Puck Junk

1990-91 Upper Deck Prototype Cards

2012-01-26T00:58:00.000-06:00

Prior to the release of their inaugural hockey set, Upper Deck issued prototype cards of Wayne Gretzky and Patrick Roy. The two cards were given out at the National Sports Card Convention in Arlington, Texas in July 1990 - roughly four months before Upper Deck Hockey would hit the shelves. The prototypes helped generate excitement and anticipation for what would be one of the most memorable hockey releases ever. However, these cards are not without their own share of controversy. (Full Story)

10 Sets "Killed Off" in 2012

2012-01-22T00:26:00.001-06:00

The new year is barely 3 weeks old and already I've managed to uphold one of my Collecting Resolutions:

Complete These @#$% Sets Already

I placed an order on the Beckett Marketplace last week and purchased 64 cards. Many brought me closer to completing many different sets. But 16 of these cards were special, because they helped me "kill off" 10 sets. Some of these cards I've needed only a short time, and others I've needed nearly a lifetime. Here are those 16 "special" cards:

1991-92 Pro Set Platinum #PC20 - Mark Messier
Sheesh, I've needed this card for 20 years. I don't know if that makes me old or lazy. Either way, I finally have every single insert card from the only Pro Set Platinum set ever made.

1993-94 Pinnacle #224 - Ed Belfour & #230 - Mario Lemieux About 2 years ago, I bought a near-complete set of '93-94 Pinnacle, I think for around $2. These two "quarter purchases" bring my set cost to a paltry $2.50. Just another reason why I love collecting sets from the 1990s.

1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #244 - Mike Eaves
This is the card that sparked my online purchase. Only two dealers on the Beckett Online Store had this sticker, and the guy I got it from wanted a mere 30 cents. Over the summer, I bought this set and thought it was complete. I thought wrong. It was missing one sticker--this one--but not anymore.

2007-08 Black Diamond #60 - Mike Knuble
Wow, two mentions of Mike Knuble on this blog in one week. Must be the apocalypse. This was the last card I needed from my 2007-08 Black Diamond base set. I still need many Double, Triple and Quadruple Diamonds from this set. If you have any for trade, send me an email.

2003-04 In The Game Toronto Star #17 Jarome Iginla and #31 Chris Chelios
These two cards complete an extra set. This set is available for trade, if you are interested.

1994-95 Fleer Slapshot Artists #6 Mike Modano
The last card to completes my Slapshot Artists insert set.

1995-96 Donruss Team Canada #13 - Darcy Tucker
Another "last card" for a 1990s insert set.

1999 Wayne Gretzky Living Legend #13 and #99
About a year ago, I bought this set online for a few bucks, but didn't get around to checking if it had all the cards until a few months later. It had two of card number 18 (one in place of 13) and had an extra card 89 in place of 99. Perhaps an honest mistake by the dealer.

1995-96 Playoff One-on-One #54 - Mark Recchi; #161 - Rick Tocchet and #199 - Alexander Selivanov
These three cards complete an extra set, which is now listed on my Sets for Trade page.

1995-96 Upper Deck Swedish Elite #31 - Stefan Polla
To complete another extra set (also available for trade).

I will admit that I paid a bit for these than I would have at a show. Most of the cards that you see above cost me 50 cents each. Some were a quarter, and some were around a dollar. At a card show, these cards are the stuff of quarter bins--if you find them. I guess I'm tired of looking.

Completing sets is fun. Maybe I'll make it a point to finish off at least one set a month.

Top 10 cards from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

Upper Deck Hockey cards have been something special since 1990. Every year, the best hockey card photographs tend to end up on Upper Deck Series 1 and Series 2.

Even a run-of-the-mill photo on an Upper Deck Series 1 or 2 card would usually be the best card on another set like Victory, Donruss or Score.

So, I decided to pick the Top 10 photos from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey, based on the following criteria:

Base cards only - no short prints or inserts

Being an action photo wasn't good enough - this had to be a cut above

I tried to go for a variety - not just goal scoring or just body checks

Finally, nothing too gimmicky that you would normally find on a Pinnacle card

With so many great photos, it was hard to boil it down to the best of the best of the best. But I still did. For your enjoyment, here's the Top 10:

#10 - Jason Pominville

Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Pominville chips the puck past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher. You don't see his face, but you see what he does. A picture like this tells us more about Pominville as a player than a portrait ever will.

#9 - Mikka Kiprusoff

Open sky! A humongous television-like scoreboard! Fireworks! And that's just in the background of this photo of Mikka Kiprusoff, taken during the 2011 Heritage Classic.

#8 - Jordan Staal

You can almost feel Jordan Staal's intense level of concentration as he prepares to take a face-off against Anze Kopitar.

#7 - Derick Brassard

Speaking of intense, this card of Derick Brassard is just oozing with emotion. It makes me want to know why he is so pissed off.

#6 - Niklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom emerges from a wall of smoke that has his name and the Red Wings logo shone on it. The set also had a similar card of Shea Weber. This one wins out, though, because the bright Red Wings' uniform contrasts so sharply with the dark background that Lidstrom practically jumps off of the card.

#5 - Drew Doughty

Hockey card photography tries to take us into the game - but this photo takes us from being in the game to being at the game. The silhouetted people in this picture make us feel like we are there, witnessing Doughty pass his stick over the boards to a fan. The purple and gold of Doughty's jersey--and the illuminated ice--make for one colorful card.

#4 - Nathan Gerbe

Nathan Gerbe plays the puck while sailing through the air, a la Bobby Orr. This card would have been Number 1 if the puck at the bottom wasn't obscured by the card's border. Bad cropping aside, this is still an exciting moment to capture.

#3 Mike Knuble

The net-cam has been both a blessing and a curse. It is great for instant replays during a hockey game. But the net cam has also provided an overabundance of "goalie ass" cards for the past 15 or so years. This card is different. Instead of focusing on the keeper, the subject is Mike Knuble celebrating a goal. Looking up at Knuble - with the MSG rafters in the background - adds to the grandeur.

#2 - Braydon Coburn

Braydon Coburn of the Philadelphia Flyers lays out Carolina Hurricanes' rookie Jeff Skinner with a bone-crunching bodycheck. It is difficult to get more hockey-oriented action than this picture. You can almost feel Skinner's brain rattling around his skull from this hit. (As a side note, it is time to eliminate body checking from the sport, as it is literally causing more harm than good).

#1 - James Reimer

The best photo in the set shows us how dangerous this game is--especially for a goalie. An opposing player tumbles backwards over Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer, knocking off Reimer's mask in the process. Notice all the workplace hazards - sharpened skates, stick blades, not to mention the puck - are striking distance from Remier's now-exposed face. And yet, Reimer seems unphased, as if he is trying to inhale the puck before it gets away from him.

Of course you may disagree with these picks.
So I ask:

What was your favorite card from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1
What card should have been on this list?

Card of the Week: The Other Number Nine

2012-01-17T00:01:00.001-06:00

A number is more than just a number when it comes to sports . Many times, it becomes synonymous with the player itself. Thus, it is unwise to give a new player number last worn by a superstar. Those are some big skates to fill, and fans are always going to draw comparisons. But the Chicago Black Hawks ignored that logic in 1973 when they issued Dale Tallon number 9 - the very same digit made famous by Bobby Hull for 15 seasons. (Full story)

A Suite Jersey Card

2012-01-15T09:51:00.000-06:00

I normally avoid jersey cards like the plague, but when I find one of the right player--and for the right price--I usually get a weak in the knees, re-think my dislike of such cards and then end up buying it.

This was the case recently, when I found a 2010-11 Luxury Suite card of Patrick Kane at my local card shop. It features a red jersey swatch. Not only is that better than the ubiquitous white jersey swatch, but Kane is wearing a red jersey on the card front.

The back of the card uses a different photo than the front--perhaps because Luxury Suite is a high-end set. I am glad that they didn't use this particular photograph on the card's front, as Kane is wearing the white road uniform here.

Jersey cards look 10 times better when the swatch is the same color as the jersey worn in the photo. Maybe because, at a subconscious level, you think that the piece of jersey is from the jersey the player is wearing. If the swatch does not match the photo (even if it is the "right" team), I am way less likely to buy it.

Question: Are you more likely to buy a jersey card if the swatch matches the photo (white/white or color/color)?

5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-13T20:47:00.001-06:00

Every year, I try to make some New Year's Resolutions in regards to hockey card collecting. This year, I'm making them public. Maybe this will make me more accountable for my collecting habits, right?

So, here are my 5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012:

5. Avoid Retail Packs En Masse
I like opening up blaster boxes as much as the next sports card blogger. Packs are fun to open and for $10 to $20 you get an easy blog post out of the deal.

But I also get a pang of remorse. Why spend $20 on a blaster when you can spend $60 or so on a hobby box and have vastly better odds of getting rookies, cool parallels, jersey or autograph cards. Plus, my local Target doesn't really need my $20.

Will I still buy blasters and/or retail packs? Sure, once in a while. But if I am going to build a set, this year I will stick to hobby boxes.

Why am I saving these again? Oh, right...

4. Deal With Empty Boxes and Wrappers
When I buy a box of cards, I put the empty box and wrappers aside to deal with later. I save 4 wrappers with the least amount of tearing along with the top of the card box.

The problem is, I am notorious for putting this off. The boxes and wrappers pile up, taking up space on, under or around the "card table" in my "Room of Hockey" until it becomes unsightly. So in 2012, I will be more diligent in dealing with the empties.

200...201...203...wait, 203? Aw, hell...

3. Check All Sets When I Receive Them
This is probably my worst habit. I buy a set off of eBay, but don't bother to actually check and see if each and every card is there until I have leisure time to put the set in pages. But that could be days, weeks, even months after I've bought it.

This is bad, bad, BAD.

I've been shorted a card numerous times during 2011. And really, you can't complain to the seller about a missing or damaged card two months after the fact.

The whole reason that I buy sets in the first place is so I don't have to mess around with tracking down more single cards. So this year I will strive to check the sets the day I get them.

I am the Crazy Cat Lady of Mario Lemieux RCs

2. Don't Be A Hoarder
When I like a card, I tend to buy many copies of it. I'm not talking about having one copy of a card in a complete set and another copy for my player collection (a la Chris Chelios). I'm talking many, many copies of the same card, for really no good reason.

Why do I have 6 copies of the 1990-91 Pro Set Stanley Cup Hologram?

Because it's cool, that's why. But 6 of them? Wouldn't that money be better spent towards Young Guns of Sid and Alex, or a Stan Mikita rookie card...or, you know, cards that I don't have?

This year, I am going to ask myself that question whenever I buy a pricey card that I already have. (That includes you, Mario Lemieux).

1. Complete These @#$% Sets Already
A great deal of my want list--not just what I post online, but my 53-page Word document--is comprised of sets that just a few cards away from completion. And many of the cards I need can be found on the Beckett Marketplace for around a quarter each.

So, what's stopping me? Sellers on the Beckett Marketplace don't gouge on shipping, and this is a really good way to kill off many sets at once. Plus it is less time consuming than sifting through quarter boxes at a show in the hopes of finding that elusive Mark Fitzpatrick card.

This year, I am going to knock off as many sets as I can. I might even keep track of how many sets I complete in 2012.

Question: Do you have any collecting resolutions for 2012? I'd love to hear about them.

Some Video Games Are NOT for Kids

2012-01-05T00:31:00.001-06:00

The last week has been a steady mix of hanging out with friends--including an awesome New Year's Eve party (thanks, Phil)--and the usual boring "teacher stuff" I do to get prepared for the semester (which started Tuesday). Yes, friends and work are my excuses for not blogging the past 6 days.

Anyway, I found this brochure, starring Patrick Sharp and Bryan Campbell to warn you that...

"Some video games are for kids. Some aren't."

That's right, kids...the Blackhawks are here to warn your parents about the new Call of Duty game. Perhaps you'd rather play something less violent, like NHL '12 instead?

Here are scans of the front cover and an inside page:

Click images to see larger.

Keep in mind that this was printed in 2010, some time before the Blackhawks ~~unloaded Campbell's ridiculous contract~~ traded Campbell to the Florida Panthers.

I am always happy to see the Blackhawks get exposure, even if it is on the counter of my local GameStop. But two things perplex me about this pamphlet.

First, why the Blackhawks? Sure they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, but seeing as how this is Chicago I am surprised that it doesn't feature, say Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester of the Bears. Or Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah of the Bulls. Or Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs (he counts as two guys).

Wait, Zambrano was traded to Florida? I guess that's where all unwanted Chicago athletes end up.

Zing!

Secondly, why Campbell and Sharp? Why not these two fellows instead? Obviously, they know about video games:

I know 2011 was a long time ago, but wasn't Jonathan Toews on the cover of a video game?

And the year before that, who graced the cover of the ~~best~~ only hockey video game out there?

Right. So when the Blackhawks "teamed up" with the ESRB to warn about the evils of Rated-M games, why did they forget about their two cover boys?

In other news, I got an XBOX 360 and NHL '12. Are any of you on XBOX Live? If so, add me as one of your gaming friends. My XBOX Live ID is Puck Junk.

