81/82 OPC Wayne Gretzky Super Action

Patience is something I always talk about during my posts and here is yet another case. I probably have been on the title card a dozen times over the last 7 years and never won one. I never sure about the condition, or the price was too high or I didn't have enough in the budget to bundle it with something else. 

A while back I stopped off at my LCS and had a small pile of change I didn't really have ear-marked for much so I went in looking for cheap deals. Sure enough Wayne was in the display case with a very very fair price on it. So after chatting with the boys for a bit I asked if they could do a better deal on Wayne (almost feeling guilty but not quite). Sure enough they slashed the price in half and I said sold!

81/82 OPC Wayne Gretzky Super Action

Rather than go over the things I love about 81/82 OPC/Topps for the 50th time, I am instead going to just focus on this card. For starters you get a cool design with an all action shot of Wayne Gretzky. See that blurry white jersey in the background? Yet another photobomb by Mike Gartner! The backsides of these cards are very well utilized and they give you a different look at a players career rather than the usual regular season stats.

Here is the back side and please excuse the "scan". I have a new desktop and I have been pretty slow at installing software and peripherals so as a result no scanner and no good software to prep the pictures for show. I instead left it in its toploader and took a photo with my camera. But I still think you can catch the gist of what I am saying.

Love the big player in the background and the fact the card is focused entirely on playoff performance and highlights. When Wayne was just a kid he tore up the WHA playoffs, 10 goals, 10 assists in just 13 games in insane. How about 21 points in 9 games? Check out those highlights, I am sensing a theme.

A couple neat facts, Wayne Gretzky was the WHA Rookie of the Year in 1979 as you can plainly see, but he could have easily won the Playoff MVP too as he lead the WHA playoffs in Goals and Points. Wayne's 21 points in 9 games gave him the highest points per game average in the playoffs and given Edmonton only scored 35 the entire playoff means he was directly responsible for 60% of all their goals.

Some day I just need to bit the bullet and get a complete OPC set from 81/82! After I get through the 20 or so posts I have in my mind, I am going to try and do a post about my favourite 10 Gretzky cards. Hopefully I will get there some day.

A massive pile of awesome from Shoebox Legends

When I started blogging back in Dec of 2009, I felt as an outsider and really I was. I was newly back into the hobby two years previously, lots had changed and there was a pretty awesome community of card collectors that were blogging. Guys like Mike from Bad Wax, Sal from Puck Junk and Shane from Shoebox were collectors that had cool blogs that motivated me to just give it a try. Then as time passed I found myself slowly being apart of an already established community and that community grows each year. 

I have been very fortunate to have received great things via trade, sale and gratis. Shane most recently has dropped another package of kindness on my door step and I plan on sharing that with you in today's post. As most of you know, I am entirely a hockey collector but thanks to Shane and few others like Jeff from 2x3 heroes I have slowly begun getting a few ball cards in my collection. I even went out recently and finally found a baseball set (exciting I know). 

Shane sent a huge pile of hockey and baseball cards in the most recent package so here are a few of the many that I received.

Bondo!!! During the round years 2002-2005 especially, Bonderman was our lone bright spot. Shame he hasn't been able to pitch as well as he did back then because the Tigers could really use the old Bonderman.

 The card defines what Shane does all the time, X-Tra Effort. Very cool card, another one that I don't own.

 Here is one of many shiny cards from the late 90's. This one is of my doppelganger Pavel Bure. I once dated a girl in high school because she thought I looked like him.
 

 This is one of a few 78 OPC. What a cool set, not sure if it has a fan following or not but I liked the ones I got. Chuck looks like he is all business and his career .190 batting average suggests otherwise.

 These two were classic.

 Mullets! I got myself a few mullets too. I tried rocking one when I was like 9 years old. Didn't last long or look good.

Another shiny of Alex Mogilny. Good memories of him in New Jersey.

There you go a small sampling of the wicked stack that Shane sent my way. I am already working on getting another one going Shane and hopefully it will be in the mail in a month or two.

1933-34 OPC Series A #31 Frank King Clancy

One thing I learned in my adult years that I didn't fully know as a child is that a card is really only worth what someone will pay for it. I use a guide to help inform my decisions but over the past while I have seen some super amazing deals and seen cards sell for 4 times book value. It really goes both ways.

1933-34 OPC Frank King Clancy  

When I saw this online it was a total fluke. I did a search on some old OPC's and I found it and I wasn't even looking for it, I just saw an amazing card with a starting price of $0.99.  The seller was actually an hour away from my house too so I decided to lay down a bid. I wasn't sure what this card was worth because it has a small tear on the bottom left as you can see so it is really less than a card. With that being said, the book value on this in ex-mint condition is 1000 dollars! There are no creases in this card believe it or not, some corner rounding and a small stain on the front and back. So as far as I am concerned, sure it is in poor condition, but I see this as far better than poor because that tear is insignificant and the rest of the card is phenomenal for a card that is nearly 80 years old. 

Here is the back side, again very clear and sharp looking. The dimensions of the card are a little neat as it is a tiny bit taller and a little narrower than your standard sized card.

Now I am not going to preach that this is the most amazing deal ever had online because I am sure it is not. For some collectors this missing piece of this card has rendered it completely worthless. However, I feel it is worth 4 times what I paid for it and more.

In case you were wondering, I won this for about the price of a blaster with shipping!

Jaromir Jagr is now a Devil!

Wow! After losing two favourites of mine, we get back a pretty awesome player in the twilight of his career.

Let me be the first to say, welcome to NJ Jaromir!

11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology - Brett Connolly Rookie Treasures /15

No time means all my great post ideas and box breaks must wait for another day. Here is a quickie to share:

11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology - Brett Connolly Rookie Treasures /15

Another PC pick-up. The top patch has a glint of silver in it and the bottom patch is all silver. Love this look of this card and it is reasonably rare numbered to just 15. After a 30 goal season in the AHL, I think Brett will be ready to be a full-time contributor next year with the Lightning.