2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 box break #1

Last weekend, I went to a card show and bought, among many other things, three boxes of 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey.

This may be the best box of cards I have ever opened. 

Seriously.

Results for Box #1

169 Base Cards - As usual, the design and photography on the base cards are very good. Eventually, I'll give this set a proper review--I'm still working on a video review of this year's Score set. I am happy to report that all 169 base cards were different (no doubles).

6 Young Guns Rookie Cards - I got Taylor  Hall, Phillip Larsen, Anders Lindback, Dustin Kohn, Marcus Johansson and the Young Guns Checklist.

Taylor Hall? Hot damn! I never get a 1st overall pick..usually, I get like 5 checklists and some goalie who has quit the NHL and gone to Europe. 

Insert Cards

6 20th Anniversary Parallels - Craig Anderson, Joni Pitkanen, Jaimie Langenbrunner, Cody Almond, Dan Boyle and Niclas Bergfors.

I like these cards. I wish they were one per pack, and not as hard to acquire as a Young Guns card. I also wish they weren't printed on such flimsy card stock.

If anyone wants to trade me their unwanted 20th Anniversary cards, drop me a line.

2 Hockey Heroes - This set is all about Steve Yzerman. I pulled cards numbered HH1 and HH2. I'm not sure if I'm going to collect these. Despite the retro design. I've been lukewarm to the last few sets of Hockey Heroes.

2 All-World Team - *Cough, cough* USELESS! *Cough, cough* INSERT *cough, cough* I got Anze Kopitar and Jarome Iginla.

The Hits

UD Game Jersey - Miroslav Satan - Satan is pictured as a Bruin, but the jersey is clearly from his days with the Islanders. Sigh. Another mis-matched jersey card. Story of my life.

UD Game Jersey - Nicklas Backstrom - Wow! A jersey of a star player. I'm sure I can trade this to a Backstrom / Caps fan pretty easily. At least easier than the above Satan card.

But what's this? A third hit...?

Signature Sensations David Clarkson - I have NEVER pulled an autograph from Upper Deck Series 1 or Series 2. Awesome!

Overall, I'm psyched about what I got in this box. For once, the odds were with me. I pulled the best Young Gun available, a superstar jersey card AND an autograph.

In other news...I have succeeded in updating Puck Junk every day during the month of November.

1963-64 Parkhurst #70 - Robert Nevin

This is the 30th card for my 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set. I picked this up at a card show on November 20 for $5. It has a crease on the upper-left corner, but otherwise is not a bad-looking piece of cardboard.

Parkie Percent Counter: 30%

Set Completed - 2002-03 Pacific Hockey

Thanks to Chris Scutt for sending me the final card I needed to complete my 2002-03 Pacific Hockey set.

He also gave me the last card I needed to complete the Impact Zone insert set.

Right now, this set sits in a box because I don't have an empty binder to put it in. Guess I'll have to get me some binders!

SHG is Sharp's 14th

Patrick Sharp picked off a sloppy pass and scored a short-handed goal in Friday afternoon's Blackhawks-Ducks game. He now has 14 goals, and is 4th overall in the league for goal scoring, behind only Steve Stamkos, Alexander Semin and Sidney Crosby. 

This Will Keep Me Busy...

I picked up 3 hobby boxes of 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. Hopefully, this will get me the complete base set, 18 different Young Guns (please, please, please NO doubles), and a few trade-worthy jersey cards. I'll get the box breakdowns posted once I get these opened and sorted.

Unlucky 13 for Sharp

Patrick Sharp scored his 13th goal of the season Wednesday night, when the Chicago Blackhawks lost to the San Jose Sharks 4-2.

Sharp is still hanging on to the 5th spot in the NHL for goal scoring. However, his production has dropped off sharply (pun intended). He is on pace now to score 44 goals this season.

Maybe a hat trick against the Ducks on Friday will change all that (wishful thinking).

War Room - October 28, 2010

Got 'Em! Need 'Em! 

Season 2, Episode 4

Broadcast Date: October 28, 2010

Time: 14 minutes, 28 seconds

Topic
Last month, I went to a card show to sell some of my hockey cards. Mick Kern and I discuss what that experience was like.

If the above player does not work, you can get the clip here. Just right click on the link, and select either "Save As..." or open it in a new tab or window.