25 Rookie Cards for the Collection

2011-12-30T00:54:00.000-06:00

With all the vintage cards I've been showing on Puck Junk lately, you probably think I've turned my back on newer cards.

That is so not true.

Over the past month, I've picked up 25 different rookie cards. Some were quarter bin fodder too good to pass up, while others were cards of awesome players at great prices. One was even given to me by a 'Hawk-hatin' Penguins fan. Which brings me to the first card, actually...

2010-11 O-Pee-Chee #541 - Nick Leddy (Marquee Rookies). At last month's card show, fellow blogger Tim (The Real DFG) flat out gave me this card--and didn't want anything in return. I guess Tim doesn't like offensively-minded, puck-moving defensemen :)

2009-10 Upper Deck #203 - Matt Duchene (Young Guns). This one cost me the most out of all of these. I think I got it for less than "half book" if memory serves me correctly. Now, only 26 more Young Guns, and my 2009-10 Upper Deck set will be complete.

2008-09 Champ's #137 - Darren Helm. Only 5 more cards and I'll have all 100 of the Champ's Rookies from this set.

2007-08 O-Pee-Chee #596 - Mayson Raymond (Marquee Rookies). I like Raymond, and couldn't pass this up for a quarter.

2007-08 MVP #208 - David Krejci. Totally worth the buck I paid for it.

2007-08 Black Diamond #158 - David Krejci (Rookie Gems). I am slowly putting together the 2007-08 Black Diamond set, including all short prints. I think I got a sizable stack of the short prints for next to nothing (including a Quadruple Diamond Wayne Gretzky), so I pick away at this set when I find a card. This cost me only $2.

2006-07 Upper Deck Ovation #178 - Shea Weber. I've been a fan of Weber since his rookie season. Hie is an awesome defenseman, and I always try to pick up his various rookie cards when I find them.

2005-06 MVP #431 - Brent Seabrook. When I see a rookie card of a decent Blackhawk for a quarter, of course I'm going to pick it up. You all may know Seabrook as Duncan Keith's defensive partner. The two are effective together - in fact, Seabrook was on the 2010 Canadian Olympic team so that Keith could be paired with him at the Olympics.

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #201 - Braydon Coburn. Coburn spent a season with the Chicago Wolves (2005-06) and has since developed into a reliable defenseman who always comes back. (If you don't get the reference, watch this 30-second video).

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #220 - George Parros. This was Parros before his mustache phase.

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #241 - Ryan Clowe. I got all 3 RCs from this set for a quarter each. I bought the Coburn and Parros cards because I like those players, but this one I actually needed for my set. I'm 34 cards away from finishing it, including Sid and Ovie, so it's gonna take a while.

2005-06 Victory #298 - Braydon Coburn. Glad they didn't use the same photo as the Fleer Ultra card pictured above.

2005-06 Victory #280 - Ryan Getzlaf. I couldn't belive that I found this card for only a quarter. Two of them, in fact.

2005-06 Victory #277 - George Parros. Another RC of the Ducks' enforcer.

2005-06 Victory #253 - Brent Seabrook. Another RC of "Seabs".

2005-06 Beehive #103 - Jeff Carter. I like the portrait style, head-and-shoulder photographs used for the rookie cards in this set.

2005-06 Beehive #126 - Henrik Lundqvist. A rookie card of "King Henrik". Worth every cent of the one dollar I paid it for.

2005-06 Beehive #104 - Corey Perry. His bright blue eyes make Perry look like one of the Fremen in Dune.

2005-06 Beehive #122 - Brent Seabrook. Yes, another Seabrook RC that I couldn't pass up.

2005-06 Beehive #134 - R.J. Umberger. This guy has been a solid player for the Columbus Blue Jackets the past 3 seasons.

2005-06 Upper Deck #216 - Henrik Lundqvist (Young Guns). This card has a "book value" of $12 to $30, so I thought it was an absolute steal for $10.

2005-06 Upper Deck #215 - Jimmy Howard (Young Guns). This photo of Howard stepping out onto the ice is pretty cool. Also note that he's wearing his mask from his days with the University of Maine.

2005-06 Upper Deck #203 - Dion Phaneuf (Young Guns). Did you know that Phaneuf came in third in voting for the 2006 Calder Trophy? At one time, Phaneuf was considered a better prospect (and defenseman) than Duncan Keith. How times have changed.

2005-06 Upper Deck #230 - Duncan Keith (Young Guns). Speaking of Keith, I got this Duncan Keith rookie card from AU Sports, which is one of my favorite card shops. Now I am only 23 Young Guns away (including Crosby and Ovechkin) from having the entire set.

2002-03 Upper Deck #204 - Sean Avery (Young Guns). I also got this Sean Avery card from AU Sports. This reminds me of my favorite Sean Avery video of all time. (It's 39 seconds well-spent).

Audio: "Oilers Now" Radio Appearance

2011-12-29T10:52:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I was on a radio show called Oilers Now (630 CHED in Edmonton). I spoke with guest host Reid Wilkins about hockey cards and collectibles. Some of the things we discussed included the old Red Rooster trading card sets, the god-awful Wayne Gretzky doll (pictures below), how Mark Messier destroyed the Blackhawks in the 1990 Western Conference finals, cards of this year's rookies and the World Junior Championships.

Broadcast Date: December 28, 2011

Time: 16 minutes 5 seconds

Player not working? Click here to download an MP3 of the audio file.

The Wayne Gretzky doll made by Mattel in/around 1983.

Thanks to Reid Wilkins and CHED 630 for providing me the audio clip. You can check out the Oilers Now website here.

Best Grab Bag Gift Ever

2011-12-28T13:48:00.001-06:00

About 10 days before Christmas, my department at Columbia College had a faculty and staff Christmas party. I ended up with this Air Jet Hockey game, which was totally the most appropriate gift for me to get in the "Yankee Swap" gift exchange.

This game is pretty sweet. It measures 20" inches long by 13" inches wide. It includes 2 sets of paddles so up to 4 people can play. It also comes with 4 pucks--two round and two triangular. And best of all, it actually does have little holes that shoot air, making the puck glide quite nicely.

I put a hockey card on it so you can get an idea of the size.

This will go down in history as the best "grab bag" gift I ever got.

Where were you 20 years ago?

2011-12-27T19:13:00.003-06:00

Twenty years ago to this day - December 27, 1991 - I was probably at this game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets.

I say probably because I have no recollection of going to this game.

And yet, I have this ticket stub.

My Aunt had season tickets to the Chicago Blackhawks from 1989-90 to 1991-92. I was a lucky kid who got to go to a lot of games during that 3-year span.

I guess when you go to enough games, you are bound to forget a few.

There are so many hockey games that I'll never forget: my first game (Hawks vs. Islanders) and second game (Hawks vs. Flames) are permanently etched in my memory.

I'll never forget the standing ovation that Denis Savard got when he played his first game at Chicago Stadium as a member of the Canadiens.

I still remember the shockwaves that went through me when I witnessed a Doug Wilson slapshot rip the stick out of Darren Puppa's hand.

I still hear those two drunk guys bellowing "GUYYYYY LAFLEURRRRRR" every time Lafleur took to the ice in a game against the Nordiques.

But this game against Winnipeg? I got nothing.

Apparently, Brian Noonan of the Blackhawks got a hat trick. Hat tricks are pretty memorable events, so why don't I recall this one?

Mike Peluso fought Mike Hartman. I loved hockey fights as a kid, but it probably wasn't the fight to end all fights.

Oh, and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.

That's probably why I forgot going to this game. Ties suck.

Merry Puckmas 2011

2011-12-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

To the many friends and followers of this blog...to all of those who have traded little pieces of cardboard to me over the past 4 years...to those who love the great game of hockey and the great hobby of collecting hockey cards...I want to wish you all a Merry Puckmas!

Pro Set Holiday Card

2011-12-24T20:52:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that, even 20 years later, I still love Pro Set trading cards. So when I found this holiday greeting card at The National back in August, I eagerly bought it. It was sent out by Pro Set in 1990--most likely to companies and suppliers who dealt with them, but it may have been sent out to Pro Set Gazette subscribers (though I cannot confirm that).

You might recognize the illustration on the front--it was used on the "Santa Claus" card inserted into packs of 1990 Pro Set Football cards. A card of Santa didn't make it into hockey packs in 1990, though we hockey collectors did get a Santa card in the 1991-92 Parkhurst set.

The inside of this holiday card reads:

HAPPY HOLIDAY

from

All the Cards

PRO SET

Here, card has two meanings. We all know that "card" implies trading cards. But a lesser known definiton of card means "a witty, entertaining or eccentric person." (Dictionary.com),

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone who reads this blog!

Card of the Week: Puck-Stopping Pooch

2011-12-20T00:01:00.001-06:00

During the 1992 holiday season, Upper Deck released a 10-card Christmas themed set that is every bit as stupid as it sounds. Each card features Santa, or one of his friends, playing sports. Two of the 10 cars focus on hockey: one shows Santa driving a Zamboni while this one has a cross-eyed Dalamation/Beagle mutt named Spot Gardien de Pooch.
(Full Story)

Eric Lindros Holiday Card

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

This was one of the many oddball items I purchased at The National Sports Collectors' Convention, way back in August: a holiday greeting card featuring then-future top prospect and soon-to-be first overall pick Eric Lindros.

I've kept this card under my proverbial hat until the time was right to show the rest of the hockey card-collecting world. That time being the holidays, of course.

The card was sent out by the Score Trading Card Company in 1990. Most of you old enough to remember Lindros as an impact player probably also remember that he was a spokesman for the company, and could only be featured on Score Trading Cards until he actually played in the NHL. At that time, Lindros' "Future Superstar" card in the 1990-91 Score set was selling for $15 to $20. How the times have changed.

Though the inside of the card is in Christmas colors--red and green--it non-denominationally states "Peace on Earth" and is signed by Major League Marketing Inc.

23 cards from 1960-61 Topps Hockey

2011-12-18T00:01:00.001-06:00

On a whim, I decided to start building the 1960-61 Topps Hockey set. This was at a card show last month. While I've been prioritizing other sets, like 1963-64 Parkhurst, I came across a dealer who had 21 cards in decent shape--most priced at $5 to $6 each. Another dealer had 2 more cards from the set at $3.75 each. Take a look at what I got:

4 - Ernie Johnson (All-Time Greats)

6 - Bill Hay

9 - Jimmy Morrison

12 - Murray Balfour

13 - Leo Labine

18 - George Sullivan

24 - Charlie Burns - Note that he's wearing a helmet.

Quite an oddity for 1960.

30 - Jack Evans

31 - Guy Gendron

33 - Ab McDonald

37 - Dean Prentice

40 - Don McKenny

41 - Ron Murphy

42 - Andy Hebenton

43 - Don Simmons

49 - Harry Howell

51 - Tod Sloan

53 - Camille Henry

56 - Bob Armstrong

57 - Ferny Flaman

61 - Lou Fontinato - This one has writing on it,

but was only $3 so I couldn't pass it up.

62 - Leo Boivin

66 - Vic Stasiuk - Always nice to get the last card in the set.

This haul brings my count to 25 cards--or roughly 37% of the set. Of course, I need the biggest two cards: Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, the latter being his rookie card. Otherwise, the majority of the set seems pretty attainable.

6% of a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Set

2011-12-13T00:01:00.002-06:00

Last month I purchased 25 cards--roughly 6%--from the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set. This brings me up to 177 out of 396 cards.

Of course, when you still require the Wayne Gretzky rookie card for your set, you can have 395 cards and still feel like you are about a thousand cards short.

Nonetheless, I now have the second and third-best cards in this set:

#175 - Gordie Howe

#185 - Bobby Hull

I got a few other key cards, including...

#161 - Mike Bossy (Record Breakers)

#100 - Bryan Trottier

#215 - Bernie Federko

#145 - John Tonelli (RC)

#164 - Brad Park (Record Breakers)

#225 - Jean Ratelle

#1 - Goal Leaders (Bossy/Dionne/Lafleur)

Another 218 cards--plus a Gretzky RC--to complete this landmark set. In the meantime, I'll continue to chip away at it, a few cards here and there.

QUESTION: At what point do you "page" your sets? That is, when do you put a near-complete set into pages? Do you get a certain percentage, like at least half? Or do you wait until you have every single card? Or, do you not use pages at all...?

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 - Tin Break #1

2011-12-12T00:01:00.001-06:00

A few days ago, I was at Target and decided to peruse the trading card aisle. I've been pretty good at avoiding blaster boxes this year, but I saw something shiny that caught my eye: a collector's tin of 2011-12 Upper Deck Series One.

I was intrigued. This tin did not have the usual "retail packs," and yet these were not quite full-fledged "hobby packs," either. Like hobby packs, you get 12 cards per pack, 1 Young Guns card in every 4 packs and 1 Canvas card in every 6 packs. The only major difference is that the jersey cards here are seeded 1:24 instead of 1:12. So, you may or may not get one in the tin.

The cost was $30 for the 12-pack tin--so this roughly equates to buying half a hobby box (minus the guaranteed jersey card). After some deliberation, I decided to buy it (they had one left). Here is what I got:

86 Base Cards

Fortunately, I got the 24 cards I needed to complete my 2nd base set--anyone want to trade for it? I'd rather have doubles of Upper Deck cards than of, say, Victory cards.

