Back Checking Gordie Howe

There are two perspectives in which you can look at a hockey set. The set is a look at the season past, much like the recent releases of Score or the set is a look at the upcoming season and what players you can expect in the NHL during the year of release. Regardless of the perspective, the stats are always from the season previous and usually (at least since 1990, if you played the year before you had a card the following year).

Well here is Gordie Howe's last card. I just recently picked it up and really landed it for a relative steal of a deal considering its condition and the fact I needed it for my set. This card is sharp. I scanned the front and stole a pic of the back because my scan didn't turn out so well and I am too lazy! 

Here is the iconic front.

Here is the back, and I would like you to notice the stats. This card isn't showing Gordie Howe's final season. This is showing his last WHA season, but for Gordie Howe fans, we all know he had 41 points in his final NHL season in 79-80. That means, depending on your perspective, there should likely have been a card made of him in 80-81. However, there wasn't and the above card is the last from his active playing days. 

What makes things even stranger, is this:

 

These posters were released 1 per pack as part of the 80-81 Topps release. Notice anyone in the first row 4th from the left? Yep that is Gordie. 

So even though he wasn't part of the original release, he did end up in the set as an insert. Too bad though, because it would have been pretty cool to have seen what that card might have looked like. But then again, there is something cool about Gordie's last card appearing in the same set as Wayne's first card.

80-81 Topps Hockey

Another Christmas post! One thing I wanted to do was try and get myself a significant set which I might not have normally bought with my hockey card budget. In addition, I am also trying to acquire one set from each year hockey cards were produced so when I saw an auction for a 80-81 Topps set on Boxing Day I decided to set my limit and try and win it.

The set was advertised as being an unscratched 80-81 Topps set. That was all, no other information. With about 3 hours left in the auction I based my bid on the set likely not being completely mint. There were low res-scans of Wayne and Ray but that was about it.

When the auction ended, I won the set for about a dollar less than my max. Then came the waiting game. Luckliy the set arrived about 4 days after paying which was pretty sweet.

In the binder, here is page 1.

The first page features a few Record Breaker cards most notably was Gretzky's record for being the youngest player to ever score 50 goals. The Bourque RB is for setting a record for most points by a rookie defenseman. Both cards were in nr-mt shape.

Page 4

I already had a Liut rookie in OPC form, here it is in the Topps form unmolested. One of my top 25 favourite cards of all time.....Hmmm....Seems like a post idea.

Page 10

Gretzky All-Star Card....about a mint as they get...Love it.



Page 21

Gretzky team leader card is pretty cool, but I also like the Bob Murray card next to it.



Page 23

Gartner rookie! It is also in great near-mint shape and it is my first Gartner rookie too.


Page 28

Gretzky 2nd year. I did a switch-a-roo here because the one that came with the set was actually better than the one I bought about 6 months ago! The one that came with the set is Near-Mint-Mint where the one that I bought a while back was less than Near-Mint when I finally took it out of the top-loader.

Spare Gretzky

Here is the one that arrived in the set. Nicer puck and better centering. Best part, 4 sharp corners and a perfect surface. The one that came a while back has a indentation on the surface.


Did I forget anything?

Oh yeah, Ray Bourque

This card isn't mint. Which I had to figure something was going to be wrong with this set. The card is in pretty good shape though and for what I paid, I believe I got an AMAZING deal. If I were to grade the Ray Bourque rookie, I would think EX condition likely. There are no creases or dents, but the corners are fuzzy.

So another set ticked off the checklist and a steal of a deal if you ask me. This set would have qualified for my Value Vintage list if it wasn't for the shipping. But having a few spare 2nd year Gretzky cards are nice, especially as trade bait!

Fake or Real - The Wayne Edition

I am not referring to the game some of us have played on the patio of a pub on a sunny afternoon, I am referring to the following auto. Before you take a look, I have a small story. I was at my LCS which I need to point out specializes in GOLD and Coins. They get people showing up all the time with cards and they usually send them away. I have a want list in the shop and they will grab stuff specifically for me (Like the Lafleur rookie and Dryden rookie etc) but for the most part they are only part-time cards. I was in there in the fall and saw this card. I asked the owner about the Gretzky auto and he said it was apart of a collection they picked up and that the auto was "part of the card printing" and that it wasn't actually signed. I didn't agree, but I didn't say that to him. I left the card behind and its $2 price tag.....

I didn't sleep well that night on this card and decided that the next day I was going to go back and buy it. Upon further review, this card didn't come out of the pack looking this way, it appears SOMEONE signed this card. If you look closely at it, there is feathering and gaps in the ink because it was a felt marker that did the signature ON the card. So the only question I have now is; Did Wayne sign this or did someone else?

I feel better about the auto as he didn't push it on me as a Wayne auto, but my doubts do lie in the "w". Many Wayne autos have a much wider W but it is possible that an IP auto could yield a sloppier job...

So I leave it with you guys, my peers and fellow readers...do You think it is real?

This card is a McDonalds release, I believe it is the 99-00 UD McDonalds set.

I also picked up another Wayne in the last couple months.
LOVE this photo, shame the back side is boring but this card is NrMt-Mt and to land it for 4.99 plus shipping was totally worth it to me.

80-81 Topps - Wayne Gretzky

I personally don't have a list, but there are a few cards I really want to own before I die and the 80-81 Topps/OPC Gretzky card is one of them! When I had the chance to land one online for less than 20 bucks I thought I would jump at the chance. Of course, you can always land a Gretzky card for under 20 bucks, but I wanted one in great shape. Wanting a quality 80-81 Gretz means I probably would need to go for a Topps version and sure enough I landed one.

The card isn't mint. The scratch and reveal puck has a tiny bit of scuffing and the card is off-centered but, apart from that, there is nothing wrong with this card (unless you have a problem with the treat on the back). I took the photo of the card in the top-loader it arrived in because I don't have a screw-down for it yet.

The reason why I have always wanted to own the card is because it is a sweet photo. It is iconic to my childhood as a collector seeing it in the display cases of a few sportscard stores and not being able to afford it. But there is more, in my second life as a collector, I have come to realize that if there wasn't a WHA, this WOULD be a Gretzky rookie. In addition, Gretzky's rookie (correct me if I am wrong) actually features a photo from his WHA playing days so this card would actually feature The Great One during his first NHL season in which he SHOULD have won the Calder Trophy.

Here is the front side. You can see it is a bit of a miscut.

Here is the backside with a little waxy treat.
When I read that there was a Wax Stain on the card I knew I had to throw a minimum bid on this card. When I was the winner, I was probably as excited for this card as I have for any I have received in the last couple of years.

The card certainly has some significance to me because of years and wanting and in the short term it certainly will be the best Gretzky card I think I will own. I still am not in possession of a Gretzky rookie, but someday when the time is right I hope to get that one too.

So I am curious, do you have a list of must own cards? Or are you like myself and there are cards you want to own but there is no formal list. What cards are on that list?