Cardboard Conundrum Group Break Loot 1

When this group break was announced I totally wanted in and I lucked out getting Colorado. While Colorado didn't yield much in content, my hits were a plenty with the random teams I was assigned (Buffalo and Washington). Here is what I landed:

13/14 Totally Certified Patch Dave Andreychuk /25

This break started fabulous for me with this gem! A (future) HOF, game used patch. The patch appears to be part of his name on a "Home" jersey. This card immediately becomes a part of my (future) HOF project PC ( I already have his rookie a couple times over) and to have a cool patch from a former New Jersey Devil just adds to the coolness! Next post will be more from the break and I have a few thank you posts on their way too!

One of the best cards in my collection (from anyone's perspective)

In everyone's collection there are cards you like more than others. That is especially true in my case. I don't have a top 20 or 50 list and I certainly don't have a number 1 favourite card. However, I do have a large number of cards I do appreciate more than others. With that being said, some of those cards are clearly ones I love because they are special to me and others I think can be appreciated by all. 

A while back I shared a few bonus items that Casey from The House of Oglethorpe sent my way, here was the centerpiece of the deal!

2001-02 Top Shelf Wayne Gretzky Auto /95

On card, autograph of Wayne Gretzky while being pictured as a member of the Oilers. How sweet is that? Also, limited production run of 95. While it isn't numbered, I have seen enough literature to believe its limited. I think this is something just about anyone can enjoy!

Thanks again Casey, this will always have a home in my house.

19 years ago

19 years ago today, people stopped laughing at me when I told them I was a Devils fan. I feel very fortunate to have been a fan during the bad years and the good years. 1988 was a pretty tough season after being one game from the Cup finals. However, Cup wins in 1995, 2000 and 2003 have been wonderful gifts and if the Devils never win another Cup again, I will always remember those wins. But with that being said, there is always something special about your first and for me, 1995 is the best! What some people don't realize is the Devils won the Cup in 1995 by only playing 20 games. That means they were 16-4 and since 1987 only one team has won the Cup in few games, 1988 Oilers. 

ITG Enforcers

Matt over at Cardboard Conundrum had a break ages ago which featured a box of ITG Enforcers. This product I have seen time and time again and more recently he ran another box break which has a box of Enforcers 2 in it and I did very well once again. The problem I am faced with is, do I ever buy my own box? It is a tough call for me because I do enjoy the role of the enforcer and I believe it has a place in the game. But at the same time, the Devils don't really play that style of game and in today's game there aren't many enforcers I collect. ITG does a great job bringing in old and new players but at the same time a box will run you about 60 dollars in my part of the world and 60 dollars can go a long way to some of my other collections (Decent 51 Parkhurst card or a Steve Yzerman Auto). 

I guess for me it is a bit of a novelty and if I ever lucked into a box I would seriously enjoy breaking it but apart from getting some hits from group breaks I sadly don't see me buying one anytime soon.

When my loot arrives I will share my success, in the meantime here is what I lucked into the last time I was apart of a group break:

ITG Enforcers 1 Oliwa vs Domi

Loved Oliwa and hated Domi. This card only would have been cooler if Oliwa's fist was against Domi's face. Oliwa did win one Cup with the Devils in 2000 despite not suiting up for the post-season (injury). This Cup win makes Oliwa the first player from Poland to have their name on the Cup.


ITG Enforcers 1 Trevor Gillies Autograph

Well placed and designed sticker autos here. Trevor has seen much of the world with his hockey career playing all over North America and into parts of Europe with the KHL and the Finnish league. Sadly his NHL days were pretty short and we may not see him back (35 years old this season).

13/14 Heroes and Prospects Christopher Gibson - Jersey Black

ITG really gets little to no respect. Sure they don't have a license, but they more than make up for it with great ideas, solid design and super generous swatches. You can fit like 6 UD swatches in this window or just 1 ITG. The seam is bulging out of the card. I bought this with my Brett Connolly Social Sig and the cost was 99 cents.

13/14 Heroes and Prospects Christopher Gibson - Jersey Black

While this card isn't very limited 160 copies, I am at least aware of the print run. UD and Panini print runs are always many times larger than that with their products in this price point.

I don't know if Chris Gibson will ever become an NHL goalie, but I do know for 99 cents I am able to have a great piece of his past and an interest in his future!

My First Baseball Set - 1987 Topps

So sometimes luck just happens to find you in the strangest spots. A while back I put out a trade request to anyone out there with a baseball set they could spare. In return I was prepared to pay big time in hockey cards. However, no one really was interested or had one they could spare so I thought, hey let's check out the LCS. So I went in and sure enough they were having a sale. Typically they just stick with hockey stuff and coins but they had a few sets kicking around all priced to sell (10 a piece). I could have grabbed 1988 Donruss, 1989 Donruss, 1990 Donruss, 1991 UD or 1987 Topps. 

Not knowing much about the Donruss sets and knowing 87 Topps from fellow bloggers and friends and having used to use 1991 UD for target practice it was a tough call. But, my first season of baseball that I remember is 1987 so it ended up being the winner. 

These three were on the top of the box in toploaders:

 Skinny Barry Bonds. SI did a piece on him a few years back and I couldn't believe from the start of his career to the end, he grew 2 inches and gained 43 lbs.

 When I got into collecting, Bo was a god. Everyone wanted his football and baseball rookies. Bad hips did him in and now these are probably littering common bins world wide.

Ah Mark McGwire. Like the previous two, this isn't his rookie either but I am more than pleased to have this trio plus 789 other cards from the set. I plan on putting it into a binder and enjoying it all card by card. As I find things that interest me, I will share them.

In all, this set may have been insanely over produced, but at the same time this set isn't hard to look at and I remember friends collecting it as a kid so it has some nostalgia value to me as well. 10 bucks, well spent.