3 Young Guns

As promised, this box delivered 1 Young Guns card in every 4th pack. I got Erik Gudbranson, Sean Couturier and Jonathan Blum. Luckily, I needed all 3 for my set.

2 UD Canvas Cards

These also happen with the same frequency as in a hobby box, as I got 2 Canvas Cards: Sean Avery and Brendan Morrow.

1 Hockey Hero

Ah, crap--a double! I got this card of Ted Lindsay the last time I opened a box of Upper Deck.

1 All-World Team

Yarg! Another double of an insert I already got. And this one has a defect too--notice the white marke on Henrik Zetterberg's face.

2 EA Ultimate Team

Jarret Stoll and a double of Jonathan Quick. In a hobby box, you get these inserts 1:24. Here in this quasi-hobby tin, they occur 1:6. The two I got were Jarret Stoll and Jonathan Quick (gah, double!).

1 Day with the Cup

Now this was different. At first glance, I thought this Zdeno Chara card was part of the base set, but it is part of the Day with the Cup insert set. This must be a "retail thing," since I didn't get one in any of my 3 hobby boxes last month.

1 Big 3 1/2" x 5" Winter Classic Card

These are unique to the Collector's Tins of Series One. Not a bad looking card--I love the composition in the photography, with Alexander Ovechkin leading the charge.

The Verdict: Basically, this is half a hobby box for less than half of a hobby box's price (currently $67-$70 online). Instead of getting a jersey card, you instead get an oversized Winter Classic card and a shiny metal box. If jersey cards are important to you, then you will probably want to skip these. Otherwise, this makes for a nice "non-blaster" alternative that can be found at a retail outlet.

Thank You JonWayne

2011-12-11T17:53:00.000-06:00

I just want to give a quick shout out to thank fellow blogger Jon aka JohnWayne for sending me the last card I needed to complete my 2010-11 Score Hockey set--a short-printed rookie card of Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brad Thiessen. It took me almost a year, but I managed to finally complete the 550 card set (the Super-Short Print Rookies are another story).

19 years later, this card is finally mine!

2011-12-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

Nope, your eyes do not deceive you--I have been seeking this Mark Fitzpatrick card for nearly two decades. It is from the 1992-93 Fleer Ultra set--the height of the "Junk Wax Era," though I prefer to call those years "Neo-Vintage." Specifically, this was from the Awards Winners insert set, back when inserts were actually cool and made sense (All-Stars, Award Winners....uh, Russians....)

It is true that I could have had this card ten times over if I bought it online. It just seemed that whenever I bought a bunch of cards from an eBay or Beckett Online seller, they didn't have this one. And we all hate the idea of paying $2 to ship one card if that one card is only "worth" a quarter.

There is also something rewarding about finding a card like this in the wild. I found this at a recent show in a quarter box from a dealer named Big Jon, who is an avid Red Wings fan. Upon finding out that it was the last card I needed to complete my set, he told me that the card had been accidentally put in the quarter box, and was actually a ten-dollar card. Ah, that joke is about as old as the trading card industry itself, and yet it still makes me smile a little bit.

Hell, I'm in such a great mood I'll even scan and share the back of the card....

One thing I've learned about collecting is that it is a waiting game. Sooner or later, we all tend to find what we are looking for, no matter how way there out or insignificant.

Fifteen '53-54 Parkies

2011-12-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Every so often, I'd find a 1953-54 Parkhurst card at a show for $5 or $10 and buy it. Then one day, I realized that I had 17 cards from the set--enough that I figured that I'd start pursuing this set as one I'd like to complete.

Nothing will trump the 1951-52 Parkhurst set in the mind of collectors for its significance as being the first, ahem, "modern" set and it's plethora of rookie cards (Howe? Richard? Never heard of 'em).

But I feel that the 1953-54 set is when Parkhurst really started to hit their stride. The cards are bigger and the backs are more informative. The smaller Parkies feel more like toss-ins from a bag of tobacco (I know, they were gum cards), whereas these feel like hockey cards.

Last month, I purchased 15 more cards from the 1953-54 Parkhurst set, bringing me up to 34 out of 100 cards. Enjoy the scans:

18 - Dick Gamble

20 - Eddie "Sipder" Mazur

21 - Paul Meger

29 - Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion

54 - Jack Evans

59 - Claude "Chuck" Rayner

72 - Lidio "Lee" Fogolin

75 - August "Gus" Bodnar

78 - Al Dewsbury

83 - George Gee

86 - Samuel "Sugar Jim" Henry

87 - Hal Laycoe

89 - Real Chevrefils

90 - Edward "Sandy" Sandford

91 - Fleming Mackell

Some Satire for Saturday

2011-12-03T00:01:00.005-06:00

I found two funny, hockey-related satirical articles recently.

This one, from The Onion, makes fun of penalties in hockey and Brendan Shannahan.

NHL's Critics Find No Evidence That Penalty Box Reforms Players

The second article is from a website called E-mails from an Asshole. Here, the guy pretends to be a minor league hockey player who wants to coach a youth team--this one is a bit off color, and may offend some readers:

Special Skaters

I hope at least one of you found these funny (or at least the Penalty Box Reform article).

Tomorrow, I will post a mega-update of some vintage cards.

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 - Box Break #3

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

The results of my third--and probably final--box of 2011-12 Upper Deck Series One.

165 Base

In the end, I ended up with one complete base set for my collection, a second near-complete base set that needs 24 cards and a bunch of doubles. It's annoying that I'd get one card of, say, Jonas Hiller, but then five cards of Matt Stajan.

6 Young Guns

Craig Smith, Adam Larsson, Joe Vitale and Justin Faulk were all cards that I needed. Unfortunately, I got two duplicates--Greg Memisz and Matt Frattin.

3 UD Canvas Cards

Jussi Jokinen (double), Duncan Keith and Jarome Iginla (double). What's up with all the doubles of the short-prints, Upper Deck? Two redundant Young Guns and two redundant Canvas cards. That sucks.

1 Canvas Young Guns

Well, this was unexpected. I'm too lazy/tired to type (or pronounce) this Hab's name.

2 Hockey Heroes

Alex Delvecchio and Ted Lindsay.

2 All-World Team

Martin Brodeur and Alexander Ovechkin.

1 EA Ultimate Team

These would have been cool if they unlocked some sort of feature--or hidden player--in NHL '12, instead of just being a blatant, UV-coated advertisement.

2 UD Game Jerseys

Drew Stafford and Steve Mason. The design of these jersey cards is actually nice.

You may have noticed...

...that I got 6 less base cards....

...in this box.

That's because...

..I got this instead:

1 UD Game Patch - Tomas Vokoun

This card was so thick that it took the place of 6 base cards. It uses a swatch of the shoulder patch from the Florida Panthers jersey.

A bit of cool numerology regarding this card: This cards is numbered 14 out of 15.

14 + 15 = 29

Vokoun wore 29 for the Panthers.

Conspiracy? You be the judge. And also, be a pal and help me complete this set. My Wantlist can be found here and my trade lists can be found here. Most of the inserts and all of the jersey cards are for trade too.

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 - Box Break #2

2011-12-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Another day, another box. Here we go....

171 Base Cards

The exact same amount of base cards as my previous box.

6 Young Guns

Ben Scrivens, Tim Erixon, Cameron Gaunce, Greg Nemisz, Matt Frattin and Brandon Saad.

4 UD Canvas Cards

I got 4 Canvas Cards this time (instead of 3) because I did NOT get an UD Exclusive in this box. I got Jason Spezza, Jimmy Howard, Tyler Myers and Claude Giroux.

2 Hockey Heroes

Bobby Hull and...aw hell, a duplicate of Jean Beliveau.

2 All-World Team

Marian Hossa and Mats Zuccarello were the two All-World Team cards I got in my second box.

1 EA Ultimate Team

I like Jonathan Toews. I like the design of this card. And I recently bought NHL '12. But I am still offended by the fact that this card "counts" as a card that you could get. It is an advertisement that does nothing to enhance my collection or my enjoyment of NHL ' 12.

2 UD Game Jersey Cards

Hot damn! I got two good players this time--Jason Spezza and Carey Price.

One more box to post...

Oh, and Happy December!!!!

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 - Box Break #1

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-06:00

I love Upper Deck brand hockey cards as much as I love criticizing Upper Deck the company. Heck, maybe I like Upper Deck brand cards even more. This set of cards has been one of the few things the card company has gotten right consistently for the past two decades.

I went to a card show recently and bought 3 boxes of 2011-12 Upper Deck Series One. Here are the results of my first box:

171 Base Cards

Buying a box puts you close to a complete base set. I bought 3 boxes with the hopes of ending up with 2 complete base sets, 100 or so doubles and 18 different (fingers crossed) Young Guns.

6 Young Guns

The 6 I got in this box were Devante Smith-Pelley, Yann Sauve, Adam Henrique, Brendan Nash, Vincour and Marcus Kruger.

3 UD Canvas Cards

I'm not a fan of parallels, but at least these Canvas Cards use different photographs than the standard base card. The canvas texture doesn't do anything for me, though. The 3 in this box were Pekka Rinne, Jarome Iginla and Jussi Jokinen.

1 UD Exclusives

Alex Goligoski 054 / 100. Moving on...

2 Hockey Heroes

Looks like Upper Deck went way oldschool with this one. I got Gump Worsley and Jean Beliveau, which is good because I'd vomit all over my shoes if it was Mark Messier again this year.

2 All-World Team

A.K.A. the insert set that no one wants. I got cards of Henrik Zetterberg and Viktor Hedman.

1 EA Ultimate Team

WTF? Or more fittingly, what's the point--of this card or the set? The back of the card just talks about new features of the Electronic Arts video Game NHL '12, and how it has won many awards. Why did they even put players on the front? These are basically "collectible advertisements." WHY DOES AN ADVERTISEMENT COUNT AS ONE OF MY EIGHT CARDS IN A PACK?

2 UD Game Jersey Cards

Looooouuuuuuuuu!

Whoooooooooooooooooooooo?

No really, who is Lars Eller? Sounds like that ugly little man who plays drums for Metallica.

Stay tuned for my next two box breaks, coming later this week.

Card of the Week: In Memory of...

2011-11-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

When a player changes teams, card makers always found a way to respond. Current companies like Upper Deck and Panini will get a very recent photo that shows the player with his new squad, while back in the day Topps and O-Pee-Chee would alter the photo to "change" the player's uniform--or at the very least mention the trade somewhere on the card. But how do card companies respond when a player passes away? This heavy topic is almost always avoided by card makers. There have been a few notable exceptions, like this tribute card of Terry Sawchuk released by O-Pee-Chee in their 1970-71 set. (Full Story)

Vintage Pickups: Two 1963-64 Topps Cards

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

Although I'm not really chasing after the 1963-64 Topps Hockey set, I couldn't pass up these two cards. I paid $8 for the pair. Not bad for almost-50-year-old cardboard.

Here are scans of the back. These cards were in damn good shape for their age. No stains or creasing, just some soft corners.

More vintage goodness to come.

1957-58 Topps #6 - Larry Regan

2011-11-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

I bought a lot of vintage hockey cards at the show last weekend. It's been almost a full year since I last added a card to my 1957-58 Topps set. Larry Regan is my 14th card, bringing me one step closer to completing this 66-card set.

The front has a light crease and the corners are soft.

But the price? A whopping three-and-a-half bucks.

Set completion as of 11-25-2011:

14 out of 66 cards = 21.2%

Photo Purchases

2011-11-26T00:01:00.001-06:00

I have a weakness for 8"x10" photos.

No, they aren't collectible, nor are they "worth" anything.

But there is something so immersive about their relatively large size (compared to hockey cards), their ease of storage (just throw 'em in a binder) and their endless varieties. Whenever I see a dealer who sells photos, I try and find offbeat images that I don't see everyday.

Here are some 8"x10" goodies I got...a while ago. I meant to put these up sooner, but they've been in a pile of stuff on my floor the past 3 months. Either way, enjoy these pics!

Bobby Hull - Hull played 9 games with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80. He didn't have a card back then that showed him as a Whaler. Since then, several companies have shown Hull as a member of a Whaler, but seeing him in green and white still gives me a shock to the system.

Mario Lemieux - Speaking of shock to the system, here is Mario Lemieux in the visiting locker room of the old Chicago Stadium. The Penguins had just swept the Blackhawks in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals--a moment that still pains me to this day (plus, I lost a $5 bet to my sister, a die-hard Pens fan).

Wayne Gretzky - Gretz, the Cup and an Oilers jersey...it just feels so right.

Bobby Orr - And this just feels so wrong. Orr skated a whopping 26 games with the Blackhawks due to injury, and retired because he didn't want to get paid for not playing. I love the Blackhawks, and have the utmost respect for Bobby Orr, but I wish he stayed a Bruin--especially since Orr's agent, Alan Eagleson, lied to Orr in order to get him to sign with Chicago.

Derek Sanderson - This is Sanderson at the end of his career, after the drugs and alcohol had taken their toll. He skated with the Pittsburgh Penguins for 13 games during the 1977-78 season.

