Tuesday, December 30, 2014

12-13 ITG Superlative III Glenn Hall Jersey Auto /30

Well this is probably my last post for the year, but don't worry a new one should be a few days away! I do want to end the year on a great note so here is a nice card I added to my collection this year. 

12-13 ITG Superlative III Glenn Hall Jersey Auto /30
This isn't my first card from the set. I added a really nice Tretiak one a year or two ago which made getting this one much easier knowing it would be a quality product. This card gets two points in my HOF project because it features a game used swatch from his Blues days and a very nice on-card auto.  In case you aren't too familiar with Mr Hall, he is without a doubt one of the NHL greats and his consecutive games streak for a goalie will never be broken. Here is a great little bio on him that I would just be ripping off if I tried it myself.

It was a great year for my collection, made new friends and lots more trades. I have a great trade story for you in the new year which was an international one and I look forward to sharing that story! It was a sad year too as Panini lost its NHL rights for one reason or another. While their time was short, they weren't afraid to take chances and some were amazing and other were flops. I hope Upper Deck uses this to help inform them in the future for their releases because even though they have exclusive rights, we as collectors decide if we want to buy the product or not! I am curious to see what is coming out in the new year, I still haven't seen a product that speaks to me yet but I am hopeful for 2015. ITG will always be there I hope and at the very least we can see products like Superlative out there putting a tiny bit of pressure on UD to hold high standards and not get lazy!

I wish everyone out there a fantastic 2015 and I hope to have a chance to meet many of you someday!

Saturday, December 27, 2014

13-14 The Cup Brilliance Mike Bossy Auto

The last of my three HI cards is this one. Like what a lot of people are taking about these autographs is true, they look WAY better in person than they do on the scan. These cards are like a shadow box with a The Cup foil underneath an acetate cover which features a signature in blue ink.

The card is as thick as I have ever seen, exceeding the standard 180 pt The Cup cards.  If I were to take a guess I am going to say 240 pt thickness but I only know it isn't 360. The card is pretty impressive in all and I definitely think if you have a chance to buy a player you like, do it. The prices on these are super reasonable and apart from being a little cumbersome to store it isn't too crazy.

13-14 The Cup Brilliance Mike Bossy Auto
I bought a Bossy auto ages ago but it wasn't authenticated so this time around I at least guarantee myself a legit auto. I am a fan of Mike Bossy, maybe not his biggest by any stretch but I do respect what he did and his accomplishments are legendary. I own a couple of his rookie cards too so landing this definitely completes my HOF PC on Bossy. 

Friday, December 26, 2014

12-13 The Cup Enshrinements Dale Hawerchuk Auto /50

Picked up three cards from one guy on HI and this is the second of three with the first being the Jagr booklet. 

The card is very much like Dale Hawerchuk's career in my opinion. It isn't very flashy but man it is beautiful. The more you look at it, the minor details jump out at you and you just are in awe. The foil front his just enough luster to draw your attention but it isn't over powering. The photos are great, you almost envision one is from his rookie/draft year and the other action shot is from the midpoint of his career when he was putting up HOF numbers. The autograph is featured in a nice spot with the signature being on card. Lastly, it is numbered to 50 which puts it well within most people's budget but still won't be found in the dollar bin someday. 


12-13 The Cup Enshrinements Dale Hawerchuk Auto /50
Most of my readers know Dale is definitely among one of my favourite players of all-time and while he didn't sign his number on the card (the only flaw I could find), it is a very nice auto and on par with the quality his signature usually can be found in.

I don't know if someone busted a tin of The Cup and was happy or sad to find this in there, but I personally am very pleased to add this to my other Hawerchuk cards!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

14-15 Upper Deck Team Canada Juniors John Quenneville Patch Auto /199

Well it is that time of year again and as much as I love Christmas, I nearly equally love the WJHC! Sadly one of our top prospects didn't get an invite to join the team, but that doesn't mean he won't get some love here!

John Quenneville, yes he is related to THAT guy and former Devil Joel Quenneville who is apparently a cousin!


