (I got that wish). 

Anyway, I would eventually take the card out and put it into the page it belonged on, and I would pull this card many more times from future packs I would buy. I would even complete the full set a second time and by now I likely have a dozen or so of these Belfours. I am not sure which one was the one I paid 8 bucks for, but when I see this card, I think back to that day, that feeling and I am reminded why I love collecting.

Here it is, enjoy!

90-91 UD Low Series #55 Ed Belfour Rookie


So when I had the chance to land this card, you know why I did.



Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Caption Fun - Great if you are bored or feeling creative!

Here is a photo that TSN had as their top story and I thought the photo was priceless!! Definitely a lot of different captions can go with this one. If you are bored, feel free to share one!




Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mike Richards 05-06 Trilogy Rookie

I respect his game, I respect his talent, I just wouldn't say I am a huge fan. Despite that, this card was priced so low at my LCS I couldn't leave it behind.


#'d to 999 this is one of my better Richards rookies in my collection. Glad to snap it up and it may make good trade bait some day.

Monday, November 26, 2012

My first baseball card I ever bought

First off I need to say I do OWN baseball cards. Not many, and how I got some of them I will never know. Sometimes they were in a pile of hockey cards I bought, or sometimes I just ended up getting them because people thought I would want them. I did participate in a JBF Tradebait draft, but I don't really consider those cards bought either. A little while back I actually laid a bid down on a baseball card and won. Here it is:


My favourite player of ALL-TIME. Living or dead, I am a huge Randy Johnson fan. I grew watching any game I can on TV, listening to others on the radio when they weren't televised. He may not have been the greatest of all-time, but he certainly ranks as one of the best lefties in MLB history and a player I have always worshiped.

The card is from 07 Artifacts I believe and is from a time period I would rather forget. I really wished that Randy never went to New York and parts of Randy I am sure would agree too. He was first and foremost a Mariner to me even though I own a Johnson Expos jersey. His finest pitching was with the D-Backs and I did enjoy seeing him there too. The Yankees thing was a sad part for me, but still to down a piece of Randy is special to me and even more special since it was 99 cents plus shipping. Autos are much harder to come by, but someday I hope to have one along with his 89 UD rookie. I guess my baseball card buying days aren't done yet.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

My First Beehive - Alex Delvecchio Group 2 Corr

This recent pick-up is a case of two firsts. The first being my first ever Bee Hive photo and second being another new addition to my Alex PC. This is part of a three group series of photos which started way back in 1934 and eventually ended in 1967. Alex Delvecchio appears twice in the Group 2 series and twice in the Group three series. In terms of collectability, there is a pretty big following out there of these Bee Hive cards and they even have their own online museum. If you are interested in a fun read, go here:   

Anyway, as far as Group 2 goes, Alex appears in two forms, once as Alex Delvecchio and another as "Bill Delvecchio" which is an error. There appears to be far more corrected ones online for sale than the original error ones. I am going to try to land all four as part of my PC since they are all produced during his playing days. Displaying them is something I haven't given much thought about, but I am sure Ultra Pro has something for collectors.

The design is pretty simple. There is a beige background for the series 2 which has a picture glued at the top on the beige paper. Typically you can see a little "staining" where the glue is, in this case it looks like a bit of water damage. In person, this actually looks much better than the scan shows and I was pretty pleased to land it for 5 bucks plus shipping. The backs are blank for those interested to know...


1944-64 Bee Hive Group 2 Alex Delvecchio

The fun thing about these is the fact that the superstars for the most part are very affordable and some of the rare ones are the less talented players and they can sell for thousands. Pentti Lund in a Boston Bruins uniform books for about a $1000 and I have never seen it before online for sale, while his Rangers one can be bought for about $15-20.

Monday, November 19, 2012

A couple more Gil's

I was at my LCS this summer and I found something in the dollar bin that peaked my interest. There were two random and rough looking Gilbert Perreault autos. What made them different was they were signed Gil. I received my first and only Perreault auto a while back and it was a TTM which cost me 5 bucks instead of his new price of 10 bucks. In that auto, which I am positive it is authentic, he signed it Gilbert. So were these ones fakes, forgeries or the real deal? I did a little digging and it looks like he does/had signed autos at one point with Gil. In fact, his 74/75 card lists his name as Gil Perreault, so it is entirely possible that he did sign that way. I am not sure what time period it was, but some of the older autos I have seen around of his did have Gil rather frequently so I felt confident enough to drop two bucks on these cards and save them from the dollar bin.

