11-12 Crown Royale Ryan Ellis Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

The second one I grabbed with my money from the aforementioned sale was another Crown Royale auto rookie of a defenseman but this time it's one of my PC guys, Ryan Ellis. 


11-12 Crown Royale Ryan Ellis Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

 

Here is another example of Crown Royale's Rookie Silhouettes and I think it's a beauty. What had happened was I wanted to use the money to help my PC of Ryan Ellis and when I saw this card I wondered if the seller had any other cool cards and the Gudbranson was an addition to my order. In the end I was super pleased with both cards and the Ellis is by far the centerpiece of the order. 

For those who are wondering, Ryan Ellis has made some excellent strides this past season hitting career highs in goals (10), assists, (22) and points (32). It is this consistency that in some ways made Seth Jones expendable and helped bring in some much needed scoring up front and Nashville looks to be a serious contender this post-season!

11-12 Certified Ryan Ellis Auto Rookie Gold /25

In terms of my PCs as they stand right now, Connolly and Henrique are definitely the tops but Ryan Ellis is another player I have certainly collected with some level of commitment. He had one particular card I have been watching for a couple of years now and this past summer I was able to land the whale finally. 


 11-12 Certified Ryan Ellis Auto Rookie Gold /25

 When you mix a PC player and a set you love it is a dangerous combination. The gold variations all are thicker than their regular version counterparts and they feature a seam piece instead of just a regular swatch. 

Here is the back, all the same as the regular run except the run is 25 instead of /499 or /299 in the case of Mr. Ellis.

Ryan is poised to make a big jump this year, I can feel it. He is off to a decent start with 1 goal and 5 points in his first 9 games. He has a future in the NHL as a regular top 4 defenseman with a specialty on the power play. I just hope someday he might be able to find his way to New Jersey!

So here is what I bought with my Brendan Gallagher Loot - Part 7 - Its an Evolution

So the final card I bought with my Gallagher loot was actually a bit of a gamble in my books. Upper Deck released a new concept to their lineup with the 11-12 Upper Deck The Cup release and that was video cards. Each is apparently limited to 99 copies and when you land your redemption, you have a code and you don't find out which card you have until it arrives (or so I read).  

However, the one I bought was already redeemed so I knew exactly what player I was getting but no idea what the card entailed. The card came with two cards, the first is a simple plain looking card:

Here is the front of the simple card.

Here is the back explaining how to charge the card etc. 

11-12 The Cup Rookie Evolution Ryan Ellis /99

Here is the front side of the card, and as you can see Ryan Ellis is the subject matter (a minor PC of mine). Book value on these cards are reasonably strong with this one booking for about $100 on the high side. I don't know what these cards cost to make but I am sure I bought mine for less than the manufacturing price.

Here is the back side, the holes are for the speaker, a few stats on the back and a hologram for authenticity. On one side there is a mini usb port for charging, but you can't change the video or upload anything to the device. I am actually a little disappointed with this because the video which is about a min or so clip, features Ryan talking about his accomplishments and role models but not much in the way of actual game play or cool tricks. Also missing is any autograph or additional memorabilia which is also a little sad. I wish they slapped an auto sticker or something on the card but I guess that is why these cards have been a little luke warm on the secondary market. Still, a neat card and a neat idea and I am glad to add it to my collection. 

Not a bad batch for a card that I pulled from a box with a bunch of trade-in cards. Stay posted for a few breaks and some more cool additions.

Minor PC Addition and some Preds

So with the sale of my damaged David Clarkson The Cup Gold I was able to buy the Henrique /99 from the previous post and this following lot. I had offered the selling half his asking price and he took it. I suspect because I was buying multiple lots from the guy he was very giving on his end. 

11-12 Ryan Ellis Certified Rookie /299

 Ryan Ellis is a bit of a minor PC for me. I loved this kid in Junior and even though he is trapped in Nashville I am still a fan and hope someday the Devils might be able to steal him away. He is an amazing offensive defenseman and I don't doubt he will be playing for Team Canada again someday too. Love the guy and the set, this card was a no-brainer.

11-12 UD Ice Ryan Ellis Rookie /1999

As I mentioned before, I dislike what UD did with the ICE brand pretty much putting no effort into the cards. But at the same time they do hold a nice "value" to them and getting an Ellis is an added bonus. My whole reason for the lot was the first card. Every other card in this lot was free so I don't mind getting this one for nothing.

