Out with the old and in with the new

This might be a strange title for me, especially when you consider my love for vintage but I actually sold a few old cards this past summer.  I even sold off a few cards high end cards including a HOF rookie (My Cheevers). I got rid of the card because it did have a fair bit of value and I didn't actually have much of a connection with the card. I do hope to get another one some day but there are many other cards I could get with that equity and in the end I wasn't terribly in love with its condition and I hope for a better conditioned one or a very cheap one in poorer condition. Funny the two polar opposites appeal to me more than the middle ground but sadly its true.

With that money I picked up two hugely important 11-12 Certified rookies which I do love and personally think it is the nicest rookie card design in the past 5 years (The Cup included).



11/12 Certified Gabriel Landeskog Auto Rookie /499

One of the bigger rookies out of the set is the captain of the Avalanche Landeskog. Since winning rookie of the year in 2012, he has developed into an excellent 2-way player not unlike Jonathon Toews. My collection didn't have his autograph and I really was wanting to nab his rookie from this specific set so when the opportunity presented itself I jumped at it and was very pleased with the return.

The Avalanche are a team on the rise and last season Landeskog finished second in goals and points on the team. With MacKinnon on the rise I suspect that Landeskog with either benefit as a linemate or benefit from seeing weaker line combinations from the opposing team. Either way, I am expecting him to have jumps in all offensive categories while still being very responsible in his own end. Definitely a fun card to add to my 11/12 Certified Rookie PC.

11/12 Panini Certified Two Box Break

So here are the results of my two boxes of 11/12 Certified. Even though one box was far better than the other, it was a pretty fun break in all!

11/12 Certified Base Card

Here is the front shot of the base cards. I ended up with 87 base cards and 1 double.

Back side

 I have always like the modern style of the Certified cards. Not everything needs a retro feel and Certified does a good modern looking card with a decent write-up on each.

The Hits

Martin St. Louis Fabric of the Game /25

 A pretty decent pull here. The was my first hit I got in the first box.

Mark Katic Freshman Signings

 This is the only rookie I pulled from the first box. A little unfortunate, but considering the other hits, I can't be greedy!

James van Riemsdyk Mirror Blue Auto /99

 YET ANOTHER JVR hit. He is like herpes to me it seems like, just keeps reappearing! All joking aside, the is a pretty decent auto and I love that it is rather limited as well. Shame his penmanship isn't all that attractive.

Milan Lucic Mirror Blue Materials /99

Another hit numbered to 99. I always liked the way this kid plays!

The big hit from box one!

In addition, I also landed a few inserts and a mirror red parallel of a common player.

Box 2 was much less exciting. There were a few insert cards and the hits below:

I ended up with 2 rookies:

The first one was a Cameron Gaunce auto, he is an up and coming defenseman for the Avalanche. He is also the older brother of Brendan Gaunce whose auto joined my collection last year in a box of Heroes and Prospects. The second rookie was Aaron Palushaj. The card is numbered to /499 and he has a name I can't pronounce. He has some talent I think, but I have yet to see him play.

The other two hits are plain in terms of swatch detail, I have a Fabric of the Game Brad Richards /25 and a Fabric of the Game Brian Gionta /99. Certainly a much less exciting box, but also makes me glad I grabbed both because if I just left with one box....which of these two would it have been? 

I am now faced with a tough decision. I have 87 out of 150 base cards and going after a set through boxes could get a little pricey especially if I break more boxes like box two. However, a base set might set me back 20 bucks or so and then that would end the hits. If anyone out there has base they want to unload, I will gladly trade and in the meanwhile I might try one more box in the fall.

If anyone is interested in the hits, most are up for trade!

My best hit ever?

It has taken me some time, but I finally made it to another card store that has been in my "area" for a while but I have only known about for a month or so. My wife found it in her travels and finally I had a moment and some birthday cash to go and check it out. Last year I had some great luck on my birthday when I pulled this beauty, maybe I could get lucky twice? Well when I got into the store I was a little surprised, he had lots of new boxes and practically no singles. The good news is, I was itching for a box or two so I guess I came to the right place, so I put aside my want list and looked around.

After talking to the owner about cards for 15 or 20 minutes, he started to let me know some "deals" which meant he was taking 10-15 bucks off each box for me! I then inquired about two lone boxes of 11/12 Certified I saw on the shelf and he said I could have them for a C note each (taxes in). The problem was, that was also the price Between the Pipes was selling for too. I had to make a decision, two of one, two of the other or one of each.

I asked him for a coin, he provided a Remembrance day quarter with a poppy on it, I flipped it and the answer was two boxes of Certified. I brought the boxes home and busted the first four packs. 

ALL had hits in them and the fourth pack yielded this monster!

This seam is bulging out of the card, much like ITG's hits tend to!

