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!

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!

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?

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....

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.

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!

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!

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!