13-14 Artifacts Emerald Brett Connolly Team Canada /8

After a very long and much needed break to begin getting things taken care of I feel that I might be ready to come back and continue sharing my adventures and sharing in those of others. Thank you very much to all those who wrote me and have stayed in contact a variety of different ways including sending along PWEs (yes I am looking in your direction Jeff, thank you very very much).

I plan on easing myself back into this possibly with a post every few days but the truth is I probably will post whenever I feel like it and that will be possibly more frequent! I have loads of new additions and fun things to have shared that have happened to me in the collecting side of things over the past few months.

To kick things off, why not go with 2 of my three collecting loves. Brett Connolly and Team Canada. If only the Devils would make a play for this kid and offer Boston a young defenseman!

13-14 Artifacts Emerald Brett Connolly Team Canada /8

While the emerald foil has never been a love of mine, I think it isn't bad on this card. The patch piece is just fantastic. You may not see it that well but there is gold peaking out in the bottom right portion of the watch. Brett's auto features his number 8 from playing in junior and I am guessing UD used up all his 28 signature stickers on the UD Team Canada set.

This card was one I had been watching for quite a while and when the price creeped down to a reasonable number I threw them an even more reasonable BO and it was accepted! If only a couple others could do the same.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who's kept checking out my blog and at least allowed the old hit count to grow slightly and those who may have discovered my blog in my absence. I hope to keep you all coming back and thank you for your patience!

Dave

14-15 Upper Deck Team Canada Juniors John Quenneville Patch Auto /199

Well it is that time of year again and as much as I love Christmas, I nearly equally love the WJHC! Sadly one of our top prospects didn't get an invite to join the team, but that doesn't mean he won't get some love here!

John Quenneville, yes he is related to THAT guy and former Devil Joel Quenneville who is apparently a cousin!

14-15 Upper Deck Team Canada Juniors John Quenneville Patch Auto /199

Not entirely sure why this is a "patch" but I suspect maybe at the U18 tournament they used jerseys that were not patched but rather sublimated. I am really sure either way, but fact is he is a kid of the future and this was a nice add to my collection! The auto is stickered but UD did a great job there and the swatch is at least 2 coloured but I suspect there might be some better swatches on the market. I am curious to see what happens with John but early reports is he could be as good as Adam Henrique which as many of you know is a PC of mine and I would be very fine with those predictions!

Cardboard Conundrum Group Break Loot 1

When this group break was announced I totally wanted in and I lucked out getting Colorado. While Colorado didn't yield much in content, my hits were a plenty with the random teams I was assigned (Buffalo and Washington). Here is what I landed:

13/14 Totally Certified Patch Dave Andreychuk /25

This break started fabulous for me with this gem! A (future) HOF, game used patch. The patch appears to be part of his name on a "Home" jersey. This card immediately becomes a part of my (future) HOF project PC ( I already have his rookie a couple times over) and to have a cool patch from a former New Jersey Devil just adds to the coolness! Next post will be more from the break and I have a few thank you posts on their way too!

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.

08-09 SP Game Used Number Marks Alex Delvecchio /25

Patience is something that I am sure I can always use more of, but sometimes I am just patient enough. This is one example of where it pays off in my opinion.

08-09 SP Game Used Number Marks Alex Delvecchio /25

I saw this card almost a year and a half ago on eBay. The seller at the time wanted $99.99 for it and I felt that was a little steep. The book value on it is 80 bucks and I usually don't try and pay full book unless I have to have the card. 

As far as the card goes, it is an auto which I have lots of, and it is a manufactured patch. Alex never wore this number, which makes it a novelty card at best. However, I liked the look of the front (the only pic he had and it was fuzzy) so I decided to watch the card. Time after time it would get relisted and not sell. It isn't that there aren't Delvecchio fans out there, it is just the price was pretty steep and many thought that. After a year and a half I decided to send an offer since I had some extra PayPal cash. My offer was based on what I felt the card was worth to me and was really a take it or leave it offer (I didn't say that in the terms).

I seller obviously thought it over and sure enough accepted my offer which was around the price of a blaster with tax.

When the card arrived I was both surprised and disappointed. The card looked nice in person, better than the scan and had an awesome photo on the back, but there was also some damage on the back which was never pictured or mentioned in the sale description. 

Here is the back, if you notice the photo is very similar to the photo from my Delvecchio Bee Hive. What you will also notice is the photo is the exact one used on his rookie card. That was a very nice surprise, but the damage was a little disappointing. I decided not to complain and just keep the card since I didn't pay very much for it and it is a really hard card to find. Now I need to decide if I want to try and chase the number 1 so I can make 10. I think the answer is yes, so if anyone out there sees #1 autographed or not please let me know and I will try and trade/buy it from you. I don't think I would pay ANYTHING for it, but I am sure we can figure something out. Funny how things change from want to need.

Just hit my second 1/1 ever!

I will post more later, but here is my second 1/1 ever!

Sakic Patch

Just when it seems like I have uncovered every good deal and gem at my LCS, I end up turning over another rock and find myself another. 

09-10 Artifacts Joe Sakic Frozen Artifacts Blue Patch/Jersey /25

 

I have always liked Artifacts and when I have bought packs I generally have done OK, but never pulled a card like this one! My LCS had this baby in the display case with a price of just 15 bucks! Talk about priced to move, with packs generally running in the 10 dollar range, this is a steal. The card is the blue version of the Frozen Artifacts insert set which includes a patch piece and a jersey piece and is just numbered to 25.

