Category: News & Views

This past Friday and Saturday I went to the Chicago Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention. Apparently it was the “46th Annual” show, but this show happens twice a year and sure has hell has not been going on for 46 years. I don’t pretend to understand the show’s numbering system, but I do look forward to this twice-annual show like a pilgrim looks forward to a religious sojourn.  Continue reading “A Recap of Last Weekend’s Card Show”

Lately, I’ve been finding a lot of great vintage cards. My latest two vintage additions are 1954-55 Topps Hockey cards of Lorne “Gump” Worsley and Alex Delvecchio. Unfortunately, the 1954-55 Topps set is not one that I am currently focusing on. That, for me personally, is a bit of a problem, since I tend to end up owning a handful of cards from many different sets, instead of hyperfocusing on finishing one set before moving on. (More scans after the jump). Continue reading “1954-55 Gump Worsley & Alex Delvecchio”

Back in July 2012, I first asked “Where in the World is Patrice Bergeron?” This was after waiting over a year for a redemption card that would supposedly bear Bergeron’s signature and a piece of a patch from one of his game-used jerseys.

The card in question was from the 2010-11 SP Authentic set, so the fact that Upper Deck did not have this card ready to ship out in the middle of 2012 had me perplexed. Was it that Upper Deck could not get Bergeron to sign the cards? Or was it that they could not secure a patch to cut up and put on the cards? I don’t think securing a game-used Patrice Bergeron jersey would be all that difficult for Upper Deck. And Bergeron has autographed cards for me in the past. So, I don’t know what the deal is.

Then last week, I received this letter, addressing the plight of my Bergeron card:

The letter didn’t really explain WHY I wasn’t getting the card, but that’s OK. Usually, when Upper Deck issues a substitution, they do not disappoint.

And in this case, they did not disappoint me. Enclosed in the padded envelope along with the form letter was this card:

Needless to say, I was floored. A 2007-08 SP Authentic Tuukka Rask rookie card, autographed on-card and serial-numbered is way cooler than a 2010-11 SP Authentic Patrice Bergeron autographed patch card–especially since said card of Bergeron does not exist.

I guess Upper Deck could have thrown an auto/patch card of any player and called it a day. Instead, they sent me a 5-year old rookie card that has since accumulated some demand in the secondary market The last two copies of this card on ebay sold for $100 and $130. This more than makes up for what was initially promised.

Coincidentally, this is the second time for me that Patrice Bergeron has been a part of an Upper Deck substitution. In 2009, the company sent me an autographed Bergeron card to compensate for a sub-par jersey card I pulled.

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Normally, the 1961-92 Topps (don’t call it O-Pee-Chee) Hockey Set is not one I go after. I’m too fixated on 1963-64 Parkhurst and 1957-58 Topps when I go to card shows in search of vintage. But my local card shop recently acquired some 1961-62 Topps, and the prices were fair (around half  or less of “hi” Beckett). It’s hard to walk away from that when the cards have decent corers, great gloss, no creases and clean backs–especially in a larger quantity. (Pictures after the jump). Continue reading “Almost a Third of the 1961-62 Topps Set”

Over the past 6 years, my hockey card collecting has focused primarily on building sets (old and new) and tracking down cards of my favorite player, Chris Chelios.

I’ve broadened my horizons recently and started a few new personal collections. What makes these PCs special is that they were inspired by other card collecting bloggers.

Here’s a rundown of my new personal collections–and the bloggers who inspired them.

Blogger & Blog: Dave H. / Wax Stain Rookie
What he collects: New Jersey Devils rookie cards
Inspired me to collect: Rookie cards of the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks players.

Like most collectors, Dave enjoys rookie cards. But he seems pretty keen on getting RCs of players from his favorite team, the New Jersey Devils.

This has inspired me to acquire rookie cards for each and every member of one of my favorite teams of all time, the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks. I have a lot of RCs of these guys anyway, but now I’m trying to get one of every player, including any “Black Aces” who had an NHL RC.

And here’s the catch: I am going to try and make sure that all cards are from different sets. That means that all RCs from each year must be different–no two cards from the same set in a given year. This will be tough, as a handful of players only had RCs with low print runs in sets like Be A Player or The Cup.

