10-11 Panini Certified Jordan Eberle Auto Rookie Parallel Red /100

One PC that has been neglected over the years is my Jordan Eberle one. I even traded off one of my Eberle auto rookies (Donruss Rated Rookie) so I feel like I needed to balance it off and bring in a new one and a few months ago I managed to get a Red version of a card I already owned and loved.

10-11 Panini Certified Jordan Eberle Auto Rookie Parallel Red /100

Red front and numbered 14 unlike my regular version of this card. Also a different coloured swatch which is also a great feature since they look amazing paired up.

Here is the back, nearly identical except it is numbered to 100. Not a bad addition and pleased to have it in my possession. I am tempted to try for the other parallels but probably won't actively pursue it since many have been probably scooped up and sit in collections or are still buried in packs.

11/12 Panini Prime Larsson/Greene/Brodeur Prime Trio /100

Another twitter trade here this time with my brother from another mother Tom. He collects Brodeur exclusively but lucky for me he doesn't want the card sullied with any other players so I was able to get this beauty among others.

11/12 Panini Prime Larsson/Greene/Brodeur Prime Trio /100

Just an awesome and simple card with Three future HOF'ers on it. Oops did I say three? One is a very very very long shot to make the Hall and the other is too early in his career but the start definitely isn't one of HOF pedigree but hey Marty is on the card. I actually like the other two kids as well! Any Greene could be our next captain (secretly I am hoping for Henrique) and Adam will finally get a chance to learn and grow with Scott Stevens at the helm so this card definitely is cool to me!

13/14 The Cup Foundations - Martin Brodeur Auto /15

I almost never trade vintage for modern cards. Not that I have anything against modern cards because I am one of those rare collectors who do BOTH. But because I always trade vintage with a little more respect because I find modern cards are starting to really blend together. After from a rookie, how many patch autos do I really need of the same player? What is the difference between a swatch from a player's third year and their 9th year? So as a result this trade might seem a little unusual for me, but it was one I couldn't pass up!


13/14 The Cup Foundations - Martin Brodeur Auto /15

My collection has taken a beating lately with many cards going out the window to collectors for other cards. This trade was a simple 1 for 1. Out was my 86/87 Topps Patrick Roy rookie which was in such amazing shape I have long considered grading it because it was at least a 9 in my books. But, in comes one of a million Marty autos but one that is relatively low in a print run, features nice swatches and is an on-card auto. This is my third Marty auto and I think it is fantastic. Colours are sharp and bright and the signature is positioned very well. I do not regret the trade but I was sad to see my second Roy rookie disappear. Some day, I will get another one back and half the fun in the chase to find it.

My other awesome Twitter trade over the summer

While my last trade post mentioned someone who wrote me up about trading, this post is about a trade I initiated myself. During the dog days of summer I had a chance to really be active on twitter which has pretty much ground to a halt now that school is back in session. However, during that time I saw a retweet by Upper Deck which involved a collector named Jeff who likes to break ultra high-end cards. He is chasing the Rookie Bookmark set from the 11/12 The Cup set so he bought some boxes and shared the results. In his break he hit a Devils rookie I had been trying to find on the cheap and I decided to contact him if he would be willing to trade it. 

He was more than willing and we were able to come up with a pretty good deal for both sides. Not long after he has hit more Devils cards and I was able to make a second trade with him as a result. Here are the cards I got from my two trades with Jeff.

 11/12 The Cup Adam Larsson Auto Patch Rookie /249

Sure it is a plain white patch but what do you expect from a Devils emblem! It features lots of white.


07/08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Martin Brodeur Sweet Stiches /299

This was a throw in by Jeff to balance out our first trade. The card became much more significant when I traded a few of my Brodeur game-used away to Tom a few weeks after getting this card. I am now on the hunt for a Brodeur Auto Patch that I hope to land someday in the next year or so.

13/14 Panini Prime Prime Jon Merrill Prime Time Rookies /25

A little chipping on the card is a downer, but numbered to 25 and an on card auto are all awesome pluses! This isn't my first Merrill card and I doubt it will be my last either!


So a couple trades down already and maybe even more in the future with Jeff. Thanks for two great trades Jeff and I wish you the best of luck with your Rookie Bookmarks. 

