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.

10-11 Donruss Jordan Eberle Rated Rookie Auto

When 10-11 Certified came out and I saw the Jordan Eberle rookie I knew I wanted it in my collection. I have loved this kid ever since he first appeared in the WJHC and been a huge fan ever since. I wrote him hoping he would sign a TTM request for me, but no luck. However, in the summer I lucked into my dream card at my LCS and I was pleased to have it in my collection. To this day, it would be considered one of my top 10 favourite cards for sure. 

That same season, Panini produced the much criticized and little loved Donruss product. Personally, I didn't mind it and the price point was meant to be comparable to UD's flagship Series 1 and 2, however, I felt it was more a solid competition for the OPC release which I felt it was superior to that. In the end, the fans didn't agree and boxes are still out there with 2 hits per box and countless rookies online for next to nothing. I actually bought a lot of 27 rated rookies this summer for about 6 bucks plus shipping. There are a few cards in the Donruss release that did hold some value and they are the Rated Rookie Autos. When I saw the Eberle I knew it was just a matter of time before it too would join my collection. With that being said, I wasn't as driven to land it as I was the Certified. Maybe it was because this isn't a true rookie or maybe because I knew it was only a matter of time before a deal was to be had.....

I watched a few of the 100 copies sell and consistently on eBay they were going for 40-50 bucks *final auction price, not buy it now. So I set my max at a number comfortably below that and waited. I would have to say nearly 10 sold in that time period before I landed mine at the price I wanted.... I tried scanning it, but the screwdown made it blurry, so here is the photo of my second favourite Eberle card! 

10-11 Donruss Jordan Eberle Rated Rookie Auto /100

This card is a sticker auto which sucks a little bit. Interestingly enough, he did sign a number on it which he didn't do on his Certified rookie. I suspect he meant to sign 14, but it actually looks more 17ish to me...

Anyway, love the card and this would be my second Rated Rookie auto. I pulled a Zach Hamill (sigh) from my lone box of Donruss.

11/12 Rookie Anthology Box Break - Hit by Hit 4

The second last "hit" turned a pretty good box into an amazing box. Not necessarily a card that will make many jealous, but a card that I personally love and will hold onto no matter what. I ended up with this gem:

11/12 Pinnacle Starting Six Oilers /200

This card isn't officially numbered, but according to the Beckett magazine it is limited to 200 copies. Anyone who reads the occasional post on here knows I am a big Eberle fan, but not only did I get Eberle, I got The Nuge, and Teubert. I love every aspect of this card, I like that they crammed 6 swatches on here, I like that my six swatches are all unique in texture and colour and the best part I think I have all the different colours that appear on an Oilers jersey minus that patch. I love that I have Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins together and apart from being a Devils starting 6, I don't think this card could have been meant for anyone else but me. Truly a perfect hit for the right person! Still one more hit to go and the rest of the rookies, stay tuned!

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!

At long last.....

Patience is a virtue and patience pays off, I finally got myself a big fish! The guys at the LCS gave me a deal I couldn't refuse a while back and here it is. This one is definitely top 10 in my collection.

Jordan Eberle Game Used Rookie

Here is another post about what I used my extra cash on instead of buying countless boxes of 11/12 Score. One thing I have really been wanting is a game used card of Jordan Eberle from his rookie season. I ended up buying this gem in the fall for an excellent price. The "value" of this card has nearly doubled as the season has gone bye which means I saved myself a few bucks because of my obsession over this kid has certainly increased!

10/11 Zenith Rookie Roll Call Jordan Eberle 

This card is a beaut in person. The crazy Nufex foil action in combination with a nice orange swatch is nothing but eye candy. My only complaint is a high-end product like Zenith should have serial numbered cards. I mean they went through all that trouble with Pinnacle, why not Zenith? Petty complaints aside, I really do like this card and being able to have a few extra bucks to pick it up certainly made it affordable.