Bill Gadsby - I was going to get this photo autographed by Gadsby, but then found a few color photos I decided to get signed instead.

Dino Ciccarelli - Dino celebrating a goal against the Sabres. Great photo!

Bobby Hull & Gordie Howe - Another scene from 1979-80. This photo is beyond cool.

1986-87 Chicago Blackhawks - I collect Blackhawks team photos, and hope to get one from every season.

Hockey cards will always be my number one hobby, but collecting photos offers me a nice diversion.

2011-12 Parkhurst Champions box break #3

2011-11-24T10:56:00.001-06:00

My third--and perhaps last--box of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions. We'll skip the formalities and cut right to it:

71 Base Cards

Every time I open a box of these, I get more and more base cards...and less and less short prints.

1 Autographed Card

"Terrible" Terry O'Reilly! Not a terrible card to get.

0 Memorabilia Cards

You know, I'm not sure that there are actually any jersey/game used cards in this set--a fact I like to point out.

5 Wire Photo Cards

These are a really unique idea. I'd even collect a whole set of Wire Photo cards--maybe with white borders instead of sepia to really play up the "Old Time" feeling.

3 Rendition Color Cards

I wish I got more than 3 of these in the box. I'd love it if these were 1 per pack.

0 Rendition Black and White Cards

I didn't know these were so hard to come by.

20 Champ's Minis

4 of the 20 minis were Green Back parallels. Of the 16 "normal" versions, 14 of them were doubles, as I only needed 2. Getting 57 different cards shouldn't be this hard.

So, I thought this was perhaps the worst box of cards I ever opened...

(foreshadowing)

...but then I got this card in my very last pack:

A hand-painted Parkhurst Masterpieces art card of Gilbert Perrault--limited to 10 copies, and seeded 1 in every 4,000 packs (that's 1 in every 200 boxes).

The artist actually painted on the front of the card. You can feel the texture of the paint. So even though there are 10 copies of this card, each one is slightly different since it's hand-made.

The back is signed by the artist, and hand-numbered by an Upper Deck employee.

This is probably the best card I've gotten in a pack--even better than the Neolithic Stone Tools Champ's card I pulled in 2009.

Help me finish this set.
I still need 1 base card (#76) and numerous Renditions, Wire Photos and Minis. Check out my Want List here.

Likewise, I have a bunch of base and Mini cards to trade (from this set and others), which you can see on my Singles & Inserts for Trade page.

2011-12 Parkhurst Champions box break #2

2011-11-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

I went to a card show this past weekend, and picked up a lot of great hockey cards, including two more boxes of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions. (Last week, I posted the results from my first box).

Here are the results of my second box:

70 Base Cards

Love these cards! Unfortunately, getting a few more base cards--I got 67 in my first box--means that I'm going to get less other cards. Such as...

1 Autographed Card

Only 1 autographed card? My previous box yielded 3 autographs, so I'm a bit bummed about only getting 1 this time.

0 Memorabilia Cards

No complaints here. Moving along...

4 Wire Photo Cards

I guess some of these cards--that feature 2 players instead of just one--are harder to come by.

3 Rendition Color Cards

Rogie Vachon, Darryl Sittler and Cam Neely.

0 Renditions Black and White Cards

What? Not one Black and White Rendition. Sigh.

20 Champ's Minis

These come one per pack. Three of my 20 were Green Back parallels (the ink is green instead of black). 11 of the 17 "normal backs" were doubles. Can you believe it? Doubles? This is only my second box, and more than half are doubles.

I think my first box spoiled me. In my first box, I got 2 more autographed cards, 2 more Wire Photo cards and 1 more Black and White Renditions card. Had this been my first box, perhaps I would not have been so eager to buy more Parkhurst Champions. I love the designs of all of these cards, but hate getting less and less of the cool inserts in subsequent boxes. Speaking of which, I'll post my third box break tomorrow.

2011-12 Parkhurst Champions box break #1

2011-11-14T00:01:00.001-06:00

Last weekend, I purchased a box of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions from AU Sports Memorabilia, a card shop I frequent every week or so. The owners, Scott and Frank, are two of the nicest sport card dealers I know. Frank collects hockey cards, and mentioned that they had a box of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions in stock. I was intrigued--and all this extra teaching I've done this semester has amounted to some extra cash. I might as well enjoy some of the added funds, right?

67 Base Cards

Wow...I really like the look of these base cards. The photos feature bright, saturated colors (except for the few black and white photos). And the backs feature complete statistics:

Another nice thing is that I only got 3 doubles in the box.

3 Autograph Cards

The box says "Look for 1-2 Autographs Per Box." Well, I beat the odds and got 3! My autographs are of Brent Sutter (raising the Stanley Cup), Tim Kerr and 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Mark Howe.

0 Memorabilia Cards

Yep, I got zero memorabilia cards. You won't hear me complain. In fact, this may be the greatest box of cards I ever opened (or close to it). I got 3 autographs of players I enjoyed watching as a kid, and no silly jersey cards.

6 Wire Photo Cards

Nice! Now, this is an interesting idea for an insert set. I'm going to have to get all of these--right now, I'm feeling tired/lazy, so I only scanned one.

3 Renditions Color Cards

Awesome! Painted cards! This set gets better and better.

1 Renditions Black and White Cards

Some of the paintings are achromatic for that classy, old school feel.

20 Champ's Minis

17 of the minis were "regular", and 3 of them were "green backs." There are only 57 minis in the entire set (10 are short prints), so I have a legitimate shot at getting all of them.

Overall, I like the 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions hockey set and will try to complete it. When I go to the upcoming show in Rosemont, IL this weekend, I plan on buying a few more boxes.

Another RC for the PC

2011-11-12T00:01:00.001-06:00

Michael Frolik hasn't exactly been "tearing it up" this season with the Chicago Blackhawks--he's scored 7 points in 16 games--but he seems to be fitting in on the Blackhawks. I guess I like Frolik enough that when I saw this card at a local card shop, I had to have it.

If you are going to get a rookie card, it might as well be an autographed one, right? That is unless, of course, it is a card of someone like Crosby or Ovechkin that will cost you thousands of dollars.

Anyway, next weekend, I will be going to the Sun-Times Sports Card Show in Rosemont, IL (November 18-20). Is anyone else going?

I'm back...and another Hockey News article

2011-11-11T11:38:00.001-06:00

Hockey season is in full swing, and I've been too busy to enjoy it. My career transition from web designer to college teacher seems to have been a success, as I am teaching at three different schools now, as well as once a week at a grammar school.

The bad news is, I have less and less free time for blogging. But that should change, as I always seem to have tons of extra time once the semester starts winding down.

But onto some good news: my second article was published in The Hockey News, in their November 7, 2011 issue. Blink and you might miss it--it is at the bottom of page 11, and the article is smaller than the size of a hockey card. You can find the issue on the newsstands now.

Set Review: 1972-73 Los Angeles Sharks

2011-10-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

Before the Sharks took up residency in San Jose, there was another team by the same name. The Los Angeles Sharks - no relation to the current team in San Jose - was a founding member of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Unlike some of the luckier teams in the WHA who had the benefit of a Bobby Hull or Gordie Howe playing for them, the Sharks did not have much in the way of star power. They finished 6th out of 12 teams in 1972-73 and dead last during their second and final season. In their first year, they issued an ugly set of 19 cards. (Full Story)

Set Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques

2011-10-14T00:35:00.000-05:00

The World Hockey Association was founded in 1972, and placed several teams into markets that yearned to have an NHL presence. One founding member of the WHA was the Quebec Nordiques, giving the province of Quebec another team to call their own. Longtime Montreal Canadiens' defenseman J.C. Tremblay was the Nordiques' first captain, while a 20-year old Richard Brodeur was breaking into pro hockey as the Nords' backup. Released during the season was a postcard set featuring the Quebec's inaugural roster. (Full story)

The Wrapper Gallery hits the 100-mark

2011-10-09T01:13:00.000-05:00

Ten more sets have been added to the Wrapper Gallery:

2011-12 Victory - wrapper
2008-09 Power Play - factory set box
2008-09 SHL Elitset - wrapper and box
2005-06 Phenomenal Beginnings - factory set box
2000-01 MVP - wrapper
1993-94 EA Sports NHL '94 - factory set box
1993-94 Fleer Power Play - wrapper
1990-91 Bowman - wrapper
1987-88 Panini Stickers - wrapper and box
1979 Panini Stickers - wrapper and box

This brings the total number of sets represented to a cool 100. It was a lot of work to scan, re-size and get all of these images (155) on the site, but I am pleased with the result thus far.

2010-11 SP Authentic Box Break #2

2011-10-06T00:51:00.001-05:00

Warning: Lack of sleep has made me loopy and belligerent. Read this box breakdown at your own risk!

Yep, I bought a second box of these while at The National. Unfortunately, I didn't do as well as I did in my first box.

109 Base Cards - Well, at least I got the cards that I needed to complete my base set.

4 SP Essentials - Mark Messier, Mikko Koivu, Mike Cammalleri and Alexandre Burrowsssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

What? Oh sorry, I must have fallen asleep at the keyboard because these cards are so boring.

1 Future Watch Rookie Card - Mike Moore? Isn't he that socialist film-maker? He sure did lose a lot of weight. And why is he jumping off of a tree branch?

SHINY CARDS MAKE RAINBOWS!!!

Autographed Future Watch Kaspars Daugavins - This guy spent more time signing 999 of these cards than he did actually playing in the NHL (1 game) last season. Oh yeah, I went there.

Autographed Future Watch Chad Kolarik - Meanwhile, Kolarik over here (who's name sounds like a medical procedure we'd all dread) has played 6 games with 2 NHL teams over the past 2 years. Coming to a dollar box near you.

Oh wait...

What's this...

A Redemption Card for a "regular card auto-patch variation numbered to 100" of...

DRUM ROLL

Patrice Bergeron.

Never heard of him.

OK, actually I have.

That was the lack of sleep talking. Off to bed...

Puck Junk is 4 today

2011-10-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

October 5, 2007 to Present

Puck Junk is 4 today.

But October 5 is an important day for two other reasons:

Yep, both Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy were born on October 5, 1965. Coincidentally, I recently purchased the two Topps Rookie cards you see above. I guess today was the "right" day to share them here.

But getting back to my original point, four years is a pretty long time for a website to exist. How many sites and/or blogs have you seen come and go since 2007, card-related or otherwise?

In retrospect, I'm glad that I started this site for 3 reasons:

1. Having a blog about hockey cards has helped me keep up with what's going on in the world of card collecting.

2. Maintaining this website has led to a lot of great opportunities--writing for Beckett Hockey in the past and The Hockey News this season, as well as appearing on The War Room radio program (I'll be back on it again this season, too).

3. Best of all, having this website has allowed me to meet other hockey card collectors, either in person or via the interrwebs. Some of them I've traded cards with, while others have just sent me stuff out of the kindness of their hearts. Hobbies are fun, but they are more fun when shared with others.

With thousands of cards released over the past 100 years, and new cards coming out all the time, I'll never run out of things to collect--or talk about.

So here's looking to the next four years.

War Room - June 22, 2011

2011-09-30T00:03:00.002-05:00

Got 'Em! Need 'Em!

Season 2, Episode 19

Broadcast Date: June 22, 2011

Time: 20 minutes--the longest-ever segment of "Got 'Em! Need 'Em!"

Topics:

Boston Bruins Stanley Cup boxed set (0:01 to 3:30 )
Trophy / season highlight cards (3:31 to 5:29 )
Graded cards (5:30 to16:29)
The Gretzky RC photo (16:30 to 17:35)
The National Sports Collectors' Convention
(17:36 to 20:00)

NOTE: Please tell me if you have any problems with the player below.

Player not working? Click here to download an MP3 of the audio file.

Thanks to Mick Kern and XM Radio for the audio clip.

Card of the Week: Game Changer

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

The biographical blurb on the back of a hockey card usually mentions some sort of accomplishment - an award won, a multi-point game or other accolade. In their 2010-11 Playoff Contenders set, Panini America highlighted Sean Avery's antics in the 2008 playoffs that led to a rule change. (Full Story)

War Room - May 17, 2011

2011-09-22T00:13:00.005-05:00

Got 'Em! Need 'Em!

Season 2, Episode 18

Broadcast Date: May 17, 2011

Time: 16 minutes 42 seconds

Topics:

ITG's Decades: 1980s (0:01 to 2:38)
Score's All Goalies boxed set (2:39 to )
2010-11 Panini Dominion (3:53 to 6:24)
2010-11 Pinnacle, insert cards and back to Pinnacle (6:25 to 16:42)

We also discuss Shiny Crap, the original name of Canada and the Norris House League.

NOTE: I am experimenting with a new way to embed audio. Please tell me if you have any problems with the player below.

Player not working? Click here to download an MP3 of the audio file.

Thanks to Mick Kern and XM Radio for the audio clip.

1960-61 Parkie & Topps Pickups

2011-09-21T09:01:00.000-05:00

In addition to all those great 1963-64 Parkhurst cards I got at The National, I also picked up a few 1960-61 cards.

I figured that if I was going to start collecting 1960-61 Parkies, I should get one of someone significant, like Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion.