10-11 ITG Heroes and Prospects Number Black Brett Connolly /6

I have loads of Brett Connolly NHL stuff and very little from his junior days. Given he was a solid prospect during his time in the WHL, ITG has a few things out there from his time with the Prince George Cougars. A while back I was bidding on two, lost the one and landed one. This is a pretty cool one if you ask me and another good addition to my BC PC.

10-11 ITG Heroes and Prospects Number Black Brett Connolly /6

 Great swatch from the back of his jersey back when he wore number 8. You can see a little white of the jersey and then three solid colours which are Red, White and Black. Not sure why the red in the card came out a little salmon like but still a nice swatch nonetheless.

Here's the back, again my pet peeve is with a low print run of six, why not number them? If not by factory, then by hand? Still, as long as ITG keeps their website going I can prove it is numbered out of 6 but if the internet ever shuts down when the Machines decide to rise up then I am screwed with a nice looking card.

Good news for me is Brett is set to be an RFA after this season so hopefully if TB isn't going to use him for good then they will trade him somewhere so he can get a legit shot or at the very least get signed to an offer sheet elsewhere and choose his own destination.

This is my trade of the year: Part 2 of 3

When the Devils acquired Schneider at the draft I was shocked and unsure how I felt about it. Within a few minutes I felt good about it especially when you frame it as Horvat for Schneider. True the Devils could have drafted someone else and time will tell if there were any huge prospects to come later in the first round but fact is we didn't draft anyone and we got a pretty solid goalie.

12-13 SP Game Used Inked Sweaters - Cory Schneider

I was having trouble debating if I should buy a Schneider already on the market or wait for him to be in a Devils uniform and Matt fixed that problem for me by trading this card to me. Game used, autographed not a bad combo, just wish it was a rookie card. I do have one of his rookies (OPC) and some day I might add more.

So far he has looked pretty solid which is exciting but also sad as it reminds me Marty's days with the Devils are nearly through!

09-10 SPX Winning Combos Modano and Ciccarelli - This is what Game Used should look like

When it comes to game used cards I have seen some pretty great ones and some pretty sad ones. However, on the surface some might classify this card as being pretty sad, but I see a gem!

09-10 SPX Winning Combos Modano and Ciccarelli

What do I love about this card? Lets start with the swatches. Sure plain white swatches could be a drag, but I like the white/cream combo big time. Dino was a North Star during the 80's and this swatch makes me believe that it was from a uniform during that time period. Meanwhile, Modano had only 2 games of overlap with Dino and that was as a call-up in the 88-89 playoffs which means I have no problem with his swatch being white as he was a more recent member of the team.

Now lets move on to the photography. Both feature excellent North Stars photos which just adds to the coolness of this because Mike only spent 4 seasons with the North Stars and is best remembered as a Dallas Star where they relocated to in 1993. So both of these photos are the players very early in their careers and both feature the slick North Stars away jerseys but have some white on them as well which again can help the owner of the card believe that the photo and swatch go together.

The last thing I like about this card is the player choices. Sure these two weren't exactly line-mates having only played 2 games together but when you think Minnesota North Stars, I have three players that come to my mind. Modano, Ciccarelli and Broten. So here are two of the more iconic North Stars together and both are HOF'ers, Mike having scored 541 career goals and Dino having scored 608 career goals.

So there you have it, a card that could easily find its way into a dollar bin somewhere has a fan out there who thinks that UD got it right this time and made a great piece of art. Unlike that frankencard that I have of Dino Ciccarelli where he is pictured in a North Stars uniform and there is an ugly red swatch on the card, in my opinion that is how game used cards shouldn't be made!

10-11 Heroes and Prospects Update Box Break

Been pretty crazy around here and I have had little time to get up some posts of a few breaks I did recently. So first up is my 10-11 Heroes and Prospects Update Set. 

I bought this because I did have the 10-11 H&P regular set and I thought it would be nice to have the update to go with it and the price was more than right on the box/set at 24.99. Two hits for 24.99, why not.

Auto Hit

Not a bad start, with H&P sometimes you will get autos from players who can't or never will make the NHL but here I got myself a NHL regular. Matt had 8 goals and 5 assists in 42 games last season with the Ducks.

