Card of the Week: Who Are Those Guys?

1992-93 Wheeling Thunderbirds #20: Those Guys

You are probably asking yourself, who are “Those Guys” – those two middle-aged men clad in yellow polo shirts.

Are they the team’s owners? Coaches? Equipment guys?

The ushers? Ticket takers? Concession stand workers? 

Nope – they are the guys who produced a team set of minor league hockey cards. This might be the most self-serving hockey card of all time.

Continue reading “Card of the Week: Who Are Those Guys?”

How to Safely Display Your Favorite Cards on a Shelf

We as collectors spend a lot of time seeking out the trading cards that we want. But do we spend any time enjoying the cards once we have them? It seems like once I got a card that I liked, it would be tucked away in a nine-pocket page or filed into a box, seldom to be seen again.

That is understandable, since exposure to light over a long period of time can cause cards to fade. But recently, I got into the wonderful practice of putting my favorite cards on display. Here’s how you can safely display your favorite sports or gaming cards to show off to your friends and family – or just to enjoy having in your collection. Read the rest of the story at the BCW Supplies Blog.

Player Collecting: The à La Carte of Card Collecting

Once upon a time, it was possible to collect every hockey card released during the season – especially when there were only two major sets available. But nowadays, it is impossible to collect every hockey card out there, especially when you consider all the parallels, autographs, jersey cards, and one-of-one cards.

Since it is impossible to collect everything, many card collectors focus on player collecting – that is, collecting just the cards of their favorite players.

Like an à la carte menu at a restaurant, which lets you order smaller portions of certain foods without the side dishes, player collecting allows you to sample every, base, parallel and insert set out there.

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Puck Junk Podcast: 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns

Episode #175: January 19, 2024

This week, the guys talk all about the upcoming 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns rookie cards, discuss how much Connor Bedard’s Young Guns rookie card will sell for at launch, and which other rookies will be worth adding to your collection. Plus, the new 2024 NHL All-Star jerseys inflicted on us by Justin Bieber. It’s one hour of hockey goodness. 

Links
The Russian Penguins: An Oral History (The Hockey News)
2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns Checklist (Puck Junk Newsletter)
2024 NHL All-Star Jerseys Designed by Bieber’s Fashion Label (NHL.com)
And here’s that wacky Leafs jersey designed by Bieber (NHL.com)

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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

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or Transistor.

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When to Pivot Your Collecting Focus

Sometimes, you have to look at what you’re not looking for.

When I went to the Sport Card Expo in Toronto back in November, one of the things I wanted to buy was an Auston Matthews Young Guns rookie card. In fact, there were a few different rookie cards of current stars that I was looking for.

The problem was, they were all more than I wanted to pay. Much of the new stuff was graded. And even ungraded copies of cards that I wanted were in the neighborhood of $500 or more. 

That’s when I reminded myself of one of my long-standing card collecting strategies: know when to pivot your collecting focus, because you won’t know what you might find. 

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Puck Junk Podcast: Collecting Resolutions for 2024

Plus: How Will Connor Bedard’s Injury Affect His Card Prices?
Episode #174: January 12, 2024

In the first Puck Junk Podcast for 2024,  the guys talk about their collecting resolutions for the year, as well as collecting resolutions from the listeners. They also discuss if Connor Bedard’s injury will affect his card prices, the upcoming “Tough Guys” set by President’s Choice Trading Cards, the PWHL, and more. It’s 212 minutes of hockey goodness!

Links
President’s Choice Trading Cards “Tough Guys Set” (Facebook)
Sal’s article about NFTs for The Hockey News (The Hockey News)
Article about the 2009 NHL All-Star Game on Versus (Puck Junk)
Podcast: Does Changing Teams Affect Player Collecting (Puck Junk)
Collecting Resolutions for 2024 (Puck Junk)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel

Support 
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop

Review: 2023-24 Boston Bruins Centennial Box Set

100 Years, 100 Boston Bruins Greats

The Boston Bruins turns 100 years old this season. The team was founded in 1924 and was the first National Hockey League team to play in the United States. Upper Deck recently released a boxed set commemorating 100 of the best players to wear the black and gold – and sometimes brown and gold – for Boston. 

Costing around $50, the Bruins Centennial Box Set contains the entire 100-card set. You also get four parallel cards and one insert card, while some sets may also have a card autographed by a famous Bruins player. 

Here is a closer look at the set’s design, player selection – and if it is worth buying.

Continue reading “Review: 2023-24 Boston Bruins Centennial Box Set”

Clemente’s Corner: An Interview with Ken Reid

Canadian sports broadcaster Ken Reid knows hockey. He also knows hockey cards. A collector since childhood, Reid, who works for Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet, has written books about the hobby.

Author of “Hockey Card Stories: True Tales from Your Favorite Players” and “Hockey Card Stories 2: 59 More True Tales from Your Favorite Players,” Reid’s writing exudes passion and love for the cards we all grew up collecting.

It is Reid’s blend of humor, nostalgia and concise storytelling that makes him one of the finest sports journalists of our era. When he’s not making you feel like a kid again, Reid does a very good job telling stories you’ve never read before. You always come away entertained and learning something new at the same time whenever you pick up one of his books.

Reid, 49, has a new book out called “Hometown Hockey Heroes,” released this past October. This one – a series of inspiring and entertaining stories about local legends who defined the game in Canada – is another great addition to your bookshelf. Once again, he does a great job in both the nostalgia and storytelling department.

“Ken Reid’s writing style feels like shooting the breeze with a good friend,” said Tim Micallef, a fellow Sportsnet host. “In his new book, we find out where Reid’s unmatched passion for the game comes from. Take the trip from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, all the way to Kimberley, British Columbia, and discover the legends that dotted every corner of this country, the kind of stories that helped elevate the game from sport to religion in many parts of Canada.”

In fact, Reid’s latest book was inspired by his childhood adoration for Dana “T-Pot” Johnston, who played Junior C for the Pictou Mariners in Nova Scotia. The book also delves into other hometown heroes, including Robbie Forbes, who arrived in Newfoundland in the mid-80s with NHL dreams and ended up leading the Corner Brook Royals to a Canadian Senior Hockey title. Forbes, it should be noted, is also Sidney Crosby’s uncle; something else I learned from Reid’s book.

I caught up with Reid at the recent Sport Card Expo in Toronto, where we talked about his new book, hockey cards, goalies and why Wayne Gretzky is still the man after all these years.

Clemente Lisi: What’s your new book about?

Ken Reid: This book is from the heart. It’s based on my childhood hockey hero,  Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: An Interview with Ken Reid”