This Parkie card of Sid Abel looks great, and only cost me $8.

A line card of Don Marshall, Henri Richard and Dickie Moore. I guess line cards are a thing of the past, given that players change teams so frequently now that no trio really stays together for long.

This Nels Stewart card is from the 1960-61 Topps set. Twenty-seven of the 66 cards are of All-Time Greats--players from the early 20th century. I have always liked the look of these cards; a 1920s design sensibility, but done up in bright colors indicative of the 1960s.

War Room - May 3, 2011

2011-09-20T13:48:00.003-05:00

Got 'Em! Need 'Em!

Season 2, Episode 17

Broadcast Date: May 3, 2011

Time: 17 minutes 27 seconds

Topics:

The Blackhawks' playoff elimination (0:01 to 0:32)
Score Rookie and Traded set (0:33 to 4:02)
The 1988-89 Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets (4:03 to12:49)
The $94,000 Gretzky Rookie (12:50 to 17:27)

NOTE: I am experimenting with a new way to embed audio. Please tell me if you have any problems with the player below.

Player not working? Click here to download an MP3 of the audio file.

Thanks to Mick Kern and XM Radio for the audio clip.

1963-64 Parkhurst #42 - Alex Faulkner

2011-09-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

This was the last 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card I bought at The National, and by far the most expensive to date. I have never heard of Alex Faulkner, and had no idea why this card--his rookie card--was selling for upwards of $100. That didn't make sense to me. He's not the most famous Red Wing, and certainly not the most famous Red Wing to wear number 19.

This is a good example of why it is important to do your research and know exactly what you are looking for. Thanks to Wikipedia and a friendly dealer from Detroit, I found out that Faulkner was the first person from Newfoundland to play in the National Hockey League. And despite only playing 2 seasons and 101 games in the NHL, he still has "rock star" status and this card--his only card--sells for a premium.

The Beckett high value of this card is $120. I picked this one up for $42. I think I did OK here.

Oh, and this brings me one (somewhat bigger) step closer to finishing my set. I now have 46 of the 99 cards. When I go to the Sun-Times card show in November, I'll try to pick up 4 more to make it to 50.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 46% Complete

War Room - April 9, 2011

2011-09-18T13:30:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any of these, but I finally got my hands on my last 4 appearances on XM Radio's "The War Room." So, for your listening pleasure...

Got 'Em! Need 'Em!

Season 2, Episode 16

Broadcast Date: April 9, 2011

Time: 16 minutes 22 seconds

Topic: Mick Kern and I discuss the long-term effects of the 1990-91 boom in hockey cards. (Our first conversation about this topic happened way back in October 2010.)

PLEASE NOTE that I am experimenting with a new way to embed audio on this blog. Please tell me if you have any problems with the player below.

Player not working? Click here to download an MP3 of the audio file.

Thanks to Mick Kern and XM Radio for providing me with the audio clip.

My Article in The Hockey News

2011-09-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

This week debuts an occasional feature I am writing for The Hockey News entitled In the Cards, where I take a look at some of the more strange or interesting hockey cards ever made.

So if you subscribe to THN--or know someone who does--then be sure to check out page 13 of the September 19 issue, on sale now.

1963-64 Parkhurst #59 - Bill Gadsby

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

School has started again. I am now teaching at three different places (one university, one college and one technical school). All this teaching has given me a bit of extra cash, so I went and bought myself a ~~Bobby Orr rookie card~~ a new computer. Of course, setting it up, getting all my files copied and programs installed, etc. etc. has left me with less time to blog.

And I still got things to talk about, like Bill Gadsby here. I bought this 1963-64 Parkhurst card at The National last month.

I bought this card after I met with Gadsby to get his autograph on several other cards and photos; otherwise, I would have seriously contemplated getting this card signed. Yes, it might seem like a waste to "ruin" a nice vintage card like this. But I could picture how a blue Sharpie autograph would really compliment the American flag.

Question: If you had this old card ahead of time, and were meeting with the player, would you get it signed?

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 45% Complete

Hockey & September 11

2011-09-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Garnet "Ace" Bailey

June 13, 1948 – September 11, 2001

1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #304

Mark Bavis

March 13, 1970 - September 11, 2001

1993 Classic Draft Picks #60

My last blog post was about where I was on September 11, 2001. But I also wanted to express how it affected the hockey community. Others have done a better job of that, though, so may I direct your attention to the following websites:

Former NHLer Garret Bailey and former collegiate standout Mark Bavis were scouts for the Los Angeles Kings. Both were on one of the hijacked planes. The Kings website wrote a great article about the two men and their legacy.

Taking things many steps further, Puck Daddy also wrote about those whose lives were changed by the 9/11 tragedy, and how the hockey community rallied together. It's a long read, but very comprehensive.

Finally, a relatively new hockey card blog called The Cardboard and Me features a nice custom card as a tribute to the New York firefighters.

Always look to the future, but never forget the past.

Ten Years Ago

2011-09-11T12:40:00.001-05:00

NOTE: The following blog post contains nothing about hockey.

Everyone remembers where they were when the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 took place.

I was lucky. I didn't know anyone who died. I didn't know anyone who knew anyone who died. And yet, for everyone it was a sad, sickening, gut-wrenching experience. The bubble had burst. The warm glow and feeling of safety that enveloped us was gone.

I was just out of college, on my way to work and running late, when I saw a coworker on the train. She told me about the two planes hitting the World Trade Center Towers.

I got to work and the two conference rooms were jammed with people crowding around the small TVs in each room. People were on the phone, calling our New York office--which was far from the Twin Towers--to make sure that everyone there was OK.

I went to CNN.com, and couldn't load their website. After 10 minutes of trying, I finally saw some grainy footage of the second hijacked plane hitting the tower. I tried to find out more--were more planes hijacked? Was Chicago in danger?

Management at my old job didn't seem too concerned about what was going on. My supervisor, noting that the small conference room was full, decided that we should take our weekly status meeting to the Starbucks across the street--never mind that there are a million other things on our minds right now.

Even worse, one of the owners sent out an office-wide email, reminding us that if we let the recent tragic events distract us too much, then the terrorists have won.

Given our relative proximity to downtown Chicago, around 10:30 AM CST our building was evacuated. The train was packed--everyone in and around downtown was sent home early.

I got back to my apartment and turned on the TV. That is when I started to feel sick. Up until that point, I didn't realize that people had died or were wounded or still trapped. The only evacuation I've ever participated in were school fire drills, and everyone makes it out alive in those. I felt guilty. I started to cry.

There were no flights in the United States for a week. Living in a large city with an international airport, you are so used to airplanes flying overhead that--like your own heartbeat--you don't really notice or think about them until they are absent.

A week later, I was walking home, and then I heard a plane fly overhead. I was startled. I froze. Things were back to normal. And yet, they would never be the same.

The Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Tragedy

2011-09-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

Screenshot from the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv website (translated), Sept. 7, 2011

Everyone has either read, heard and/or blogged about the tragic news by now: yesterday, an airplane carrying the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team crashed, killing 43 of the 45 passengers on board. The entire Yaroslavl hockey team--save one badly burned player--perished in the crash.

It seemed like this summer could not get any worse for the hockey community, given the accidental death of Derek Boogaard and the suicides of Rick Rypien and Wade Belak.

And then this happens. The darkest day in hockey.

Ten former NHL players were among those who passed away...

Pavol Demitra

Ruslan Salei

Karel Rachunek

Alexander Vasyunov

Karlis Skrastins

Josef Vasicek

Stefan Liv

(appeared as a Red Wings backup in 2006-07)

Igor Korolev

(assistant coach for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv)

Alexander Karpotsev

(assistant coach for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv)

Brad McCrimmon

(head coach of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv)

Of course we all feel for all the players, team personnel, airplane crew and their families.

Screenshot from team website, September 8, 2011

Say Hello to My Little Friends

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

I am now this much closer to finishing my 2009-10 Champ's Hockey set:

48 Mini Veterans cards....

...24 Champ's Mini Rookies...

...and another 3 Champ's Mini Rookies, 12 Historical Figures and 6 Wonders of the World. Plus 2 Mini Rookies from the 2008-09 set.

That's 93 mini cards from the 2009-10 set (and the 2 from the previous year).

I am only 126 mini cards away from finishing the 2009-10 Champ's set.

I might actually finish this set before my 80th birthday.

If you have some Champ's minis--from 2009-10 or 2008-09--that you would like to trade, take a look at my Want List.

Card of the Week: Bures and the Beach

2011-09-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Note: Today's Card of the Week article is by Josh Mack.

When the hockey card market suddenly got crowded in 1990, companies had to find a way to stand out from their competition. Parallels and inserts were not yet commonplace, so card makers resorted to an age-old tactic to make as many cards of the most popular players as possible: subsets. One subset in particular - Upper Deck's "Bloodlines" from their 1991-92 release - features a memorable card of the Bure brothers "enjoying" a day at the beach. (Full Story)

1963-64 Parkhurst #47 - Robert Dillabough

2011-08-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

Time for a quick blog update before I teach class this morning. Here is another card that brings me one step closer to completing the Set of My Dreams.

I'm not quite sure why Robert (Bob) Dillabough was included in the 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set. He only played 1 playoff game for the Red Wings in '62-63. The year this card came out, Dillabough only played 1 game for the Wings, again in the playoffs. So, he was not a regular on the team. Dillabough would go on to be an original member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967-68, and an original member of the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders in 1972-73.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 44% Complete

1963-64 Parkhurst #41 - Bruce MacGregor

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today is another long day in what is going to be a week of long days. I still have stacks of cool cards from the National to scan and show, but my time and energy is in short supply. So in the meantime, here's another 1963-64 Parkie, this one of Bruce MacGregor.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 43% Complete

2010-11 SP Authentic Box Break #1

2011-08-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

When I attended The National Sports Collectors' Convention earlier this month, I participated quite a bit in Upper Deck's wrapper redemption program.

Buying 5 packs of 2010-11SP Authentic earned me one voucher for a redemption pack. In total, I bought 50 packs of SP Autentic (two 24-pack boxes plus 2 additional packs).

Here are the results from my first box:

109 Base Cards - I like the simple design of the base set. The player cutouts have a gloss varnish on what is otherwise a matte coat card. Unfortunately, Upper Deck chose to mainly use photos of players in their white road uniforms. The result is a set that feels lifeless and devoid of color.

4 SP Essentials - Speaking of lifeless and devoid of color, these numbered SP Essentials use a black and white photo and a blue tinted photo of the same player. So I guess you can add depressing to the list of adjectives used to describe this set. Besides Bobby Clarke (shown above), I also pulled cards of Guillaume Latendresse, Patrice Bergeron and Mike Green. Each is numbered out of 1999.

1 Future Watch rookie card- Brandon McMillan? Never heard of him. I think it is time for Upper Deck to cut back on the number of rookies they issue cards of each year.

2 HOLO FX insert cards - I actually like these hologram-type cards. They evoke a certain nostalgia of 1990s hockey cards, when pulling a colorful hologram felt epic. I think I am going to build this insert set.

Sign of the Times Logan Couture - This was the first autograph that I pulled. Not bad. Couture is a rising star, and the autograph is on-card and in blue.

Sign of the Times Colin Wilson - Another player who is potentially on the up and up. So far, so good.

Autographed Future Watch Dana Tyrell 772 / 999 - Never heard of him, but he played 72 games for the Lightning (I refuse to call them the "Bolts") last year.

Autographed Future Watch Zac Dalpe 492 / 999 - They should call these signed rookie cards "Sigh of the Times," because you hope it's a signature of someone good, but then sigh in disbelief when you realize who is on the card. Dalpe spent most of last season in the AHL; maybe he'll crack the Hurricanes' lineup this year.

Despite my complaints about some of the autographs pulled, I am happy to say that I beat the odds. Supposedly you get 3 autographs per box, but I pulled 4.

I actually enjoyed this product enough to buy a second box, which--believe it or not-- I still haven't opened yet. Maybe I will open it this Friday as a reward for surviving what is set to be a grueling week, consisting of teaching, freelance web design work and a job interview / teaching presentation (wish me luck). I won't have much free time for hobbies over the next 5 days.

1963-64 Parkhurst #46 - Marcel Pronovost

2011-08-26T00:01:00.004-05:00

Today's 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey card is of Hall of Fame player Marcel Pronovost. I still got a few more of these Parkies to show off over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 42% Complete

Card of the Week: Whitewashed Capital

2011-08-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

During the summer of 1975, the Philadelphia Flyers traded center Bill Clement to the Washington Capitals. This transaction was apparently important enough to prompt Topps' art department to revise their photo of Clement for their 1975-76 set. Unfortunately, his trade wasn't quite worthy enough to merit revision to the entire photograph. Only Clement's jersey had been altered to reflect the trade. His torso screams "Capitals," while his legs (and heart, probably) still say "Flyers." (Full story)

1963-64 Parkhurst #48 - Lawrence Jeffrey

2011-08-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

A freelance web design project is keeping me busy this week, so here's a quick update. This 1963-64 Parkhurst card of Lawrence Jeffrey brings my set to 41 cards. Like the card of Doug Barkley, this card is damn near perfect.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 41% Complete

Decades 1980s: National Edition - Box Break #2

2011-08-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed my first box of In The Game's Decades 1980s enough that I decided to buy a second box a day later. I actually did a "pack wars" type break with Justin G. (Hopeful Chase) and Tim (DFG). Those guys each got a Mario Lemieux game-used card. And me? I did OK...

