Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Last week, the Chicago Blackhawks signed free agent winger Fernando Pisani to a 1-year deal.TSN reported this signing on August 18, and pretty much every article has pointed back to TSN’s report–even NHL.com, who you think would really be in the know on these things. The Blackhawks have yet to mention Pisani anywhere on their website. It’s almost been a week, and yet nothing concrete. Continue reading “‘Hawks sign ulcerative colitis spokesman to 1-year deal”
Put on my blue suede shoes,
And I boarded a plane…
OK, in reality a few friends and I rented an SUV and drove to Memphis, Tennessee earlier this month. And for the record, I don’t own any blue suede shoes.
So, you’re probably wondering if I saw any historical Civil War sites, or went to Graceland.
Nope. My friends are more into eating barbecue and drinking beer than going to historical places. And Graceland was crowded because it was Elivs’ “death week,” so we avoided going there.
But I did convince the guys to stop at a card shop near Memphis. The shop didn’t have much hockey, but I found a few odds n’ ends that I wanted for my collection.
1994 Classic Pro Prospects Manon Rheaume Autograph – I love the old Classic sets, and Rheaume was a trailblazer who made history. Cost: $10 (though the dealer pointed out that it had a Beckett Value of $80…guess he had this card since ’94 and was sick of looking at it.)
1994 Signature Rookies Wendell Young Autograph – Wendell Young is shown in a non-licensed NHL set–notice that the Lightning logo has been airbrushed off. Back in the day, Young played for my 2nd favorite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and later played 7 seasons for the minor league Chicago Wolves. I once had the opportunity to have dinner with Mr. Young; it was almost surreal to “talk hockey” with a pro hockey player. Cost of this card: $2
2000-01 Be A Player Josef Marha Autograph – After playing 3 seasons on a crummy Chicago Blackhawks team, Marha has played the last 9 years in Switzerland. Not really high on my priority list, but it is an autograph of a Blackhawks player. Cost: $2.
1998-99 Be A Player Manny Malhotra Autograph – Manny! It’s Manny! This guy did awesome last season. I was actually hoping that he’d sign with the Blackhawks, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, this Mannygraph cost me $3.
1998-99 Be A Player Grant Fuhr Autograph – How could I pass up an autograph of this Hall of Fame goaltender? It was only $7. I think the dealer made a mistake when he looked up this card on the Beckett Online Price Guide, because other than the Rheume card the guy wasn’t really cutting me any real breaks. He was quoting Beckett like it was The Bible. Then again, I was in Tennessee…
2005-06 In the Game Heroes and Prospects John Tavares – Chronologically, this was Tavares’ first hockey card. One day, I hope to have this entire set. Cost: $10.
Jeremy Roenick / Keith Tkachuk Dual Jersey Card – Yes, a jersey card. I usually hate on these things, but this one was particularly nice. Roenick is probably my 2nd favorite player of all-time after Chris Chelios, and I’ve liked Keith Tkachuk ever since he played for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. At $14, this was the most expensive card I purchased there.
1997-98 Leaf International Complete Set – At this point, the card dealer’s internet stopped working, so he couldn’t look up any more Beckett prices. He sold this to me for $12. Not sure what this set is “worth,” but a complete set for twelve bucks is a complete set for twelve bucks.And it’s soooooo shiny.
There were a few other cards I would have liked to have purchased, but I wasn’t really “feeling it” at this card shop. The dealer was cordial, but seemed inconvenienced by my presence–especially since he had to look up EVERY SINGLE CARD that I was interested in.
The dealer also wasn’t willing to negotiate on any of his prices. Specifically, I wanted to purchase 2 other cards at $38, but he wanted $45 for the pair. Granted, I was asking him to knock off $7, but then I would have spent an even $100, instead of $62. It seemed like a fair request but the guy wouldn’t budge.
So I decided to spend the other $38 on beer and barbecue.
“Art imitates life,” or so the saying goes. Sometimes, cards imitate life too. Such is the case with this card of former NHL player Pat Elynuik. On his 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club trading card, Elynuik poses with a bunch of Topps, Bowman and O-Pee-Chee cards from the previous year.
It is a worthless hockey card that shows a bunch of equally worthless hockey cards. Continue reading “Card Imitates Life”
I have been a bit slow on getting this post together. About 2 months back, I picked up a monster lot of vintage hockey rookie cards. And I mean MONSTER. Most of these players were “names,” and quite a few of them are now in the Hall of Fame.
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rene Robert (RC) -Robert, along with Rick Martin and Gilbert Perreault, played on Buffalo’s famed “French Connection” line.