Two Terrible Autos

I picked up two autographs from the same person and they both have something in common, they are terrible. First up is Radek Faksa, the Stars first round pick from 2012. He played a few years in the OHl before finishing up this past season with the Calder Cup champs, the Texas Stars. 

2012/13 ITG Heroes and Prospects Radek Faksa Auto

So terrible that I can make out an F and maybe an S? His 94 even looks more like a 96. If it wasn't for his name and number being pictured on the card I would have been clueless.


The next card is terrible for a different reason because it's Terrible Ted Lindsay!

11/12 ITG Captain-C Ted Lindsay Auto Silver

Great auto from one of hockey's greatest stars and member of the HHOF. I got this because the price was insanely cheap and he is missing from my PC of HOF autos.

Another PC addition for just a dollar

Short one today. 99 cents plus shipping brought home one of the guys I follow on Twitter.

13/14 Social Signatures Brett Connolly

While he isn't super active on twitter, being my main PC it is totally worth the cost.

13/14 UD SP Game Used Justin Schultz Rookie Auto Gold

I remember when Justin Schultz made his decision to sign with the Oilers after a pretty interesting competition between NHL clubs for his services. I thought, how good could this kid actually be? Well first pro-season, he made the NHL all-rookie team, also won AHL defenseman of the year after only playing in 34 games and made Team Canada at that years World Championship. Not a bad start to a career. After that season, I was really looking forward to getting some auto of his and here is what I found at the LCS a little while ago. 

13/14 UD SP Game Used Justin Schultz Rookie Auto Gold Level A

The rarest of the gold autos are all the ones everyone wants. Really happy to steal this for a third of the cost of a pack! This kid is dynamite and if the Oilers could ever get going in a positive direction, expect big things from Justin.

08-09 UD Masterpieces Steve Shutt auto

Here is the second of a few consecutive posts on deals I have made with Casey from The House of Oglethorpe. This one is featuring an amazing autograph of Hall of Fame player Steve Shutt. While I don't have his rookie card yet, I know I need his auto for my Hall of Fame PC so this card is an excellent addition to the collection.

08-09 UD Masterpieces Steve Shutt auto

Great autograph and an even nicer photo. I love the helmetless look from the old days and the framed canvas look gives the card a much cooler (almost museum) look. The signature is just fantastic and in some ways I wish more players had beautiful penmanship like Steve. While Steve didn't have the longest NHL career, he did win 5 Stanley Cups and had 30+ goals in 9 of his 13 NHL seasons. Included in those seasons was one where he set the NHL record for most goals by a LW (60 goals). That record eventually was topped by the NHL all-time leading scorer at LW, Luc Robitaille who had 63 in 1993. Alex Ovechkin bettered that record by two in 2008.

The Hammer Rookie and Auto

While I still have an amazing addition to share with you thanks to a deal with Casey from The House of Oglethorpe, I decided to wait because it is tough to get it scanned so I will take the lazy approach. 

As part of a more recent deal, I landed three cards from Casey and these two have much in common. They are the same guy! Dave Schultz is a player my step-father introduced to me along with many other enforcers in the NHL and it was his love for The Hammer that I picked up these two cards. 

06-07 Parkhurst Dave Schultz Auto (regular)

In this set that I am loving more and more by the year Dave has two autos. The first is this card and the second is his Enforcers card. I like this one just enough to add it to my collection and I will certainly be keeping this one for good! For a guy that set an NHL record with 472 PIM in one season, he has a beautiful autograph so those hands aren't just cement. Dave also scored 20 goals in one season and did win two Cups with the Flyers.

73-74 OPC Dave Schultz Rookie

As amazing as the auto is, this rookie card was the biggest acquisition as far as the deal goes. The card isn't mind but at the same time the only thing wrong with the card is the nice OPC choppy cut which I actually like because you get more card than you pay for! This card is the light back version which is more than enough for me so don't expect any dark back rookie posts any time soon. Really happy to add these two and I hope to get all caught up on my Casey posts soon. Also have a few more to catch up on so please bear with me!

Big Thanks To Wes From Hobby Insiders

A little while back I sold my Scott Laughton and bought a couple cool cards with it. During that time I got a chance to talk to a fellow collector named Wes, he bought the Scott and he also told me about a forum called Hobby Insiders (HI). Ryan who runs Two Pad Stack also mentioned it to me so with all this peer pressure I decided to check it out. I have enjoyed my time with it so far, even made a deal or two on there. Well, Wes sent along a welcome gift and here it is!

13/14 UD Series 2 Reid Boucher Canvas Young Gun

 Wow, been wanting this for a while and here it is. Very happy to have a rookie of a future Devils superstar (yep I said superstar!)

13/14 Upper Deck Series 1 Damien Brunner Young Gun

 I already had one, but I do collect multiples of rookie because they are....rookies! I have loads of Recchi, Roenick and Jagr rookies too if you don't believe me!

13/14 Upper Deck Series 2 Damien Brunner Rookie Materials

 I didn't have this one but I am glad I do! Damien had an amazing start, and then cooled off. I am expecting a much better season next year from him and that will certainly increase the appreciation I have for these cards.

13/14 UD Black Diamond Eric Gelinas Rookie

Another one I was needing and wanting pretty badly. These cards never disappoint in person and I have been very tempted to get a Mackinnon as well in Black Diamond form. However, like my Patrick Kane, I will wait a little while before I pull the trigger and take advantage of a saturated rookie market.

Thank you very much Wes and I know you sent these along and asked for nothing, however that isn't how I work. Still trying to find a piece or two for the package and I will get it sent off soon. In the meantime, thank you very much I do appreciate them all!