What I like most about the card is the beautiful three colour patch you get. The silver glimmers in the light, the blue pops nicely and the white has a pretty neat texture to it. This baby was easily worth three times what I paid for it to me and the card easily is one of the better patch cards in my collection. Having not owned any game-used Joe Sakic memorabilia to this point, I sort of think this card was a long over-due purchase.

Eric Lindros Patch - Deal of the Summer

With all the new additions to my collection, this is likely the biggest in terms of "value" and also the best deal of the summer. Upon first inspection, the card seems like millions of other patch cards out there from the last 12 years of production.

What makes this card special on closer inspection are the fine details. First off, this features a nice patch that actually is 4 colours. Blue, Silver, Red and Grey. The upper left looks greyish in the scan, but is actually silver. This patch apparently came from the 01-02 season  when Eric was wearing one of New York's third jerseys. That season was the last of Eric's strong seasons (37 goals and 73 points) before his unfortunate decline in production.

The second feature is the gold foil and the card is numbered out of 88. What makes this significant, is this is from the 02-03 Prism McDonald's Hockey set. Patches in this set were produced based on the numbers 250 and the players number. For example, 250 Eric Lindros patch cards were produced, 88 being of the gold variety (his playing number) and 162 silver versions were also made.

What was the biggest surprise to me when I bought this card for 9 dollars was the book value when I brought it home and checked the Beckett Bible was 200 dollars. That was a very pleasant surprise, however, I just loved this card when I saw it and the price was more than fair regardless of BV. But, I would be lying if I said that little bonus didn't just make it that much more sweet.

Of course if a hardcore Lindros fan came along and offered be equivalent BV in trade, I would take it, but all the same I would have definitely paid more than 9 bucks for this card without knowing its BV.

Brian Leetch Patch

Five bucks certainly can buy a lot of different things when it comes to hockey cards, but most of those things are pretty crappy. You can buy low or mid-low packs (and maybe get lucky), you can usually buy an auto of a relatively unknown player or if you are lucky snag a good eBay deal. However, if you factor in the cost of shipping, your eBay options are more limited.

I was at my local card shop the other day and the boys there took really good care of me. I found a card that was screaming to be taken home. The guys there said, give me 5 for it and it is yours.

10-11 Ultimate Ultimate Patches Brian Leetch /35

Look at those swatches. I don't imagine there are two better ones on any of the other 34 cards made. The Rangers really don't have much in the way of emblems so this is likely the best they could possibly assemble. This card is easily one of the better patch cards in my collection.

Of course, I know this is a Ranger card and they are the sworn enemies of any Devils fan, but at the same time it is Brian Leetch, a HOF defenseman and NHL record holder (most goals by a rookie D-man). I really respect his career and his talent and to land this card for 5 bucks (no strings) is a pretty sweet deal. Another great reason to keep supporting your LCS!

11/12 Heroes and Prospects Box Break and Review

Last year, I busted a box of 10/11 H&P and I was very happy with the results. I had 5 hits and all of the cards were pretty decent. It is now one year later and the Gaunce auto could be a card that REALLY makes that box cool. After that box, I had every intention of buying one this year and when I landed one for 30 bucks below LCS prices I was elated.

Here are the results of the break!

Base cards
The look of the cards are nice! I think the design and layout certainly rivals anything UD and Panini put out in that price bracket and the fact that the cards get no Rookie respect is something that irks me but I imagine I am a part of the minority. Here is an example of the front, each card has a nice gloss to them which you can't see on the scan.
Back side

The backs are simple enough with a good balance of stats, vitals and information.

Subsets

Like last season, the set features a few subsets and the increased set size from 150-200 allows ITG to include many more stars as part of the Grad subset and a few specialty cards like this Bourdon card.

The Hits:

Boone Jenner Game Used Number Black /6

Boone makes his second appearance in my ITG busting history. Last year I pulled his Subway Series game used card and this year I topped it with the nicest H&P card I ever pulled. This swatch is beautiful and the size allows for all three colours and a small piece of jersey to peak through the window.

Devan Dubyk Moving Up Silver Version /50
A really cool swatch! It is a two colour seam and it is BUSTING out of the card. Another example of what ITG gives collectors, best bang for their buck!

Subway Series Trio /70
This didn't scan as well as I hoped, but this card represents my bonus hit. I ended up with three game-used cards which is nice, but the fact a Devils prospect is on the card is just that much cooler! Swatches aren't the best, but Wedgewood's is white which is nice as my other Wedgewood swatch is red.

Auto Hits

Blake Kessel
Phil has a brother? Turns out he does and his career thus far has been pretty strong, but taking it to the NHL level will be a challenge and time will tell if he will experience the same success Phil has.

Sven Bartschi
Sven is going to be a superstar and getting this card was another hit that turned a normal box into a great box. Sven's name is spelled a variety of different ways which might be why his auto is just an S. B. This Calgary draft pick already has 5 NHL games under his belt with 3 goals to his resume. I think he will be a full-timer next season and a reason why Iginla might be playing somewhere else in the near future.

I also pulled two inserts, one was a Cory Locke Calder Champions card and the other was a Zack Fitzgerald Tough Customers card.

This box was a blast and the set looks nice. I am about 60 cards short of a complete set, and I think I might try and pick up another box or two in the summer. I am also going to try and collect the 200 He Shoots points so if ANYONE out there wants to sell them or trade them please contact me and I will try and make it worth your while.

Most of my hits are also up for trade with the exception of Sven!

If you find yourself with an extra 100 bucks, grab a box, you won't be disappointed.