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jerry Korab (RC) -“King Kong” Korab played 14 seasons in the NHL, with Chicago, Buffalo and Los Angeles.
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee GuyCharron (RC) -Charron would eventually go on to captain the Atlanta Flames.
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Dave Hudson (RC) – Never again will card companies superimpose players over a bright pink background, but I can dream. By the way, I’m slowly building a ’72-73 OPC set. Only 300 cards (or so) to go…
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Lanny McDonald (RC) – Now we’re talking! Lanny before the mustache. He is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Scotty Bowman (RC) -A Hall of Fame coach, general manager and executive. The greatest mind in hockey.. Unfortunately, this Scotty Bowman card has a few creases and rough corners.
1974-75 Topps Denis Potvin (RC) – A third HOFer in this lot. Potvin played 15 seasons with the New York Islanders.
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Larry Pleau (RC) – Pleau played for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.
1978-79 Topps Doug Wilson (RC) -Wilson played 16 seasons in the NHL, won the Norris Trophy in 1982, was the first-ever team captain of the San Jose Sharks, played in 8 All-Star Games, was a 1st Team All-Star once and a 2nd Team All-Star Twice. And he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I think he was blacklisted by the NHL owners because Wilson was heavily involved in the Players’ Association
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee Brian Sutter (RC) -The most successful of the six Sutter Brothers who played in the NHL.
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Michel Goulet (RC) -Another Hall of Fame player, Goulet started his playing career in the World Hockey Assocation with the Birmingham Bulls. He then played for the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, a concussion ended his career in 1994.
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Brad Marsh (RC) -Notice the giant “A” was airbrushed off of Brad Marsh’s jersey. That’s because in 1980 the team moved from Atlanta to Calgary. Also notice that Brad Marsh has hair! By the time I started watching hockey, he was practically bald.
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Craig Hartsburg (RC) -This guy was a teammate of Michel Goulet’s with the Birmingham Bulls, then played a decade for the Minnesota North Stars.
1980-81 Topps Mike Gartner (RC) -Gartner played a season in the WHA before going on to a 19-year Hall of Fame career.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Sutter (RC) -Here a Sutter, there a Sutter, everywhere a Sutter Darryl eventually became the team captain of the Blackhawks, but his career was cut short by injuries.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Dino Ciccarelli – Dino was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Peter Stastny (RC) -Stastny won the Calder trophy in 1981. He played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Jari Kurri (RC) -A major reason why the Oilers were such a powerhouse in the 1980s.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Glenn Anderson (RC) – Another Hall of Fame Edmonton Oilers player.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Andy Moog (RC) – Moog was a backup goalie for several seasons until he got traded to the Bruins.
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Kevin Lowe (RC) – With players like Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson and Lowe,s it any wonder that the Oilers won 5 Stanley Cup Championships in 7 years?
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Paul Coffey (RC) – Oh, and Paul Coffey too. Unfortunately, this card has a light crease to the left of the Oilers logo on Coffey’s sweater. Still, it is a pretty badass card to own.
1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Tom Barrasso (RC) -Barrasso won the Calder, Vezina and Jennings Trophy during the 1983-84 season, and had a lengthy NHL career.
I got a few non-RCs in the lot too…
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rick Martin – This is Martin’s 2nd card. Along with Rene Robert and Gilbert Perreault, Martin was on the Buffalo Sabres famed “French Connection” line.
1985-86 O-Pee-Chee Chris Chelios – The 2nd-year card of my hero, Chris Chelios. I am actually trying to collect every Chelios card ever made, and still needed this relatively easy-to-find card.
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Poul Popiel – Popiel was the first person from Denmark to play in the National Hockey League, and was later an All-Star player in the World Hockey Association (as indicated by this card). One day, I hope to own this entire set.
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Jacques Plante – I’ll leave you all with arguably the best (not necessarily most valuable) card of the lot–Jacques Plante. After retiring a year to coach the Quebec Nordiques, Plante made a 1-year comeback with the Alberta Oilers of the World Hockey Association. I love the way Plante is gazing off into the distance, and that he is holding his invention–the goalie mask. A fitting “last” card for the legendary player.
There are hockey card sets dedicated to goaltenders. There are hockey card sets dedicated to leading scorers. And then, there’s Fleer Throwbacks.
At a glance:
– 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks
– 91 cards
– 1 “bonus” Bob Probert card
– Size: 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
– Download Checklist
The term “throwback” implies something that hearkens back to an earlier time period or age. The 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks hockey set features 91 former players who aptly fit that description – men who were tough enough to play in any era. Most of the players in this set were known for their rough-and-tumble style of play, while others were just gritty. No, this isn’t merely an homage to “goons” or “enforcers” – though Fleer Throwbacks has plenty of those, too.