14-15 Upper Deck Team Canada Juniors John Quenneville Patch Auto /199
Not entirely sure why this is a "patch" but I suspect maybe at the U18 tournament they used jerseys that were not patched but rather sublimated. I am really sure either way, but fact is he is a kid of the future and this was a nice add to my collection! The auto is stickered but UD did a great job there and the swatch is at least 2 coloured but I suspect there might be some better swatches on the market. I am curious to see what happens with John but early reports is he could be as good as Adam Henrique which as many of you know is a PC of mine and I would be very fine with those predictions!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

13-14 National Treasure Jaromir Jagr Jumbo Booklet Prime /25

Please excuse me and my behaviour for the past couple of months. You see besides my hand issues which hopefully are going to be corrected via surgery in the next month or so (fingers crossed as I am just waiting for OR time), I also got a new to me computer and I just haven't had time to hook up the scanner. Well now that it is break time I did find the time to hook things up so please expect more and more posts!

I assure you I am not growing tired of this blog or have anything better going on in my life. The hobby is still a passion and a large one at that. I have added tonnes of cards recently via trades etc. so I have plenty to share!

Here is one I have added thanks to my interactions on Hobby Insider!



13-14 National Treasure Jaromir Jagr Jumbo Booklet Prime /25
Please feel free to judge this book by its cover! This is my first booklet card and while they are annoying to store (still waiting on a one touch holder to arrive at my LCS) it is beautiful on the outside. The foil shines and the back has some pretty good information. It is numbered to just 25 copies which is pretty great too!



What is on the inside is just amazing! Devils game used jersey with a puck mark on it. The jersey is HUGE and well positioned! The Jagr photo is also pretty nice and you can just imagine him in the moment of concentration and he is about to explode up the ice. The only thing this card is missing is a beautiful Jagr signature! Of course this isn't signed and likely would have been out of my reach had it been signed too. So while it is but a mere game used card, there are so many elements I love about it, to me it is about the best it can get!


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Look what eBay bought me

I miss the old eBay program which used to kick 2 percent back to the buyers so they could get more "value" out of their purchases. I don't know if my American friends still have that option but they killed the program in Canada which was very sad. Well this past summer they did have a deal to entice sellers to list. If I posted something for sale, eBay was going to give me a 10 dollar credit. If I sold it within a certain time period I would get another 10 dollars. Not bad huh? Well, I posted up a card, it didn't sell so I got 10 bucks in credit. I ended up just buying a few low end cards I normally wouldn't have purchased rather than save 10 bucks off something expensive. The highlight was an auto I have been wanting for a while in the best uniform of all!


96-97 BAP Dave Andreychuk Auto Silver
Here is a silver version of a Dave Andreychuk auto. Nothing fancy or special here just a former NHL great, hopefully a HOF'er some day and his on card auto. This beauty serves as a reminder of when he was a member of Lou's team and I was hoping he would net 50 for us. His first season and a bit with us was good. He scored 35 goals and 74 points in 97 games. Sadly injuries mounted and he never got back to that level for us during his final 2 years and in 1999 he was gone. He would resurrect his career in Tampa and win a Cup in his second last season.

Thanks eBay for this and a couple other cards and I do hope you are able to give me a few more in the future!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

When is a Henrique Auto not a Henrique Auto

The answer is right here:

12-13 SP Game Used Adam Henrique Auto  Alex Pietrangelo Auto
This card is one that definitely proves that sticker autos are a bad idea. I showed this one to Upper Deck and a fellow collector of Henriques. Thankfully the fellow collector was able to shed some light on it. Apparently they all came out this way and while the production was pretty limited but with all coming out of the factory this way it isn't like it is a one of a kind. Upper Deck has offered to have replace it of course which is great but the question is what would I get in return? If others have done this does it make this card more rare? I am faced with a tough choice and to complicate things more, I do like Alex Pietrangelo and I don't have any other autos of his.

What do you think I should do?

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

94-95 UD Electric Ice Scott Stevens Auto

Sometimes you see something that is totally worth the chance and that happened a few weeks back for me. I saw an auction for the card in this post and the bidding started at 99 cents. Based on the scan I felt good about the auto and the seller had an excellent reputation so I left my max at 99 cents and waited to see what would happen.