 Here is his 76/77 OPC card, his full name is on there. I like this card because I am currently working ont he set and I think that it goes well with the project.

This is his 74/75 OPC card, every bit as rough as the first one. It looks like whoever owned this card first, had it taped down and then pulled it off the sheet to get it signed because his auto is over the tape residue. The guys at the LCS said they found it buried in a collection they found and just shoved it in the dollar box because they had no idea if the card was legit.

I am pretty sure these are authentic...I might even go as high as 90% on that. Of course, I will never really know for sure and they aren't really worth authenticating either. I think the 74/75 is available for trade bait if anyone wants it, I would be more than happy to ship it off for another auto of someone I like or don't have.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

BAM! A Linden card, finally

As I have mentioned before, sometimes people's passions are contagious and I end up trying to land a card into my collection that I might not have ever considered before. Other times, I happen to like the player and I just haven't had the chance to chase one of their cards yet. Linden is a combination of the two for me. In the early 90's I really respected him as a player and I would always keep an eye on how well he was doing on the west coast. There was even a time where I wanted to include Linden as a possible baby name for what would be my first born (son).  My wife wasn't a Linden fan (both name and player) so needless to say that won't be used at any point in our current naming process.

Back to Trevor, at some point he was traded to the east coast where he would bounce around a little between NY, Montreal and Wash. It was a dark time in my opinion and I sorta lost track of him from 97-02. When he returned to Vancouver, I began watching him again, but of course time wasn't on his side at this point and even though he was productive, he wasn't the same game changer he once was.

Nevertheless, my collection which is loaded in 89-90 Linden rookies, didn't contain a single autograph. I have watched countless auctions and it turns out that his autos rarely can be found on the cheap (Brett I know your pain now) and his low numbered ones run for prices that can sometimes challenge Crosby and Lemieux cards. Patience is a virtue and I was rewarded finally with this one for 99 cents plus shipping.


True it is a typical modern BAP signature card with a sticker, I still like it because the auto is front and centre and looks pretty sharp. Sometimes I see he will sign his number with the auto, but that wasn't the case here.

Happy to land this one and who knows, maybe a second will come some day.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

A Sidney Crosby Young Gun (of sorts)

This baby is a Sidney Crosby Young Gun.....just no where near as valuable or desirable and many wouldn't even consider this is a rookie card. I am not sure where I am on this one, I want to call it a rookie, but the "c" word is on it. 

Odds are just as likely to pull this over a standard Crosby Young Gun, but turns out Corey Perry ruins the card significantly for some unknown reason so this card books for about a 3 cents on the dollar when compared to the other one. Perry a former Hart and Richard winner, defaces this Crosby card. I don't know about you guys, but I have the feeling Checklists just get no love at all.

What are your thoughts on Young Gun Checklists? Valuable as Young Guns or some hybrid between a base card and a scrub Young Gun rookie.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Bill Guerin Game Used Stick

One of my first ever favourite players was Bill Guerin. As far as watching and cheer, I followed him around and wished him well at every stop. I really wished the Devils held on to him, but at the same time, Arnott was a big player in our 2000 cup win and certainly wouldn't trade that for anything in the world either. As far as collecting Bill, I have a few game used cards and autographs, but that is the extent of it. In fact, my autos aren't even "certified" so really I have NOTHING official other than some swatches of my boy Billy G.

That is all about to change as I landed a pretty cool game-used stick piece from the 2001-02 Private Stock release. These cards were limited to 200 non-numbered copies and the one I landed was pretty darn sweet. During that period of time he was using a Vic Graphite stick which came in both black and white. He used the white one at some points during his time with the Oilers and a black one which you see pictured. I wish they had the white on in the photo, but if you are interested, here is a shot of the stick in action. Now there is no way for sure to tell if that was the same product of stick, they seem to match in my opinion which I guess is all that matters...

What I love about this piece is that it is really 4 colours...White, black, blue and black-smudge...I haven't touched the smudge to see if it was stick tape or puck-mark, but either way I really like the character it has.



