On This Day 28 Years Ago....

The greatest player ever to play hockey was traded and eventually one of the most iconic non-rookie cards from the 80's was born.

For those who aren't in the know, Wayne Gretzky who was smashing just about every NHL offensive record was traded to the LA Kings for a number of players and draft picks and $25 million dollars. The key piece other than the money was Jimmy Carson who in all fairness was a fledgling superstar. Jimmy was the second overall pick in the 1986 and already had a 55 goal season in just his second year in the NHL. Alas poor Jimmy made the mistake of demanding a trade out of Edmonton after putting up great numbers in his first year with the club and his career was never the same after that.

Wayne on the other hand excelled in LA and made stars into superstars.

The above card is often known as the Gretzky sweater card in the 88-89 Topps set. What is most interesting about this card to me is it's place in history and it's place among collectors. Once upon a time, the 88-89 OPC and Topps sets were heavily coveted during the collecting explosion of the early 90's, I remember the Hull Topps rookie trading for about 50 dollars and the OPC pushing 150 dollars. However, thanks to the bubble bursting and the internet, many prices of 80's cards have dropped steadily over the past 20 years instead of increasing in value like so many envisioned and hoped for. What I find very cool is the value of this particular card hasn't changed and is actually the highest listed card in the 88-89 Topps set ($20 dollars). It's more valuable than a Brett Hull rookie, Brendan Shanahan rookie or even a Joe Nieuwendyk rookie. Wayne Gretzky's 9th year card is more valuable than each of those three Hall of Famer's rookie cards.

Here is the back side of the card.

What is also impressive is the Gretzky Sweater card is considered even more valuable than it's OPC counterpart.

 See anything missing on this card? Compare the two and look by the push pin!

OPC decided to run with a different photo than the Topps card and went with a posed photo of Wayne wearing his Kings jersey and forever changed the 88-89 release. Collectors appreciate Wayne in uniform but it seems that the Topps card from the news conference trumps this one and it's pretty much the only case in the 80's where a Topps card is more valuable than it's OPC counterpart (with the exception of the 89-90 sets where OPC was over produced). While I like the above card, the Topps card just seems so much more interesting and magical. It is almost a better representation of the most shocking trade I have ever experienced in my life.

 Here is the backside of the OPC card.

So where were you when the trade happened? Did you collect or try to collect these cards? Personally I remember the trade well and I grew to really like the Oilers during the 87-88 season because after the Devils got bounced I cheered for the Oilers to bounce the Bruins which they were able to do and while they would win again in 1990, the Dynasty was over and things were never the same again.

I have owned the Topps card pictured here since the early/mid 90's when I bought the whole set for 60 dollars which seems silly since they can be had for much less now but the years of enjoyment have been worth it! The OPC version is apart of my OPC set which I bought a couple years ago because I have a pretty big sentimental attachment to the set as a whole which I will hopefully share some day in another post.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and here's hoping we never see a trade like this again.....ever!

When building a relationship helps! Ebay-style

When buying online I try to approach it the same way as buying in person. I have places where I always go first and I try and talk to them on a personal level and often it leads to rewards. It turns out that this is equally true when it comes to online shopping. I have one dealer in Quebec who clearly does this job on the side but is still big enough to offer a big variety of cards. 

I noticed a while back he had a strange assortment of Devils autos and all of them looked very legit and actually I do trust him enough now to not really question authenticity anyway, but the scientist in my still wants proof occasionally so I will still verify most of them anyway on my own. However, the prices even though they were decent, didn't entice me enough because of the shipping costs. Most of the players are interesting to me because they are Devils, but not at the cost it would have been to buy them all. As time when by, the were reposted and again didn't sell. So I decided to contact him about the 4 autos in question and see if he would just do a flat price including shipping. He considered my proposal, and came back 50 cents higher which wasn't a deal-breaker for me so I said sure! The final sale price for 4 autos....$5.50!