Well it arrived and I was very very pleased. First off, the card itself is very cool looking and I love the "electric ice" effect. When you add a very clean and legit auto (IMO) you get pure gold for under a dollar. Most of Scott's autos will run you in the 15-25 range and he isn't possible to get TTM so I am very happy with this score.


94-95 UD Electric Ice Scott Stevens Auto
Great scene here, Stevens Auto, falling Sundin and Marty making a save! What more could a Devils fan want?

Friday, December 5, 2014

05-06 Upper Deck Rookie Update - Corey Perry Rookie Auto /499

Without a doubt one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL over the past decade has been Corey Perry. Definitely one of the best goal scorers to come from Canada and he played an instrumental role during Canada's 2010 Olympic Gold Medal winning team and was also a member of the winning 2014 team. 

The former Hart and Richard winner does not get the respect he deserves based on his credentials so far in his career. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 where he put up 15 points as a 21 year old sophomore. While he is young and still has plenty of time left in his career, he could be a future Hall of Famer someday not unlike Brendan Shanahan who had a very similar style of play in my opinion. 


05-06 Upper Deck Rookie Update - Corey Perry Rookie Auto /499
An auto rookie for Perry with a friend (Tanguay). I am not sure what inspired this inspiration, I guess they are both wingers and Tanguay could put up points but they seem like a bit of an odd paring if you ask me. Either way, a really cool and affordable auto rookie of Corey Perry if you happen to be in the market for one.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

13/14 Select Brock Nelson Auto Rookie /399

Is this a breakout season for Brock or is it just merely him just off to a fast start like Frans Nielsen last season? At just over the quarter point mark, Brock is 4 goals and 2 assists away from away from a career highs in each category. No doubt he will reach them but time will tell if he can keep this pace and finish with his currently projected numbers of 34 goals and 34 assists. 


13/14 Select Brock Nelson Auto Rookie /399

If his black sharpie tells you anything, it looks like his friends call him Bk Nel!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

13/14 The Cup Foundations - Martin Brodeur Auto /15

I almost never trade vintage for modern cards. Not that I have anything against modern cards because I am one of those rare collectors who do BOTH. But because I always trade vintage with a little more respect because I find modern cards are starting to really blend together. After from a rookie, how many patch autos do I really need of the same player? What is the difference between a swatch from a player's third year and their 9th year? So as a result this trade might seem a little unusual for me, but it was one I couldn't pass up!


13/14 The Cup Foundations - Martin Brodeur Auto /15

My collection has taken a beating lately with many cards going out the window to collectors for other cards. This trade was a simple 1 for 1. Out was my 86/87 Topps Patrick Roy rookie which was in such amazing shape I have long considered grading it because it was at least a 9 in my books. But, in comes one of a million Marty autos but one that is relatively low in a print run, features nice swatches and is an on-card auto. This is my third Marty auto and I think it is fantastic. Colours are sharp and bright and the signature is positioned very well. I do not regret the trade but I was sad to see my second Roy rookie disappear. Some day, I will get another one back and half the fun in the chase to find it.

Monday, November 24, 2014

R.I.P Pat Quinn

Sad to hear today about the passing of a great Team Canada Coach. I didn't care for Pat much during his Leafs days but I think that mostly had to do more with the team and less with him. But in 2002 he put Marty in goal and the rest was history and he won me over. He would go on to win a few more Team Canada gold and cement himself as a winner. I bought his rookie a few months back and I will need to add it to this post later. But in the meantime, I will appreciate this autograph that much more.


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

81/82 OPC Wayne Gretzky Super Action

Patience is something I always talk about during my posts and here is yet another case. I probably have been on the title card a dozen times over the last 7 years and never won one. I never sure about the condition, or the price was too high or I didn't have enough in the budget to bundle it with something else. 

A while back I stopped off at my LCS and had a small pile of change I didn't really have ear-marked for much so I went in looking for cheap deals. Sure enough Wayne was in the display case with a very very fair price on it. So after chatting with the boys for a bit I asked if they could do a better deal on Wayne (almost feeling guilty but not quite). Sure enough they slashed the price in half and I said sold!