This was a great find and the price was more than right. I put in a bid that received very little competition and I brought it home for less that I would have been willing to pay. Also my pattern continues of more focused and purposeful collecting.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

53-54 Parkhurst Alex Delvecchio

Lately my collecting has certainly been more focused in the past and partially that is due to the lockout and partially that is due to my budget. I picked this little gem up in the summer and like the Milt Schmidt, I was very pleased with the appearance. This card was at a buy it now that I felt was a little steep, especially because the seller said it had a bad corner but was still calling it Excellent. 

Personally, I have got to the point were I put NO FAITH in what the seller grades it as and I just do the best I can with the scan and pay for what I see. The price was too much for me, so I went rather low, but not too low to not get a counter and after I exhausted all my counter-offers we arrived at a price that I was willing to pay. The book value is 100 bucks ( in near-mint condition) because it is his third-year card. I personally think the card is a safe EX when it arrived I noticed the bottom half is a little rough, but the back is nearly flawless. The colouring is also pretty great and I am extremely pleased to have this in my collection. Right now this card is counting double (one for my PC and one for my 53-54 Set). I think this is card number 13, but at this stage I am not too sure as my total number is approaching the low 20's so maybe I will just run a few posts with the other cards and leave a final total after the last post. 

Anyway, here is the Alex Delvecchio which currently is the oldest one in my collection.


Love the action shot on the card, Alex has a few neat action shots in the early Parkhurst sets. He has two from the 54-55 set which feature him in action against the Leafs. Any one have an idea whose head is next to Alex? Mostly curious, but also gives me a greater appreciation for this piece of art!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Sets of Yesteryear - 91-92 Score Hot Cards

Here is another installment of "Sets of Yesteryear", and since we went all the way back to 1991-92 last time we might as well pick up another grossly overproduced set from that year. Some liked the Euro-stars, some hated them. Lets see what you all think of the 91-92 Score Hot Cards.

A little background, these cards came as a special insert for anyone wanting to by a blister pack of 91-92 Score Hockey. The blister packs came with 99 base cards and one insert card (if memory serves me right). The bad thing is I believe that the 91-92 Score Hockey (thanks to Collectors Corner for a cool review) was one of the ugliest set of all-time, the good thing is the Hot Cards look nothing like them! Here is the set in its entirety.


Card #1 Eric Lindros
I think Score made nearly a dozen cards of Lindros before he even played an NHL game. In some respects I think they felt that he was their ticket to printing money and in some ways that was true. I remember I bought two of these Blister packs at my local Sears store and I ended up with a Gretzky and a Jagr. The BV of the Lindros back in 1995 was 10 bucks and it has since dropped to a paltry $2.00. I really like this card as it features Lindros in his Team Canada World Junior jersey.


Card # 2 Wayne Gretzky
Love this card too, the action shot of Wayne streaking down the ice and a goalie who is out of the photo likely wetting himself in fear of the Great One all in black. The design is pretty simple with a full red border and a yellow accent in the trim. 

The backside is a paragraph of stats and information. I like that there is a photo on the back and the photo does differ from the photo on the front. The back design again is pretty decent and 20 years later doesn't look as terrible as other releases from the time period.


Card #3 Brett Hull
 During the early 90's every set and insert set NEEDED Brett Hull. The best goal-scorer from the early 90's period and the last player to an official 50 in 50 and last to score more than 80 goals in a season. I think the hooking Scott Stevens is doing in the background might get called in today's game.


Card #4 Sergei Fedorov
Another staple of any early 90's set was the hot upcoming prospects like Sergei Fedorov. With only one full season under his belt when this came out, he had much to prove and accomplish still, but if you look back at his career now, he is a shoo-in for the HOF.


Card #5 Mario Lemieux
 At the time this card came out, Lemieux had already begun his battle with back injuries and was limited to just a little over a quarter of a season. Still managed 19 goals and 45 points and may have been the best player in the set at the time.


 Card #6 Adam Oates
 Glad to see Oatesy get some respect by his inclusion in the set. At the time he was the other half of the Hull and Oates combo and some say Hull made him a super-star. Fact is, Oates made himself and proved it when he scored 45 goals and 142 points with the Bruins in 1992-93. If you were wondering who were his wingers at the time...it was likely a combination of Steve Leach, Dmitri Kvartalnov, and Vladimir Ruzicka. Definitely no Brett Hull!