The 2010-11 season marks the 100th Anniversary of hockey cards. A century ago, the first set of hockey cards–now known as the C56 set–was released by Imperial Tobacco. One hockey card was placed in each pack of cigarettes to keep the cigs from breaking.
To commemorate this, In The Game is kicking it old school–way old school. Their Ultimate Memorabilia 10 hockey set will feature a base card design that looks like the century old portraits of the C56 set. But there’s a twist–apparently, the set will feature relatively newer players like Mario Lemieux (above) and Ted Lindsay (left). Redemption cards for graded copies of 1910-11 C56 cards will be randomly inserted.
The look of this set excites me. I love painted cards, such as the old Hockey Hall of Fame Postcards, Donruss Ice Kings/Ice Masters–even those Upper Deck checklists from the early 1990s. The thought of collecting a set that looks pre-World War One is enticing.
However, I have never bought Ultimate Memorabilia before. It seems like a very expensive product (several hundred dollars for a 5-pack box). And since I’m more interested in the base cards then memorabilia cards, I don’t know how re-sell-able (if that’s even a word) the memorabilia inserts are.
Has anyone collected Ultimate Memorabilia in the past? How was the set? How much did a box cost? Are the memorabilia insert cards easy to re-sell, or hard to because they don’t have the team logos?
I am so not a jersey card kind of guy, so shelling out hundreds of dollars to go after “base” cards doesn’t seem like the greatest idea. Then again, I’ve never bought any of ITG’s memorabilia products. Maybe I’ll like them if I try them.
I must be a sucker. Yesterday, a telemarketer from Beckett Publications, named “Sid“–but probably really named Samir–called me and asked if I wanted to renew my subscription to Beckett Hockey Magazine. And I said “yes.”
Now, I was about to tell Sid (Samir) that I do not wish to subscribe to Beckett Hockey, because the magazine is really just inflated card values and regurgitated press releases from Upper Deck.
But the problem was, I kept thinking of Sid, the cursing rabbit puppet from “The Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Ferguson voices the foul-mouthed, Scottish-accented puppet.
With my defenses down, Sid (Samir) dropped the bomb on me: TWO years of Beckett Hockey for $36. That’s $3 per issue, plus I would get two free card gradings.
Hmmmm….maybe $3 an issue isn’t too much to satisfy my morbid curiosity. So, I caved in and bought a two-year subscription. Perhaps if enough of us buy in, Beckett will print thoughtful articles again instead of the usual “They Say / We Say” nonsense.
Now, most normal people don’t think of a cursing rabbit puppet from late night television when they hear the name “Sid”. But most normal people don’t blog about trading cards based on the 5th most popular sport in the U.S., either.
But here’s where things got freaky. While doing a Google Image Search to find a few pictures of Sid the Rabbit, I came across a video of an interview with Craig Ferguson, regarding his voice acting work in the film How to Train Your Dragon.
Sure, nothing weird there–until I clicked play to watch the video and an ad for Beckett appeared!
Beckett has found a way to use my enjoyment of Craig Ferguson’s comedy against me. Am I crazy, or is this the beginning of a conspiracy theory?
In other news not related to Beckett, Craig Ferguson or conspiracy theories…you might want to check out this contest over on Fuji’s blog.
Now that I have my write-up of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks Convention behind me, I can get back to “business as usual” on Puck Junk. This card of Allan Stanley is the 28th card in my 1963-64 Parkhurst set.
A few tiny pinholes and a slightly rough corner hardly detract from this 47-year old relic
NOTE: You might want to read Day One and Day Two first:
2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day One
2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day Two
Chicago, IL – Aug. 1, 2010
On the third day of the convention, I pretty much spent the whole time waiting in lines to get autographs.
In retrospect, I regret not going to more panel discussions.
But at the time, I was excited because I had those VIP signing session passes, which entitled me to get autographs from the best ‘Hawks players.
So, that’s how Sunday went. I waited in line, again and again and again.
I also made a few purchases, and my girlfriend interviewed several artists at the convention. Continue reading “2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day Three”
NOTE: You might want to read the Day One recap first:
2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day One
Chicago, IL – July 31, 2010
We arrived at the convention around 9:30 AM, and headed over to the autograph room to try and get wristbands. Scheduled to sign at 11 AM were Stan Mikita and Eric Daze.
It turns out that Mikita was sick, and did not attend the show over the weekend. My girlfriend and I each got a wristband for Eric Daze. Continue reading “2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day Two”