81/82 OPC Wayne Gretzky Super Action

Rather than go over the things I love about 81/82 OPC/Topps for the 50th time, I am instead going to just focus on this card. For starters you get a cool design with an all action shot of Wayne Gretzky. See that blurry white jersey in the background? Yet another photobomb by Mike Gartner! The backsides of these cards are very well utilized and they give you a different look at a players career rather than the usual regular season stats.


Here is the back side and please excuse the "scan". I have a new desktop and I have been pretty slow at installing software and peripherals so as a result no scanner and no good software to prep the pictures for show. I instead left it in its toploader and took a photo with my camera. But I still think you can catch the gist of what I am saying.

Love the big player in the background and the fact the card is focused entirely on playoff performance and highlights. When Wayne was just a kid he tore up the WHA playoffs, 10 goals, 10 assists in just 13 games in insane. How about 21 points in 9 games? Check out those highlights, I am sensing a theme.

A couple neat facts, Wayne Gretzky was the WHA Rookie of the Year in 1979 as you can plainly see, but he could have easily won the Playoff MVP too as he lead the WHA playoffs in Goals and Points. Wayne's 21 points in 9 games gave him the highest points per game average in the playoffs and given Edmonton only scored 35 the entire playoff means he was directly responsible for 60% of all their goals.

Some day I just need to bit the bullet and get a complete OPC set from 81/82! After I get through the 20 or so posts I have in my mind, I am going to try and do a post about my favourite 10 Gretzky cards. Hopefully I will get there some day.








Monday, November 17, 2014

2011/12 Dominion Adam Henrique Patch Auto Rookie /99 - Another captured whale

It seems sometimes when I get a bit of steam going on this blog, something comes up and derails it. Sadly its been a while since my last post so I decided to get it back on track with a big landing! Adam Henrique is my number 2 PC these days and I am starting to try and treat it and him like my 1B PC. What would be better than to land what I believe to be his nicest rookie! 

2011/12 Dominion Adam Henrique Patch Auto Rookie /99
 

With all due respect to The Cup, I am a bigger fan on the design Panini used this particular season and just for comparison sakes, here is my The Cup version of Adam:


 
 Now, everyone has their own preference and opinion, but I like the larger swatch and design the Dominion card better than The Cup and the numbering to /99 gives it a more premium feel (on the inside). With the being said, I do like that the back of The Cup does have stats but the write ups on the Dominion set aren't too shabby either. I believe the fronts carry enough to make up for The Cup having the better back. 

So being limited to 99 means landing this card was a little tougher but time and patience always pays off and I was able to get it with limited damage to my collection which is always fantastic!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Player Prospecting - Nick Bjugstad

Player prospecting is one of the things I enjoy most about the hobby. Being able to say you were collecting the player before they hit it big is loads of fun for me and in some ways I enjoy seeing the "value" of some of my cards increase (even though I don't sell many). This post is about a kid I see being a star in the league someday, Nick Bjugstad.


2014-15 Upper Deck Young Gun
A staple in many people's collection is their player's Young Gun. I have gotten away from this with some players opting for more "value" but this one was a throw in with the next card so it was hard to say no.


2013-14 SP Game Used Rookie Auto Gold
The rookie auto golds are pretty fun and always a great value. Many times you can find these for a hair more than the pack of the basic Upper Deck cards. I was pleased that I landed both for basically that price.



2013/14 Select Auto Rookie /399
This past season I was a huge fan of Select. You get auto rookies for a Young Gun price. The print run is also very nice usually /399 which makes them much more rare than Young Guns too. I will miss this product this season but I will be on the look out for a replacement.

So what makes Nick so special? Hockey's Future has him ranked as a 7.5 which is a pretty decent score and shows he has solid potential.Nick lead the Panthers in scoring last season despite being a rookie and he even finished in the 5 in rookie scoring despite playing for a team that scored the second fewest goals in the NHL. This season he has experienced a bit of a sophomore slump which happens but I hope to see him bounce out of it by the end of the season.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

13-14 National Treasures 11-12 Panini Contenders Adam Henrique Yellow Plate 1/1

 When I bought a couple boxes of Contenders this summer I was hoping for a Henrique rookie. I did even better landing a rookie patch auto  but still if someone out there has a rookie auto I am certainly looking to trade for one.  During the mass flooding of plates I was able to land one of my number 2 PC Adam Henrique. While it isn't as nice as my Connolly and I don't have the print version of the card yet, it still is a nice addition!