Card #7 Theo Fleury


A cool goal celebration card featuring a star who lit the lamp often early in his career. That is a great looking Woody in his hand, btw.


Card #8 Jaromir Jagr
Either this is a practice or a warm-up photo because there are lots of empty seats over there and at the time everyone wanted to see Mario Jr.

Card #9 Ed Belfour
This is my favourite card in the set. I wanted nothing more in life than to be Ed Belfour when it came to street hockey. I even had the Hawks jersey to go along with the dream. The only goalie in the set, Score picked a fine player with Belfour being the reigning Vezina, Calder, and First-Team All-Star goalie.


Card #10 Jeremy Roenick

 Even though NHL '93 was a year or two away, Score made him the last card in the set. At the time Roenick had his first 40 goal season and the best was still yet to come. I personally love seeing the old Easton Aluminum sticks.

In all, I think the set is still reasonably attractive and has aged rather well when compared to the 91-92 Score base cards. It offers much more star power than the Euro-Stars set did but at the same time, it is a smaller set and not as nice looking to me personally. The book value of the set these days is 15 bucks with the most expensive card being Gretzky which books for 8 dollars. I managed to pick up a complete set at my LCS for the change in my pocket at the time which I think was like 3 bucks.

So what are your thoughts on the set? A must have or a must avoid? I personally think it would be a fun addition to someone's collection and gives you a reason to avoid 91-92 Score! I give this set a 4/5. Decent design, nice player selection and a couple cool photos you can really appreciate!






Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Ilya Kovalchuk - ITG Superlative Volume 2 Auto

Well, still no end in sight to this LOCK-OUT, so on to wishful thinking. I picked up another Kovy auto for my collection (free of charge) thanks to eBay dollars. The card is from the ITG Superlative Volume 2 release from 2008. I have never bought or seen any of these cards, but in person it is a pretty simple and nice card. The auto is on card and the back is very plain. It may not be the nicest Kovy card in my collection, it does offer a large and well displayed auto and the price was right!

08-09 ITG Superlative Volume 2 Ilya Kovalchuk A-IK Auto

As you can see, this is limited to just 50 copies. Even though it isn't the rarest or nicest Kovy auto in my collection, I do love it the same as the others and I like that the card is a little thicker in stock and really focuses on just the player's penmanship. If the player didn't have much of a signature the card would clearly suck, but for players with nice autographs, the design works for it.


For those who aren't following the KHL as of Nov 6, Alexander Radulov is leading the league in scoring with 31 points followed by Sergei Mozyakin with 29 points and Malkin and Kovy finish out the top 4 with 28 and 26 points respectively. Of the four, Kovy has the highest points per game and highest +/- rating. If Kovy kept this pace in the NHL for a full 80 game season he would have 45 goals and 130 points. 130 points in the NHL would smash the Devils points in a season record (Elias has it with 96), a fella can dream right?

Monday, November 5, 2012

Cool Goalie Masks - Grant Fuhr

When it comes to goaltender mask I am definitely a fan, but I would never call myself fanatic. I enjoy seeing them on cards as part of the goalie's attire, but the whole Pinnacle Masks thing from 90's was a little lost on me as I never saw why a photo of a mask would carry such a high premium.

Nevertheless, I did and do goalie mask and cards I have just never bought a card for that reason....until this summer.

Browsing my LCS I saw this beauty for 3 dollars and I talked them down to a toonie and took it home.

08-09 The Cup #46 Grant Fuhr
This card oozes cool. Sure it is from the most supreme of hockey sets "The Cup", but look at the sweet pads and that mask is just awesome. For some reason, I never remember Grant Fuhr catching right, but I guess that is the difference between memory and fact.

Here is the back of the card, a nice close-up of the mask again and a snap-shot of Fuhr's numbers between 86-91. The GAA and SV% were never any good but Fuhr always stopped the last shot and the win was more often his than not. Wayne always said if the game was on the line, he wanted Fuhr in goal and I guess that must count for something too!

