A nice little haul from my buddy Dave.

Sometimes just adding simple cards to your collection can be almost as fun as landing a huge card. Here are a few little fun ones I added early this summer from my buddy Dave. Dave sometimes trades and sometimes sells these were all added for under 2 bucks a piece.

13/14 Artifacts Autofacts Tuomo Ruutu

 I try to get autos of Devils players past and present no matter how long their stay is. Looks like Tuomo will be a mainstay on the 4th line and so far he has played very well for us. Interesting auto to say the least, but I do like he numbers his signature.

12/13 Panini Classics Derian Hatcher Auto

When I first got into watching hockey and collecting cards both Kevin and Derian Hatcher were beasts. Kevin was the older brother and he had a great start to his career setting up high expectations for Derian. While Kevin was by far the more offensive d-man, Derian had himself a very good career too including a Stanley Cup in 1999 and an induction into the American Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. While I don't think either Hatcher will make it into the HHOF, I do believe both brothers had amazing careers that most can only dream of.


13/14 Score Mason Raymond Auto

I have been a fan of this kid for a while. Great player and now with the Flames he should get a chance to play regularly on the top line and I wouldn't be surprised if he hits 25-30 goals this year if he stay healthy.


11/12 Panini Certified Gold Brad Richards Auto /25

I have been a fan of Brad's for a very long time. Sadly his career hasn't been as consistent as I hoped but like a few on the NHL greats, when the game is on the line and it is the post-season, no matter how bad his regular season was, you want him on the ice. Brad is a winner and so is this card. It was without a doubt the centerpiece of this lot. There was also one more card but it is already destined to go somewhere else so I want to leave it as a surprise and hopefully the next recipient enjoys it as much as I was going to. 

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!

Andy Greene - Card of the week

Well the first week of free agency season has passed and there were many signings. Some more interesting than others. The biggest target (Brad Richards) found himself a new home at MSG. Will be interesting to see if him and Gaborik can stay healthy and forge some chemistry.

The Devils were a little dull during the first week of signings as we focuses on resigning some of our own UFAs. Andy Greene and Johan Hedberg were our lone signings this past week. However, Lou did mention that he is interested in focusing on Larsson, Parise, making a trade and finding a new coach.

Andy Greene has had some pressure to perform every since arriving with the Devils. Many scouts and Devils players felt he had the potential to be every bit as good offensively as Brian Rafalski. Actually, I believe that might be part of the reason why Lou didn't work harder to retain the defenseman. However, Andy has had some confidence issues and some setbacks in growth that really have hampered his playing. As it stands, he was our leading scoring defenseman last year (which isn't saying much) but I think he CAN be a 40-50 point d-man if he has a little more support on the backside.

This week's card of the week is from the 07-08 UD Trilogy set.

The card is on foilboard and is numbered 857/999. I like that the card is numbered and I like the layout. A simple picture and they mention name, team, number and position.

Here is the back side of the card.

I really like the back side as much as I do the front. Black and white photo with a little colour accent on the sides. Stats and a small write up are included. Overall an attractive card.

How I received it: Via Trade with Chris from Confessions of a hockey card addict

Beckett Value: $ 3 - 8

I have never bought a pack of Trilogy mainly because of the cost. It boils down to how affordable they are on the secondary market which makes it difficult to pay 20 bucks for a pack of cards I can get off ebay for 5 bucks. Even big name rookies sell for about the cost of the Young Gun versions. However, a nice card nonetheless and glad it is now in my collection.

Brad Richards - Card of the week

Well free agency has begun today and all the focus will likely be on where Brad Richards is going to lace up his skates in Oct. Hard to believe this as just a few years ago Tampa was doing what they could to dump his large salary after two straight disappointing seasons with them. However, Brad turned it around in Dallas and averaged more than a point a game in the Lone Star State and as a result there will be a few suitors for this former Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

This is his 06-07 Game Used Authentic Fabrics Card

These cards are inserted one per pack and each box would yield 6 packs. Not a bad deal except the boxes cost nearly 200 bucks with taxes. I like these cards because there are many people who tend to sell these cards off in LOT deals on eBay which means you can usually have a bunch for a relatively low cost.

Here is the back side

Here is the backside of the card. Like many UD jersey cards, wasted space and simple design.

How I received it: eBay lot purchase

Beckett Value: 8-20 dollars

I actually picked this card up along with 9 others from the same set. So 10 jersey cards and I only paid 11.50 with shipping. These cards are a pretty good deal for anyone who likes collecting jersey cards. I know some of my fellow bloggers are not big fans but at a buck a piece I think just about any fan can get behind them. The commons guide for about 2-5 bucks so I felt comfortable paying 11.50 for 10 of them. Some of the other cards included Brad Boyes, Ed Jovanovski, Doug Weight x2 and a few other guys.