Blogger & Blog: “bamlinden” / My Hockey Card Obsession
What he collects: Serial-numbered cards (a.k.a. 1 vs. 100)
Inspired me to collect: Serial-numbered cards numbered 1 out of whatever.

 

“Bamlinden” (a.k.a. Brett) started a collection some time ago called “1 vs. 100,” where he tries to get serial-numbered cards–e.g. 6/50 or 2/25 or 37/99–so long as he does not duplicate the last number. I like that idea, and decided to collect what I call “1 in a…”. Here, I try to get serial-numbered cards where the first number is 1 (1/1, 1/2, 1/3, and so forth). Doesn’t matter if it is an autograph, game-used or parallel card–so long as it is “1” out of whatever, and it is a player I like or have at least heard of.

Of course, finding a serial-numbered card that “starts” with 1 is not easy–and when you do find one, it is sometimes pricey. Plus, I’m not really sure there are any cards numbered 1/47 or 1/92.

Blogger & Blog: DFG / The Real DFG
What he collects: Cards of Eric Tangradi
Inspired me to collect: Cards of Carter Hutton

DFG (a.k.a. Tim) started collecting cards of Eric Tangradi early last year. Tangradi was a prospect for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but was recently traded to the Winnipeg Jets. Tim’s decision to collect a prospect–who may or may not ultimately end up as an NHL regular–inspired me to track down cards of minor-league goaltender Carter Hutton.

Hutton appeared as a backup for the Flyers in 2009-10 for a few games, and again as a backup with the Sharks in 2010-11 for 22 games. He never actually played for either team, though. Last season, he started as the third-string goalie for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, eventually becoming the ‘Hogs number one goalie and winning the AHL “Player of the Week” honors twice. He was called up by the Chicago Blackhawks, but again served as a backup. I am drawn to Hutton’s perseverance–he is 28 and still plugging away–and hope to see the day that he gets his well-deserved shot in the NHL. Even if it is with a team besides the Blackhawks.

Not too many cards have been made for Carter Hutton. There are /25, /5 and /1 versions of his 2010-11 Certified RC. The rest have either been non-serial numbered or minor league cards.

Blogger & Blog: “The Iron Lung” / Hockey Card Heaven
What he collects: Autographs of NHL player who scored 1,000 points
Inspired me to collect: Autographs of the 2010 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks team.

Sure, this might seem redundant of my first new PC, but owning a certified autographed RC of each 2010 Blackhawks player would be an ultimate goal for me. I will put the cards in a card frame to proudly display them when I accomplish this task.

Unfortunately, many of these guys only have certified autographs picturing them with other teams (Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Andrew Ladd), so I might just try to get a certified auto of them as a ‘Hawks player.Then again, some of them don’t even have that, so then I might resort to using some TTM autographs for this project.

I haven’t nailed down my parameters (I’m open to suggestion) but my end goal is to have an autographed card of every 2010 ‘Hawk.

Blogger & Blog: Paul / Card Boarded
What he collects: 1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition Gold Script, Silver Script and Super Script parallels
Inspired me to collect: 1997-98 Donruss Studio Silver Press Proofs and Gold Press Proof parallels

  

Paul likes the 1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition set so much that he decided to collect all the parallel versions (Gold Script, Silver Script and Super Script) of the set.

Normally, I pass on parallels (other than those featuring Chris Chelios), but Paul seems to be enjoying his quest for variations.This got me thinking that it would be a fun challenge to try and track down parallel versions of one of my favorite sets, 1997-98 Donruss Studio, which features stunning portraits of the best NHLers that year. There are Press Proof Silver and Press Proof Gold parallels, non-serial numbered but limited to 1,000 and 250 copies respectively.

So far, I have about half of the Press Proof Silver parallels, but only 1 Press Proof Gold parallel. Most eBay sellers want upwards of $30 for a Gold parallel, so this will definitely be an exercise in patience.

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Thanks to my fellow bloggers who have inspired me to take on some exciting new collecting challenges. I will still build sets and collect Chelios cards, but you have given me some new and interesting pursuits for 2013.