In all, I just love this thick piece of cardboard and really it is a nice card that I just couldn't pass up. I don't own many Cup cards so this is a nice addition just based on the face that I don't have many to begin with, but certainly is an awesome addition because of the sweet photo/mask.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Marcel Dionne Auto and Used

A few deals have come my way featuring Marcel Dionne. I do have a TTM from him which set me back 10 bills but both of these cards each clocked in for less than that! Enjoy


11-12 Certified never fails to impress me, here is a nice on card auto numbered to just 99! 


Here is another expo card, this time it is the Ultimate Memorabilia 10th edition. This card is numbered to just 9 copies and I had watched it as an auction a couple of times fail to get any bids. Finally the seller dipped the price to the point where I wanted to lay a bid in and sure enough I was the only one. Hard to believe there aren't any big Dionne fans out there. The scan came out blurry because of the holder, but it is a pretty nice card with a good sized yellow swatch (I love the old Kings yellow).

For those wondering, I will post this weekend details on the Travelling box and we can get this all started up!


Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A post about Parkies and my greatest hobby mistake.

A few posts back I said I was going to do some more personal posts, not necessarily for myself (in this case it partially is) but also for my kids. This post is really at the core of my collecting life and some of the best memories of my life in general and one of the biggest mistakes too.

My step-father is the one who got me into collecting and I got him into collecting. I received a pack of cards about 22 years ago and it changed my life. I collected those Panini stickers and stuff, but this was different. I was hooked on hockey and much like OPC wanted, I did get "High on Hockey". My step-father in turn ended up taking a serious interest in card collecting as well and it was something we would end up doing together.

My step-father (whose name was also Dave) didn't really have much use for me as a kid at first. He was in a tough situation, he liked my Mom, but my Mom came with baggage (me and my sister). They were both 24ish when they started dating in the 80's and I can certainly respect how that would have been tough for him coming into a relationship without having an interest in raising two kids who were pretty messed up after a divorce. Nevertheless, he tried to make things work and his idea of parenting certainly differed from my own father's much like parenting in the 60's was different than the 90's. As the years went by it got easier between him and I as we both grew up. I started to wrestle and that was a common ground between us and I even got very good at the sport and he was becoming proud of me. He would coach me on the sidelines and there was even a point where I found out he was bragging about my city and provincial successes. Hockey (especially card collecting) became a second common ground as I got older and understood the game more we would talk about it and watch it for hours on end. I remember being 12 years old and staying up until midnight watching the west-coast games on satellite and spending loads of my paper route money on packs and packs of cards. We even went splits on a 500 dollar rack case of 82-83 OPC (silly I know). 

A divorce would eventually get between Dave and I (in 1993), but we did our best to try and stay in contact and my half-brother (one of his two children he would have with my Mom) made it easy because we both had Michael in common. Tragedy would strike a little more than two years ago, my step-father (I still called him that) would suffer a heart-attack and die in his sleep at the age of 50. For those that know the song Cat's in the Cradle, it certainly applies here as I didn't do the best at staying in touch because life gets busy etc, but I did see him in person about a year or so before he passed which was nice because I lived 3 provinces away. Despite that, the sting of his loss still remains, and I do have some regret about not making extra calls when I could and sending those extra emails when I had a chance. However, he did know about the birth of my son and I believe that he was proud.

One of the best memories I have ever had of my step-father was buying our first two 1951 Parkies. I was in Kenora, Ontario visiting family and he was going to join us a few days later. I was 12 years old at the time and was wandering downtown when I found a little hobby shop. It was called Newcan Coins and Collectables and I went in to see if they had any hockey cards. The shop was small and very old and they seemed to specialize in coins and other things, but there were a few ancient hockey cards (not sure what ones anymore) on display. I spoke to the owner and asked if they had any other cards, and he said that he just got a big collection of 1951 Parkhurst cards and they were going to be there in the next day or two. I ran to my grandmother's house to call my step-dad. I asked him if there were any from that set we should get and he gave me a short list of players I never heard of and the next day I took that list in to see if the owner had any of those. Sure enough two from that list were ones he had.....Pentti Lund and Edgar Laprade. Both rookies, both Thunder Bay boys and players I would have much more knowledge of as I got older, but at the time I knew little.