Here is the front, I would have loved to see a sticker slapped on the front with an auto!




Here is the back side with the 1/1 print number.

What are your thoughts? Ever look for plates? Do you have any you are really proud of?

Friday, October 31, 2014

11-12 Certified Ryan Ellis Auto Rookie Gold /25

In terms of my PCs as they stand right now, Connolly and Henrique are definitely the tops but Ryan Ellis is another player I have certainly collected with some level of commitment. He had one particular card I have been watching for a couple of years now and this past summer I was able to land the whale finally. 


 11-12 Certified Ryan Ellis Auto Rookie Gold /25
 When you mix a PC player and a set you love it is a dangerous combination. The gold variations all are thicker than their regular version counterparts and they feature a seam piece instead of just a regular swatch. 


Here is the back, all the same as the regular run except the run is 25 instead of /499 or /299 in the case of Mr. Ellis.

Ryan is poised to make a big jump this year, I can feel it. He is off to a decent start with 1 goal and 5 points in his first 9 games. He has a future in the NHL as a regular top 4 defenseman with a specialty on the power play. I just hope someday he might be able to find his way to New Jersey!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

11/12 Dominion Pen Pals Stamkos/Connolly Auto /50

I think this one speaks for itself! One for the PC and one I didn't have already all in one.



Tuesday, October 28, 2014

13/14 Select Jonathan Huberdeau Auto SP Rookie /199

More Select! This time 2012/13 Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau. He came down with a case of the Sophomore Slumps and that combined with the dual rookie class made it book for very cheap so landing one by buying or trade is pretty easy. Like last season, he has started off really slowly but I am a believer in this kid and given time I think he will be a star.



13/14 Select Jonathan Huberdeau Auto SP Rookie /199
Here is the typical front of a Select auto rookie. Sticker fun.



Most of the rookies in this set are /399 including some of the big names. Why this one is only 199 I am not too sure, but that only adds to the coolness in my opinion. I already have one of his autos from ITG but two is always better than one in hobby terms.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Quick and easy trade with Cardboard Conundrum

 Matt and I have done a number of trades over the years, here is another beauty.


 13/14 Prime Prime Duals Hall/Henrique /200
 Jersey cards have flooded the market in the last 15+ years and the value most carry is purely in the beholder. Some will fetch huge dollars but most are a year or two away from the dollar bin at your LCS. I really really wish that Panini had one that spelled out SPIT because I would have been ALL over that card. Sadly, these two former Windsor Spitfires will have to live with FIRE.


13/14 Prime Scott Laughton Auto Rookie /199
Scott hasn't taken off yet but I am hopeful someday he will be as good as Mike Richards was before he hit the skids. I once had a pretty cool Laughton that I sold and I was pretty keen on trying to get a new one so here it is.

Thanks for the quick trade Matt, I hope you needed some of those base cards ( I just mailed everything I had before as list was put up) and I especially hope you liked the Hornqvist Retro Rookie. I assure you, he is the real deal and with Crosby or Malkin he will put up some pretty huge numbers.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

2011-12 Panini Certified Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Auto Rookie /499

So a while back I landed a very nice IMHO Landeskog rookie with funds from selling my Cheevers rookie. I did land another couple cards with the funds and here is another one of those cards I am proud to add to the collection.

2011-12 Panini Certified Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Auto Rookie /499

Blue swatch, simple auto and all round nice and shiny. I do wish he used his number 93 on his signature because he normally does but at the same time I already have two autos from Ryan and I do like this one is different than the other two (one with #9 and other with #93)


Here is the back side of the card. Cool info, nice relatively low number and some pretty awesome junior stats.

