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!

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. 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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?

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?

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.

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!