Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
In The Cards is a short, hockey card-related article that I write for The Hockey News each issue. Starting this month, THN will publish In The Cards on their Post-to-Post blog as well as in the pages of their magazine.
You can read my latest In The Cards article, which is about a nice deal that Topps offered hockey fans way back in 1975, here.
Several different companies have leased the Parkhurst name over the past 20-plus years, starting with Pro Set way back in 1991, as an effort to sell a brand of hockey cards with some nostalgia attached to it. The 2005-06 Parkhurst Hockey set was produced by Upper Deck, coming out just as the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals were underway. This late-season set was a great “jumping on” point for collectors who had fallen off the hockey card-collecting wagon, but wished to return and try to get some rookie cards from the 2005-06 “double rookie class” — without spending over $100 on a box of cards. This relatively low-price, late season release was met with mixed feelings from collectors. Continue reading “Review: 2005-06 Parkhurst Hockey”
For 25 years, I was positive that Bob Murray’s cards from 1980-81 and 1981-82 used the same photo. I was almost right. Continue reading “Deja Vu Tuesday: Bob Murray”
My girlfriend has been watching Shark Week on The Discovery Channel pretty much nonstop the past week. That, of course, gets me thinking about the San Jose Sharks, and what a cool logo they have.Then I started thinking about some of the other teams that use a shark as their logo. Here’s a look at five of the coolest logos inspired by everyone’s favorite underwater predator. Continue reading “Hockey logos inspired by Shark Week!”
1980-81 Topps Don Murdoch
Don Murdoch’s late season trade from the Rangers to the Oilers resulted in his last hockey card looking awfully…awful. Apparently, Topps didn’t bother finding a photo of him with the Oilers. He did play 10 games for Edmonton at the end of the 1979-80 season, so a picture with his new team might have existed then.
No matter. Topps did what they always would do, and painted the photo. Out with the Rangers jersey, in with the Oilers jersey. Since they could do anything they wanted, you would think that Topps would have at least bothered to use the right logo. Continue reading “Card of the Week: Oil Painting”
You would think that it would be impossible for me — a die hard hockey card collector — to hate a set of hockey cards. But there is one set that still makes me mad every time I think about it: the 1980-81 Topps Hockey set.
Topps used a stupid gimmick on their hockey cards that year. Player names were obscured by a black “scratch-off” puck that you had to remove with a coin in order to identify the player. This is even touted on the card wrappers. Continue reading “Review: 1980-81 Topps Hockey”