Now that I have some of the big names from this set, part of me thinks it might be nice to chase them all! Oh why do I have so many ideas and very little time and money? I am pretty serious about trying this out but I believe it will be a marathon-like project.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Another Wayne Autograph

I hope you didn't come here thinking it was another Gretzky auto because you will be saddened. However, it is another Wayne who was a WHA star and an all round pretty awesome minor league player Wayne Connelly. No relation to Brett Connolly as they spell their names differently and all but still a star in his own right.



ITG 1972 The Year in Hockey - Wayne Connelly Auto





























Picked this up in the spring for $1.50 and that isn't bad for an on-card auto of a former NHL and WHA player. As far as accomplishments go, Wayne scored a career high 35 goals in the NHL and hit 40 twice in the WHA. He also scored 45 goals in the WHL with the San Francisco Seals. While he never was able to put together a consistent career in the NHL, he did very well in the WHA averaging over 30 goals a year and finishing with 329 points in 366 WHA regular season games. 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A nice little haul from my buddy Dave.

Sometimes just adding simple cards to your collection can be almost as fun as landing a huge card. Here are a few little fun ones I added early this summer from my buddy Dave. Dave sometimes trades and sometimes sells these were all added for under 2 bucks a piece.

13/14 Artifacts Autofacts Tuomo Ruutu
 I try to get autos of Devils players past and present no matter how long their stay is. Looks like Tuomo will be a mainstay on the 4th line and so far he has played very well for us. Interesting auto to say the least, but I do like he numbers his signature.

12/13 Panini Classics Derian Hatcher Auto
When I first got into watching hockey and collecting cards both Kevin and Derian Hatcher were beasts. Kevin was the older brother and he had a great start to his career setting up high expectations for Derian. While Kevin was by far the more offensive d-man, Derian had himself a very good career too including a Stanley Cup in 1999 and an induction into the American Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. While I don't think either Hatcher will make it into the HHOF, I do believe both brothers had amazing careers that most can only dream of.


13/14 Score Mason Raymond Auto
I have been a fan of this kid for a while. Great player and now with the Flames he should get a chance to play regularly on the top line and I wouldn't be surprised if he hits 25-30 goals this year if he stay healthy.


11/12 Panini Certified Gold Brad Richards Auto /25
I have been a fan of Brad's for a very long time. Sadly his career hasn't been as consistent as I hoped but like a few on the NHL greats, when the game is on the line and it is the post-season, no matter how bad his regular season was, you want him on the ice. Brad is a winner and so is this card. It was without a doubt the centerpiece of this lot. There was also one more card but it is already destined to go somewhere else so I want to leave it as a surprise and hopefully the next recipient enjoys it as much as I was going to. 






Friday, October 10, 2014

13/14 National Treasures - 11/12 Prime Brett Connolly Black Plate 1/1

 If you said to me 7 years ago when I got back into collecting I would be having some PCs of players who aren't on the Devils and chasing parallels etc I would say you were crazy and there is no way. However, it has happened and I have probably 15 or so autos of Brett Connolly and countless rookies. But of course, I didn't have a true 1/1 yet just a Artist Proof from The Cup so I was able to fix that this spring.

The nice thing about my plate is I have two examples in my collection that were made with the plate:

 Example 1
 
11/12 Panini Prime Brett Connolly Rookie Holosilver /50




 Example 2:

11/12 Panini Prime Brett Connolly Hologold /25




 Here is the printing plate that was used to help those two cards above!

 When I picked this up, I didn't know what to expect. How thick are they? What do they feel like?

They are actually very thin and they have some weight to them (more than a normal card of course) and they feel really cold (metal obviously). No real texture to the surface and I was surprised the printing wasn't reversed.


 Here is the back side of the plate.

Getting my first plate was pretty cool, and I really like the idea. However, I don't see myself trying to get every single plate from Brett Connolly or any other player for that matter (unless circumstances are too good to pass up of course). I do have one more plate I added to my collection around the same time as picking this one up but I will save that for another day.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

A Chance To Land An Escaped Whale

Over the years I have been very fortunate to add cards through purchases and trades thanks to the internet and blogging. Sometimes though, cards I learn about aren't able to be had and it is almost torture. Someone contacts you and says hey I have a card you might like and you write them back only to hear dead silence. I have had that happen a few times and I am left wondering why the heck did you contact ME in the first place. With that being said I have also had times where the owner and I just couldn't reach a deal and that is all good too. For example one guy contacted me about 4 years ago with an insane collection of David Clarkson cards. I wanted a few pieces, he wanted to sell the whole lot and I knew the lot was far beyond what I wanted to pay so we just left it there. This post however is about a success.

