The Other Phil Esposito Rookie

A while back I shared with you one of the bigger pick ups I have had in recent memory and that was my Phil Esposito Rookie. The card books at a whopping $400 usd in Nr Mint condition however, when it is found in the shape mine was in with a crease or two and some tiny paper loss it was very affordable but still nice on the eyes. According to most guides that represents his only rookie card. However, there was another Phil Esposito card released that year with the 65-66 Coca-Cola Set.

While it isn't an official rookie card, I have a slightly more liberal definition of the term and would definitely consider this card his OTHER rookie card. The condition of this one is much much better than my other but still has some rounded corners (2 of them) but much like the other card is very easy on the eyes. The book on this one is $40 dollars in Nr Mint condition so if you are looking to add a Phil to your collection from his rookie year this isn't a bad choice and won't break the bank. I believe I spent about 12 dollars in total on this one and it was definitely worth every penny.

65-66 Coca-Cola Phil Esposito Rookie

Here is the front. Like all cards from this set, they are b&w photos but look very nice in person. I really like the fact that it isn't a canned photo that you've seen on countless other cards before hand and is unique to this set. This is my third one from the set with Howe and Delvecchio being my first two.


Back side

I still love the back side of these cards. So much statistical information unlike the Topps version of Phil's rookie. Both minor, regular season and playoff stats plus some vitals make these cards winners in my eyes. I would love to try and build this set someday because I believe it would definitely make a beautiful set once completed and placed in a binder.

Anyone else out there chasing this set or have it already? Are there any food based sets out there that spark your collecting passion? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Birthday to Wayne Gretzky!

65-66 Topps Phil Esposito Rookie

So in the two years not all of my pick ups have been modern cards. It's true that I did probably focus more heavily on rookies and autos released in the past decade or so but I have keep true to my love of vintage as well and here is a prime example.


65-66 Topps Phil Esposito RC

Most vintage collectors and Esposito fans know he was "Black Hawk" before he was a Bruin but still seeing this card always struck me as strange. Phil played 235 games for the Hawks before the monster trade to the Bruins happened and forever changed Boston history. Phil was no slouch either scoring 74 goals and 174 points during this 3+ seasons. His game went to a whole new level as a Bruin thanks to Bobby Orr and Co and in turn I believe Phil helped the careers of players like Ken Hodge and John Bucyk. In Bucyk's case he actually put up his best 5 season totals from age 35-40.

As you can see from the card itself, it isn't mint by any stretch but I think it is in pretty great shape regardless and thanks to the shape it was in, it was very affordable. This gem was rescued from my LCS.

From the back side you can see why I got a good deal on the card with a tiny bit of paper loss from being glued in a book no doubt. However, with that being said I think it's time in the book saved it from addition wear and tear and the couple creases that are on the card are very acceptable to me in regards to my collection. Thanks to an autograph of Phil's that I already have via a TTM, I am just a game used card short of my HOF hattrick. Guess I will need to keep my eyes peeled for one of those!

72-73 OPC Series 2 Team Canada Inserts - Phil Esposito

As far as forwards go, Canada really didn't have anyone better at the time and Phil certainly lived up to the challenge of being Canada's best forward. He was the fire, passion and identity of a team that was thrown together and had struggled at first. Without him, Canada wouldn't have stood a chance against a Russian team that certainly was executing a better "team" game than Canada at first. During his prime in the NHL Phil was a force (Phil had set the NHL record for goals just a year and a half previous with 76) and he showed that during the tournament leading it in goals (7), assists (6) and points (13). 

 When I saw this card I immediately thought of the Simpsons episode where Ralph is subjected to the "Big Book of British Smiles".

One neat fact about Phil is when he set the record for most goals in a season, he smashed the old record by 18 goals. In the history of the NHL, no time has the goals record ever increased as much as that. Also in a span of three seasons he took the NHL record for points in a year (97) and has raised it to 152. That record lasted for about a decade before Wayne rewrote the history books.

The Big Book of British Smiles from Phil Kulak on Vimeo.

Value Vintage Sets # 2 - 78-79 Topps

Well it has been a while since I have had time to do a vintage post, so here we go. The number value vintage set of all-time is the 78-79 Topps set. I love the look of this set, maybe not as much as the 81-82 set but this set is classic.


Redeeming Qualities:
The design one front is pleasing to the eye and cool back sides
A decent sized set at 264 cards
(I noticed centering is better on Topps than OPC....can't verify if this is true though)
A number of good veteran players (Dryden, Mikita, Esposito etc)
The set is over 33 years old
28 rookies in the set
MIKE BOSSY ROOKIE
Mint sets can be found on ebay for under 50 bucks


Card Design:
The front side
Here is Bernie going out for a skate without his glove (warm up maybe?). Lots of the cards feature some decent action shots which I always preferred over studio shots.

The back side

Love the backs. The Special Autograph Series aspect of it is pretty cool. It is a shame that Howe and Hull were in the WHA and Orr was not part of the Topps set! Nevertheless, the backs are simple with stats and a write up on some players cards.

Key Cards AND Rookies

Mike Bossy Rookie

Without a doubt, the big card in this set is THIS ONE! I didn't have a Bossy rookie which is one reason why I wanted this set. Second reason is I have sorta always wished I owned this set and it was certainly high on my to-do list. When one popped up on ebay claiming to be NrMt-Mt I was a little skeptical. The set is 33 years old, sometimes things happen. I took a chance and I am ever glad I did. This Bossy is one of the niceset cards in the set and is really and honestly NrMt. I think it might even grade around a 9. The ONLY thing wrong is the centering. 4 sharp corners and a beautiful surface. This card books for 50 bucks and if you can land the set for that price you are essetially getting the other 263 cards for free!

Bernie Federko Rookie

The other 27 rookies in the set are pretty decent. Ranging from talents like Bernie Federko who made the Hall of Fame in 2002 to Pierre Mondou who had some pretty good years with the Habs to Jim Bedard who has had more success as a goalie coach than he did as a player. Lots of decent rookies are in this set. One downer, is Dave Taylor and a few others who have rookies in the OPC set aren't found in the Topps release.

Doug Wilson
Another quality rookie in the set is Doug Wilson. A really good d-man who hasn't made it into the Hall yet, and maybe never will, but there is a facebook group trying to accomplish that. One neat fact about Doug, is in 81-82 he scored 39 goals as a defenseman. That is still the 4th highest total ever by a defenseman.

Other notable cards:

Larry Robinson

Here is one of the cool action shots I was talking about. To make up for a small set, Topps put All-Star team status under the players names if it applied rather than make a second card. This is neat because the OPC version of Larry Robinson's card looks different than the Topps.

Phil Esposito

Here is Phil in the twilight of his career with the Rangers. Rod Gilbert had number 7 so Phil had to wear 77.


Ken Dryden
2nd last Dryden card from his playing days.

SO there you have it. I like this set very much and having only paid 44.99 (56.99 with shipping) I am way ahead on that deal. Keep an eye out if you are looking to pick one up yourself. The good quality sets are out there and they can be had for a pretty decent price. The OPC version is larger and more complete when you think there are 51 rookies and Orr's last card in that set. But cost-wise and bang for your buck, there really aren't many more sets that offer you value than the 78-79 Topps set!

Recap so far

#2 - 78/79 Topps

#3 - 81/82 Topps

#4 - 84/85 Topps

#5 - 89/90 OPC

I hope to get the #1 set up in the next week or so.