When my step-dad arrived in town, we both went to the shop and probably spent like an hour looking at all the cards that were in the shop together and the two cards we wanted were were in and we walked out with  the oldest and neatest looking cards I had ever seen in my life at the time. Neither were in mint condition by any means, but both were pretty decent and both were 25 bucks each. I don't know why that day was any more special than the countless others Dave and I went to the card shop, but that day stands out the most. I would eventually buy most of my step-dad's collecting including those two cards. I would eventually move away with my birth-father and only see my step-father once a year. I would even eventually sell him those two Parkie cards when I needed some spending cash in high school, a move I began to regret almost immediately and currently regret significantly. I really don't know why I sold him those cards, I know he really wanted to get them back from me and I needed some money for some reason or another so that is WHY deal is made, but at the same time I don't know why I would have even considered selling them. I guess it is a life lesson that I still remember to this day. 

Time is one of those things that is emotionless and even though they say it heals all wounds, it flies by and forgets both the good and bad equally. Since that day in the shop, my mother and step-dad would split within a year, and I really don't know where the time went. My step-father would settle down with a new partner, raise my little brother. I would move 8 hours away with my father and complete HS, and two university degrees before moving out east and completing two master's degrees, got married and started a family of my own. We would chat occasionally over email or over the phone, but as time would go by that would happen less and less. It almost seemed like I took for granted that he would always be there and maybe someday I would try and get those Parkies back, but alas that isn't and wasn't true. With his passing I lost a chance at him ever meeting my Son and future child, I lost any chance at teasing him about the Canadiens, any chance of  any chance of those cards went too. In some respects they don't matter because they are only cardboard but in other respects they mean so much because of what they meant in terms of sentimentality. I spoke to his widow, I spoke to his mother and I even spoke to my brother, I told them of the importance of the cards and offered to pay anything they wanted. For whatever reason (I am not judging), she didn't want to part with them or maybe she just gave them to her own sons, I really don't know. She has since moved on to a new partner, my brother is living on his own with a partner of his own and the cards are out there somewhere including the two that helped bond my step-father and I. I have given up on trying to buy them back and honestly, I don't think it matters that much. However, I did want to try and get a suitable replacement for those cards and after over a year of searching, I found two cards that are dead-ringers (as far as my memory goes) for those two Parkies I once owned with my step-dad.

Here they are:




Both cards were crease free like these and both were very sharp in terms of colour etc. If memory serves me right, I am pretty sure my Laprade was diamond cut ever so slightly much like this one was. 

As far as the future goes, I don't know if I will include these as part of my Parkhurst project or if I will leave them separate from the set. As of now, I do have another Lund rookie, but I currently just have this Laprade. I have plenty of other cards in my collection that I obtained from him through trades, gifts, but those two Parkies are ones that I do regret letting go and who knows what the future will hold, maybe they will find their way back to me someday, but I think my willingness to let some cards go has diminished because I do sometimes wonder what else I will regret letting go.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Alex Delvecchio Rookie - 01/02 ITG Parkhurst Reprint and others

To complete my other homemade lot purchase, I landed a few cards from the 01-02 Parkhurst release which featured a number of reprints from over the years. All cards are standard size so small ones are blown up and large ones are shrunk. Here are the three I landed all for under 2 dollars a piece shipped:

Alex Delvecchio 51 Parkhurst reprint
An Alex rookie! I will own one some day, but in the meanwhile, this is a fun card and one that counts towards my PC a little bit. Even though I am focusing on playing era cards, this is a fun curiosity that I really wanted. My lone complaint is that they clearly scanned a card which was creased.....with all the money that card companies have, you think they could have rented a good one for a day or two while they were scanning the cards.

Milt Schmidt 52 Parkhurst 2nd year card reprint
I got this card for two reasons, one it is a pretty cool looking card with the clock and flags in the background and secondly, I think it would make a great TTM card.

Terry Sawchuk 51 Parkhurst Rookie reprint
Just a really cool card and the price was right too. If I am ever going to finish the 51 Parkies set I am going to need the original of this card too and the cost will certainly make my wife cringe, but of course it will be a deal compared to the Howe!

It was fun landing some of these cards especially because until recently I didn't even know about the 01-02 ITG Parkhurst Reprints. The set is 150 cards and all of them book for 5 bucks a piece. I would be curious to see if I could buy the whole set some day, but then again, going after the real things instead of reprints might be more fun.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Karl Alzner OPC Signatures

My next two posts are about another lot deal I made, this time with a dealer in my back yard. It is tough to drive out his way sometime and I noticed he had a bunch of cards listed on eBay. I put my min bids in on a few items and I walked away with 4 swell cards. One was an auto and the other three are insert cards.