Game Used Hit

Whoa! My first 1/1 wasn't that great but my second 1/1 ever is pretty soild. Ryan Murphy is a very talented offensive defenseman who I remember representing Canada this past Dec/Jan at the WJHC. He moves the puck very well and even though he is a little smaller than some defensemen I don't remember him being too much of a liability in his own end either. My only complaint is that this 1/1 isn't labeled 1/1 and I had to find out online what the print number was, but I guess that is ITG for you!

In all a very great box especially considering you also get 50 base cards featuring some pretty good players who are still kids in the minors and the NHL. The last two cards are Theo Fleury and Eric Lindros too which are also fun base cards to own.

Mojo Sick Patch..For Half The Price Of The Pack It Came From

As a collector who got back into collecting during the '07 season much had happened in the collecting world between '95 and '07. Game used cards are one of those things and particularly patch cards. I loved the idea when I learned about them and as time has gone by I still like them but I am not as amazed as I once was. However, sometimes you come across a piece that is just too awesome to pass up regardless of how many game used cards you have. 

09-10 SP Game Used Dual Patch Nash and Voracek /25

Both of these guys are players I like and both are long gone from Columbus. Funny to imagine after they leave Columbus nearly makes the playoffs meanwhile Voracek had a himself a career year in Philly and Nash is still in the playoffs with the Rangers. I do really like and collect Voracek to some degree so that was an added bonus but the main reason for this card are the swatches. The bottom patch is amazing with a concave blue piece sandwiched between an awesome silver and red piece. The top swatch looks like it could have been from a name or number as well. This was another steal from the LCS this past fall, keep up the great work boys!

Luck of the Crosby?

There really hasn't been much money in my budget these days for packs, but I did get a blaster of Zenith a while back when a local hole-in-the-wall second hand store had blasters of Zenith for 14 bucks. I took a chance on one and it appears Sidney has taken a liking to me. This is the third game used Crosby I have pulled in the last year and personally, I don't mind!

The blaster also yielded a Rookie Roll Call Derek Stepan and a nobody rookie I don't even remember now!

Bill Guerin Game Used Stick

One of my first ever favourite players was Bill Guerin. As far as watching and cheer, I followed him around and wished him well at every stop. I really wished the Devils held on to him, but at the same time, Arnott was a big player in our 2000 cup win and certainly wouldn't trade that for anything in the world either. As far as collecting Bill, I have a few game used cards and autographs, but that is the extent of it. In fact, my autos aren't even "certified" so really I have NOTHING official other than some swatches of my boy Billy G.

That is all about to change as I landed a pretty cool game-used stick piece from the 2001-02 Private Stock release. These cards were limited to 200 non-numbered copies and the one I landed was pretty darn sweet. During that period of time he was using a Vic Graphite stick which came in both black and white. He used the white one at some points during his time with the Oilers and a black one which you see pictured. I wish they had the white on in the photo, but if you are interested, here is a shot of the stick in action. Now there is no way for sure to tell if that was the same product of stick, they seem to match in my opinion which I guess is all that matters...

What I love about this piece is that it is really 4 colours...White, black, blue and black-smudge...I haven't touched the smudge to see if it was stick tape or puck-mark, but either way I really like the character it has.

This was a great find and the price was more than right. I put in a bid that received very little competition and I brought it home for less that I would have been willing to pay. Also my pattern continues of more focused and purposeful collecting.

11/12 Rookie Anthology Box Break - Hit by Hit 1

When it was announced that Rookie Anthology was going to be released and the idea of a one-hit per pack approach was going to be used I was intrigued. After seeing a few breaks online, I decided I needed a box for myself. I really enjoy the concept of a rookie focus release as well as an update for many other releases. The base set isn't too shabby either, anyway lets take a look.

Base card design

Here is the front side. Nice glossy photo with a smart use of gold foil. The cards look premium and feel that way too. 100 card base set makes this attempt-able, but after two boxes and some help, I am still a little away from finishing it.

Back side

Here is the back of the card, they have 11-12 statistical information on an 11-12 product. I don't know if the traditionalist in me likes this or not, but the design is decent with lots of information and a certain "Certified" feel to go along with it.

Each box boasts 4 hits plus a bonus hit. In addition to those hits you should also walk away with another 6 rookie cards from products like Pinnacle, Playoff Contenders, Crown Royale etc.

I began my break with my bonus pack and wow did I ever like how it began:

11-12 Limited Banner Season Brad Marchand /25

 This is an on-card, game-used auto of a player who is both hated and loved in Nova Scotia. I like the design and layout of this card and the fact that it is really rare at just 25 copies increases its appeal to me. Not a bad start to this box!