Thanks to Mick Kern and XM Home Ice 204 for providing me with the audio clip...even if it is a wee bit late :-)

Card of the Week: Pat Burns

Former NHL coach Pat Burns passed away last week after a lengthy battle with cancer. The man had an impressive career, wining coach of the year honors three times and a Stanley Cup in 2003. But what always stuck with me were his blowups. Burns would yell and cause quite a commotion when he got angry during a game. With his stocky build and mustache, he was reminiscent of former National Football League coach Mike Ditka, who was legendary for his sideline tantrums.(Full story)

1957-58 Topps #4 - Fernie Flaman

Another great pickup at last weekend's card show was this 1957-58 Topps Hockey card of Hall of Fame defenseman Fern Flaman.

No major flaws or blemishes. Practically a steal at $11, considering that it is over a half-century old.

Set completion as of 11-23-2010: 
12 out of 66 cards = 18.2%

12th Goal for Sharp

Patrick Sharp netted his 12th goal of the season in Saturday night's 7-1 blowout win over the Vancouver Canucks. He is now 5th overall in the league for goals.

1963-64 Parkhurst #90 - J.C. Tremblay

It has been over 3 months since I last acquired a card from the 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set.That changed this past weekend, as I picked up this J.C. Tremblay card for $6 at the Sun-Times card show.

The condition of this card is pretty nice. No creases, good gloss and just a touch of corner wear.

Parkie Percent Counter: 29%

Monster Drops the F-Bomb

In last night's Toronto-Montreal game, Maple Leafs' defenseman Mike Komisarek accidentally passed the puck to Canadiens' forward Mike Cammalleri, resulting in a sweet one-timer goal. Hilarious, because everyone knows that you should never pass the puck in front of your own net.

Even more hilarious was Leafs' goalie Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson bellowing  the F-Bomb at the top of his lungs after he realized that it was his own d-man who set up Cammalleri.

Here is video of Cammaleri's goal and Gustavsson's reaction.

Going to a Card Show Today

I'm going to the Chicago Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention. Thus, no time for a long blog post.

If you live in or near Chicago and like sports cards, this is the show to go to. Here are the details:

Chicago Sun Times Sports Collectibles Convention
November 19-21, 2010
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018
$10 Daily Admission (Children 7 & under $5)

More details can be found on this website.

Hopefully on Sunday, I'll post some scans of all the awesome stuff I get.

Vintage Haul

A few weeks ago, I picked up 11 vintage hockey cards, but have not had the chance to post them until now. Feast your eyes on these:

Two 1963-64 Topps cards

Unfortunately, the Hadfield has a bit of a tear on the back, and the Kennedy has a stain on the lower right corner. I find it odd that the cards use black and white pictures of other players on the fronts.

Seven 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee cards

These cards are in awesome condition. No stains, creases or flaws. Four sharp corners, too.

I actually built a 1968-69 Topps set, and have been meaning to start piecing together the OPC version.

Two 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee cards

The Angotti has a slight bend--not really a crease. I also have a 1969-70 Topps set, but not the OPC version. However, I don't like this set as much as its predecessor.

OK, time to brag. I paid $25 for all 11 cards. None of them are of superstars--though Dennis Hull was a 2nd Team All-Star, and I think Dallas Smith was too.

Sharp Scores 11th Goal

Last night, the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-0. Jonathan Toews got a natural hat trick. Marty Turco recorded a shutout. And Patrick Sharp scored a shorthanded goal.

This was Sharp's 11th goal of the season. He is currently in 6th place among league goal scorers. He hasn't scored a goal in 8 games, though. It seems that whenever I start posting about a player's goals here--be it Sharp or Marian Hossa--they suddenly stop scoring. Perhaps I am jinxing them. If so, maybe I should start "Stamkos Watch 2010" so my 'Hawks can catch up.

Last time I posted about Sharp, he was on pace for a 74-goal season .We all knew that wouldn't happen. Now, he's on pace for a more-attainable 44-goal season. So, a 50-goal season might still be in reach for Sharp.

RC, or Not RC...? That is the Question

Do you consider stickers "Rookie Cards?" 

Sure, stickers lack the rigidity of their cardboard cousins, though some stickers have stiff backings.

Maybe they are not "cards" per say, but why don't stickers carry the coveted RC designation?

Both stickers and cards are printed on paper. Stickers usually don't have stats, but many old hockey cards didn't have stats either.

In order to be considered a "rookie card" by Beckett's standards, a card has to adhere to the following 3 guidelines.

• It has to be in a set licensed by the NHL and the NHL Players Association. 
• It has to be in a set that is widely released--so a regional issue by an NHL team would not count.
• It has to have a print run of 99 or more copies. 

Licensed sticker sets adhere to those criteria. 

I don't agree with all of Beckett's criteria for what makes an RC an RC.