A while ago, not sure how long ago someone (not sure who) had contacted me about a rare Score Auto Rookie of my boy Brett Connolly. When they told me it was rare and numbered to 5 I was interested right away. I wrote them back saying hey, I am interested, what are you looking to get for it. Response, nothing. Not nothing as in free, they wouldn't tell me what they wanted. They never acknowledged my existence. I checked my sent message to make sure I sent it properly, everything check out so rather than harass them with more emails, I sadly had given up on it and just keep an eye out on the internet. 

Fast forward to the spring and I see a seller with the exact card I was looking for and missed out on trading for, for sale. His price, $50. Now, if we were talking trades, I would have easily traded twice that value for the card. However, cash is different and I am very partial to my money especially since budgets are budgets. I gave him an offer of $15 knowing there was no way he would take it. He responded with a counter of $35. I couldn't do it.

Fast forward a few more months and finally he posts it as an auction, opening bid, 99 cents. I was all over that. A couple bidders also jumped in but in the end it was mine with shipping for less than $10!!! That is more than 10 times less than I would have given and more than 5 times less than the original price which I MIGHT have paid if I had the funds. While I went a long time without having it, luckily it will stay with me going forward and for a price everyone can live with! 


11/12 Score Brett Connolly All-Star Rookie Auto 3/5
Here is the front. Sticker auto with his number 14 on the card. Also All-Star 2011/12 is embossed on the front as well. Other than those features, it looks just like his Score Rookie.



Here is the back, all the same again with the exception of the numbering 3/5. Strange not to see a guarantee on the back about the autograph but I suspect these convention cards sometimes are just thrown together pretty quickly and no need for a few extra printing plates.

While many wouldn't care too much about this card, it is my main PC and relatively rare too. I hope that I can land a few more rarities as he is now back in the NHL hopefully full-time with the Lightning and a few more cards will be produced! Patience is key, I am not the first or last to benefit either. I just need to remember this experience when future trades and purchases don't work out when I hope them to!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

When the Kings win the Cup, so do I!

When the Kings won the Cup a couple years ago, they beat my beloved Devils I might have felt like I lost, but I did win something! This time around my Devils didn't make the playoffs so I was able to cheer guilt free. However, they got themselves into some trouble early on but when it was said and done they were the best team in the NHL and as a result won their second Cup in franchise history.

In the beginning Casey warned us the prizes were going to be awesome and man o man, they were better than anyone including me could have expected. Without further ado, here is the loot:

91-92 Parkhurst Niklas Lidstrom Rookie
 One of my favourite sets from the 90's and my absolute favourite from that year. A rookie of a future HOF defenseman is not a bad way to start.


 91-92 Parkhurst Dominik Hasek Rookie
 While this is one of my favourite sets of all-time, this isn't one of my favourite players. Not even close to one. But he too will likely find his way into the Hall of Fame some day and not just as a visitor. I do to just remember him as a Hawk because it seems like after he left everything went down hill as far as respect goes.


91-92 Upper Deck Dominik Hasek Rookie
 Hate the set and hate the player. Still a future HOF rookie so it isn't all bad!


91-92 Upper Deck Teemu Selanne Rookie
 Future HOF rookie? Yep, and maybe you are noticing a pattern with this awesome look. While I dislike the set, I did like the Canada Cup cards at the beginning of the set, it is more the base card design and over production that I disliked.


90-91 Upper Deck Pavel Bure Rookie
 I could own 100 of these and it won't diminish the coolness of Bure's only rookie card. K is for Kaptain.


95-96 SPx Daniel Alfredsson Rookie
 Very cool card and one design I haven't actually seen before. I wasn't into collecting much during this time period and only have his Young Gun from this year thanks to me still going after Collector's Choice. However, this is a neat enough card to have me interested in the set and this is another example of a future HOF rookie I am sure.