Three Regular Cards

A retro-themed card of my hero, Chris Chelios! This box started off on the right foot.

A "rookie card" of Dino Ciccarelli. Make that Hall of Fame winger Dino Ciccarelli. My first-ever hockey card was a 1984-85 Topps card of Dino.

Battle of Aberta Joe Mullen vs. Glenn Anderson. Flames vs. Oilers? Wow, talk about combustion! Those must have been some explosive battles.

Three Autographed Cards
Also known as Reason #1 why I bought a second box of Decades

Mark Hunter - OK, he's definitely an eighties player, having started his NHL career in 1981 and retiring in 1993.

Eldon "Pokey" Reddick - Jets Represent!!!! I'm glad that this card "shows" Reddick from his days with the Winnipeg Jets. You know Reddick didn't get any cards during his 3 seasons in Winnipeg? He was featured in a few sticker sets though. This guy didn't have half the career that Mark Hunter had, and yet I'm thrice as enthralled to get this card.

Dino Ciccarelli - Two cards of Dino in a 9-card box? That's 22.222% Ciccarelli.

Three Jersey Cards

Andy Moog Game Used Jersey Card - Moog was a big game goalie for the Bruins in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Guy Lafleur Game Used Jersey Card - Guuuuuuyyyyyy LaaaaaaFleeeeuuuurrrrr! Unleash the awesome!!! This is definitely going into the "keeper" pile. Lafleur only played one season with the New York Rangers, so there can't be too many Rangers jersey swatch cards for him out there.

And Reason #2 why I bought a second box of Decades:

Chicago Blackhawks Quadruple Swatch card - Stan Mikita, Bill White, Denis Savard and Darren Pang. Three of these players had accomplished NHL careers. And then there's Darren Pang. All kidding aside--Panger's career ended after back-to-back knee injuries--this is a pretty awesome card for a 'Hawks fan like me. Savard and Mikita are in the Hall of Fame and White played 7 seasons in Chicago. Considering that Pang played only 81 games in Chicago in an era where players didn't change jerseys every shift, a swatch from his sweater seems like it would be pretty rare. Plus he's a damn good broadcaster.

One 1/1 Jersey Card
...or Reason #3 for buying a second box of Decades:

Rookie Game-Used Jersey Joe Nieuwendyk - I'm not sure if this is from his 1987-88 rookie season. The back of the card says it is "...a Rookie Game-Used Jersey card from the Decades - 1980s Series..." so I assume that to mean it is from his first year. It is also stamped 1/1 THE NATIONAL CHICAGO in gold ink on the front.

One In-Person Autograph
Yes, this was Reason #4 for me buying a second box of Decades.

I was able to get a second item autographed by U.S. Olympian Mark Wells. This card is from the 1994-95 Signature Rookies "Miracle on Ice" set.

Overall, I enjoyed opening this box of cards. Sure, I would have liked bigger hits, and I can do without the Battle of Alberta-type cards. I do like the 100 Years of Hockey (tobacco-style) cards. In the Game did a great job of giving fans enough incentive to buy these cards--from the 1/1 show-only jersey card to the quad Blackhawks jersey card to the opportunity to get something signed by Mark Wells. I will definitely participate in In The Game's wrapper redemption programs at future shows.

1963-64 Parkhurst #60 - Douglas Barkley

2011-08-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Forty! The Big Four-Oh. I now have 40 cards for my 1963-64 Parkhurst set. Douglas Barkley here (card #60 in the set) is the 40th card towards completing my set. I started putting it together just over 3 years ago.

This card is actually higher grade than most of the other Parkies in my set build. I found a dealer who has a lot of Red Wings that were in great shape. He was willing to cut me a deal if I bought several of them. Most of the Parkies I get are in the $5 to $10 range and have one or more defects. It seemed like a good idea to get commons and semi-stars in EXMT shape for $15 each, like this one here. Other than the yellowing, which is common for these cards, I really don't see any flaws.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 40% Complete

A Mega Wrapper Gallery Update

2011-08-21T00:57:00.000-05:00

Thirteen new images have been added to the Wrapper Gallery:

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee - variant wrapper with an offer for a "hockey locker"
1976-77 Topps - variant wrapper with an offer for a "sports card locker"
1979-80 Topps - variant wrapper with an advertisement for chewing gum
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee - wrapper
1985-86 O-Pee-Chee - variant wrapper with an offer for a sports wallet and a picture of a wax box
1985-86 Topps - wrapper
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee - wrapper
2010-11 Donruss - retail version of the wrapper
2010-11 Victory - images of the wrapper, rack pack wrapper, 11-pack blaster box and 36-pack box

The Wrapper Gallery now features a total of 142 images across 90 different sets.

Decades 1980s: National Edition - Box Break #1

2011-08-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

While at The National, I bought not one but two boxes of In The Game's Decades 1980s hockey cards. These boxes were the so-called "National Edition," which cost about $10 more than a regular box of Decades, but here's what made the "National Edition" more enticing to buy:

It entitled you to an autograph from U.S. Olympian Mark Wells
It entitled you to a special 1/1 jersey card only available at The National
One of the jersey cards was swapped out for a special Chicago Blackhawks quad-jersey card
It was possible to get a Dominik Hasek autograph in a National Edition box

Here is what I got in my first box.

Three Regular Cards

A retro-themed card of Ray Bourque, done in the same style as the 1910-11 Imperial Tobacco Set.

Long Island Dynasty - Bryan Trottier

Decades Rookie - John Vanbeisbrouck

Three Autographed Cards

Steve Christoff, Team USA

Craig Hartsburg, Minnesota North Stars

Denis Potvin, New York Islanders - Whoo Hoo! Autograph from a Hall of Famer!

Three Jersey Cards

Paul Coffey, Game-Used Jersey Black - Not bad, considering how awesome Coffey was during his years in Edmonton.

Cup Classes - Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Richard Brodeur and Dave "Tiger" Williams. Nice! A quad-jersey card. This card commemorates the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals matchup between the New York Islanders and the Vancouver Canucks.

Decades Franchises - Ed Belfour, Nikolai Khabibulin, Antti Niemi and Jeremy Roenick. One of these kids is doing his own thing...one of these kids does not belong...now it's time to play our game....

Wait, where was I? Oh yeah. Freakin' awesome. This is the first time I've pulled a quad jersey card of my favorite team. Of course, it was guaranteed in the "National Edition," but no matter. This will be one of the few jersey cards I actually KEEP in my collection.

One 1/1 Jersey Card

After opening my box--which you had to do at the In The Game booth at The National in the presence of one of their employees--I was told to reach into a bag and pull out a raffle ticket. I handed the ticket to the employee, who then presented me with this 1/1 Bernie Federko number swatch card. In gold ink, it is stamped 1/1 THE NATIONAL CHICAGO.

One In-Person Autograph

When I bought the box of Decades 1980s: National Edition, it entitled me to an autograph from 1980 Team USA Olympian Mark Wells, who was signing on Saturday at the show. In The Game provided these large, 5" x 7" oversize cards (complete with the National Logo) for Wells to autograph.

In conclusion, I liked this product-enough to buy a second box. I got a quad Blackhawks jersey card, an in-person autograph and a 1/1 jersey card. Not to mention that the box had a cool retro-themed card AND three autographs. Even the jersey cards weren't too bad, either.

My second box break of Decades 1980s can be seen here.

1963-64 Parkhurst #58 - Vic Stasuik

2011-08-19T00:16:00.000-05:00

As you have probably guessed by now, I made a lot of headway towards completing my 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set. Get ready to see lots of Red Wings in my next few Parkie posts, as I met a dealer at The National from Michigan who happened to have a bunch of 'Wings cards from this set--all in surprisingly great shape.

Other than the stain on the back, which actually looks worse in the scan than in real life, this card of Vic Stasuik is in great shape. Four sharp corners, good gloss on the front and no creases.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 39% Complete

1963-64 Parkhurst #32 - Terry Harper

2011-08-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

This Terry Harper rookie card brings me another step closer to completing my 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey set. I now have 37 out of 99 cards.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 38% Complete

Set Review: 1972-73 Atlanta Flames Postcards

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

Team postcard sets seemed to be all the rage in the 1970s and 1980s. Many NHL and WHA teams gave out postcards picturing the players - either in response to an autograph request or as a giveaway at a game. In their inaugural season, the Atlanta Flames issued a simple, yet fantastic, set of postcards that featured practically everyone on their team.(Full Story)

Card of the Week: These Angels Don't Fly

2011-08-16T00:12:00.000-05:00

The name "Blue Angels" conjures up images of the U.S. Navy's aerial acrobatics team, flying their jet fighter planes at breakneck speed through the sky at your local air and water show. But in the 1970s, the St. Louis Blues had a cheerleading squad by the same name. (Full Story)

I'd Buy THAT for a Dollar

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

I sifted through several dollar boxes when I went to The National.

Usually, I avoid these "haystacks," as I call them, because going through them is time-consuming and you can easily burn through several hours if you stop every time you see a dime, quarter or dollar box.

But since I went all 5 days to The National, I had time on my side. I could spend an hour or two each day looking through such rummage boxes and still have plenty of time to do everything else (get autographs, wrapper redemption programs, etc.).

However, I make 3 rules when buying dollar cards:

I do not even bother to look if the cards are not sorted by sport. If the dealer won't make the effort to sort the cards by sport, I won't reward him with my hard-earned dollars.
I only buy the card if it is from a set I am building, a player that I collect, or a team I collect.
Or the cards has to be something intriguing, or something that I haven't seen before.

All right, enough preaching! Onto my awesome one-dollar finds!

9 Random Rookie Cards

2003-04 Topps Pristine Eric Staal RC (215 / 699),
2008-09 Artifacts Jordan Hendry RC (72 / 100),
2006-07 Fleer Ultra Shea Weber Gold RC,
2009-10 Fleer Ultra Chris Durno RC,
2009-10 Fleer Ultra John Scott Gold RC,
2003-04 Pacific Invincible Joffrey Lupul RC,
2009-10 Black Diamond Matt Hendricks and T.J. Galiardi Triple Diamond Rookie Gems,
2008-09 Black Diamond Alex Goligoski Triple Diamond Rookie Gems.

2 1992-93 Bowman Foil Short Prints

Brett Hull and Phil Housley. One day, I will have all the short-print foil cards for this set.

2 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee

Tom Webster and Bobby Hull All-Star. I am slowly building this set. The Hull has a few moderate creases, but I really can't complain since I paid a dollar for it.

5 2010-11 Artifacts Short Prints

Rule the school! I found five short-prints from the 2010-11 Artifacts set for a buck apiece: Mike Richards (504 / 999) and Steven Stamkos (834 / 999) Star cards; Jean Beliveau (896 / 999) Legends card; Brandon Yip (806 / 999) Artifacts Rookie; and Phillip Larsen (393 / 699) Redemption Rookie.

3 2006-07 Parkhurst Short Prints

Phil Esposito (3387 / 3999), Pierre Pilote (1708 / 3999) and Bill Gadsby (1887 / 3999).

4 1997-98 Upper Deck 3 Star Selects Inserts

Bryan Berard, Niklas Sundstrom, Steve Yzerman and Patrick Roy. I don't even remember when I started collecting this insert set, but I still have a long way to go.

2002-03 Upper Deck Memorable Seasons SPs

Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux. I've been picking up the 2002-03 Upper Deck set a card here and a card there over the past couple of years.

1 Chris Chelios Card

1997-98 Pacific Gold Crown Die-Cuts Chris Chelios. Another card for my "Chris Chelios Collection."

2 2009-10 Black Diamond Quadruple Diamonds

Shiny cards of Joe Sakic and Bobby Hull (as a Whaler!)

1997-98 Donruss Studio Press Proofs

Sergei Berezin and Dino Ciccarelli. I love the Donruss Studio set, and figured that it was time that I track down all the inserts and parallels for it.

4 Topps Reprint Cards

Topps Chrome reprint of 1988-89 Patrick Roy, Topps Chrome reprint of 1973-74 Billy Smith RC, Topps Heritage reprint of 1957-58 Johnny Bucyk RC and Topps reprint of Brett Hull RC.

And finally...

5 Random Cards

A Russian-made Sergei Fedorov card, some weird Donruss stamp card of Pavel Bure, a nice illustrated Upper Deck card of Mario Lemieux and Heroes and Prospects cards of Sidney Crosby and Guy Lafleur from their QMJHL days.

Going through dollar boxes can be a reward unto itself. You hope to find something great, or something that you need, and then experience a thrill when you find a card ou are looking for. Getting it for cheap is just icing on the cake.

1963-64 Parkhurst #26 - Gordon (Red) Berenson

2011-08-14T00:34:00.002-05:00

Hope y'all aren't getting tired of looking at 1963-64 Parkies, because I picked up quite a few of them at The National last weekend. Here's the other rookie card of Gordon "Red" Berenson--there is also a card of him skating, which I posted last week. Montreal and Toronto players each got two cards in this set, while Detroit players only got a card each.