#/5. THIS IS A CROSBY numbered out of 5 and I LIVE IN NOVA SCOTIA. This card is only hotter in downtown Pittsburgh. The only question remains, what do I do with it! I love the card, but someone out there may love it more than I do. My wife wants me to hold onto it, but at the same time there are some hardcore Crosby fans out there that might want it more than I do.

Either way, this box so far is pretty solid! I will share this box and the other one when I am done busting, but I just had to share!

Sometimes there are cards you NEED to have - Trade with Chris from Confessions of a Hockey Card Addict

Sometimes there are cards you NEED to own. Well a while back, Chris from Confessions of a Hockey Card Addict posted a pretty cool break. From a blaster box of 11/12 Certified he pulled a really sweet Tyler Seguin auto swatch. The swatch was a beautiful seam piece and the card was numbered to /25.

I needed this card, I wanted this card, I had to have it. While at a local swap meet, I saw a really nice UD MVP 2 on 2 Ovechkin card with a nice 2 colour Ovechkin swatch. I knew I had to pick it up because it would make the perfect trade bait. I sent my trade request to Chris, who has been extremely busy lately and still found time to hammer out a trade.

In the end, I sent a pile of cards to go after this baby, but it was TOTALLY worth it.

The foil board shimmers on top of my "mantle" and the swatch is likely from a rookie year jersey. The auto isn't as nice as my TTM one, but I still love it like a family member anyway (maybe a niece or nephew kinda love).

There you have it, I gave into my desire and paid much more in terms of BV, but the cards I sent were worth the card I received and then some. Also, Chris being the great guy he is, also sent a cool stack of fun Devils cards and a Matt Taormina SP Authentic rookie. I just hope Chris is enjoying his cards as much as I!



eBay Auto Lot - 3 Sens plus 1

As I have posted a few times, I love Certified eBay lot purchases! Am I addicted to them? My wife would certainly suggest that I need help, but at these prices, I can't help myself. This latest lot was won for less than a price of a pack of UD Victory and including shipping I paid less than a pack of Panini Pinnacle. What did I get for my money?

Here they are:

Erik Condra rookie auto from the 11/12 Certified Set. These rookies aren't numbered, but their design is just as attractive as last season and the on-card autos are always a great touch. The foil board makes the card just that much more attractive. Condra has had a great season so far and probably exceeded some expectations much the Sens have! Condra has 8 goals and 24 points this season and could be a great role player for the Sens this post-season.

The other 11/12 Certified card is a Patrick Wiercioch auto rookie. Much like the previous card, it is an auto on foil board. Patrick was a second round pick of the Sens in 2008 and is currently honing his skills in the AHL. I suspect he has #4 or 5 d-man potential in the NHL, so don't expect a Karlsson-like season from this kid!

The Sens last season surprise rookie was Bobby Butler. This year he has been in a bit of a sophomore slump with his production through 56 games this year being below his 36 game totals last season. I think Bobby can turn it around next year and don't be too surprised if he ends up a 20-20-40 kind of player. I have been trying to get his auto for a little while so it was nice to find his in this lot!

One of these things is not like the other!

Like the Butler card before, this one is from the 10/11 Certified set, but unlike the previous three cards, Cliche isn't a Sen and his auto is a sticker. The 10/11 Certified set had 11 cards that were numbered to /799 at the end of the set and this is one of them. Cliche was a former second round pick of the Rangers in 2005 and is currently a Manchester Monarch. I remember watching him play against the Mooseheads during the playoffs in 2007. He was a pretty decent player in junior who just hasn't been able to crack a pretty strong LA Kings line-up.

I said it before, and I will say it again. I love Certified autos!

Card of the Week - Travis Zajac

Tuesday night, the Devils stole a win from the Blackhawks and Marty Brodeur was the main reason and the first star of the game. However, the Devils would not have won in the shootout if not for Travis Zajac. Zajac is back for the second time from an extremely serious Achilles injury/surgery.


In the two games since coming back, Travis has 1 assist and the shootout winner. He has played well and looked like he is on the way to returning to his old self. If the Devils are to be serious contenders this post-season, we are going to need our top three lines producing and Zajac will likely figure in at the first or second line centre.

11/12 Certified Mirror Blue Travis Zajac Auto

Front Side Similar look to last year's release, these cards are modern looking and clean. Sure they have the silly sticker auto, but in the end that isn't much different than 85% of autos out there.

The Back Side

You can say what you want about Panini's crazy parallels etc., but what I do like is their autos are very similar to the base cards and in cases when I am not going after the set, it is nice to have a card the mirrors the base set. These autos are limited to 99 copies and I landed auto number 56.

I bought this because I wanted a more cent Zajac auto, so this actually is my second one. My first one was his SPx Rookie from 06/07. There are slight differences between my two autos but he has been pretty consistent over the years.

How I received the auto: eBay purchase

Beckett Value: (Not sure, I don't have the most recent issue, but I would speculate in the 3-8 range)