77-78 OPC Cleveland Barons
 Fun cards you can only find in the OPC release of 77-78. I have a Colorado Rockies one and this makes two. I wish Topps included this so I could try and track them all down as part of my set chase which I will post about at a later date.


76-77 OPC KC Scouts Team Checklist
 Back when the Devils franchise began. Just a cool card that of course means Casey cares.


77-78 OPC Craig Patrick
 Another card from a set I like more than the average collector (again more on this in another post). I don't have many from the OPC release so this card is another welcomed addition.


88-89 OPC Steve Yzerman 5th year
 Back on the HOF/future HOF track. Stevie Y from the iconic 88-89 OPC set.


87-88 OPC Steve Yzerman 4th year
 Here is Steve from the not-so iconic 87/88 OPC set. I really don't know why this set isn't loved as much (design is a little weak). Oates and Robitaille rookies are the biggies here but a few good sleeper rookies like Damphousse, Mike Vernon, Stephane Richer, Claude Lemieux and Bill Ranford to name a few.


86-87 OPC Steve Yzerman 3rd year
 One of the coolest Yzerman cards coming my way and one I definitely didn't own but really wanted to have.


89-90 Topps Brian Leetch Rookie
Tired of the HOF and future HOF rookies yet? I am definitely not. Another one I might already own but is in amazing shape like all the cards that came my way and is truly appreciated.


79-80 OPC Barry Melrose Rookie
 This rookie books for higher than Simmer AND Tonelli! Make sense? Not to me but this is a pretty cool rookie nonetheless. Check out the upper left of the photo, looks like a printing error and I never noticed that before this post.


74-75 OPC WHA Anders Hedberg Rookie
 WHA HOF'ers! This package I got from Casey is amazing and there was a pair of WHA HOF rookies.


74-75 OPC WHA Ulf Nilsson
 Ulf is another WHA HOF rookie in the collection. Even though I already had these two cards, the condition they are both in are superior to the ones I have in my set and so I am very pleased to have doubles!


90-91 Score Martin Brodeur
 Wow. Best Devils goalie ever. Top 5 in NHL history if you ask me and maybe even top 3 depending on what we are talking about. Another very fine specimen for the collection.


02-03 Crown Royale Tim Thomas Rookie Purple /799
 Didn't have this one at all and glad I do now. Not a big fan of him, but I love rookies and I was missing one from the former Vezina winner.


02-03 SPx Ryan Miller Rookie /999
Another top notch player and perennial Vezina candidate in rookie form. Like Thomas, I really would like to have owned one but didn't have it high enough on the priority list to make the purchase. Really glad to see this one in the package.


84/85 OPC Steve Yzerman Rookie Leader
Part of the base set but from Stevie's rookie year is this leader card. I have a couple of his base rookies but only one of these cards which is in the set as well. Very happy to add this to my collection and I would LOVE to get it signed some day. Not sure if he does TTMs but I will check into it as this might be an awesome mail away.


62-63 Topps Jean Ratelle 2nd year
The 2nd oldest card in the lot and one of the coolest is Jean Ratelle. This is his second year card and the stats on the back are all from his rookie season. This card is OLD and in amazing shape. Another huge addition to the collection and one I didn't have but always wanted.


57-58 Topps Alex Delvecchio
Holy PC love Batman. Just pure amazing this card is.


79-80 OPC Gordie Howe Final Year
Another card I always wanted but didn't have. I have two of these in Topps form but not the cooler OPC. This card is amazing and in such superb condition it has been sitting on my display mantle for weeks now. Another winner for the winner!



77-78 OPC WHA Gordie Hower
Last card is another amazing Howe card. This is one I already had in my set but the one Casey sent was superior is quality and is also on my mantle at home. Just amazing when you consider all the cards and you have two Gordie Howe's from his playing days. Many consider Gordie the greatest of all-time and some day I would like to have one of every card from his playing days and having a couple not in a set I am building/already have is pretty nice.

Thank you very much Casey, all of these cards are going to be well taken care of and appreciated for a very long time!