And that's another card that brings me a step closer to completing the set of my dreams.

Tomorrow, I will post some newer cards for those of you who be hatin' on the vintage :)

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 37% Complete

1963-64 Parkhurst #94 - Robert Rosseau

2011-08-13T14:04:00.003-05:00

Lazy Saturday! The rain outside has unmotivated me from going to my boxing class or running any errands. So I will stay inside and work on more content for this blog. In the meantime, enjoy this 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card of Robert "Bobby" Rosseau.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 36% Complete

Pierre Pilote & Bill Gadsby Autographs

2011-08-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

At last week's National Sports Collectors' Convention, I got numerous autographs from Hockey Hall of Fame members Pierre Pilote and Bill Gadsby. Go check it out over at my autograph blog, Sal's Hockey Autographs.

1963-64 Parkhurst #54 - Ron Ingram

2011-08-12T00:11:00.001-05:00

Here's another 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card that I purchased at The National. Ron Ingram played 114 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. He later went on to be the head coach of the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 35% Complete

Wrapper Redemption Review

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Most of the card companies were doing wrapper redemption programs at The National.

I participated in the programs held by Panini, In The Game and Upper Deck. Here is a rundown of my experiences with the 3 programs I tried.

Please note that this review is hockey-specific. I only bought packs of hockey cards, and only participated in redemption programs where it was possible to get hockey cards.

Panini Redemption Program

What you could get
A silver foil redemption pack with 2 cards. Some packs had jersey and/or autographed cards.

What you had to buy / Approximate Cost / Exchange Rate
5 packs of Donruss@ around $10 = 1 redemption pack
5 packs of Pinnacle @ around $10 = 1 redemption pack
5 packs of Zenith @ around $40 = 1 redemption pack
1 pack of Luxury Suite @ around $30 = 2 redemption packs

My Thoughts
First, I was a bit unhappy about the selection of eligible hockey cards whose wrappers could be redeemed. I had plenty of Donruss and Pinnacle--those came out MONTHS ago, so the die-hard hockey fans already had those sets. So I bought a box of Luxury Suite (break here) since that would only cost $40 more than a box of Zenith and would get me 8 redemption packs.

Next, I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that each pack contained only 2 cards. So each "National-only" card cost me $7.50.

Third, I was disappointed at how many doubles I got in my eight packs. I'd open one pack, then another that would have the exact same two cards. I think I got 4 or 5 doubles out of the 16 cards.

The Hits
Out of 16 cards, the only special ones I got was this red foil parallel of Martin Brodeur, limited to 25 copies.

I also got some autographed card of an NBA player named Hasheem Thabeet. I do not watch basketball, and have no idea who Hasheem Thabeet is. Making things harder was that the Thabeet card featured the logo of his college team, and not his NBA team. Forutnately, I was able to trade the Thabeet autograph to someone for this Jacob Markstrom autographed card.

Overall Impression
Panini had a lot of variety--perhaps too much. Two cards per pack was chintzy, the collation was crummy and the quality of "hits" questionable. Hasheem Thabeet? Jacob Markstrom?

Needless to say, I did not buy any more Panini packs at The National.

In The Game Redemption Program

What you could get
A 1/1, National-exclusive jersey card and an autograph of 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey player Mark Wells.

What you had to buy / Approximate Cost / Exchange Rate
1 box of Decades: 1980s "National Edition" @ around $95 = one 1/1 show-only card and a Wells' autograph

My Thoughts
The so-called "National Edition" of Decades: 1980 swapped out one of the jersey hits with a quad jersey card of four Chicago Blackhawks players. The National Editon only cost $10 more than a normal box of Decades: 1980, so it was totally worth it for me to be guaranteed a 'Hawks jersey card AND a Wells autograph AND a 1/1 show-only jersey card.

The Hits
I bought two boxes of Decades: 1980s, so I got two 1/1 cards...

Bernie Federko Game Used number card 1/1

Joe Nieuwendyk Game Used number card 1/1

...and two Mark Wells autographs.

In The Game provided this nice 5"x7" card for Mr. Wells to autograph.

I also got this Signature Rookies card of Wells signed.

Overall Impression
This program was great for jersey card collectors, which I am not. But I am an autograph collector, and Mark Wells was a nice draw. I liked the concept of the Decades: 1980 set, so I didn't mind buying two boxes of it. (Breaks coming soon).

Upper Deck Redemption Program

What you get
A cello pack containing 5 cards. Every pack had the same 5 cards, and each day the cards were different so one could easily get a set of all 20. Some packs contained a 6th card that was autographed.

What you had to buy / Approximate Cost / Exchange Rate
5 packs of SP Authentic @ around $20 = 1 redemption pack
5 packs of SPX @ around $40 = 1 redemption pack

My Thoughts
First, I was really annoyed that the only two sets of Upper Deck hockey that were eliglible were two sets I don't collect. What about Upper Deck Series 2, or Upper Deck Artifacts? If those wrappers were eligible, I would have had a field day with this redemption. Instead, like the Panini redemption, I was forced to buy cards that I didn't want.

Even worse, you could only purchase eligible packs from one of Upper Deck's "Diamond Dealers," who in turn would give you a coupon you'd redeem for the redemption pack. I thought this was particularly crummy of Upper Deck to do, as it shut out 95% of the dealers at the show. Only 5 or so dealers were eligible.

The Hits
A lot of people were pulling autographs. I was extremely lucky. Out of 10 redemption packs--2 on Thursday, 3 on Friday, 3 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday--I ended up getting an autographed card each day.

On Thursday, I pulled a signed card of Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg, which I traded to another collector for this Jeff Skinner autograph!

On Friday, I hit the jackpot and pulled a Sidney Crosby autograph!

In the 3 packs I opened on Saturday, I got this card of Mike Singletary. He was a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl team, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But I'd rather have a hockey autograph. This Singletary autographed card IS for trade.

Finally, on Sunday I pulled a card of ~~Boston Bruins~~ Chicago Blackhawks legend Bobby Orr.

Overall Impression
I did not like the fact that Upper Deck severely limited what dealers could sell you packs for their wrapper redemption program. But I like the fact that one could get the whole 20-card set of redemption cards relatively easily. And there were a lot of people pulling autographs.

The Verdict
3rd Place - Panini - I'm not sure what bothered me more: only 2 cards per redemption pack, or the substandard autograph cards. Sure, there were some good autos too, but it seemed way easier to pick a mediocre one.

2nd Place - In The Game - As I said, I'm not a fan of jersey cards, but the thought of getting a few 1/1 cards was alluring. I also enjoyed getting Mark Wells' autograph.

1st Place - Upper Deck - I saw a lot of people pull autographs, including guys like Michael Jordan, Tony Esposito, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods. It was easy to get a set, and the likelihood of an autograph was good.

Video: Autograph Pull & Autograph Trade

2011-08-10T15:45:00.002-05:00

I participated quite a bit in Upper Deck's wrapper redemption program at The National.

In my very first redemption pack, I pulled an autograph. Upper Deck had a camera going and recorded my lucky pull:

Fortunately, I was able to trade the Sandberg autograph for an autograph of a promising young hockey player:

Who says people don't trade trading cards anymore? I made several successful card trades at The National. Still, trading is the exception and not the rule.

Videos courtesy of Upper Deck.

1963-64 Parkhurst #36 - Claude Provost

2011-08-10T00:16:00.001-05:00

One great thing about going to The National for all 5 days is that I was able to "punch out" of life for 5 days. No work. No familial responsibilities.Even put off meeting with a friend from out of town for a day (sorry, Phil).

But the downside to all that is that life is back in full swing. I have stacks of old cards to put away, packs of new cards to open and tons of awesome cards to blog about--but no free time to enjoy them.

So right now, here is a 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card of Claude Provost.

Enjoy the card. I hope to have some video up later today.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 34% Complete

Card of the Week: Election Day Champs?

2011-08-09T00:15:00.000-05:00

At the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention, I found cards that I've never seen before, including this. Issued by Quaker Oats in 1954, the Sports Oddities set features illustrations on the front and an unusual sports story on the back, allegedly written by some bloke named Jimmy Evans.

The left half of the card front is a cool action painting of a Chicago Blackhawks player...(Full Story)

2010-11 Luxury Suite Box Break

2011-08-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

I had no intentions of buying Panini's Luxury Suite hockey cards.

That is, until I went to The National.

In order to get the special, show-only redemption packs from Panini, you had to buy certain cards. I had two options:

Buy packs of stuff I already had (Donruss or Pinnacle).
Buy packs of higher-end stuff (Zenith or Luxury Suite).

I opted for the latter.In a way, this forced me to try a product that I normally would not have. But I just don't need any more Donruss doubles, you know?

A box of 2010-11 Luxury Suite hockey has four packs. Each pack has 3 cards. Here's what I got:

1 Autograph

The box front boasts "Eight autographs or memorabilia cards per box!" I got the bad end of the spectrum, pulling 6 jersey cards, 1 autograph and 1 RC redemption (jersey? auto? we'll find out). The lone autographed card I got was of Predators goalie Anders Linback. Well, at least he's a goalie.

6 Memorabilia Cards

Ryan Miller jersey swatch 118 / 599 - A game-used card of an established superstar. Diggity! By the way, all the base (non-rookie) cards have a jersey swatch on them. Some of the RCs do too, I think.

Kyle Okposo jersey swatch 342 / 599 - I'm not an Isles fan, so I'm not really sure of Okposo is a good player. He does have the "A" on his sweater, though.

Scott Hartnell / Villie Leino jersey swatches 221 / 599 - The black and orange swatches look great together.

Bryan Little / Niclas Bergfors jersey swatches 198 / 599 - Also a nice card.

Jason Spezza "Prime" jersey swatch 121 / 150 - The "Prime" versions are limited to 150 copies, and have a piece of a number or patch on them.

Jeff Carter jersey swatch / stick piece combo 097 / 100 - Some cards have both a piece of a game-used jersey AND a piece of a game-used stick.

1 RC Redemption

When redeemed, this will get me a Brandon Yip rookie card. According to the enclosed checklist, Yip falls under "Rookies Group 3." So does the Lindback RC seen above, so maybe the Yip card will have his autograph on it.

5 Rookie Cards
I got 5 regular, non-signature, non memorabilia rookie cards:

Rhett Rakhshani 50 / 899 - Who?

Patrice Cormier 337 / 899 - At least I've heard of this one.

Cedrick Desjardins 72 / 899 - This guy played in 2 games for the Lightning in 2010-11, earning 2 wins.

Mark Olver 662 / 899 - Today's prospect, tomorrow's dollar bin card.

Joe Callahan 618 / 899 - This guy was drafted by--but never played for--the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002. He then had stints with the New York Islanders (18 games) and San Jose Sharks (1 game). Finally, in 2010-11, Joe Callahan gets a rookie card during his stint with the ~~Kane County Cougars~~ Florida Panthers.

Jeez...Panini was really scraping the bottom of the rookie barrel, weren't they?

Overall, I wasn't too thrilled with this product. As you are all aware by now, I'm a fan of autographed cards but not really jersey cards. So I was mildly disappointed. Four autographs and four jerseys would hvae been more appropriate, considering the price. Still, it was fun to try for a big hit, and this box earned me 8 redemption packs from Panini.

By the way, all the jersey cards are for trade.

I'll post about the different redemption programs at The National within the next day or so.

1963-64 Parkhurst #51 - Hank Ciesla

2011-08-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

OK, so I'm a little behind posting about The National--and all the cool stuff I got there. Free time after the show each night was spent revising want lists and pulling cards for the other bloggers (and blog readers) that I met up with over the weekend.

Right now, I'm working on one of the several box breaks I did, but in the meantime here is a 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey card of Hank Ciesla.

Like the other two Parkies I bought, this one is in pretty good shape.Just a light crease on the back (between the 51 and the Parkhurst logo). I made a lot of steps towards completing this set, which you will see over the next week or so.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 33% Complete

1963-64 Parkhurst #85 - Gordon (Red) Berenson

2011-08-05T07:23:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! Before I leave for Day 3 of The National, I thought I'd post another one of the sweet 1963-64 Parkhurst cards I got yesterday. This card of Gordon "Red" Berenson brings me one step closer to completing the 99-card set.

For those of you who hate vintage hockey cards, don't worry--I'll post some newer cards ~~tomorrow~~ soon.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 32% Complete

1963-64 Parkhurst #13 - George Armstrong

2011-08-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, I attended the 32nd National Sports Collectors Convention, a.k.a. "The National." I am having a blast--and I still have three more days to go!