Little did I know, I was in for a little surprise, here they are: 

87-88 Topps Alain Chevrier

 Ah Chevy.... Didn't last very long in NJ or anywhere for that matter. A good goalie, just found himself on terrible teams. I have the 87-88 OPC set, so it is nice getting his auto and getting his auto on a Topps card. The auto is very nice and clean with blue sharpie.

87-88 Topps Bob Sauve

 The other goalie I got was of Vezina winner Bob Sauve. Bob was a great goalie who stole many games throughout his career. Unfortunately for Bob he joined one of the worst teams in the NHL to finish his career out so I never got a chance to see what he could really do. His .831 save percentage in his final season was probably the reason he went into retirement, but the amazing 2.36 gaa in 79-80 was totally the reason why he can say he has a Vezina!

88-89 Topps Pat Verbeek

Totally the gem of the lot of 4 and the reason why I contacted him! The signature is unique to say the least, and I love the 16 inside the P. Do I love the auto as a whole, not too sure about that but I am happy to have a Verbeek Devils auto that is for sure! I liked him during his NJ days and was very sad to see him leave! Pat is the only NHLer to have 500 goals and 2500 PIMs and despite all his skill, he never got his name on Stanley's mug he did win one cup towards the end of his career in 1999 with the Dallas Stars.

88-89 Topps Joe Cirella

Joe is a player that I remember briefly as a Devil, but more during his time in Quebec and other stops. However, he was a huge player for the Devils during their early years and served as a great example for some young impressionable D like Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver. Cool auto in blue sharpie and the number 2 caps it off at the bottom. 

Well that was the end of what I was expecting, but lo and behold a nice bonus appeared in my parcel!

88-89 Topps Mark Johnson

Wow! First off, when I became a Devils fan, I had two players I really liked and they were John MacLean and Mark Johnson. Mark didn't continue his NHL career after 1990 so I became a MacLean and Guerin fan before MacLean left. Johnson may be best remembered for the Miracle on Ice, but I will always remember him for the amazing post-season he had in 88 when the Devils were within one game of the Stanley Cup final and he scored 10 goals during that run.

So what I got for my 5.50 was 5 autos instead of 4, all Devils and they were all in great shape too. I wrote the seller letting him know I really appreciated the gesture and I will continue to check them out for awesome deals in the future too. 

Card of the week - Brendan Shanahan

The preseason is in full motion and I am catching all the action on TV I can. Horrible news out of Detroit last night with Wayne Simmonds but I think he handled himself well and truly is an example of his character. A few suspensions have already been dished out by Brendan Shanahan which I think is to set the tone for the season. The NHL is clearly sending a message that safety of the players is top priority and I hope that player respond by playing a little less recklessly. So with that, here is my card of the week.

1988-89 Topps #122 Brendan Shanahan Rookie

First off, I love the photo. A fresh face, un-scarred and battered, he looks like a kid. Now, he looks like he survived a war with a meat grinder and won. The 88-89 Topps/OPC sets are pretty classic. I like them a lot, and the set as a whole is pretty attractive. In fact, I think compared to the 87-88 design, the 88-89 is a much more artistic endeavor and I think it ended up well.

Here is the back side

No earth shattering design on the back, just a pretty simple layout with a colour scheme that isn’t too hard on the eyes. I have the complete Topps set, and a few strays from the OPC set. I do own Shanny in both forms, but only the Topps one is mint. In the early 90’s this was one of the MUST have sets, I even bought a few packs digging for extra Hull rookies. Now, the set has lost some luster and it was pretty easy to find and it is affordable for most collectors.

How I received the card: It was part of a set I traded for in the early 90’s, can’t remember what I gave up.

Beckett Value: Topps version list for 6-15 dollars and the OPC is $15-30 but can be found for pretty cheap on eBay.

My next post will be an update on the hockey pool and we will see if anyone else wants in and determine what format we are going to use! Stay tuned in the next day or so.