Sal Barry

Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk

1957-58 Topps #60 – Andy Bathgate

This card of Andy Bathgate is the 19th card for my 1957-58 Topps Hockey set. It is in rough shape–some wear on the front and a few corner creases–but I didn’t pay a heck of a lot for it. A near-mint copy of this card books for $40. For $8, I figured that this one was good enough to bring me one step closer.

 
Set completion as of 4-20-2012
19 out of 66 cards = 28.7%

1963-64 Parkhurst #65 – Johnny Bower

 I have been woefully behind in updating this blog lately, but as the school semester winds down I am finally getting a bit more free time. When I went to that card show last month, I bought quite a few 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey cards–and I finally have time to scan them. Here is card number 65, Johnny Bower. This is the 49th card in my set.

Both sides of the card are clean, but it is just a bit off-center. But I’ll take off-centering over creasing any day.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 49% Complete

2010-11 Artifacts Box Break #5

Not too long ago, I bought two more boxes of 2010-11 Artifacts.

Yes, I know that it is 2012, and that there is a 2011-12 Artifacts set. But I still really like last year’s set. I am missing numerous base cards, think the jersey cards in Artifacts are all right–and I plan on building the entire set (short prints, redemptions and all).

So, let’s take a look at this “retro” box of cards I bought: Continue reading “2010-11 Artifacts Box Break #5”

59% of a 1972-73 OPC set

Yesterday, I wrote about my intention to build the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set.

So, after declining that dealer’s offer for a set, sans-stars, I began my hunt for singles. Many were between 50 cents and $2. I also found 16 different W.H.A. cards for roughly $3 to $5 each (some were more, for obvious reasons).

I found 138 cards, giving me a total of 203 cards, which is 59% of the 340-card set.

Here are my favorite 10 cards from my set so far:

#137 – Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks): Most dealers want $20 for this card. I found this one for $5.

#190- 2nd Series Check List: Yes, it is marked. But it was also only $5. This will do me good until I find a suitable replacement for not too much money.

#59 Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens): A light crease (left of Guy’s head) resulted in a cost of only $10.

#129 – Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins): Probably the most expensive card in the set. But don’t worry–I paid less than low book for it 🙂

#58 – Bobby Orr on the Offensive (NHL Action): The other pricey Orr card.

#92 – Jacques Plante (Toronto Maple Leafs): His last card as an NHLer. Plante would retire for a year and then play one season in the W.H.A.

#340 – Gerry Cheevers (Cleveland Crusaders): The other pricey W.H.A. card in this set. I think this card may be either trimmed or a mis-cut, as it is 1/8″ of an inch shorter than my other cards in this set. But I could not pass it up for $10.

#76 – Phil Esposito Standing in the “Slot” (NHL Action): Brother vs. brother for the profit of another!

#253 – The Stanley Cup Trophy: Or “Le Coupe de Stanley” as it is known in Quebec.

Card #336 – Bobby Hull (Winnipeg Jets):  I love this card. Yes, you heard me. I LOVE this card, and I am not afraid to admit it. It is the most expensive W.H.A. card in the set, and it features a Chicago legend sporting an airbrushed jersey for a “rebel” team. So freakin’ cool.