11-12 Crown Royale Gabriel Bourque Rookie

 11 goals in 34 games last season does give me hope he will be an everyday NHL player, but I doubt he will put up many more than Phil Bourque's 22 goals in a season.

11-12 Panini Contenders Jeremy Smith Rookie /999

 Jeremy Smith is definitely facing an uphill battle with Nashville having Rinne already between the pipes. However, he has been a very good goalie at the AHL level and may someday find a new home as an UFA and get a legit NHL shot. Still waiting for his first NHL start in the meantime.

11-12 Crown Royale Roman Josi Auto Rookie

 This might be the diamond in the rough as far as the lot goes. Nashville seems to have no problem nabbing amazing defenseman and Josi is another example. Roman just signed a 7 year extension with the Preds and some are hailing it as a pretty great deal. He may never be a Norris candidate or a HOF'er but he will be a very solid top 4 defenseman on pretty much any club in the league.

11-12 Crown Royale - Jeremy Smith Rookie

We have seen Jeremy before, now it looks like I am becoming a super collector of his. (Not really, if you want one let me know I will gladly trade one away).

So two Ellis', a Roman Josi and a few others all for 8 dollars. I call that a successful purchase!

A Double Box Break of 11-12 Rookie Anthology - Another Bride From My Wife

Ok so I am so very close to completing the set, what better way to attempt to finish it than buying 2 more boxes! Thanks to doing a task my wife didn't want to do, I landed myself two more boxes of my favourite 11-12 product. Here we go, nothing but hits and no frills at that.

Box Toppers

Topper 1

 Emelin is haunting me and this is my second one. I received the other as a NPN win from Panini. This one is up for trade.

Topper 2

Love this one, jersey/stick combo. I am keeping this one.

Rookies

Each pack has a rookie,  I am just pointing out my more notable ones and I am starting with Marcus. Marcus is a former Canadian World Junior so this one is a fun hit.

 Another former WJ, Leland won gold with Canada in 2007. Currently he is one of a few goalies looking to steal the vacant starting job in Calgary.

 Most rookies were Pinnacle ones and Gustav is the best of the bunch!

Game-Used/Player Worn Hits

Each box claims to have a couple of these and mine was no exception. I was lucky enough to hit another Pinnacle Starting 6. This one features a good selection of rookies from the 11/12 season. Henrique makes this one a keeper!

 What an odd combination. Despite it having Nicky Palms on it, I can live without this card for sure.

 Ryan Ellis!!! I hope we see him again!

 I didn't know Philly and Detroit were rivals.

Rookie Treasures

 Each box has one of these unless you are lucky.  Talbot......Rangers....Yuck.

 Teemu! I promised he would be back, another disappointing Oiler hit.

Case Hits

 I was fortunate enough to have two large hits as well. Here is proof Montreal is haunting me for sure! Dual patch/auto rookie parallel of Raphael Diaz aka Number 61. This one is numbered 14/15 and can be yours if you want to trade for it.

My favourite hit of the box.....Ryan Ellis Ice Breaker Rookie auto. These are one per case and I landed a PC guy. I really can't ask for much more (except maybe RNH).

There you go, sorry no big write-ups that I typically do but two boxes that I am pretty happy with but more than willing to trade more away. I did also finish my set which is an added bonus!

Ryan Ellis Rookie Anthology Rookie Treasures

I swear I must have lost 15 auctions involving Ryan Ellis before I landed this one. There must be a few collectors out there who feel he is something special like I do. I really began to appreciate this kid during the '09 World Juniors when he was a member of the last gold medal Team Canada. He isn't the kind of defenseman who will block slapshots with his face and he isn't the kind of defenseman who will crush players with bone-jarring hits. He is the kind of defenseman who will score 4 points and lead his team to victory on the scoresheet. 

What I like most about this kid is he is a winner. Much like Eberle, he just finds ways to help his team win. So far in his young career he has won Gold in the World Juniors, the Ivan Hlinka, U17 and the U18 tournaments. Currently Ryan is playing for the Preds and has 4 points in 12 games so far, but it is only a matter of time before the points start rolling in at the NHL level.

11-12 Rookie Anthology Ryan Ellis Rookie Treasures /499

A simple card with a similar recipe to UD's SPX rookies. Two photo used swatches with a sticker auto and a relatively low print run.