And they even bend their own rules from time to time, designating certain cards as an XRC if it is from a really obscure (yet non-regional) set. Examples are Antti Niemi's XRC from the 2008-09 Be A Player set and Bill Guerin's XRC from the 1991-92 Final Update Set.

So, why aren't these stickers considered RCs?

Case #1 - Steven Stamkos - 2008-09 Panini Stickers

This came out in 2008-09. So did Stamkos' rookie cards from various Upper Deck sets.

So, why isn't this an RC? It is fully licensed and from a widespread release.

Beckett does not list this set in their Online Price Guide. Ironic, considering that a Panini album and 4 stickers came bagged with a copy of Beckett Hockey Magazine in late 2008.

Case #2 - 1985-86 Mario Lemieux O-Pee-Chee Stickers

This came out in 1985-86--the same season as Lemieux's Topps and O-Pee-Chee rookie cards. And it was made by O-Pee-Chee, one of the "big two" of the 1970s and 1980s.

While this sticker will never have the same trade or sale value as Lemieux's Topps or OPC rookie cards, shouldn't it have an RC designation?

Case #3 - Brian Leetch - 1988-89 Panini and O-Pee-Chee Stickers

This sticker predates Leetch's Topps and O-Pee-Chee rookie cards by one full year. And yet, Beckett "values" it at 50 cents and does not give it an RC--or XRC--designation.

This also came out a year before Leetch's OPC and Topps rookie cards--and it is rigid, too. It's actually a sticker backing. The 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee sticker set was issued on cardboard backings, with some of the backings being "Future Stars" cards like this one of Leetch.

Now, you might reason that something like this would fall under the "insert" category, because it isn't part of the main set.

But how is a short-printed rookie card limited to 99 copies not considered an insert?

Why do stickers get no love?

I care what you think. I've added a poll (top of the right sidebar column). Please take a moment to vote, and feel free to voice your opinion about stickers here.

Card of the Week: Christoff Confusion

This must have been confusing to the card-collecting kids of 1983. There was no internet or Wikipedia to explain why Steve Christoff's uniform was painted to look like he is with Minnesota, when in fact he was "Now with Los Angeles."

The answer: bad timing.(Full story)

Hossa Watch is Reinstated

Marian Hossa scored a goal last night against the Anaheim Ducks. This is Hossa's first goal in nearly a month.

His last goal came against the St.Louis Blues on October 18, when he chipped in number 6 and 7 for the season.

Hossa started the season strong, scoring 7 goals in 7 games. But then he went goal-less in 4 games, was injured the next 5, and then was goal-less in his first 3 games back.  So, the Rocket Richard Trophy is pretty much out of the picture now.

Maybe there's still hope for 50 goals if Hossa can remain injury-free the rest of the season.

Changing the subject...for those of you collecting 2010-11 Score Hockey, I have tons of cards from this set to trade. Check out my Want List and Trade List, and then Contact Me if you'd like to work something out.

2010-11 Score Hockey box break #5

My final box break of 2010-11 Score Hockey cards. For the time being. I might buy some rack packs, blasters or even another box at an upcoming show next weekend. I might not.

Results for Box #5

184 Base Cards - The set uses a lot of photos from the playoffs. This card features Buffy the Netminder Slayer, showing how he made Bobby Lou cry.

18 Hot Rookies - In 5 boxes, I did not get all of the RCs numbered 501 to 550.

33 Glossy Base Cards - Same ol', same ol'.

3 Glossy Rookies - I'll laugh at the dealer who tries to sell these glossy cards at a premium.

ZERO 20th Anniversary Parallels - Well, I didn't want one anyway.

6 Playoff Heroes - The 'Hawks and Flyers featured in this insert set use photos from the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

3 Net Cam - After 5 boxes, it is safe to say that I like this insert set the best.

2 Sudden Death - Since I have more than half of these, I'll try to get this whole insert set too.

1 Franchise - What the? Another #$%& duplicate. I got Shea Weber in my last box. Of the 5 Franchise cards I got, 3 were unique and 2 were doubles.

But what's this? Another Hot Rookie? No, it's a...

Short Printed Hot Rookie - So I guess we are NOT getting 1 Rookie Redemption per box. Instead, we are getting Short Rookies 1 in every 5 boxes or so.

*****
After getting all my cards sorted, I still need:

• 49 base cards
• 5 RCs
• 9 Short-Printed RCs

I am a bit disappointed about Score's spotty collation. I have almost 800 doubles (counting RCs), but don't have a complete 550-card set...or even the complete 500-card base set

Later this week, I hope to have a video review of this set up on the site.

In the meantime, my Want List of Score cards I need can be found here.

And my Trade List is here .