I'll probably be blogging about all the cool stuff I got for the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here is one of my purchases from Thursday: a 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card of George Armstrong. He spent all 20 years of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Here is a scan of the back. As you can see, this card is very clean. No stains or creases, just a top right corner that's a bit dinged.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 31% Complete

Card of the Week: Modern Art Masterpiece

2011-07-29T01:04:00.000-05:00

At 6-foot-3, former NHL goalie Cesare Maniago stood out among his peers. He played in the 1960s and 1970s, during an era where most goalies were of average height. Maniago's tall frame - mixed with an unfortunate background and a hasty "jersey re-coloring" led to one strange-looking hockey card. (Full Story)

Set Review: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey

2011-07-28T01:13:00.000-05:00

Perfection. There is no other word to better describe the 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set. Hands down, it is the best hockey card set from the 1980s. It might even be the best hockey set made during the "O-Pee-Chee Era" (1968-1993). The '84-85 O-Pee-Chee set achieves perfection because of its fantastic design, excellent photography and comprehensive player selection - not to mention that it includes the rookie cards of five future Hall of Fame players.(Full Story)

Who's Going to The National this year?

2011-07-25T09:53:00.001-05:00

If you haven't heard by now, the National Sports Collectors' Convention (a.k.a. "The National) will be held near Chicago from August 3 to 7. (link)

Not only is The National billed as the largest sports convention, but most of the card companies have special convention-only cards that you can get via wrapper redemption programs (like the Jonathan Toews you see above). For those two reasons, and because it is close to home, I will be going to the show all 5 days.

Now I ask you, fellow bloggers and blog readers - are you going to The National? I've posted a poll (top, right), so please take a moment to vote in it.

More importantly, if you are going to the National, and would like to meet up for a bit, drop me a line at sjb44 AT hotmail DOT com.

I enjoy meeting other bloggers at card shows. Previously, I've met up with Tim (The Real DFG) and Justin G. (The Hopeful Chase), and those were some of the most fun shows I've been to. It was cool to meet people that I knew from the blogosphere, hang out for a bit and ~~get rid of cards I don't need~~ TRADE cards with them.

So, if you're going to The National, would like to meet up and maybe trade some cards, let me know.

Additional links of interest:

Sometimes I buy baseball cards

2011-07-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

Although I consider myself strictly a hockey card collector, every now and then I stray a bit and buy baseball cards--but only if they are from my childhood.

As a kid in the mid-to-late 1980s, I watched quite a bit of baseball--sometimes because the Cubs games pre-empted The Transformers or G.I. Joe cartoons that I watched so religiously, and other times out of actual interest.

I bought my first pack of baseball cards in 1985, and continued buying them until 1990. But by then, hockey had taken over as my sport of choice to collect, and I sold off all my baseball cards.

Then a few years ago, I picked up complete 1985 and 1989 Topps Baseball and Traded sets.

Last week I picked up 4 more years from the "junk wax" era:

1986 Topps Baseball Set with Traded Set
1987 Topps Baseball Set
1988 Topps Baseball Set with Traded Set
1990 Topps Baseball Set with Traded Set

When I go to the National next month, I will try to find a 1987 Topps Traded set. It shouldn't be hard, but the trick is to get one for cheap. Then I will have every Topps baseball card set from 1985 to 1990. Worthless cards to die-hard baseball card aficionados, but timeless for this hockey fan.

Poll Results: Winnipeg Jets

2011-07-16T18:41:00.001-05:00

A few weeks back, I discussed the seemingly unlimited amount of hockey fans who are rejoicing in Winnipeg's re-entry into the NHL.

I also posted a poll, asking "Are you excited about the Winnipeg Jets return to the NHL?" Here are the answers (as illustrated above):

76% -Yes
9% - No
15% - I could care less

So it seems that 3 out of 4 respondents were excited about the Jets making a comeback. The other two groups - who are not excited or could care less - account for 24% total. These numbers are based on 46 poll responses. I did not vote in this poll.

Why I'm not going to Hawks Con this year

2011-07-15T01:18:00.001-05:00

The fourth annual Chicago Blackhawks Convention takes place this weekend. And for the first time, I am not going.

Sure, I like the Blackhawks, getting autographs and buying hockey cards. Those are three really good reasons to go.

Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros.

Here are the reasons why I'm sitting out this year's Chicago Blackhawks Convention:

1. The price is out of hand
Since 2008, the ticket price went up from $50 to $55 to $60 to $65. I don't think actual hockey tickets have gone up 30% in 3 years. The price goes up, but it is more or less the same thing every year. $65 might seem like a bargain for a fun weekend, until you consider the next few reasons.

2. More tickets sold every year
Not only are the tickets more expensive, but each year the Blackhawks organization sells more or them. 5,000 fans attended the first Hawks Con. In 2009, it was 7,500 attendees, and last year 10,000. So now, there are twice as many people to compete with for autographs or a seat at a panel discussion.

3. It's in a basement
The Hilton hotel in downtown Chicago is nice; unfortunately, the Hawks Con is in its basement, or concourse level or whatever they call it. The show feels less like being at a convention and more like being in a warehouse. At least the Hilton finally put down carpeting in their basement--waiting in an autograph line on a concrete floor in a basement for 2 hours is kind of a sad experience.

4. Too much time with nothing to do
Points #2 and #3 cause point #4. Because autograph lines are capped at 225 or 250 people, fans end up flooding panel discussions. But what about when those fill? Sure, there's a dealer room, but it sucks (see next point). And there's some room with "interactive" games like a slap shot speed timer or shooting pucks past a mannequin goalie. Not something you can kill an hour or two with. I was surprised at how many people were out in the lobby last year, waiting to get in line for the next panel or autograph guest. Waiting...to wait.

5. The dealer room sucks
You would THINK that the dealer room at the Chicago Blackhawks convention would have the greatest selection of hockey memorabilia EVER. Or at least a decent selection. Instead, the room has a handful of dealers, along with a bunch of vendors I have no interest in: the Marine Corps. recruitment, some local construction company, Verizon Wireless, a local lacrosse (yes, lacrosse) team. It feels more like a trade show than a dealer room. Last year, I couldn't find a Jake Dowell card, but I could have bought new windows, got on a new cell phone plan and enlisted in the armed forces . Go figure.

My final reason for not going has nothing to do with the Blackhawks Convention iteslf:

6. The National Sports Collectors' Convention is coming to Chicago this year
Yes, "The National" will be in my home town. I decided that instead of spending $130 for two passes (one for me, one for the girlfriend who really doesn't want to go anyway) to the Hawks Con, I would spend that very same amount on purchasing one 5-day pass for The National. I honestly think I'll have more fun at a 5-day card show than the 3-day Blackhawks Convention.

Of course, part of me still yearns to go to Hawks Con. I looked at the website, and see several players that I want to get autographs from. But all the autograph-seeking I did last year made the convention less of a joy and more of a chore. Wait in this line, wait in that line...try to squeeze in at a panel discussion.

So this year, I need a break...or more accurately, a breakup.

It's not me, Blackhawks Convention, it's you. Change your ways. If you increase the ticket price, decrease the amount of tickets sold so it isn't so crowded. Move to a venue that is above ground. And lower your exhibitor prices so we get some more dealers selling hockey memorabilia, and not just a few selling the same old stuff. Do all that and maybe--MAYBE--I'll come back next year, blue Sharpie in one hand and binder of cards-to-get-signed in the other. But until then, we need time away from each other. It is for the best.

1987-88 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Pack Rip #4

2011-07-14T01:27:00.000-05:00

My fourth pack rip of 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards. Do I finally get a decent card? Inquiring minds want to know!

Card of the Week: Creepy Conductor

2011-07-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

Team mascot cards are an unfortunate side-effect of minor league and junior league hockey sets. It is safe to say that the majority of us would rather get a card of a hockey player instead of some googley-eyed monstrosity. (Full Story)

Video: 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Pack Rip #3

2011-07-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

My third pack rip of 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards. This one involves a major kitchen appliance. And what to do with that gum?

Some 1961-62 Topps Hockey Cards

2011-07-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

I recently purchased 7 cards from the 1961-62 Topps Hockey set. They either have creases, rough edges or minor staining on the back. But for $3 each, I can't complain. These cards are 50 years old, after all.

Click on any of the images to see larger

#21 - Action Near the Cage - Vintage Bruins-Blackhawks action from the '60-61 season.

#49 - Earl Ingarfield - Played in the NHL from 1959 to 1971.

#63 - New York Rangers Team Photo - I love these old team photos.

#8 - John Bucyk - The Chief! Bucyk played 21 seasons with the Boston Bruins.

#64 - Going, Going, Goal! - Rangers' goalie Gump Worsley gest beat by Bruins forward Dick Meissner, who pokes in the puck at the goal line.

#20 - Boston Bruins Team Photo - Another great team shot. Team photos should be included in newer card sets, don'tcha think?

#23 - Rudy Pilous (coach) - Am I the only one who likes cards of coaches? From the back of this card...

Rudy, never a big league player himself, drove Black Hawks to Stanley Cup last season...Rudy's a big, amiable guy with real gift for handling men.

See? Hard-hitting information you can't find anywhere else but on the back of a vintage card.

Video: 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Pack Rip #2

2011-07-10T00:16:00.000-05:00

My second pack rip of 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards. Learning my lesson from the previous pack rip, I did not eat the gum this time.

Video: 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Pack Rip #1

2011-07-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I opened a pack of 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards, and then I did something very stupid. Enjoy!

Mario Madness!

2011-06-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

What's better than a Mario Lemieux rookie card?

TWO Mario Lemieux rookie cards.

Bought these two 1985-86 Mario Lemieux RCs at my local card shop last week.

Now, you're probably thinking, Sal, does anyone really need two Mario Lemieux Rookie cards?

Well, no...I guess not.

So, If anyone would like to work out a trade for one, drop me a line.

The Jet Effect

2011-06-27T00:07:00.001-05:00

Click to view larger

Seriously, what's with all the Jets fans? Where were all you people 15 years ago, when the team couldn't sell out its home games? Back then, the Jets couldn't fill a 16,000-seat stadium. Now they have 3 million fans (give or take).

I call this phenomenon The Jet Effect. A mixture of nostalgia, along with fan-wagoning has led to legions of fans to celebrate that Winnipeg is getting an NHL team again. No one likes to share in the pain, but boy they do come out for the party.

I am happy for the city of Winnipeg.

But calling the new team the Jets is a bad idea. That's like naming your new puppy after your old dog that passed away. It seems like a good idea, but in the end it leaves you sad and bitter.

Anyway, the surplus 2,500,000 Jets fans will fade away once they realize that their team is just the Atlanta Thrashers in different uniforms.

As for the remaining 500,000 Jets fans--enjoy your new team.

By the way, I've added a new poll--in the upper-right corner of this blog--about the Jets. Please take a moment to vote.

Some CC for the PC

2011-06-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

I know it's been FOREVER since I've last posted--actually 8 days, but I've been so busy that it's felt like an eternity. I've picked up a lot of neat stuff over the past month, but just haven't had the time to blog about it until now.

Anyway, I normally hate on the jersey cards--but not when they are of my favorite player, Chris Chelios. And one of them is actually a game-used stick card. That's not as bad, right?

The card you see above is from the 2001-02 Pacific Titanium set, has a piece of a SHER-WOOD stick and is numbered 144 / 252.

And this card is from the same set, has a piece of a patch and is numbered 007 / 112.

I have several hundred Chris Chelios cards, but surprisingly very few are jersey and memorabilia cards.

Anyway, this week I should have a bit more free time to show off some of the cool stuff I got recently.

2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Champions Set

2011-06-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Upper Deck is releasing a boxed set commemorating the Boston Bruins victory in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It is available for order now, but will not ship for a few weeks. Priced at $19.99 (plus shipping), the set will consist of 31 cards. The breakdown is as follows:

25 cards featuring the best Bruins during the season
5 "Season Highlight" cards
1 card of the Bruins celebrating their win after Game 7

Twenty bucks seems kind of steep for only 30 cards. Then again, I love this idea. When the Blackhawks won the Cup last year, I hoped that a set like this would be released commemorating their championship. Back in the day, Pro Set used to put out Super Bowl commemorative sets that featured every player on both teams in the big game; I always wanted a hockey card maker to do the same for the teams in the Cup Finals.

You can buy the set--and find out more about it--here at the Upper Deck store.

I plan on purchasing this set. Is anyone else thinking about buying it?

2000-01 Upper Deck Vintage promo card

2011-06-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

I love promo cards like this. Not only does it feature a different photograph of Leafs' goalie Curtis Joseph, but much of the information on the back is different - some even incorrect.
(Full story)

Timmy!

2011-06-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Go ahead, say it...you know you want to.

Congratulations to "TIMMY" Thomas on winning Game 7, winning the Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP...and for never giving up during the 10 years it took him to make it to the NHL.

Retro Article - I Pray for Ray

2011-06-13T00:01:00.003-05:00

Ten years ago, I was finishing my undergraduate degree in multimedia at Columbia College. I was the Webmaster of the school paper, and wrote several hockey articles, ranging from columns and interviews to coverage of the Turner Cup playoffs.

You may recall that the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals were between the New Jersey Devils and the Colorado Avalanche. And just about everyone wanted Ray Bourque--who was with the Avs at the time-- to finally win the Cup.

So for my last article, I wanted to write about Bourque. Pulling an all-nighter--I had other work to do too--I didn't start writing this until 2 A.M. the day it was due. Somewhere between caffeine withdrawal and sleep depravation, I went off the deep end and prayed to the Hockey Gods.

I Pray for Ray (PDF - 239 KB)