Jussi Jokinen Rookie Materials

A few months back, there was a swap meet in town and I thought I might stop by looking for cool deals and neat finds. Well, I didn't spend much money there but I did get a couple fun things. This post is about one of the fun ones. I managed to pick up a few packs of 05-06 UD Series 2. I was hoping to maybe land a great Victory rookie or an Ovechkin Young Gun. I ended up with some pretty sad Victory rookies, Ryan Suter Young Gun (which my two year old son managed to ding a corner on) and this Rookie Materials.

At three bucks a pack, I did end up ahead of the game. However, Jussi has been struggling the past couple seasons after posting 30 goals in his first full Carolina season. However, he still electrifies during the shootouts and this still is a pretty decent hit considering it could have just been another base card!

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!



First Over-time Hero of the Post-Season

I LOVE playoff hockey. Last night was proof to that as all three games were good ones. Maybe not good for the losing teams, maybe not good for the officials, but good for casual fans who want a nice close game. Being a Devils fan, I got last night and tonight as days where I can enjoy games as a casual fan.

Sure I want LA to win thanks to Casey's pool, but last night allowed me to watch some spirited playoff action.

The hero of the night was a player who I enjoyed watching play in Junior for Halifax and a player who I have been trying to land a game-used card of for a while:

Jakub Voracek

Jakub scored the game winner last night which capped off a 3-0 come from behind win for the Flyers. While it wasn't the prettiest goal of the night, it certainly was the most important and was clearly the type of goal you often see in the playoffs when checking is more fierce and players go the extra mile for a win.

Two weeks ago I went to a local flea market and found one or two tables with cards and I bought a few. This card happened to be one of them and it set me back a total of 50 cents. The swatch on this card is neat because it almost feels like it was from his hockey socks. Do card companies do this? It certainly didn't feel like any other swatch I have ever pulled and I have over a 100 of them.

Voracek has played pretty well this season and last night was his first taste of post-season hockey. As much as I hate the Flyers, I do want Jakub to do well and that is the only silver-lining I find in the Flyers winning! Here is hoping tonight's games are just as entertaining.

Card of the Week - Sam Gagner

Hard to imagine anyone having a better week than Sam Gagner. What does a kid fresh off the first 8 point night since the 80's do? How does a three point night sound? Since the all-star break, Sam has 6 goals and 6 assists in 3 games. Not too bad considering he had only 5 goals and 21 points in the previous 42 games. Now Sam is on pace to top his rookie totals which are his career highs at the moment. The next few weeks will be very interesting for Mr. Gagner as his trade value has increased and the Oilers are still looking to retool their team for future success.

I know the Devils could be interested with their problems filing the Center position with healthy bodies and having a surplus of talented young defensemen could bode well for a future trade....but I am not holding my breath on that one.

My collection of Sam Gagner's increased by one recently (and before the 8 point game) with this card..


10-11 Certified Mirror Blue Materials #58
As I have mentioned before, I really like Certified cards on the secondary market. This card was a part of a decent sized lot of 10-11 Certified inserts and game used cards so the price per card was in the $1.50 range. The front side features the photo on foilboard with a smallish swatch of blue jersey.

The back side

The backs feature the card numbered out of 100 along with stats and a write-up. Like a broken record, I will say this is how Game-Used cards should be. I will certainly buy these cards all day at a buck fifty a pop. In fact, if I didn't have too many partial sets and limited cash, I would like to try and build the Mirror Blue Materials set.

How I received the card: Lot purchase from eBay

Beckett Value: 4-10 dollars

The Swap Meet Part 2 - Rookie Goal

After overloading on autos, I found a few rookies that I couldn't leave without as well as a few bonus game-used cards which I wasn't shopping for, but nabbed anyway. So here is the rest of the haul which cost me 65 bucks in total.

10-11 Donruss Rated Rookie Toronto Expo Robin Lehner

This kid is pretty decent and I don't have many of his rookies so this was a must. Not many would consider expo cards rookies, but I do.
10-11 Donruss Rated Rookie Toronto Expo Linus Omark

I have NO rookies of this kid. Glad to get this one.
10-11 Donruss Rated Rookie Toronto Expo Cam Fowler

Awesome d-man and the price was right!
10-11 Donruss Rated Rookie Toronto Expo Kevin Shattenkirk

Another player I didn't manage to score any rookies of. This one was another proud pick up.