Here is the auto.


This card is from the 12/13 OPC set and is a Karl Alzner auto card. As I mentioned in a post before, I am a pretty big fan of this guy and I really wanted an auto of his in my collection. However, so did someone else and it cost me that Artifacts auto to help land this card. So, my collection was Alzner-less and I fixed that for  a price I felt was really fair. Even though I think the auto on the Artifacts card was nicer, I actually like this card a little more than the Artifacts card because it feature an action shot and the layout of the card is one I find pretty attractive. I might be keeping an eye out for more of these signature cards if the prices are right.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Don Beaupre Parkhurst Champions Auto

Auto number 3 was a pickup for two reasons. First I wanted to get a Don Beaupre auto much like I wanted a Tony Tanti. Don was one of those players I just seem to remember from my childhood. He was a pretty decent goalie who not too flashy, but did offer you a dependable keeper who could steal the occasional game. Don was a two-time NHL all-star and he lead the league during the 90-91 season with 5 shutouts.

Don's career numbers are anything to be ashamed of either. He finished with 268 career wins, 17 shutouts and a career 3.45 GAA which was is pretty good for a player who played primarily during the Firewagon days. 

The second reason I went after this card was the photo. A kick ass green jofa helmet and goalie pads that are screaming rawhide leather. The koho stick is the key accent piece to an awesome retro look. This card is every bit as good as the Delvecchio in my opinion and the icing on a 3 card lot that I am very proud of.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Tony Tanti Parkhurst Champions Auto

When I went after the Alex auto, I thought that I could try and see if I could "bundle" myself a couple more autos since the prices were very decent and the seller did combined shipping. After looking at what they had for sale, I found two other autos and came to a very good and agreeable price. Here is auto two.

Tony Tanti. I remember him from my childhood days, he was the man before Linden became the man. Tony was a junior superstar who scored 150 points in junior at the age of 17. Then the NHL came calling in 1981 and Tony was a first round draft pick who turned a nice 45 goal season during his FULL season. In Tony's first 6 seasons he had 5 seasons with 39+ goals and a career high 86 points during the 83-84 season. However, as fast as his career started, he faded from the NHL. By 1992 he was out of the NHL and playing in Germany. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that he put a really solid 9 seasons in the NHL and I will always remember him as a pretty darn good goal scorer.

A very interesting auto, I am not sure what it says or looks like, but I do see one or two t's and the number 9. Tony was one of those guys I wanted to write and try and see if he would sign, but now that I have this I will likely move him to the bottom of my to-do list.


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Alex Delvecchio Parkhurst Champions Auto

As I alluded to in my previous post, I did chase a couple Alex Delvecchio autos and landed two of them. Here is the first of the two. The seller had a great buy it now price that I haggled a little with and made a nice lot purchase of it. So I got three autos for what I would have paid for just this card alone. I think I may like the art of negotiating as much as I enjoy the cards themselves.

This card is from the 11/12 Parkhurst Champions set. I never actually bought a pack of this stuff, but I lucked into one auto in a trade with Michael from Collecting for Kicks and then I bought the whole base set for about 15 bucks. I really do like the design of the cards and this auto looks pretty sharp. The photo looks great in colour and features Alex toward the end of his career and the C patch is on the right shoulder the way that Detroit likes it. I would like to track down a patch card featuring Alex someday, but I guess that will wait until I get a few other things off my want list!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

11/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11th Edition - Alex Delvecchio

Now the PC is in full swing, I have landed my second game used Alex card. My first was something of a gem if you don't remember, check it out here. The swatch was red with the first one, so I went after a pretty decent sized beige white swatch. The card is from the high-end ITG Ultimate release and represents a hit I would love to pull if I could afford the product.

Luckily for me ITG cards are usually a really good value when it comes to the secondary market and after a little negotiating with the seller, we were able to come up with a price that we were both happy with.  This card would be much cooler if it was signed, but alas ITG doesn't do that as much as I would like and that only meant that I would have to track down a few certified autos to go with my game-used and TTMs.

Here is my Alex Delvecchio Game-Used "Sweater"