I have decided to start a new PC and that is to collect a swatch from every team in the NHL and maybe that ever played in the NHL.....

10-11 UD Game Used David Booth

Love this kid and I think it might be my first Panthers swatch....can't remember.

10-11 UD Game Used Ilya Kovalchuk
Just am impulse buy. I have a red NJ swatch of Kovy but no black. Now I do.

10-11 Certified Fabric of the Game Kyle OkposoDon't have any of the Fabric of the Game cards so I bought this one to say I have one. Also counts as an Islander swatch incase I didn't already have one.

10-11 UD Game Used Rob Niedermayer

I bought this one to count as a Devils swatch and not having any Rob Niedermayer memorabilia I thought this was a good deal.

So there is the rest of the swap meet. I had fun shopping and these cards in total averaged less than 2 bucks a card so I feel I couldn't go wrong. My favourite cards were the early Parkies, the Elias rookie auto and the Orr Reprint. Thanks for reading, and hopefully I can get caught up on other posts!

Card of the week - Maxime Clermont

A pretty slow week again in the NHL news department which is sorta nice. It gives me a chance to share some more Devils news. You may have not been aware of this but Marty Brodeur is getting old. Drafted in 1990, he doesn't have many seasons left in the tank and this is his last year under contract with the Devils. Lou has been thinking of the future and has been drafting and signing goalies for the future and going into camp right now we have 5 goalies under contract.

Martin Brodeur

Johan Hedberg

Jeff Frazee

Keith Kinkaid

Maxime Clermont

We also have goalie Scott Wedgewood, but he is ineligible to play in the AHL right now and will remain in the CHL for the upcoming season. Clermont, will likely play in the QMJHL for the start of the season until injuries occur and he is required to play in the AHL or NHL.

This past year, he lead an over-achieving Gatineau Olympiques all the way to the QMJHL finals where they lost to the heavily favoured Saint John Sea Dogs. He finished the playoffs with a 2.22 Gaa and a .927 save percentage. I have faith that Maxime could be one of our goalies for the future and with Wedgewood and Kinkaid also in the fold, we should make a decent transition from the Marty years to the future (I hope).

09-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Subway Super Series SSM02

Love this card. The swatch is a seam piece and bulges out nicely. It is the black version which are "numbered" to 60. The swatch is a good size like many ITG swatches are and the front is designed nicely.

Back side

I like that on the back they tell you which year it was used in and of course it was game used. They could have featured stats etc, but like UD that generally doesn't happen often.

How I received the card: eBay purchase for $0.99 + shipping

Beckett Value: 5 - 12 dollars

WTF is an NHL Event Used Card?

I like game-used memorabilia cards almost as much as I like autos. I collect them, and I am trying to get cards from each NHL team and cards from my favourite players past and present. Some companies do a better job than others making these cards and certain sets have larger swatches and more pieces than others. I also get a fair bit of excitement pulling one from a pack and I do consider buying products that contain jersey cards.

A little while back I was on eBay and saw a few auctions with free shipping and players who I am fans of. So I threw a couple cheap bids on them and ended up with two of them. So for about 5 bucks shipping included I got two quad swatch cards from the 09-10 Black Diamond.

Dale Hawerchuk (huge fan)

Glenn Anderson (gotta respect the 'stache and the 2-50 goal seasons)

But what is most interesting is the colour of the swatches. They looked a bit like they were from the Eastern Conference All Star Jerseys from the mid-90's except for the red piece on Dale's card and Glenn never played in a 1990's All-Star game.

The backs of both cards proclaim that I have received a swatch that was "used in an official NHL event". Does that mean All-Star game? or does it mean Old-Timers game? I do have some 08-09 SP Game Used Duals of Bob Bourne, Billy Smith and Anton Stastny which state on the back they were "used in an official event". Please note the lack of NHL and the front of the three cards shows the player in their Old-Timers uniforms.

So I am not 100% sure where the jerseys came from, but the price was still right and I am still happy to have them in my collection, but I am still not sure what story is behind them. I really wish UD would take some more time in giving collectors an idea of what they own exactly especially when you consider these two cards would be hits that fall 2 per box in a relatively expensive product.